Limb Chicken
Active Member
How do you guys bone...
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That's a good question Limb, I'd like to take it a step farther and ask how particular everyone gets with cleaning it. I was always told to remove the silver skin, but never really had anyone show me what that was, needless to say it takes me a full day or better to process one deer.
DOUBLE LUNG
Active Member
With my hunting group it take about 3 beers per deer. and that comes to about 45 mins to and hour. One of the guys that we hunt with his dad works at a rendering plant and is pretty handy with a knife and can have a deer skinned and boned in about 15 mins. Not quite to that caliber yet. If i tried it that fast i wouldn't have a whole lot of fingers left.
jharrell
New Member
We start with the back legs after skinning it and taking the back leg off follow the bone on what would be the inside part of the leg bone from the elbow end to the leg joint. Work your way around the bone until the whole chunk of muscle is free (including the rump)of the bone in one peace. Do that for both sides and then start on the front legs. The inside and outside loins are pretty much straight up, just try to cut them out in one peace and get all the meat you can. The front legs are trickier because of the shoulder blade and there is a lot of that white tissue but you can still take it off in several big chunks. We don't mess with the neck much especially during the rut because of the amount of blood in the neck seems to make it taste gamier. We take our meat and put it in a cooler and wash it out good with cold water. After it is running some what clear water we let it set for 24 hours in the water. This seems to leach out the blood, hair, grass, leaves... and lets us drain it out. Once you are ready to cut it and wrap it take the back leg meat and just kind of separate the different muscles to make up your roast meat, cut your loins however you like them and I take all the rest and make burger or sometimes I will grind the whole thing if I have enough roasts. It is kind of hard to do sometimes but I try to get as much of that white tissue off as I can.
Happy carving!!!
Happy carving!!!
Bowhunt
New Member
Headgear sounds like what I do!! I start with loins and front legs then do back legs. I used to always cut the back leg in the wrong spot around the hip and the deer would be hanging by one leg so I go from head to back legs. I have butchered about 30 deer takes about 45 min apiece with one guy trimming meat and one guy throwing it in a cooler. Some advice I would say I have learned the hard way!!
1. always have a sharp knife! Keep a sharpener tied to your belt on a string so you do not set it down, stays cleaner that way.
2. Burn off excess hair after skinning with a small butane torch before starting to bone out meat.
3. I sometimes soak meat in the fridge overnight in salt water to get rid of some blood, but them freeze the next morning.
4. If it smells like crap, it will taste like crap! So do not keep any rank, bruised, or meat that had fecies on it.
5. Do not age it!! Freeze it as soon as you can. Bone it out, clean it, maybe soak it overnight. To freeze wrap in saran wrap, then freezer paper. Have a marker handy to mark meat, and tape to tape the freezer paper. Cover all meat with saran wrap to keep air out. On the aging theory, alot of people say they age theirs, when I think they are ruining it. The reason I say this is because in my opinoin it is not good to let a piece of meat sit in an eviroment for 5 to 7 days where the temp changes 20 plus degrees on a daily basis. Lockers can do it because they have walk in coolers at a constant temp, but the average guy has a garage! See the comparison?
6. Freeze it as soon as possible after killing it!!
As far as trimming it it looks like meat it is, and trim off anything that is not red. Like white, silvery or blueish stuff-I think these are muscle sheaths, they are gristle basically. I have done butchered my own deer and friends the past few years, and they taste awesome!! So good luck!
1. always have a sharp knife! Keep a sharpener tied to your belt on a string so you do not set it down, stays cleaner that way.
2. Burn off excess hair after skinning with a small butane torch before starting to bone out meat.
3. I sometimes soak meat in the fridge overnight in salt water to get rid of some blood, but them freeze the next morning.
4. If it smells like crap, it will taste like crap! So do not keep any rank, bruised, or meat that had fecies on it.
5. Do not age it!! Freeze it as soon as you can. Bone it out, clean it, maybe soak it overnight. To freeze wrap in saran wrap, then freezer paper. Have a marker handy to mark meat, and tape to tape the freezer paper. Cover all meat with saran wrap to keep air out. On the aging theory, alot of people say they age theirs, when I think they are ruining it. The reason I say this is because in my opinoin it is not good to let a piece of meat sit in an eviroment for 5 to 7 days where the temp changes 20 plus degrees on a daily basis. Lockers can do it because they have walk in coolers at a constant temp, but the average guy has a garage! See the comparison?
