How much meat do you waste?

[Alabama358]

I have started processing my own meat this year. (3 so far)
The wife and I have worked out a system... I shoot, gut and skin them and she butchers them up, then I grind and package what she relocates.
When I walked into the kitchen and seen this skeleton laying on her butcher table I thought my goodness I have been wasting to much meat over the years taking them to the chop shops for processing.

As I thought about it I found an interesting parallel...
Buy ammunition or reload?
Buy bullets or cast boolits?
Pay for meat-processing or butcher?

Anyway, I just wondered how many folks butcher themselves?

[35 shooter]

Your wife certainly didn't leave much for the ants.
I've always butchered my own and prefer doing so. I've always considered it just another part of the hunt.

[BK7saum]

I cut up and package my own deer. Growing up, my dad, brother, and I cleaned a carcass like that. Anymore, I don't remove the intercostal muscles or take quite that much from the neck.
Of course, my dog and cats eat well for a couple of weeks.
I know a couple of guys that only take hindquarters and backstraps, especially if the deer were shot in the shoulders.

[Omega]

I have only taken one in, and that was because I offered to harvest deer for friends that don't/can't hunt so wanted to make sure the service was good. Not bad, but I prefer doing my own. My carcasses look like that too, and they're gone the next day. The only PITA to me is the neck and ribs, so much gristle.

[BK7saum]

Yes, neck and ribs are hard to clean of gristle and connective tissue. I prefer my ground deer to be free of as much gristle and silverskin as possible. Dogs, coyotes, buzzards and ants need to eat too. Except for fire ants. They just need to disappear.

[BK7saum]

I don't take deer in to the processor any more. Some don't do a good job and you don't get your own meat back. Others process individual deer and you get what you brought. I just prefer to do it myself. 1.5-2 hrs and it's in the freezer.

[Alabama358]

I don't take deer in to the processor any more. Some don't do a good job and you don't get your own meat back. Others process individual deer and you get what you brought. I just prefer to do it myself. 1.5-2 hrs and it's in the freezer.
That's a good point, I have always wondered whos deer I was getting back. Also I bet the guys working there have a good supply of prime backstraps in their home freezers.

[Alabama358]

Your wife certainly didn't leave much for the ants.
I've always butchered my own and prefer doing so. I've always considered it just another part of the hunt.

Yes she doesn't waste much...
She really only has two comments about hunting. "Make sure you kill them quick so they don't suffer" and "Don't waste anything if your going to shoot them"

[ascast]

I do my own, but only the "easy" meat. I cut up all the ribs, leg bones neck etc. and make a couple gallons of soup stock. Just let it simmer for a couple days. Less work, that's the part I like most.

[trapper9260]

I do up my own no matter what it is. As for a to use for a saw to cut up the bone.use to only use a hand meat saw . Then someone told me about use a saw zall with a course blade on it that is long and make life easyer that way.The person had gave some hogs that could not make it to market. and gave me one once in awhile.Now use the sawzall .There is not much left after I am done also.Like Alabama stated that there is some lockers you do not know if you get your meat back.I was told about some around the area.

[MarkP]

I don't take deer in to the processor any more. Some don't do a good job and you don't get your own meat back. Others process individual deer and you get what you brought. I just prefer to do it myself. 1.5-2 hrs and it's in the freezer.

WOW! You are fast it took me 3 hrs just to get the meat off and most of the next day cutting, grinding, and wrapping. I told my wife good thing I do not do this for a living as our family would starve.

[ole_270]

Been doing my own for over 30 years. Last one I took to town was the final straw, dogs wouldn't even eat it. I try to get most of it but will admit that mine don't look like that when I'm finished.

[RU shooter]

That's a good point, I have always wondered whos deer I was getting back. Also I bet the guys working there have a good supply of prime backstraps in their home freezers.

For about the last 10 years I've worked for a small sized processor he also runs an old style butcher shop as his business when it's not deer season . I for one and no one else that has ever worked there has ever taken so much as a scrap of someone elses deer home . On good years we would do 200 deer a season last few years down to about 120 . We always cut one at a time and never mix even if it's smoked products . Can't speak for other bigger places though .
And tell your wife she did a great job on that deer ! That was truely getting the most from your harvest .

Tim

[Alabama358]

I do up my own no matter what it is. As for a to use for a saw to cut up the bone.use to only use a hand meat saw . Then someone told me about use a saw zall with a course blade on it that is long and make life easyer that way.The person had gave some hogs that could not make it to market. and gave me one once in awhile.Now use the sawzall .There is not much left after I am done also.Like Alabama stated that there is some lockers you do not know if you get your meat back.I was told about some around the area.
Great point trapper... I use an 18V cordless Hitachi Sawzall. It is an awesome go anywhere do anything tool. Makes quick work of any bone chores

[xdmalder]

I'd be broke if I had a locker do my deer every year. Takes me 5 minutes to gut, 15 minutes to skin, 15 to 30 minutes to prep before deboning (getting rid of hair on meat), 1 hour to debone and 45 minutes to process and package. And I waste very little. My neck deboning is even cleaner than that. It's my favorite part! Any scraps go to the cats and dogs.

