Butchering your own deer?

[Deerslayer]

I basically taught myself how to and after enough you get good at it and last year i did 8 deer. We got a good set up that took a couple of years to perfect we just usually get all my friends to help do all of my deer and my friends that help because the more the marrier. time consuming and back aches galor. When you have a part of butchering that you get good at you kinda just take over that part. I wouldnt mind showing anyone how as long as there gonna help out.

To help with the backache ~ I built a workbench in my man cave that is proportionate to my height (I'm 5-11) and the bench is at the height of my belly button, this keeps me from having to bend over at all to cut. IT HELPS!!

[Doc]

For decades, we used to butcher our own deer. I never really cared for the job, but we did it anyway and did a pretty good job of it.

Well, now I'm a bit older and a bit more lazy. So now I let someone else do it. My deer processor does a very professional job and also has what is needed for making up some of the processed meat products like sausage and some cold-cuts, etc.

Yeah, it all costs more money than I wish it would, but there is something real nice about dropping off a deer and picking up bags of meat a couple days later.

Doc

[fasteddie]

Two years ago I shot a buck during bow season and a doe with the ML . The doe was bigger than the buck . I butchered the buck and got 53# of meat . I was too lazy to butcher the doe and took it to a processor . I came home with 31# of venison and like I said the doe was larger and I got 22 less pounds of meat at a cost of $65 . Never again !

[Deerslayer]

I know there is a butcher right up the road.  I do not know what he charges, however I think I'll wait on butchering a deer till I have someone we hunt with that knows how to do it.

It's all in the setup, if you have the right tools and space for the job, it makes a world of difference. I prefer to bone out all the meat rather than band saw chops, etc. I average 6 to 8 deer a year between my wife's and my kills. I've cut up so many of them now I could do it blindfolded.  And if I am in a hurry, I could take one from the hoof to the freezer myself inside of 90 minutes. Once you skin it, carefully slice along the spinal column down to the top of the rib cage and peel the backstraps off. Then, if you pull the front legs outward, you can see exactly what you need to cut the front shoulders off. Then carve off the brisket and neck meat (which really is only good for stew or ground) and throw it all in a pile. You should have removed the tenderloins when you gutted the deer, they run on the underside of the spine in the kidney area.

At this point you can saw off the rib cage from the hind quarters. Sometimes I just bone out all the roasts on the hind quarters as they hang still connected, sometimes I'll saw right down the middle and separate them. Then just find your way between the roasts with your fingers separating the silver skin that divides them and cut where you need. It takes some practice but that's the only way to learn. Then you can cut up the roasts, or trim them and leave them whole.

Hope this helps.

[bubba]

A buddy of mine and I butcher our own. electric wench to get the deer up in the air.  We do mostly steak and stew. We do grind some and have seasonings. We mostly make hot sausage flavor. Great in chili meatballs and grilled burgers.  It isnt rocket science. Everything is vacuum sealed and labeled.  Another little trick we do after the hide is off is to take a butane torch and go over the carcass.  Any remaining hair will singe up and be gone keeping it off of the meat.  The trick is to trim it well an dget rid of the tallow. 

[fasteddie]

I had a young lady , whose family runs a meat market , tell me that even though the deer are tagged as to what deer belongs to whom , they still get some of the meat mixed . I don't want any venison from a deer that some jerk has had in the back of his pickup and riding around with it for several days !

[skyzmine]

i would say just try it.

and buy a good grinder.

you will probly have more ground meat the first time till you get it down.

[growalot]

we average 3-6 deer a year...I gut hang and skin all my own  deer and do most of the butchering my self as well..Hey the guys have paying jobs and the home and properties are mine...if a middle aged woman can handle the job alone anyone can ...because  I hang head down...I start with the shoulders and work my way up by the time I get to the gamble hook there is just the legs attached to the hams...I cut down the middle and do one ham at a time...it's pretty simple really ...but have a good sharpener and several good knives of differant sizes and a good meat saw

[fasteddie]

I bought the butcher set from Gander Mt , a good meatsaw , a grinder from Dick's Sporting Goods store and a FoodSaver from EBAY so I have everything needed to butcher my deer . I saved a cutout piece from a countertop to cut the meat on so My butchering gear is completelt separate from and kitchen gear .

[Buckstopshere]

I cut up, wrap, and freeze from four to seven deer a year and have for about 40 years. There was a spell of about eight years when I tried different meat processors and learned more tricks of the trade, so to speak from them.

But now I do it myself, except I take about 50 pounds or so to Wilson Farms and have them turn it into hot dogs, sausage, pepperoni, etc.

I really enjoy cutting my own deer. I am very careful to make the best cuts possible so that the meat is the most appealing and evenly balanced so it can be cooked evenly.

[fasteddie]

The wife and I had some venison steak for supper tonight . I used some of the McCormick's Peppercorn & Garlic marinade . Yum , yum !  :-*

[fasteddie]

This site has some video that shows how to make some of the cuts .......

http://www.askthemeatman.com/deer.htm

[Geno C]

to me butchering the deer is kind of the fun part for me. We grab a beer and get down to work. I like the comrodery of it...

I like to get the hide off as soon as possible and leave the deer to sit the day or night, depending when i took the deer. if it sits a few hours especially if its very cool i find it easier to butcher up, might be just me tho... get a few sharp knives, a warm bucket of water, paper towls and your freezer wrap or bags. i quater my deer up and take the quaters over to a table and start my butchering process. Its really not that hard at all. after a few deer you learn where to run your knife and make your cuts. the best advise is when your taking the hide off, be sure not to puncture the hide while removing it in order to illiviate the amount of hair you leave one the meat.