6. Freeze it as soon as possible after killing it!!
As far as trimming it it looks like meat it is, and trim off anything that is not red. Like white, silvery or blueish stuff-I think these are muscle sheaths, they are gristle basically. I have done butchered my own deer and friends the past few years, and they taste awesome!! So good luck!
I
iowaelkhntr
Guest
Aging meat it done in a cooler at constant temp to let the lactic acid in the muscles to break down. If you don't have constant temp you are starting the decaying process not the aging process. A single bow killed deer will be hung over night to cool-yes cool even in 75 degree heat or 60's at night and be proceesed for the freezer in less than an hour. Remember a mammals temp ranges from 98- 102 so it is still cooling in autumn nights. There are alot of butchering books that can help tellyou what each cut is from loins to sirloins. They are the same cuts as a beef and alittle bigger than a lamb.
Old Buck
Life Member
I've been boning my own for over 20 years. Good tasting meat starts in the field. I like a nice double lung shot that drops the deer fast. When gutting in the field I keep the opening small to minimize leaves, dirt etc. getting in the body cavity. As soon as I get it back I wash off any blood inside and out. I keep filling the body cavity with cold water to help cool the meat. Aging is great if you can keep the deer body temperature in the mid-30's but that is usually difficult.
When ready to bone out I hang it in the garage by the back legs by a gambril (sp?). Once skinned I start removing the meat from the neck and the loins. My family is pretty well 'deered out' so most meat goes into burger. The loins are good so that is where I usually get any steaks and roasts. I remove all muscle sheath, fat and tendon. My deer steaks and roast are pure meat. I'll often leave the loin in 4-6" sections so I can cut as desired when thawed.
Next I remove the front legs take in the house and debone to become burger.
Don't forget the tenderloins inside the rib cage along the backbone. They are the most tender, delicious piece of meat on the animal. What they lack in size they make up in quality.
Last are the back legs and rump. I tie one to the gambril so that when I remove the first one the second doesn't fall to the ground. If you want more roasts, steaks or other good cuts this is where you get them.
Even with hamburger meat I remove as much fat as possible since I don't really like the flavor and it solidifies quickly as the meat cools after cooking. I usually have beef tallo added for the burger so it sticks together for burgers and adds flavor.
I usually freeze the roasts and steaks myself in zip-loc freezer bags. The cut up meat for burger I take to a locker have them add the fat, double grind, wrap and freeze. Saves me lots of trouble for a few bucks.
You can take as much time as you want with the meat. I shot an antelope in Wyoming years ago. The game warder who had directed me to the ranch insisted that I bring it to his place for butchering. Then he insisted on helping. When we finished he and his wife insisted we stay for supper with their family to enjoy a wild game meal. Part of the reason I bring this story up is that he said when he butchers his own animals he removes all fat and all muscle sheaths (the whitish covering) from every muscle. He did so on a shank on my antelope. It took him close to half an hour to do the shank. He said it usually took him 10-12 hours to bone an animal and end up with absolutely pure meat. Needless to say we didn't do the whole antelope that way.
I take a lot of care with the stuff I bone but no where near that much. Does show how far you can go if you have the time and energy.
Old Buck
![893USA1-thumb[1].gif](http://www.iowawhitetail.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/893USA1-thumb[1].gif)
When ready to bone out I hang it in the garage by the back legs by a gambril (sp?). Once skinned I start removing the meat from the neck and the loins. My family is pretty well 'deered out' so most meat goes into burger. The loins are good so that is where I usually get any steaks and roasts. I remove all muscle sheath, fat and tendon. My deer steaks and roast are pure meat. I'll often leave the loin in 4-6" sections so I can cut as desired when thawed.
Next I remove the front legs take in the house and debone to become burger.
Don't forget the tenderloins inside the rib cage along the backbone. They are the most tender, delicious piece of meat on the animal. What they lack in size they make up in quality.
Last are the back legs and rump. I tie one to the gambril so that when I remove the first one the second doesn't fall to the ground. If you want more roasts, steaks or other good cuts this is where you get them.
Even with hamburger meat I remove as much fat as possible since I don't really like the flavor and it solidifies quickly as the meat cools after cooking. I usually have beef tallo added for the burger so it sticks together for burgers and adds flavor.
I usually freeze the roasts and steaks myself in zip-loc freezer bags. The cut up meat for burger I take to a locker have them add the fat, double grind, wrap and freeze. Saves me lots of trouble for a few bucks.