[Alabama358]

For about the last 10 years I've worked for a small sized processor he also runs an old style butcher shop as his business when it's not deer season . I for one and no one else that has ever worked there has ever taken so much as a scrap of someone elses deer home . On good years we would do 200 deer a season last few years down to about 120 . We always cut one at a time and never mix even if it's smoked products . Can't speak for other bigger places though .
And tell your wife she did a great job on that deer ! That was truely getting the most from your harvest .

Tim

Tim, I in no way meant to disparage anyone as I am sure that there are many butchers that process game with integrity.

[skeettx]

I take my deer to Clint & Sons in Whitedeer Texas,
Fantastic folks
I get the "Standard Cut" no fancy sausage or jerky.

On a side note, if you shoot a deer and do not want the meat.
Take the deer to Clints and give them $50 and they will process the meat
and take it to a local homeless shelter.

http://www.clintandsonsprocessing.com/wild-game-processing.html

Mike

[M-Tecs]

Since 1970 I have processed 3 to 9 deer a year. I did have one processed since I killed it about 8 hours before I was deploying to the sandbox. The shop did a good job but I much prefer to process myself.

[jonas302]

She did a great job I dont quite get them that clean But if I use cast bullets there is a lot less waste

[Silvercreek Farmer]

We do our own. The kids help which slows me down a bit, but its good for them. Our carcasses are clean, but maybe not as clean as yours! I found that a thin layer of meat left on the bone looks like a lot, but after 20 min of additional trimming only yields enough for another patty so I call it good. Our southern deer are pretty lean, but I've heard northers say the rib meat is too tallowy to be much good.

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w92/mlindsay527/PC130094_zps9fce4d3c.jpg (http://s174.photobucket.com/user/mlindsay527/media/PC130094_zps9fce4d3c.jpg.html)

[Beau Cassidy]

I have done my own for years after having a few bad experiences at the processor. A guy who hunted with us when I lived up in Northeast, TN used to be a butcher. Hew showed all of us how to process deer. All 6 of us would get together once a week during hunting season and process the meat. 3 would debone. Two would grind. One would do things such as vaccum pack, weigh, clean, etc. We would usually cook a meal afterwards. There was not greed involved. If you wanted some meat take it- if you didn't need any right then- we had a freezer. It was a pleasure to hunt with true Gentlemen like that.

Unfortunately my job took me away. Now I have all the equipment I need and over the last few years have amortized the cost of my equipment. Taking care of your harvest in my opinion is just as important as getting ready for the hunt and sitting on the stand.

I don't get my deer that clean. You done a good job. I used to try to get every little bit of meat but as you found out at some point you gotta cut your losses as far as time/output goes. An average doe around here will yield about 30 lbs of meat (4 gallon ziplock bags) outside of tenderloins.

[Alabama358]

We do our own. The kids help which slows me down a bit, but its good for them. Our carcasses are clean, but maybe not as clean as yours! I found that a thin layer of meat left on the bone looks like a lot, but after 20 min of additional trimming only yields enough for another patty so I call it good. Our southern deer are pretty lean, but I've heard northers say the rib meat is too tallowy to be much good.

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w92/mlindsay527/PC130094_zps9fce4d3c.jpg (http://s174.photobucket.com/user/mlindsay527/media/PC130094_zps9fce4d3c.jpg.html)

Way to go my friend!!! Start them off early.

[Lonegun1894]

I always do all my own butchering regardless of what it is I got. That way I know what I am feeding to my family and that it was taken care of properly. I have never taken anything to be processed by anyone else, and unfortunately have a couple friends who used to but won't again due to a bad experience with several deer they had processed. Both used to use the same processor, and both got their entire families very sick 4-5 years ago. They used to give me grief about doing it myself, but after that episode, both had me teach them to do their own processing so they never have the same issue again. No issues since and I bet they never have a repeat either.

[Alabama358]

I always do all my own butchering regardless of what it is I got. That way I know what I am feeding to my family and that it was taken care of properly. I have never taken anything to be processed by anyone else, and unfortunately have a couple friends who used to but won't again due to a bad experience with several deer they had processed. Both used to use the same processor, and both got their entire families very sick 4-5 years ago. They used to give me grief about doing it myself, but after that episode, both had me teach them to do their own processing so they never have the same issue again. No issues since and I bet they never have a repeat either.

Another fine point... When you butcher your own meat, you have complete control over the sanitary condition of the complete process.

[44man]

I have always done my own. Ribs I do without, too much for too little but you can boil the fat off and BBQ them. I get as much from the necks I can and remove all the junk before grinding. Necks make a good roast but remove the big, yellow tendons near the spine. Safer to remove the spine and cord too.
A friend shot a doe and gave me some meat. The burger was gamey from the butcher. It could not have been from a doe. Chilly needed a lot of spices. The steaks were great but I think all meat is tossed in the grinder from many deer and portioned out.

