Stealing and selling venison - caught in the act

[ATbuckhunter]

12 minutes ago, the blur said:

Not much you can do when the Elk is out west.   1 butcher in town.    1 UPS store that will dry ice and ship it.   Towns are 30 miles apart.    I'm sure the UPS store is eating well too.    The only way is to stay out there, watch the butcher, and personally watch the UPS store until the carton is taped closed, and on it's way.

I thought of taking the meat home on the plane, but that is not easy.

That sucks! Wish I would have known, I would have told you to bring the elk my way and I would have butchered it for you. 

[the blur]

It's time I start doing my own butchering.    I lost a third of my meat last season.   I went over everything, weighed in / out;   documented it carefully,   33% is a serious #.

I watched people skin & bone out various animals.    Never watched the butchering process.

I used 4 different butchers over the years... depending on where I'm hunting, and where I'll be to pick it up.

Only 1 uses vacuum packing.

1 uses saran wrap on the inside, and then brown paper on the outside.   Works fine.

1 uses butcher paper, and that works fine too.  Even after a year.

the other uses zip lock bags, and doesn't even squeeze the air out.

I found no method is better than other.  even  after the meat is frozen for a year.

 

[Robhuntandfish]

always butcher your own if you can!  of course they skim.  And you never know if your getting your deer or one that sat in the sun etc.   

I took a couple of deer in years ago and every peice had to get the bone dust of it so I didnt chip a tooth.  I think its part of the process and I enjoy making my own cuts and ideas.  i make stew, roasts, cubed steaks, burgers, sausage ......

[Five Seasons]

I started butchering my own 3 years ago and I'll never look back. I admit by the last bowl of ground I'm over it, but if I can get the wife to help it's not so bad. I like to break up the butchering and ground to 2 different days. I just feel a lot better doing it myself. 

[Culvercreek hunt club]

1 hour ago, the blur said:

It's time I start doing my own butchering.    I lost a third of my meat last season.   I went over everything, weighed in / out;   documented it carefully,   33% is a serious #.

I watched people skin & bone out various animals.    Never watched the butchering process.

I used 4 different butchers over the years... depending on where I'm hunting, and where I'll be to pick it up.

Only 1 uses vacuum packing.

1 uses saran wrap on the inside, and then brown paper on the outside.   Works fine.

1 uses butcher paper, and that works fine too.  Even after a year.

the other uses zip lock bags, and doesn't even squeeze the air out.

I found no method is better than other.  even  after the meat is frozen for a year.

 

In my experience, properly vacuum sealed outlast the other three and if you are keeping it over  6 months, worth the money and time to do it. 

[The_Real_TCIII]

In my experience, properly vacuum sealed outlast the other three and if you are keeping it over  6 months, worth the money and time to do it. 

Absolutely worth it. I've found it's fine even after two years when vacuum sealed


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[ATbuckhunter]

2 hours ago, the blur said:

It's time I start doing my own butchering.    I lost a third of my meat last season.   I went over everything, weighed in / out;   documented it carefully,   33% is a serious #.

I watched people skin & bone out various animals.    Never watched the butchering process.

I used 4 different butchers over the years... depending on where I'm hunting, and where I'll be to pick it up.

Only 1 uses vacuum packing.

1 uses saran wrap on the inside, and then brown paper on the outside.   Works fine.

1 uses butcher paper, and that works fine too.  Even after a year.

the other uses zip lock bags, and doesn't even squeeze the air out.

I found no method is better than other.  even  after the meat is frozen for a year.

 

Butchering a deer is such a simple process that I don't understand why most people don't. There are some great youtube videos that show everything you need to know. 

[Five Seasons]

37 minutes ago, ATbuckhunter said:

Butchering a deer is such a simple process that I don't understand why most people don't. There are some great youtube videos that show everything you need to know. 

same reason people don't mow their own lawn or plow their own driveway. I have a pretty busy professional life and 3 young kids. Not a lot of free time. $80 isn't a hard choice when things are hectic.

