How to butcher your own deer

[picksbigwagon]

Click here for the how to butcher your own deer posts from the hunting forum

http://www.fishingminnesota.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1131759/1

[bassNspear]

whew, only do 300 of these a year!!

[Christopher Quast]

I'm guessing a knife would be a good start!!!

[MNice]

I'm guessing a knife would be a good start!!!

Yes, but getting a deer is a better start

[Deitz Dittrich]

I have always done my own deer.. from the very first one I shot. ITs a part of the hunt to me.

[Powerstroke]

I consider the processing part of the hunt. I would consider it one of the funner parts actually. I can't wait to shoot one so I can start butchering.

I've said before and I'll offer again, if someone wants to learn, I would be willing to help/teach. I have a large, heated garage, a vacuum sealer and a large grinder. Chip in for sealer bags and the rest is free.

PS, I'm in Eden Prairie. SW metro

[bassNspear]

this is part of the hunt, i agree 100%.

I work at a butcher shop during the deer season, and some people just dont have the time, or space to do it on there own. Or just dont want to do it.

Its a good time, but can get to be longggggg hours, if its a good year of hunting!

[paul pachowicz]

that chart isn't much of a visual aid. It only shows where particular cuts come from. One has to be familiar with and where primal & sub primal cuts come from and the nomenclature of finished products from the sub primals. Nor does it address the skeletal or musculate structures or the inherent properties of particular muscles.

[picksbigwagon]

Paul if you have access to different charts or directions for cleaning, post them here or email them to me and I will post them. I know these aren't perfect, I am still learning how to do it after processing my own deer for the last 4 years......Sharp knives really help

[paul pachowicz]

Picks, I'd be glad to if ya send me your email address to [email protected]

[gritsnham]

After butchering my first deer on my own after watching someone else for a minimal amount of time I would recomend to all hunters to give it s shot. Its alot easier than it sounds and you really cant do much wrong. The finer points of it are getting your desired cuts of meat but otherwise you just cut along the muscle lines and it comes right off! Plus some butchers shops just take electric saws to the deer and cut through alot of the bones...plus you never know whos deer you are actually getting!!!

[sticknstring]

I'm looking forward to butchering my own this year. It's usually pretty warm when I punch my doe tag so I drop it off but this could be the year I give it a shot. Sounds like a good sharp fillet knife and vacuum sealer if the way to go eh?

[Royce Aardahl]

I've always enjoyed doing mine also. Once the deer is skinned I get the fillet knife out and have at it. Front quarters, backstraps,ribcage and neck then the hind quarters.

[jbdragon17]

Our party gets together for a day and butchers as a group. If you dont help butcher...you dont get any meat...even if you shot it!!

We divide up the scraps and all steaks/roasts evenly. Most of us grind the scraps on our own, or bring them in to have something done with them.

[Shack]

Picks,

I just noticed you posted this . Shows how much I look at sticky's

Doing your own deer processing is pretty easy and self rewarding. If you have any questions that the original link does not answer, please feel free to ask in here.

The charts in my original deer hunting post are pretty vague, but are better than nothing. They are geared more to the person who has some experience prior and is looking to just get his or hers mind flowing again, before digging into the deer. Yes, if you do have some better charts, by all means feel free to post them or e-mail them to Picks or my self.

[email protected]

Good luck cutting

[lookincalifornia]

do you guys find it cost effective to eat deer rather than beef? i've been toying with the notion of hunting deer when i move back.(mostly a duck and phesant guy) saving some money in the long run would push me over the top in my decision.

[SpecialK]

It depends on whether or not you have all of the gear already (i.e. gun, clothing, stands, place to hunt). The up front cost is pretty steep if you are starting out from scratch. Usual take from a 100lb (dressed) doe is about 40 - 50lbs bullets are about .75 to 1.25 a piece and a resident tag is $28.

[Sorgy]

I think that it would be much cheaper to hunt at the local butcher shop My body dropped off 3 deer last year to get processed and he forgot to have them do the regular cuts. Everything was ground up into Polish sausage, summer sausage and beer sticks It was an expensive mistake that tasted very good

Hunting with a big group and guys comming and going it is difficult to get everyone together to help butcher the deer. The same guys cut and wrap every year. If we breakdown the cost between the number of hunters it is not too expensive to have a local cut and wrap for us. The sausage is what drives the price up. I would rather spend the $40.00 for my share and still get to hunt another day. We have 9 guys and split the cost evenly. We never fill all tags.

We will cut up one or two deer midweek but not 5 or 6.

Good Luck to all

Steve

[mnmuzzleloader]

Just picked up a sweet dvd from MNDA, takes you from the whole steps from field dressing to freezer, the BEST video I have ever seen. Lots of great pointers and very very informative!!

[paul pachowicz]

fellas....fellas....fellas...NEVER, EVER count the money you spend on a hobby. Huntin can get alittle on the spendy side but, the equipment will last a life time and you can eat the results. Not much like bowling where all ya got is a loud noise of pins fallin over and a lot of /'s & X's.

[Deitz Dittrich]

LOL @ paul!

[bassNspear]

great comment paul!

[gritsnham]

I would say you can save money by eating venison, its a hobby you do for fun and you have a chance to get a good bit of meat out of it. Butchering yourself definately adds to the savings of eating deer which is nice!

[snoozebutton]

My best advice for cutting up your own deer is just do it. That's what my wife and I did after the guy I had do it kept raising his prices. We picked up a cheap hand grinder and what we screwed up, we just ground it up. After doing it for several years now, we're getting pretty good at it.

Some tips for ground venison, add a little beef fat or pork fat to it. Get some brat seasoning and make brat patties (or other seasonings) and some of it we like to add some bacon as we're grinding it.

[buddha]

We process and smoke our own too, much like the rest of you. We have been smoking for close to 25 years and it's a highlight of the whole year. When we don't get enough deer in our group we have friends in Iowa and Wisc. that shoot more then enough and then we get a shipment!