[w5pv]

I take and boil the bones and save the broth for stock.The bones then make a good meal for Rover gnaw on.

[Geezer in NH]

My family butchers all our animals from deer and moose to chickens, pigs, steers etc. I have been doing it all my life. We see no need to take to a shop for processing.

[white eagle]

I have been deer hunting for 47 years and have only taken one into the processors
been butchering my own for along time
I do however take the trim meat into the sausage makers free of most all silver skin and tallow
haven't got into making my own yet

[Friends call me Pac]

Dad taught my brother & I how to do our own butchering as children. I guess I was about 12 when I started & I'm 51 now. I steak out as much as I can then grind up the rest for burger. The wife packages it up & totes to the freezer. Two years ago I started canning deer meat. It seems to work with even the toughest cut.

[Blackwater]

Back in my poor days, when I used to process everything myself, there'd be so little left on the bones, a carcass wouldn't feed an ant colony for more than a day. All the trimmings went into sausage, and it got ground about 3 times, IIRC. Was always good sausage too. It's sausage that's the big disappointment from all the processors I've tried around here. They just buy the chapest "sausage seasoning" they can get, and it shows in the taste. Still very palatable, but not what I've come to like and expect. I love my sausage way too much to put up with mediocre stuff. That's why I do my own if possible. Also need to keep the grandboys trained on how to butcher and process the meat. And yeah, it does take extra time to do it "right," but I've got the time now. Didn't always, and hated turning it over to someone else who was working "on the clock" and looking to and depending on a profit. Good venison, to me, is too good to leave it to "professional amateurs."

[Dan Cash]

Don't waste any but don't eat neck meat and tough cuts. That is ok as the dogs enjoy the heck out of it.

[Tom W.]

I did my own for years and never really liked anything but the back strap butterflied and fried. One day I killed a really big deer and took it to a processor that I knew personally.. he and his wife weighed it, took the antlers off of it and made me an offer that I couldn't pass up. I never had such delicious venison before. Needless to say, the rest of my deer went there from that time until the man passed, and a year after,too. It seems to me that the vacuum packed packages, and the meat frozen as hard as a rock helped to maintain the freshness for at least a year. If I do go hunting again, I'll have to find a processor that vacuum packs the game.

[Alabama358]

Dad taught my brother & I how to do our own butchering as children. I guess I was about 12 when I started & I'm 51 now. I steak out as much as I can then grind up the rest for burger. The wife packages it up & totes to the freezer. Two years ago I started canning deer meat. It seems to work with even the toughest cut.
I have never canned deer meat but I think it is an awesome idea and in my future. I will have to search and see if there is a thread on that subject, or maybe you or someone can do an educational write-up with pictures and share your techniques.

[xdmalder]

I have never canned deer meat but I think it is an awesome idea and in my future. I will have to search and see if there is a thread on that subject, or maybe you or someone can do an educational write-up with pictures and share your techniques.
1 to 1.5 inch chunks of meat packed into a quart jar. Fill with water 1 inch low and remove bubbles. Add teaspoon of salt. Some also add some beef talo for flavor. Process in a pressure cooker for 90 min at 10 lbs pressure. Soooooo good!

[Fishman]

My wife and I process our own also. I do not cut out the meat around the ribs. It that is all that gets left. Last year we processed five deer in one day and I still haven't recovered :). Two or even three deer is the optimal number. Easy to get done in a day and the setup and clean up is the same whether it is one deer or 5.

[ChristopherO]

30 years ago I killed my first deer. My Dad worked with a man who came out and showed me how to separate the muscle groups for the steaks, roasts and burger. It is a rare deer I don't cut up myself since then. Processed many for others, too. That was a wonderful and cost saving education.
After years of cutting off the quarters I decided to cut off the meat from the bones while it is hanging on the gambrel, just like this photo. With the neck and front shoulders becoming jerky or burger why waste time piecing it out I figured. Now the rear hams are removed as one large mass of meat and dissected afterward. So much easier and clean up is faster, too. You are teaching them well!


Way to go my friend!!! Start them off early.

[rking22]

You did well, that carcass looks like hot wings after I get done with them! I don't waste any except the rib stuff, used to trim like you but found I was spending an inordinate amount of time for very little return.

Been doing my own for the last 24 years. I began to question it when helping a friend deliver a deer to the meat cutter. there were 10 to 15 deer, on the floor of the cooler in a pile. I noticed that only about half had been field dressed!!! No way I would want that meat, it was Saturday and they didn't start cutting till Monday.

Final straw was when a butcher shop used a saw on my meat and left the bone meal all over it when frozen. My wife was carrying my oldest and the smell while cooking it made her so sick she will not eat deer to this day! The meat was inedible, even for me and lots of seasoning. I have never and will never use a saw on meat I am processing, knife works just fine.

