If You Butcher Your Own Deer.....

[Lawdwaz]

I've been doing my own butchering since about 1985.  I had a banner season in 1984 and paid a small fortune to a butcher shop in Clarence Center (Hobart's?) to process them.  I was just a young guy that spent most of his money on girls and beer so figured I'd have to learn the trade at some point.

The following September I went out west with 6 other guys and ended up (between us) killing 6 antelope and 6 mule deer and those guys wouldn't dare take an animal to a processor.  Since I was one of the first to score the opening evening of antelope season (on a dink buck) I was going to be butchering some animals!  My buddy Albert showed me the ropes and to say I'm grateful would be an understatement.  With some help from another guy from the group we butchered, wrapped and got all the animals ready for the long ride back.  Dry ice procured locally made for easily transporting back the meat.  I should have mentioned; we drove out in a pick up truck and a huge motor home so getting the goods back was a piece of cake......

So since then I'm sure I've cut up well over 150 deer and a handful of antelope.  Worked some elk and caribou too.  

Over the years I've shown a few friends how I do it (right or wrong, you really can't bung it up too bad) and that makes me happy.  What prompted this thread was a Meat Eater episode I just caught the end of.  Steve Rinella was doing a show on butchering deer and goes further into depth than I do but, like I said, you'd be hard pressed to mess up the deal.  At the end he said how he prefers to use plastic wrap and butcher paper over a vacuum sealer for red meat.  I called my wife out and she watched the end of it with him wrapping the meat up and she said, "huh, just like how we do it".  

So.....how did you learn, trial and error or were you fortunate to have a mentor like I did? 

 

[Otto]

I have not sliced up as many deer as you have Larry, but we started doing it a few years ago mostly so we could get the cuts of meat as we preferred them.  We watched a video from Dr Grant and just followed along as best we could.  Like you said, hard to mess it up too much.  We don’t have very much meat left to grind so we are doing okay I think.
 We do vac seal and that has worked well for us.  On some of the larger cuts such as a shoulder or neck that we leave bone in, we do wrap in plastic then butcher paper.

[ncountry]

19 minutes ago, Lawdwaz said:

I've been doing my own butchering since about 1985.  I had a banner season in 1984 and paid a small fortune to a butcher shop in Clarence Center (Hobart's?) to process them.  I was just a young guy that spent most of his money on girls and beer so figured I'd have to learn the trade at some point.

The following September I went out west with 6 other guys and ended up (between us) killing 6 antelope and 6 mule deer and those guys wouldn't dare take an animal to a processor.  Since I was one of the first to score the opening evening of antelope season (on a dink buck) I was going to be butchering some animals!  My buddy Albert showed me the ropes and to say I'm grateful would be an understatement.  With some help from another guy from the group we butchered, wrapped and got all the animals ready for the long ride back.  Dry ice procured locally made for easily transporting back the meat.  I should have mentioned; we drove out in a pick up truck and a huge motor home so getting the goods back was a piece of cake......

So since then I'm sure I've cut up well over 150 deer and a handful of antelope.  Worked some elk and caribou too.  

Over the years I've shown a few friends how I do it (right or wrong, you really can't bung it up too bad) and that makes me happy.  What prompted this thread was a Meat Eater episode I just caught the end of.  Steve Rinella was doing a show on butchering deer and goes further into depth than I do but, like I said, you'd be hard pressed to mess up the deal.  At the end he said how he prefers to use plastic wrap and butcher paper over a vacuum sealer for red meat.  I called my wife out and she watched the end of it with him wrapping the meat up and she said, "huh, just like how we do it".  

So.....how did you learn, trial and error or were you fortunate to have a mentor like I did? 

 

 I was lucky and had a good friend/ mentor show me the ropes . How to hunt, process ,and cook them too..lol. you probably have twice the # under your belt.. the last bunch of years I've been feeling rich and paying someone else, often my old friend/ mentor ,who is retired, to cut up my deer..

Edited August 24, 2021 by ncountry
Sp

[Nytracker]

I have had the misfortune of butchering  hundreds of deer for the family and a few friends me A few bear... some pigs and a few cows . I learned from my uncles and my gramps . I  do it because  its the cost of doing bussiness.  While I can't say I enjoy it any more ,  I would rather do it myself than pay someone  else . Always get my own carefully  handled and clean meat back .

Back in the day we had large groups processing  deer . Now its just me and the wife.   I butcher she packages. 

I have taught more than a few how to butcher. Most decide to pay in the end . I always offer to help but I won't butcher someone else's  deer anymore .