You can take as much time as you want with the meat. I shot an antelope in Wyoming years ago. The game warder who had directed me to the ranch insisted that I bring it to his place for butchering. Then he insisted on helping. When we finished he and his wife insisted we stay for supper with their family to enjoy a wild game meal. Part of the reason I bring this story up is that he said when he butchers his own animals he removes all fat and all muscle sheaths (the whitish covering) from every muscle. He did so on a shank on my antelope. It took him close to half an hour to do the shank. He said it usually took him 10-12 hours to bone an animal and end up with absolutely pure meat. Needless to say we didn't do the whole antelope that way.
I take a lot of care with the stuff I bone but no where near that much. Does show how far you can go if you have the time and energy.
Old Buck
deadeye
Active Member
We usually let it hang for a day and a half or so. Then sking the deer. Use a torch to burn the hair that gets onto the meat. Be careful not to cook it. Then we quarter it and work on boning it. We usually have somebody cut meat off the bone and another cut fat, slime, and tendons off the meat. We usually have a couple buckets - one for grinding (sausage) and one for steaks that you keep. We cut everything off what we keep for steaks, roasts, etc. The grinding meat we usually don't work over quite as much, but do remove the majority of it.
One thing that we do because we want our meat back is to call the locker before shotgun rush or way afterwards to see how busy they are. We then take in our meat to have processed. We want OUR meat back and not a mix with Joe Blow who doesn't care for his meat. Else you have to be careful your meat isn't thrown in with a bigger batch.
We got a vacuum packer that works great. We usually freeze it first in ordinary wrapping and then vacuum pack it. That way it lasts longer and stays fresher. Can't wait until all meat from lockers are vacuum packed and not wrapped with freezer paper.
One thing that we do because we want our meat back is to call the locker before shotgun rush or way afterwards to see how busy they are. We then take in our meat to have processed. We want OUR meat back and not a mix with Joe Blow who doesn't care for his meat. Else you have to be careful your meat isn't thrown in with a bigger batch.
We got a vacuum packer that works great. We usually freeze it first in ordinary wrapping and then vacuum pack it. That way it lasts longer and stays fresher. Can't wait until all meat from lockers are vacuum packed and not wrapped with freezer paper.
Shredder
Life Member
I have to admit limb, I thought this was a perverted post based on the subject title but found it legit when it came up. Anyways, if possible, I like to let the deer hang for at least a week with the skin on or more based on the right temperature outside. It really seems to make the meat more tender and better flavor if the carcass hangs awhile.
Good topic Limb,
YOu'll get more satisfaction out of doing it yourself! To me anymore it's just part of the kill, I really enjoy it.
All good advice, I will add though don't wash out the carcass with water, as it has a tendency to breed bacteria. Use towel and wipe it clean. Bags of ice in the cavity will ensure a cool carcass only if you leave the skin on.
I make jerkey, sticks and sausage myself with all of the ground and occasionally use whole muscle for jerkey. Does eat much better than bucks that's a fact.
Have fun with it.
http://www.foodsubs.com/Meats.html
Aging is a delicate science that requires more than hanging a deer from the rafters, here's a little on that.
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/nutrition/DJ5968.html
I'm sure there are better web sites but you get the idea where the cuts are coming from and what aging is all about.
Pupster
YOu'll get more satisfaction out of doing it yourself! To me anymore it's just part of the kill, I really enjoy it.
All good advice, I will add though don't wash out the carcass with water, as it has a tendency to breed bacteria. Use towel and wipe it clean. Bags of ice in the cavity will ensure a cool carcass only if you leave the skin on.
I make jerkey, sticks and sausage myself with all of the ground and occasionally use whole muscle for jerkey. Does eat much better than bucks that's a fact.
Have fun with it.
http://www.foodsubs.com/Meats.html
Aging is a delicate science that requires more than hanging a deer from the rafters, here's a little on that.
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/nutrition/DJ5968.html
I'm sure there are better web sites but you get the idea where the cuts are coming from and what aging is all about.