This year, I went out for a doe, last week. Long story short, I thought she had gotten up and shot again, oops now I got 2 deer. No big deal, limit is 3 PER DAY, except it was 10:30 and I had to get ready for work by 12:30! Field dress 2 deer, a mile walk back to the house for the truck, fetch, load, skin and "reduce to ice chest size" both deer and made it to work on time. Still spent another several hours trimming and cutting up but that is a part of the hunt that I enjoy as well. Took one shoulder and a ham along with some trimmings to the sausage maker for breakfast sausage, my grinder is an Armstrong brand so I contract that out to a trusted shop down the road. Been doing that for a couple years now. You folk that can do it all in a few hours are amazing, I probably spend too much time on the white stuff, but I will get twice as much useable meat from a doe as the cutter a good friend uses. He got back less than a clay pigeon box of meat from a good size doe!!, way too wasteful trying to make it "pretty".

[TXGunNut]

Like my siggie line suggests I do it all from sorting WW's to pulling the lasagna out of the oven for a nice dinner at home, serving up breakfast tacos at deer camp and more hamburger helper than I care to admit. Still had 20 lbs of burger and sausage when I went to deer camp this season so I was one & done because I hate for venison (or anything else) to get old and have to toss it, that would be a waste I can't tolerate. There is a market between Houston and my brother's lease that makes some awesome smoked sausage. I'd let them process my deer if I didn't enjoy my own Italian and breakfast sausage so much.

[WRideout]

First deer I ever processed was a Pennsylvania road kill I picked up in the dead of winter. I can legally claim five bonus redneck points for that. I had never processed a deer before, but I had read a book about it maybe twenty years earlier. I skinned it by putting a golf ball under the hide, which served as a handle for rope. With the deer hanging from the clothesline pole, the rope was tied to the bumper of my truck. I pulled forward a few feet, and the hide came right off.

I cut up the deer with a kitchen knife, and used a wood saw from the shop when necessary. It mostly filled up the freezer part of the frig, and since I was a bachelor at the time, that deer lasted me over a year. I did throw out the rib cage, mostly because I didn't know what to do with it. I found that I really enjoy the shank part of the leg baked with onion soup mix and red wine, served with mashed potatoes.

[Elkins45]

I process my own and I don't remove the rib meat. Too much fat --bleh!

I can most of the neck meat, flank, etc rather than grind it these days. Canning with garlic and onion goes a long way toward making the worst cuts of meat taste great. I can open a jar and just eat the chunks with a fork, but I usually dump them into chili, stew, etc.

[44man]

I am fussy, remove all fat and all that is not meat. Takes time. Deer tallow really sucks. There is so much on ribs that the little meat is not worth the trouble.
Even the neck needs time because of the fat layers. Nothing to get 2 feed bags full of junk.

[lrb605]

I probably don't use as much as I should but at least I know it's mine! Never have sent mine to be processed these 17 years.

Sent from my LGL33L using Tapatalk

[CITYREPO61]

I started processing my own venison 2 years ago and really enjoy it. I know that all of the fat and silver skin is removed and vacuum sealed in portion sized packages. Even though it takes a lot of time it's worth it. In fact friends have started dropping of their deer for me to process. I use just about every spec of meat. I haven't done the bones for stock yet but hope to try it soon

[EMC45]

Process my own too. Heard too many horror stories about processors when I lived in GA. I don't get the rib meat out, but do get the neck meat for jerky and ground. I have a nice hand grinder and electric grinder. They both work well. Keep your knives sharp and don't cut yourself and half the battle is won.

[Echale3]

I have always done my own butchering--I want to know exactly how my venison was handled and packaged. I vacuum pack mine in "me-sized" portions because my wife is a vegetarian.

I always save the heart if it's not blown up--it's great grilled after you take off the top where the big veins and arteries come in (too gristly for my taste). Not a big liver eater, though, so I ditch that with the gut pile, and I don't keep the kidneys, either, although I do like steak and kidney pie, so maybe I should try making a venison version of it. The intercostals are good if you take them off as a slab, take off the hard fat layer, and then grill them real quick with a little salt, pepper, garlic, and rosemary. I have a little hand-crank grinder, the kind that bolts to a table top, for making burger and sausage.

I generally save certain of the leg bones for knife handles, render the tallow and mix it with olive oil for patch lube and leather conditioner, take off the silver skin from the topstrap for stitching up leather, and I've been known to brain tan/bark tan a hide or two...

One day I'll have to tell the story of my dog Lynyrd sneaking into the garage and making off with a big ol' slab of hard fat while I was busy quartering a deer.

[375supermag]

Hi...
Progressed all my own deer since I started hunting.
I really didn't know butcher shops processed deer until I met some co-workers who lived in apartments and hunted.
Pretty good at butchering myself but then I butchered steers with my ex-father-in-law and other family members for years.
My son thinks it is too much trouble and pays a local shop to butcher his deer...He knows how to butcher and has done it but just would rather pay someone else to do it.

[pka45]

I process every one, though I'm still working on developing a taste for liver. Want to learn to tan next...