Last year my son shot his first deer in many years . He thought I would butcher for him .  He was surprised when I said no . I made him come up and we butchered it together while his mom pacckaged it up . Probably  the most fun in many years doing it . Drank a few beers and enjoyed fresh backstraps on the grill.

Edited August 24, 2021 by Nytracker

[ncountry]

1 minute ago, Nytracker said:

 

Last year my son shot his first deer in many years . He thought I would butcher for him .  He was surprised when I said no . I made him come up and we butchered it together while his mom pacckaged it up . Probably  the most fun in many years doing it . Drank a few beers and enjoyed fresh backstraps on the grill.

Nice! I think everyone should butcher their first few deer. It's part of the whole process..

[crappyice]

Yes!!!!!! Might be my favorite part of hunting!!! MAKE MEAT!

The first deer i shot I brought to the only show in town and had him make hot Italian sausage and ground and some steaks. I thought He did an awesome job!

Then my buddy got a deer up in Dutchess and brought it to a butcher would does cows, pigs, etc…wow- my guy was a hack in comparison.

Still people (some on this very forum!) use “this guy” for convenience and it boggles my mind.

Paying $125+ a deer is not quit in the budget so I had to learn and YouTube was my teacher. Here is my favorite that I still watch pre-season to bone up(get it) on my skills!

I’m still a freezer paper guy for my meat since it’s gone within the year(unless it’s gone earlier due to a freezer/“kid flipped the breaker where the deer meat was” failure).




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[coonhunter]

I don't even have a clue how many deer and other animals I have butchered or been part of a group butchering. My father showed me how to skin and quarter before I was even old enough to legally hunt. I like the fact that I know there was no hair touching the meat, and it is definitely the right deer.

I am also a firm believer in getting the backstraps out and in the house for someone to prep and get cooking while the deer is being quartered, so we can have some great eats before the final cutting gets done.

[johnplav]

I grew up on a farm so I was used to butchering cows and pigs.  When my father and I started hunting we just treated them like small, quickly processed cows.  Iv probably cut up 50+ since then and make little tweaks each time.  I still prefer to gut them while they are hanging if it’s logistically possible instead of field dressing… I guess that’s the farm influence. 

[Lawdwaz]

1 minute ago, johnplav said:

I grew up on a farm so I was used to butchering cows and pigs.  When my father and I started hunting we just treated them like small, quickly processed cows.  Iv probably cut up 50+ since then and make little tweaks each time.  I still prefer to gut them while they are hanging if it’s logistically possible instead of field dressing… I guess that’s the farm influence. 

One afternoon my buddy shot a nice buck with the bow and we never found it till and hour or so after dark.  He decided he'd gut in it the barn over a plastic garbage can.  WTF was he thinking!!!!  Oh my what a mess he made.............lol

Regardless it's a good memory and if it works for you John, good deal.

[518BowSlayer]

Yes!!!!!! Might be my favorite part of hunting!!! MAKE MEAT!

The first deer i shot I brought to the only show in town and had him make hot Italian sausage and ground and some steaks. I thought He did an awesome job!

Then my buddy got a deer up in Dutchess and brought it to a butcher would does cows, pigs, etc…wow- my guy was a hack in comparison.

Still people (some on this very forum!) use “this guy” for convenience and it boggles my mind.

Paying $125+ a deer is not quit in the budget so I had to learn and YouTube was my teacher. Here is my favorite that I still watch pre-season to bone up(get it) on my skills!




I’m still a freezer paper guy for my meat since it’s gone within the year(unless it’s gone earlier due to a freezer/“kid flipped the breaker where the deer meat was” failure).




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Same here! One of my favorite parts of hunting too! Always did my own from day one. Started with trial and error then started watching YouTube videos and that helped a lot. I've probably watched every deer butchering videos and most cow and pig videos too. Take little tips and tricks from each one. Just started cutting flat irons from the front shoulders and they're fantastic! Pretty small on a deer obviously but it's the second most tender cut besides the tenderloin. The only time I was gonna have an animal butchered was my maine moose but the butcher didn't have it ready by the time I was leaving so I packed it up in coolers and did it myself. Blessing in disguise because I love cutting them up myself. Now that I do taxidermy I get to cut them up and put them back together!

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[Lawdwaz]

Butchering is very gratifying..........

[Pygmy]

Back in the mid 1960s, a boyhood friend of mine ( whose father was a notorious poacher and probably never cut up a "legal" deer in his life) taught me the basics....