Pupster
IADEERHUNTER
New Member
I use a mixture of vinager water to clean any and all blood off the meat, make sure to wipe all moisture off of the meat as soon as possible. We have been processing our own deer for as long as I can remember, we can skin, cut up, grind and wrap in a little over an hour a deer. It does help to have the right equipment, commercial band saw & commercial hobart grinder , we also have a smaller electric tenderizer, things to think about if you are processing more than a couple of deer a year.
trper
Life Member
I pretty much follow along the lines as old buck and a few others. The only thing I do different is use one of those tillia food savers to vacume pack the meat before freezing. Will save meat from getting freezer burn if not wrapped properly. Make sure to date and mark your packages also indicating what year and what animal! It all looks the same after a while. Good hunting.
okla hawkeye
Member
Hey this isn't at all what I thought it was going to be.But I read all the hints. I have my 85 year old grandma help me out.( I'm like Freddie Kruger with a knife.) She cut meat for IBP for many years and can stiil carve a big old Iowa buck in an hour.Changing the subject , no comments yet on the big game.... Iowa is going to win this weekend right? Got a big bet with a Cyclone fan.
DOR
Life Member
The Key to enjoying processing is your setup. If you have a nice set of tables or countertops to work on, with out worrying to much about cutting them up...have good light(b\c its a good chance you will process at night), maybe a couple of gambrils for multiple animals(just in case)and a set of really nice tools to work with your enjoyment will be there...if you have a half ass setup you may dread the experience. Spend the time to get a nice working setup and put some thought into it. I am building a house right now and you can bet i will have a sink in my garage....got a wife ya know. Best of luck fella's
muddy
Well-Known Member
-let it hang a day or so
-skin it out
-take out the backstraps and inner loins
-quarter
-cut out the steaks and such paying close attention to getting the fascia (silver skin like stuff) off the muscles and getting the tendons cut out properly
-the rest that goes into the sausage buckets doesn't get trimmed real well. the extra fat helps the taste.
it takes me forever to bone out a deer. my dad boned out a hind quarter in 5 minutes once. i was amazed.
-skin it out
-take out the backstraps and inner loins
-quarter
-cut out the steaks and such paying close attention to getting the fascia (silver skin like stuff) off the muscles and getting the tendons cut out properly
-the rest that goes into the sausage buckets doesn't get trimmed real well. the extra fat helps the taste.
it takes me forever to bone out a deer. my dad boned out a hind quarter in 5 minutes once. i was amazed.
scout
New Member
This is a bit of an eye opener.
A chest cavity full of ice is close to a waste of good ice. hide or not it cools poorly. A fan moving air over the deer will help cool it as much in reasonably cool temps. Hide on is a tough way to cool a deer. Try this. Do what ever you normally do with your deer. If the hams are still hanging 12 hours after killing it slice deep into them to the bone. Stick your four fingers into the slice. Is it cold? If not find another method of cooling your deer. Most of my deer have been killed in the evening during first half of November. I usually hang them overnight close to an open garage door with a fan on them. (its a big fan) I cut the hide away from the hind quarters as if starting to skin it. I stop after cutting through the tail. That alone goes a long way to cooling the meat. I bone it out in the morning and put it in the garage fridge for a day, letting it "cure" at about 35F. The next day it gets canned, cured for jerky or delivered to a locker. Cooling a deer with the hide on is slow. To slow for me. A thick ham takes forever to cool all the way through.
We just returned from an Ontario bear hunt. 3 of us killed bear the same night. By midnight they were quartered and covered with ice. By 11 am they were in zip locks and in a deep freeze. The hams, skinned and covered with ice were not yet cold to the touch after 8 hours. How long will it the hind quarter of a big buck to cool with the hide on and a couple bags of ice in the chest?
Another thing, how is all that unwanted crap getting on the meat? Take your time skinning it. I end up with little, almost tempted to say no hair on it.
I can't see letting the meat stand in water overnight. Would you leach the blood out of a New York strip? If its like a rabbit full of 8 shot pitch it. (I do leach them out)
A chest cavity full of ice is close to a waste of good ice. hide or not it cools poorly. A fan moving air over the deer will help cool it as much in reasonably cool temps. Hide on is a tough way to cool a deer. Try this. Do what ever you normally do with your deer. If the hams are still hanging 12 hours after killing it slice deep into them to the bone. Stick your four fingers into the slice. Is it cold? If not find another method of cooling your deer. Most of my deer have been killed in the evening during first half of November. I usually hang them overnight close to an open garage door with a fan on them. (its a big fan) I cut the hide away from the hind quarters as if starting to skin it. I stop after cutting through the tail. That alone goes a long way to cooling the meat. I bone it out in the morning and put it in the garage fridge for a day, letting it "cure" at about 35F. The next day it gets canned, cured for jerky or delivered to a locker. Cooling a deer with the hide on is slow. To slow for me. A thick ham takes forever to cool all the way through.