[randy_68]

I've been doing my own for several years now too. My son and Mr did a couple this past fall but we don't do the ribs like that anymore. Just not worth it. We do take some chunk meat to the processor if we want snck sticks or Bologna and they always comment on how clean our meat is. I've been buying butchering supplies a little at a time so I can do more of my own
In fact my wife bought me a LEM stuffer for Christmas but I haven't had a chance to use it yet.

[Omega]

I've been doing my own for several years now too. My son and Mr did a couple this past fall but we don't do the ribs like that anymore. Just not worth it. We do take some chunk meat to the processor if we want snck sticks or Bologna and they always comment on how clean our meat is. I've been buying butchering supplies a little at a time so I can do more of my own
In fact my wife bought me a LEM stuffer for Christmas but I haven't had a chance to use it yet.If the LEM is anything but the vertical stuffer take it back and get the vertical one. I love mine, it makes doing summer sausage a breeze. A few years ago I tried for the first time doing my own, I used the tube for my grinder to stuff the sausage, what a hassle. So I looked into getting a dedicated stuffer, and first tried the LEM hand stuffer, it worked but just didn't work as good as I wanted to. So then I got the vertical stuffer and all was well, it cut making sausage by hours.

[smoked turkey]

This is a very interesting thread on deer processing. I too process my own. I can afford to take the field dressed deer to a local processor, but I better like the idea of being independent. I like to think of it as lead ingot to freezer independence. My deer never leave the property once they are on the ground. This year I more or less followed a process that was posted earlier before deer season that was a series of pictures. I looked but can't put my finger on that particular thread. It worked great.
Now, full disclosure time: I will say that my processing time is on the order of two days to do a deer. I read the above accounts on those who can do it in a few hours. I simply cannot do that. Even though I have butchered several deer, I just can't seem to make it happen quickly. With that in mind, and factoring in weather plus my other time commitments I cannot always do my own. In the recent past our temperatures have been above 50 degrees which says that processing needs to be done immediately. This years buck just happened to be during a very cold time. Temperatures dipped into the teens for several days. I let my deer hang in the barn for a week with no problem. I was able to take the time to do the whole job over the two days. I made my own breakfast sausage using my Cabela's Jerky Blaster with a one-half inch stuffing tube. It is slow but worked great making link sausages about 4 to 5 inches long. I cannot justify all the time it took me to do this process money wise. But the satisfaction level I get for this is off the scale. Thanks for this thread as it speaks of why I enjoy the ingot to freezer process so much.

[randy_68]

If the LEM is anything but the vertical stuffer take it back and get the vertical one. I love mine, it makes doing summer sausage a breeze. A few years ago I tried for the first time doing my own, I used the tube for my grinder to stuff the sausage, what a hassle. So I looked into getting a dedicated stuffer, and first tried the LEM hand stuffer, it worked but just didn't work as good as I wanted to. So then I got the vertical stuffer and all was well, it cut making sausage by hours.

Yes it is the vertical stuffer. As you found out, using the grinder to stuff really sucks plus I'm afraid it will eventually strip the gears. Looking forward to making some deer brats in a few weeks.

[randy_68]

This is a very interesting thread on deer processing. I too process my own. I can afford to take the field dressed deer to a local processor, but I better like the idea of being independent. I like to think of it as lead ingot to freezer independence. My deer never leave the property once they are on the ground. This year I more or less followed a process that was posted earlier before deer season that was a series of pictures. I looked but can't put my finger on that particular thread. It worked great.
Now, full disclosure time: I will say that my processing time is on the order of two days to do a deer. I read the above accounts on those who can do it in a few hours. I simply cannot do that. Even though I have butchered several deer, I just can't seem to make it happen quickly. With that in mind, and factoring in weather plus my other time commitments I cannot always do my own. In the recent past our temperatures have been above 50 degrees which says that processing needs to be done immediately. This years buck just happened to be during a very cold time. Temperatures dipped into the teens for several days. I let my deer hang in the barn for a week with no problem. I was able to take the time to do the whole job over the two days. I made my own breakfast sausage using my Cabela's Jerky Blaster with a one-half inch stuffing tube. It is slow but worked great making link sausages about 4 to 5 inches long. I cannot justify all the time it took me to do this process money wise. But the satisfaction level I get for this is off the scale. Thanks for this thread as it speaks of why I enjoy the ingot to freezer process so much.

Well said. I definitely don't do it to save money, that's for sure. I just want to do it. It's just part of the process of hunting. That's why I took up casting too. Start to finish. Feels good.

[Rick R]

I've used processors for most of the deer I've taken. My dad retired as a meatcutter of the old school and we did one together but it took hours and he referred me to a friend who moonlighted (deerlighted?) as a processor out of a completely outfitted basement for my next kill. That fellow has totally gone out of the business so now I use a company that processes livestock during the season and deer or bear during hunting season. You can watch them work thru a window at the plant when you drop off or pick up and its clean and efficient. I'm pretty satisfied that you get the deer you dropped off due to the process they have in place and due to old bucks tasting like old bucks while young doe taste better.
Now that I'm retired I may just start accumulating the tools to do it myself.