I have done my own since then...For many years several of my friends and I would  "pool" our deer and often cut up several  together in a day...I probably have participated in cutting several hundred deer over the years...

When  I started doing  out of state hunts with friends, we did the same with caribou, elk and  moose...I have personally killed 13 caribou, but have helped process perhaps 30 others, plus half a dozen elk,  3 or 4 moose and a few pronghorns..

Other than that, I don't have experience in the process..

[sodfather]

I hope to do my first one this year. Some members have offered to show me how it’s done so I’m pretty pumped.

[moog5050]

I have never paid to have a deer butchered.  First one I shot, a buddy of mine who grew up working in his parents meat market walked me through the process.  Done it myself ever since.  I am no knife ninja like my buddy but like you said, you can’t really screw it up too bad.  Culver taught me a few things over the past couple of seasons too.   It did become a bit much during seasons with 5-7 deer but I am now limiting what i shoot so maybe I will enjoy the process more.  

[Lawdwaz]

3 minutes ago, sodfather said:

I hope to do my first one this year. Some members have offered to show me how it’s done so I’m pretty pumped.

Have grinder, knives and cutting board-will travel.

[Jeremy K]

I would love to have an area to do it . Between set up and cleaning i would have 8 hours alone into the job. 

[rob-c]

My Dad  taught me, if I remember correctly my first was when I was 9 or 10 . We had a old hand crank grinder and I thought it was fun till about a 1/2 hour in. 

[Nomad]

Drop it off , go home sit in hot tub with a cigar and a few strong beers , just like Ishi did . 

[wolc123]

I started butchering them myself in the early 90's, after a trusted neighbor retired from the practice.  Since then, I have averaged about 3 per year.  

I do it my self for many reasons, most importantly, to insure that I get my own meat back.  It also teaches me where the best spots to place shots are, from various angles, in order to minimize meat damage.  Cost savings is an added bonus.  

No one has ever complained about "gameiness", or toughness from venison that I have butchered.  Most had no clue that they were not eating beef.

  I do my best to properly age the meat before processing and freezing.  That is the key to making it tender.  Like any red meat, it is critical that rigor mortis is past, before freezing the meat. Even the burger will be tough if you skip that step.

As far as packaging goes, I always put the grind from the first deer in zip lock bags.  Vacuum sealing that would be a waste of time and money , because it is usually consumed in a couple of months.  Subsequent deer are vacuum sealed, because that keeps them fresh up to 4 years. 

I debone the deer, except for an occasional neck roast, which I really enjoy out of the crock pot.   We use grind the most, so I often grind all but the back-straps and tenderloins, especially older deer. 

Button bucks are in a class by themselves, when it comes to tenderness and flavor, so I make less grind and more roasts from them.

I will not butcher any more deer from the northern zone myself for two reasons: #1 ticks, #2 it is much cheaper to have them processed up there than it is in WNY.

[The_Real_TCIII]

My buddy Shaun taught me and like you said you save a not insignificant amount of money if you do 3-5 a year. I will still drop one off if its going to be hot or I know i wont have time because of work travel but I really enjoy doing it


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[Just Lucky]

My father always butchered his own, so as I grew up I participated. 

When I killed my first deer I just kinda knew how. Plus for years there was no way I could afford to pay.

If I kill a few, I will take some to butcher shop to free up my time for more hunting. It takes me about 6 hours to cut up and process 1 deer. I suppose I spend too much time cleaning all the fat and sinew. I have the ones payed for ground up mostly. 

[crappyice]

Butchering is very gratifying..........

Whole mess of back straps!!!


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[crappyice]

I would love to have an area to do it . Between set up and cleaning i would have 8 hours alone into the job. 

I thought the same but really not as much as you think if you remove the straps, quarter and hang (ideally in a fridge set aside for deer….that’s the biggest issue).
The rest I do on the kitchen counter on a large cutting board.

Two deer in my fridge with a sketchy rack to hang the quarters


I’ll do a few quarters a night after they hang a few days


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[johnplav]

5 minutes ago, crappyice said:

Whole mess of back straps!!!


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Gotta love fresh backstraps!  And @Jeremy K all you need is a garage (as you can see from the saw horse)

[Lawdwaz]

For years getting rid of the "parts" was difficult.  I had permission to use a couple dumpsters at some condos but if certain residents saw it they'd raise a stink.....when the town I live in introduced the large wheeled totes it changed my world.  If I recall correctly they have a 325lbs capacity. 

(and yes, sometimes they get ripe depending on the weather)