We just returned from an Ontario bear hunt. 3 of us killed bear the same night. By midnight they were quartered and covered with ice. By 11 am they were in zip locks and in a deep freeze. The hams, skinned and covered with ice were not yet cold to the touch after 8 hours. How long will it the hind quarter of a big buck to cool with the hide on and a couple bags of ice in the chest?
Another thing, how is all that unwanted crap getting on the meat? Take your time skinning it. I end up with little, almost tempted to say no hair on it.
I can't see letting the meat stand in water overnight. Would you leach the blood out of a New York strip? If its like a rabbit full of 8 shot pitch it. (I do leach them out)
HUSKERBUCK
PMA Member
WE DO IT PRETTY MUCH LIKE MUDDY SAID. THE ONLY THING HE LEFT OUT IS THAT IT TAKES LOTSA
T
tineseeker
Guest
For years I struggled with skinning the deer. It went fairly quick if I skinned it right after the kill, but if I waited a day the skin was a lot harder to get off. I've seen winches at the meat locker and know they use them to pull the skins off but I don't have a winch. So one night when I was feeling particularly lazy I decided to try something I saw in a book some where. (Don't knock this until you try it)
First I cut the skin completely around each ankle. On the front legs make a cut from the ankle up to the arm(leg) pit. Then cut and pull the skin over the back legs until you have skinned past the tail and have a little hide to work with.
Next roll a fist sized rock in the hide and tie a rope around the rock so it won't pull off.
Attach the rope to the bumper of your car and drive away slowly.
The skin pulls right off clear down to the noes. Virtually no hair on the meat, and the deer is left swing in the wind.
A lot more efficient than skinning by hand.
My wife about died laughing when she saw the necked deer swing back and forth out the back window the first time I did this.
Unless it's late season. We work our deer up as quickly as possible. The last couple of years we have only worked up the back legs and the loins. The rest we put in a scrap bucket and bag up as dog food.
We always cook the meat before we give it to the dogs (nuke it or grill it). Dad says raw meat can make a dog mean don't know if theirs any truth to that or not. I don't want my dog getting a taste for raw deer meat and chewing on my hanging deer. Or chasing deer (haven't had that problem yet) .
First I cut the skin completely around each ankle. On the front legs make a cut from the ankle up to the arm(leg) pit. Then cut and pull the skin over the back legs until you have skinned past the tail and have a little hide to work with.
Next roll a fist sized rock in the hide and tie a rope around the rock so it won't pull off.
Attach the rope to the bumper of your car and drive away slowly.
The skin pulls right off clear down to the noes. Virtually no hair on the meat, and the deer is left swing in the wind.
A lot more efficient than skinning by hand.
My wife about died laughing when she saw the necked deer swing back and forth out the back window the first time I did this.
Unless it's late season. We work our deer up as quickly as possible. The last couple of years we have only worked up the back legs and the loins. The rest we put in a scrap bucket and bag up as dog food.
We always cook the meat before we give it to the dogs (nuke it or grill it). Dad says raw meat can make a dog mean don't know if theirs any truth to that or not. I don't want my dog getting a taste for raw deer meat and chewing on my hanging deer. Or chasing deer (haven't had that problem yet) .
Not to argue....but in the event you have no means to keep an animal cool,(which is often a problem) and it's warm, beleive me, leave the hide on, pack the animal full of ice, from the chest cavity to the pubic bone. Meat thermometers have proven 50 degree internal temps on an 80 degree days. Now I only recommend this if you have no other choice such as taking to a locker or boning out immediately. You have to keep an eye on the ice. Yes the hide comes off a little harder but the meat is plenty cool.
I can't rebutle the fan trick...never tried it. I would think on an 80 degree day the fan will be blowing 80 degree air?.? This is one of the main reason I don't hunt early muzzleloader or bow hunt too much in early October anymore.
If you just can't keep the meat cool, quarter it out and get it into coolers ASAP.
Anyhow happy boning!
Pupster
I can't rebutle the fan trick...never tried it. I would think on an 80 degree day the fan will be blowing 80 degree air?.? This is one of the main reason I don't hunt early muzzleloader or bow hunt too much in early October anymore.
If you just can't keep the meat cool, quarter it out and get it into coolers ASAP.
Anyhow happy boning!
Pupster