A former coworker is a proponent of "Bagging" deer. He claims that instead of field dressing them he cuts from the top down removing meat from the outside of the deer's carcass in minutes and not dragging it out of the woods.
Has anyone tried this method and have an opinion on it?

[Lonegun1894]

I haven't tried it, but check your game laws before you do. Some States have laws that say you can only process it to a certain point before it gets to it's final destination, or that proof of sex has to remain attached til it gets to final destination, etc. In my case, a buck has to have a spread of at least 13" on it's antlers (unless it's a spike), so if I was to get checked and have just the meat and a filled out tag when on my way home, I may get a ticket or whatever else they decide to do. I always gut, quarter, etc. at site of kill or in camp, but almost always do the final processing at home, with the exception of any portions that get eaten in camp.

[CITYREPO61]

I've used processors for most of the deer I've taken. My dad retired as a meatcutter of the old school and we did one together but it took hours and he referred me to a friend who moonlighted (deerlighted?) as a processor out of a completely outfitted basement for my next kill. That fellow has totally gone out of the business so now I use a company that processes livestock during the season and deer or bear during hunting season. You can watch them work thru a window at the plant when you drop off or pick up and its clean and efficient. I'm pretty satisfied that you get the deer you dropped off due to the process they have in place and due to old bucks tasting like old bucks while young doe taste better.
Now that I'm retired I may just start accumulating the tools to do it myself.

A former coworker is a proponent of "Bagging" deer. He claims that instead of field dressing them he cuts from the top down removing meat from the outside of the deer's carcass in minutes and not dragging it out of the woods.
Has anyone tried this method and have an opinion on it?

For tools, I use knives that I have in the kitchen already except for a hacksaw to cut up the ribs. I would think you have pretty much have all that you need already. Currently I do also use a Kitchen aid for grinding and sausage stuffing but the first couple of deer I processed I didn't.
As far as the way that your friend does it, how does he get the inner loins out? BTW I also take 2 days to butcher a deer because of the way that I clean the meat. Day one is when I rough butcher and place in a cooler over bags of ice to drain the blood and get the meat cool. When I am ready, I take a quarter and process it. I find that a processor can't spend the amount of time cleaning the meat like I do or they would be working for $2 an hour lol

[kycrawler]

I don't waste any at all. I throw the ball ones out carcass and boned out quarters in our hog pen when done. There aren't even any bone fragments left in a couple weeks.

[Omega]

I've used processors for most of the deer I've taken. My dad retired as a meatcutter of the old school and we did one together but it took hours and he referred me to a friend who moonlighted (deerlighted?) as a processor out of a completely outfitted basement for my next kill. That fellow has totally gone out of the business so now I use a company that processes livestock during the season and deer or bear during hunting season. You can watch them work thru a window at the plant when you drop off or pick up and its clean and efficient. I'm pretty satisfied that you get the deer you dropped off due to the process they have in place and due to old bucks tasting like old bucks while young doe taste better.
Now that I'm retired I may just start accumulating the tools to do it myself.

A former coworker is a proponent of "Bagging" deer. He claims that instead of field dressing them he cuts from the top down removing meat from the outside of the deer's carcass in minutes and not dragging it out of the woods.
Has anyone tried this method and have an opinion on it?Here in TN, you have to keep proof of sex until you check it in. But now they have electronic check in, so I field dress, skin, and quarter my deer on a portable gambrel before I bring it home. I age mine in a fridge I removed all the shelves from so within a couple to four days I will process the quarters into steaks and grind the rest, then I vacuum seal for the freezer, so leg bones are the only thing I have to dispose of. I have always processed my own and have only taken one in, in the entire time I have been hunting.

[Rick R]

As far as the way that your friend does it, how does he get the inner loins out? BTW I also take 2 days to butcher a deer because of the way that I clean the meat. Day one is when I rough butcher and place in a cooler over bags of ice to drain the blood and get the meat cool. When I am ready, I take a quarter and process it. I find that a processor can't spend the amount of time cleaning the meat like I do or they would be working for $2 an hour lol

I watched an online video (he made me watch while we were in the office one morning chewing the fat) and I don't think they got nearly all the meat, including the inner loins. The lack of hanging also makes me wonder about the quality of the meat. FWIW WV went to online check in and no one but you has to ever see your deer. With the old check station method most of my deer were in the back of the truck and never got looked at when I was "checking" them usually at a gas station somewhere between the field and home.

The processor I use lets the deer hang, usually for a day after it's skinned. That's usually the time lag with the pile of deer they get every season and they have a roller system where the deer get skinned and then go into a walk in freezer and actually hang. This year I shot an old buck, he had grey hair on his back, chipped antlers and a healed injury on his rump from fighting something. I wanted to take a break from hunting and go with my wife to visit her family for Thanksgiving so I asked if they could expedite the processing. The young fellow taking in the deer says "sure!" and makes a mark on the tag they attach to your deer carcass when you drop it off. The next morning I get a call "your deer is ready". That evening we made tenderloins and it's the first time I've had a tough tender loin. I told my wife that if the burger was tough we were feeding him to the dogs. :wink: But for what it's worth a couple months in the freezer seems to have aged the meat somewhat.

