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Deer Butchering?

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loneranger

Well-Known Member
Greetings, Fellow Hunting, Ladies and Gentlemen: I am curious, as to how many of us cut/butcher, our own deer. The first deer I ever shot, my dad took me to the local locker. They took us into a big cooler, and threw my deer on a pile of smelly carcasses. I told my dad,"I am not taking another of my deer in here. I found a college issued pamphlet on cutting up your deer, and from the next season on, I have cut up and boned out my own venison, as soon after the kill as possible. I believe you sure can taste the difference. I read the diary of a butcher once, and he said the stronger tastes come from leaving the bones in the meat. So I have always been curious as to just how many people process their own venison? Thank You.
 
I think you are right on with your assessment. I've butchered my own deer for decades. I start with a well placed arrow on a calm animal, field dress and cool asap, age, weather permitting and butcher myself. Good eating!
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I cut and bone out all my own deer. With all the CWD hoopla going on a few years back I even stopped cuting through any bones at all. I hang the deer head down, skin and bone most of the meat right there. The only thing I do is split the front leg knee joints and remove the whole front shoulders. Every thing else is boned from the carcus as it hangs. I don't even split the pelvis anymore or remove the head unless it is a buck, and I keep the skull. The skeleton is easily dispossed of then along with the fat and trimmings in a ravine at the back of the farm.
 
It's a vital part of the whole hunting experience, getting together to butcher the deer that we have gotten. Plus, it also allows more BS to flow and what's a good deer hunt without BS.
 
I have always deboned my own until last year I have a neighbor that started cutting them up and will debone and cut into roasts, steaks burger and such for $30. So as of last year I skin the deer and then usually take it to him. It kind of depends also if I have the time or the temps are cold enough to hang if I do it or not.
 
I have always butchered my own deer. Aside from having complete quality control over the entire process, I also believe it is just a part of the whole hunting experience. Also, when you sit down to a meal of steak or roast or sausage that you made, that began as the release of an arrow or squeeze of the trigger by your own hand, you really get a deep appreciation of your food and the work that went into it – in effect, every meal becomes thanksgiving. I’m certainly not saying that if you have someone else process your deer that you don’t appreciate the meal, just that there’s a satisfaction that comes from the time and effort that you put into it. Sort of like growing your own vegetables. For me anyway.
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My family has always butchered our own deer. It is a great thing to do to show newbies and youngsters the biology and ecology of the whitetail. Lessons of life and death can be learned not only in the treestand, but continue at the meat pole or garage meat hook.
 
I have a very good friend that is a meat market manager for Fareway help me do mine. He really likes to get it boned out and in the freezer asap! This fall I'm going to try to do the whole thing myself, I'm sure Rayneal will be there to make sure I finish with all my fingers still attached. He has been a awesome teacher, hunter, and friend. That is the best way to learn is from someone like him.
 
We butcher our deer each year. My two boys and I shot 5 deer last year between archery and ML season. My neighbor shot one, and had two more given to him. With those numbers, it is much cheaper (free) to do it yourself. Plus, as Kat said, it is part of the hunt experience. We like to make a lot of different products from our deer, and this allows us to to do that.
 
we also butcher our own deer. if we decide that we want ring baloney, sticks, or summer sausage, we cut it off the bone, and take to the locker in chunks. saves time, money, and gives us a better chance of getting our own deer back
 
i JUST STARTED BUTCHERING MY OWN. Did my first complete stsrt to finish last fall. Even had the kids in on it. I love it will not go back to a locker, also got to buy alot of cool stuff from cabelas.
 
I took a few of my first deer to the locker but when the bill gets to be several hundred dollars and the quality is not always the best I decided to start butchering my own also. As of lately I have even started making my own bratwurst and jerky. Next year I'm planning to make a big batch of summer sausage and then smoking it. My kids also enjoy helping and it is just a good time. We can now completeley butcher a large deer and have it packaged and in the freezer within about 3 hours. That way you know its clean and done right.
 
I skin and quarter while they hang and drag the quarters into the basement living room. I then go back out to the barn and strip out the neck, get the straps and loins. From there I sit down in front of the TV, resharpen the knives, crack a beer and watch a little football or something while I bone out the quarters. My wife, (vegetarian) takes the steaks and bowls of trimmings to the kitchen and does the grinding and wrapping. Seems like the perfect way to cap a successful hunt.
 
I do my own too. I've got a gambrel that I tie up in a tree that has a branch that comes straight out. I lay the deer in the back of my truck and hook the gambrel to it's hind legs. I tie the rope onto the hitch ball and slowly drive forward. The deer raises right up out of the bed of the truck and hangs for me to butcher. Pretty slick process. I still take boned out meat to the locker, but my wife got me a grinder last year for christmas, so I'll be putting that to work this year. I started butchering because I didn't have the money in college to pay to have it done, but I actually enjoyed it so much, I have kept doing it. I also enjoy knowing how the meat was handled. I've also pulled into the locker during shotgun season and have seen deer laying all over the place in the parking area. Just didn't seem very sanitary. I wouldn't lay a sandwich on the loading dock and then eat it, so why do it with a deer? Now I need to figure out how to make brauts and smoked sausage.
 
Cyball, If youve got the grinder with a stuffer attachment then you got the equipment you need. I mix my venison with pork sausage through the grinder and then season with what you want. Add cheese or whatever and then it goes through again to be stuffed. it takes a little practice at first but after while you figure out what works. You can buy paper casings at Todd's on n.e. 14th DM or you can buy real casings from fareway for the brats. Also they have alot of season packages and such at sportsmans in ankeny. I did around 12 lbs of brats in a day . that was from the deboning to the freezer. Its a chore but well worth it.
 
That's awesome. Thanks. Sounds just like how I made some breakfast sausage, but I don't have the casing attachment. I'll have to pick one up. The brauts sound like they would be very good and easy to make. I'm at sportsmans every now and then and I have a Fareway across the highway in Waukee.
Thanks a million.
 
When I started I did nothing and am now to the point I don't like taking anything accept the trimmings to the locker for items I can't make. I also enjoy it when my friends bring theirs over... more times than not we end up with three or four people cutting up deer and it turns into a real BS session.
 
I have always boned out my own deer. I used to take all the time to package roasts, steaks, and grind burger. Now I just bone-out everything except the back straps for sticks and ring bologna.

Registered Black Angus steers and hogs kind of took over the steak and roast department!
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Once I get a real handle on the grinder, I most likely won't take things in to the locker. They do a good job, but I'm kind of a DIY guy anyway. It's always fun to have the full blown BS sessions too. I've also had the opportunity to show my 9 year old how it's done. He sits in my stand with me and we have killed several deer, field dressed them, taken them directly to "the tree", and butchered. He's full of questions and a great little helper and hunter. To me, that's the good stuff.
 
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