 

[ATbuckhunter]

31 minutes ago, Belo said:

same reason people don't mow their own lawn or plow their own driveway. I have a pretty busy professional life and 3 young kids. Not a lot of free time. $80 isn't a hard choice when things are hectic.

 

Ya that's why I said most and not all. I figured that people are busy and don't have the time to spend on it. All in all it shouldn't take more than 2 hours so we spend more time getting the deer than taking care of the meat afterwards. I encourage everyone to do it, but don't think less of anyone who doesnt.

 

[Curmudgeon]

1 hour ago, Belo said:

same reason people don't mow their own lawn or plow their own driveway. I have a pretty busy professional life and 3 young kids. Not a lot of free time. $80 isn't a hard choice when things are hectic.

 

The quality of the end product is not part of this cost equation.  

[The_Real_TCIII]

I love butchering deer. I try and wait for Monday night, put a tv in the garage with MNF on, get some neighbors over to run the vacuum sealer and drink a few beers in the process. It's one of the best things about deer season.

[Robhuntandfish]

the processing is so much part of it.  Me and a buddy come up with different things to try every year.  Last year it was jalepeno brats (awesome) and made some summer sausage and perfected my burger making.  This year am going to try cracked pepper sausage.  Have learned not to cut up the backstraps into steaks but leave them in 10 inch sections - they cook better - more tender - then cut into steaks if want after they cook and rest.   

[Five Seasons]

The quality of the end product is not part of this cost equation.  

And why I butcher myself. Just saying that I get it.

There's other factors besides time as well. No barn or garage with hoist, cold barn, wife not liking the mess, cleaning up, remains to dispose of. A few hundred bucks for knives, grinder and sealer (yes it pays for itself).

In the end it's worth it for me to do my own, but I can understand the appeal of dropping off your deer and $80 and coming back a few days later to an apple box full of frozen packaged and labeled meats.


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[Five Seasons]

I love butchering deer. I try and wait for Monday night, put a tv in the garage with MNF on, get some neighbors over to run the vacuum sealer and drink a few beers in the process. It's one of the best things about deer season.

I enjoy the Saturday morning kill too. Sunday football in the garage makes it enjoyable.


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[tuckersdaddy]

Absolutely worth it. I've found it's fine even after two years when vacuum sealed


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Ive had the same good luck with just freezer paper... Easier to right on too...

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[wolc123]

The biggest advantage of cutting up your own is having full control over the process.   That can make a big difference in the quality of the meat that is served at the table.   A big problem with processors, is that more than half the deer are typically killed on opening weekend of southern zone gun season.   It should not be difficult to understand why that makes it tough to control the process.  

While I don't love butchering deer, it is well worth the time and hassle for me to do all those that I get at home.  The fact that there is not many ticks around here also helps out a bit with that.   I have not heard of any butcher shops within a half hour drive from home that will do it for under $75.  

It is a whole different ballgame for deer the I kill up in the Northern zone however, for three reasons:  First, ticks run rampant up there, and I will never bring home another carcass from up there for that reason alone. I picked over a hundred ticks off the buck I brought home last season, before and while skinning it.  Second, good-paying jobs are scarce up there, and competition is fierce for processing deer.   The going rate is about $ 50 for doing the job.  The quality of the work they did for the cost, on a doe I dropped off during early ML last season, was excellent.  

Finally, it is not such a big deal that I get my own "bark-eating" northern deer back up there, as it is that I get my own corn-fed specimen back from home in the southern zone.  That said, I am fairly certain that I did get my own doe back last year, as the quantity seemed just about right and the folks at the butcher shop (Nolt's in Lowville) seemed very nice.   Also, there were a couple big corn fields near camp up there last season and the venison I brought home from that processor tasted just as good as the does from the corn-fields back home that I processed myself.                    

Edited August 24, 2017 by wolc123