[Swede44mag]

I have been hunting deer for 30 years or more. When i started the only tools i had was a knife and the wifes Kitchen Aid grinder. One year I noticed the mixer motor was getting hot so i bought a dedicated grinder from Cabellas been adding equipment since.

I skin, cut the back straps out, quarter the deer rinse off all the blood put the meat front and back legs in a fridge let them set for a day or two. Then I put the back legs in the freezer and when frozen cut the steaks from the back legs the rest gets run through the grinder. I could take it to a processor but i would rather spend the cost on processing equipment. Last year we bought a meat band saw works great for cutting steaks but is a PITA to clean.

If anyone can process a whole deer in a couple hours they are a lot faster than me.

[Edward]

I"ve been doing my own going on 48 yrs and started with more waste but over the yrs I upgraded from a knife and stubborn to meat grinder
vac sealer more knifes /experience (still stubborn) and don"t waste anything . When I"m done the woods get the bones/scraps that are left and even the coyotes look starved !

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

been doing our own since 2002 , cwd hit and there were new protocols for how to best process , we actually hunt an area not effected by cwd but there were new regs about transporting a deer , you couldn't drive into a cwd zone themtake the deer back out , that and it was getting expensive it was 75 a deer then.

heck I could almost save that much on gas taking the wifes little car to deer camp , my uncle had the truck we took out hunting any way , so all I need to do was get there ,me a gun , some cloths and 2 coolers fit into that little Saturn.

we set up in my aunts garage that was semi heated , the boiler was in the garage and it was well insulated so it stayed a comfortable working temp.

I can do about 3 in a night with 2 people helping , did 2 this year just me and my son or one by myself . any more than that and I get worn out.

we bough a commercial #12 3/4 hp meat grinder from LEM about 10 years ago that makes short work of grinding when we get home , we used to have a grinding party in my parents basement on thanksgiving morning when it took a while with 2 small home type grinders.

this is a good video to get some one started efficiently breaking down deer , when you are all set up and get the hide off it really goes quite fast

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMx0JMOv5WI

this year I took all the trim that is tallow , tendon and blood shot meat grind it up and make dog food stew for the dogs , they love it. so very little waste at all

[44man]

This is a very interesting thread on deer processing. I too process my own. I can afford to take the field dressed deer to a local processor, but I better like the idea of being independent. I like to think of it as lead ingot to freezer independence. My deer never leave the property once they are on the ground. This year I more or less followed a process that was posted earlier before deer season that was a series of pictures. I looked but can't put my finger on that particular thread. It worked great.
Now, full disclosure time: I will say that my processing time is on the order of two days to do a deer. I read the above accounts on those who can do it in a few hours. I simply cannot do that. Even though I have butchered several deer, I just can't seem to make it happen quickly. With that in mind, and factoring in weather plus my other time commitments I cannot always do my own. In the recent past our temperatures have been above 50 degrees which says that processing needs to be done immediately. This years buck just happened to be during a very cold time. Temperatures dipped into the teens for several days. I let my deer hang in the barn for a week with no problem. I was able to take the time to do the whole job over the two days. I made my own breakfast sausage using my Cabela's Jerky Blaster with a one-half inch stuffing tube. It is slow but worked great making link sausages about 4 to 5 inches long. I cannot justify all the time it took me to do this process money wise. But the satisfaction level I get for this is off the scale. Thanks for this thread as it speaks of why I enjoy the ingot to freezer process so much.
That is a long time. I figure 4 hours a deer. But I have so many done. I have shortened time by pulling the hide with my Polaris. I really hate the skinning.

[taco650]

A former coworker is a proponent of "Bagging" deer. He claims that instead of field dressing them he cuts from the top down removing meat from the outside of the deer's carcass in minutes and not dragging it out of the woods.
Has anyone tried this method and have an opinion on it?

I sorta do this. FYI, in GA, you have voluntary internet reporting now (just started this year). Before that you just marked your tag sheet yourself and hoped the DNR cop didn't catch you.

I guess I'm lazy compared to nearly everyone who's replied to this thread but... What I have done on the past three deer I've taken is skin back the quarters and back, then cut off the quarters and back straps. Do I leave a lot for the wild things? Yes, but they've got to eat too I figure. I then put all the meat on ice for a couple days then slice it into strips, bag it and put in the freezer until I'm ready. When I'm ready, I cut some of the backstraps for jerky and the rest is ground into burger with the grinder attachment on the Kitchen Aide. This burger is then bagged and frozen. This year I got a doe and a button buck, could've gotten 8 more of either but just didn't want to do the work or spend the time. Bottom line, my system works for me and my family.

[Moleman-]

Very little. All the scraps go into burger and all the burger that's real low grade with lots of silver skin that likes to clog the grinder and gristle makes great dog jerky.