[mkrafty133]

We have been butchering our own deer for about 8 yrs now. We taught ourselves how to on a deer that my brother in-law hit with his truck.  It's not that difficult once you learn the muscle groups. Also for me it just adds to the hunting experince.  We get done with a good day of hunting and go back to the house and start cutting telling our stories and have a couple beers.

[JGaruti3]

Butchering is awesome but certainly time consuming.  Having someone teach you is the best way.  My girlfriend's father showed me how to do it.  I watched him do a few deer at first and then the last time I killed a deer down in Virginia I did it myself with him instructing.  Personally I think that is the best way to learn.  I am exciting to go back to Virginia because there are plenty of deer to kill and he is a good teacher since he has probably gutted, skinned, and butchered hundreds of deers in his lifetime.  So I am confident enough to do it on my own now but I definitely need plenty more practice before I would consider myself good.

If you want to be real lazy you can get all the big parts of meat off the deer without even gutting it.  I do not like this method however because if you are a meat lover then you miss out on a lot.

[nyslowhand]

Burmjohn, hope you are getting the idea from all the posts that it really isn't rocket science.

Yeah, it's nice to have someone with experience walk you through the first couple of attempts.

You can eventually accumulate the specialty tools like the grinders, meat saws or vacuum sealers.

I've done them with only a crude means of getting the carcass hung in a tree/garage by the rear legs.

A good, sharp folding hunting knife and a clean hacksaw with a coarse blade are the basics.

Helps to have a bigger knife, a meat saw and a large workspace available.

Hang it, gut it, skin it, wash the cavity and let it hang (preferably away from critters) overnight.

Saw it in half lengthwise, know what you want in you cuts of meat and go to town with each quarter/section of the deer.

The key is in the wrapping to prevent freezer burn. Vacuum sealers are great!

Nothing worse than spending the time processing only to get meat out of the freezer and find it freezer burned!!

Like Doc, I have gotten lazy in my advanced years.

But when you take a deer to a processor, they tag it, throw it onto a pile of 50-60 others and tell you to come back in a week....

Who knows what the carcass has been subjected to and what meat you are taking home!!!

[steve863]

I have always butchered my own deer.  It surely does take a bit of time, and that isn't always easy to find, but I also have little trust in the meat processors I've seen.  Who's to know for sure that the meat you are getting back is yours?  With a little practice one could do a better job than the meat processors and save money at the same time.  Plus, it adds to the hunting experience like some others mentioned.  I have always been amazed how many hunters out who have hunted a good many years don't know the first thing about butchering.  I reckon some people don't like to get their hands dirty.

[Buckstopshere]

It was quite a few years back, but when I took a deer to the processor, the box of meat I got back was pretty small. Now I know by cutting it up myself, whether buck or doe, how much I get. I am not implying deer processors are unethical, they might not trim off all the meat. We grind our own burger and slice jerky too. I really enjoy it.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

We cut our own as well.....as long as the weather isn't too warm and we arent pinched for time. Probably do 3 a year. Sharp knives are key!!! Get a good sharpening steel or even a good draw sharpener. ....grinder.....vacuum sealer.....and I don't use a meat saw. I put a new 12" demilition blade on my 18 volt rechargable sawzall and it is the best bone cutter going. I debone everything. mostly steaks, stew, ground and a few roasts. I do debone the neck to brisket meat in one lump...trim it and keep it whole for a nice slow cook into "pulled pork" for our summer parties.......shhhhhhhh the wife doesn't know it is venison every year...lol.

set up it key...keep it clean and bubba hit it on the head....propane torch to take care of any stray hairs befor cutting. I use a fan tip on mune...covers more area nd not all that hot.

[Fitzy]

If you want the best tasting venison ,bone out the whole thing. The 'gameyness' of the meat comes from the bone dust while cutting chops or steaks. You can still make steaks from the major muscles after they're off the bone.

[fasteddie]

It was quite a few years back, but when I took a deer to the processor, the box of meat I got back was pretty small. Now I know by cutting it up myself, whether buck or doe, how much I get. I am not implying deer processors are unethical, they might not trim off all the meat. We grind our own burger and slice jerky too. I really enjoy it.

I butchered the buck I shot 2 years ago and got 52# of meat . During gun season , I shot a doe that was larger than the buck . I took it to a guy in Walworth that charged $68 to process the deer . A girl carried the box of meat to my truck . When I got home and lifted the box , it felt light . I weighed myself on the scales and then weighed myself holding the box . Box and all weighed 33# . At a processor , I got 20 less pounds of meat from a larger deer . That rip-off cost me over $2 a pound for venison ! http://www.downsouthhuntingforums.com/images/smiles/pissed.gif[/img]...http://www.downsouthhuntingforums.com/images/smiles/pissed.gif[/img]...http://www.downsouthhuntingforums.com/images/smiles/pissed.gif[/img]

[Doewhacker]

wow! That is a bad deal fasteddie.. I have only used a processor once, it was 74, humid and 830pm on a Tuesday when I got back to the house with him.. I had no choice, and thankfully the guy is a good person.

[steve863]

I think people who have butchered deer themselves would be very disappointed with most if not all meat processors.  They surely won't give your venison the attention we give it ourselves.  Most are in it to make a quick buck during deer season and assume that the guy picking it up knows and cares very little about it.  For the most part they are probably right when it comes to people who have never butchered deer themselves. 

[solon]

i agree with what everyone is saying. i was fortunate that when I started hutnign I had someone teach me how to butcher the deer.

I wouldn't trust a butcher. Also call me crazy, but when i eat venison that is butchered at home vs. by a processor it tastes better.

Also butchering it in my garage, with friends, and a beer - it's all part of the story/adventure.

We usually give my wife some of the backstraps and she cooks them up for us and we take a "break" to eat....life is good

[Culvercreek hunt club]

WOW Solon---you cut fast-----just "a beer"...lol