[Cold Trigger Finger]

I do all my own . Deer, caribou, moose . Some urban Alaskans take their game in to orocessors in the cities. But, Ive always considered that to be " un Alaskan"
Kunda like a tourist fisherman that has someone fillet and package their halibut.
I've been grinding with the same old cast iron hand crank grinder for going on 20 years...
I'm VERY fussy about what goes on our dinner plates , so I trim alot.
I process the first bou of the season and freeze it . Then depending on how full the freezer is . I will ofter have 1 or 2 bou gutted and hocked but with the hide still on hanging frozen solid in the wood shed . . And process 1 at a time as room allows in the freezer. When the ambient temperature doesnt get above zero for a month , and when it does its maybe 10 above . Theres nothing to worry about .

[44man]

A lot of you sound like me! I have a deer down and say "Darn, work." Take coat off, hang on tree, roll up sleeves, take out knife and stall some more. It is like watching the clock when I worked and had to leave.

[NoAngel]

Only thing I leave is guts, skin, spine, skull and feet. I take the heart ribs and other junk I refuse to eat and crockpot it all for the dog.
If you have dogs, all the waste from a deer carcass should fit easily in a 5 gallon bucket.

[Matt15]

My dad and I butcher our deer ourselves. I always enjoy swapping hunting stories while we clean them.

[54bore]

I have started processing my own meat this year. (3 so far)
The wife and I have worked out a system... I shoot, gut and skin them and she butchers them up, then I grind and package what she relocates.
When I walked into the kitchen and seen this skeleton laying on her butcher table I thought my goodness I have been wasting to much meat over the years taking them to the chop shops for processing.

As I thought about it I found an interesting parallel...
Buy ammunition or reload?
Buy bullets or cast boolits?
Pay for meat-processing or butcher?

Anyway, I just wondered how many folks butcher themselves?

Thats EXACTLY the way they should look! Rib meat makes awesome burger! Lot of people are simply to lazy to take the time your wife did! AWESOME JOB TO YOUR WIFE!!

[Cold Trigger Finger]

A lot of you sound like me! I have a deer down and say "Darn, work." Take coat off, hang on tree, roll up sleeves, take out knife and stall some more. It is like watching the clock when I worked and had to leave.

With a deer its pretty easy. A moose , that starts being work. If its in water, [smilie=b::groner:

[54bore]

With a deer its pretty easy. A moose , that starts being work. If its in water, [smilie=b::groner:

I have worked up a couple moose, and you are VERY correct! Luckily they were not in water, i would NEVER shoot a moose in the water, and hope he didnt end up in it!

[10x]

I have worked up a couple moose, and you are VERY correct! Luckily they were not in water, i would NEVER shoot a moose in the water, and hope he didnt end up in it!

First moose I ever shot. Took 1/2 hour for him to walk out of the slough he was in and about 20 yards up on to higher ground. Pulled the trigger and he dropped like a rock. Right into a moose sized pool of water that was ankle deep. I could stand on dry ground and touch it with my gun barrel on all sides but has to stand in ankle deep water to gut it.
My hunting partner was not impressed

i used to butcher ten to thirty mule deer doe a year depending on the number of tags issued. Meat would be boned, separated into individual muscle, cured with Mortons Tendre Quick. Then smoked and dried. Made a biltong like jerky. My kids and their friends could eat a deer in two to three weeks

[Ateam]

My process sounds like alot of others here, a few differences.
I take the sinewy lower leg cuts and turn them into corned venison, and then pressure can it. It turns out so tender you can eat it with your fingers, and all the tendons just turn to jelly.
When I burger, I try not to get too bogged down in trimming, I have a grade A and B pile. Grade A goes into burgers, meatballs, meatloaf, etc. Grade B with more silver-skin and fat go into chili, shepherds pie, etc. The bags are marked accordingly before freezing.
I don't take any meat off the neck, just remove the two big yellow tendons and esophagus, and cut to sections that will fit in your slow-cooker. Use any pulled pork recipe, awesome.
The meatless bones go in the freezer for the dog. The rib cage gets hung up behind the wood shed, and the woodpeckers really work it over during the winter. I got a deli slicer at a garage sale for less than 10 bucks, so I use that to make jerky now, much faster. I tried to make hot dogs myself this year, holy time consuming and technical, and they only came out so so, I don't think I will do it again next year. I will generally let a deer hang in the woodshed for a week if it is below 45 degrees, and work on it as time allows.

[54bore]

First moose I ever shot. Took 1/2 hour for him to walk out of the slough he was in and about 20 yards up on to higher ground. Pulled the trigger and he dropped like a rock. Right into a moose sized pool of water that was ankle deep. I could stand on dry ground and touch it with my gun barrel on all sides but has to stand in ankle deep water to gut it.
My hunting partner was not impressed

i used to butcher ten to thirty mule deer doe a year depending on the number of tags issued. Meat would be boned, separated into individual muscle, cured with Mortons Tendre Quick. Then smoked and dried. Made a biltong like jerky. My kids and their friends could eat a deer in two to three weeks

Moose are a BIG job! And one in even ankle deep water would make it that much tougher!!