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Bandit01

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I've been reloading for a few years and now I want to take shooting to a higher level. I want to start hunting but not really for sport, rather for food. It is a sin to kill for food. Now, let's say I go deer hunting and bag me a nice size deer. What do I do with the body? Where do I take it to clean up for food?
 
" It is a sin to kill for food." better edit that to make it right, or you'll be finding yourself without many friends.

You can process your deer in your garage if you want. But, a lot of folks take them to be processed and pay a fee.

Get a book on the subject and hunt with a more experienced friend who can help you out. It'll be a better hunt for you that way...Sinner!
 
I take mine to a deer processing center, they charge 70 bucks and they'll chop it up anyway you want. burger, stew meat, steaks, roasts, anything. there are signs all over the place advertising that service during deer season.
 
A SIN???? Actually, that's the reason man has ALWAYS killed meat, the ethical reason, for food. Sure, we kill pests, but food is the MAIN reason to actually kill. I can go sit in a deer stand and watch the wildlife for all the other reasons to hunt, but I butcher and eat the deer and birds I shoot. Only things I've ever killed other than to eat are a few snakes, coyotes, and a few feral wild dogs and I've sometimes even ate the snakes.

I butcher my own, but there are plenty of meat houses that will butcher for you. You need to dress it in the field, by that I mean gut it from neck to butt. I even grind and stuff my own sausage, but you can have sausage made for a price. I can BUY meat at the store, not really economical to have sausage made, but I don't think cut and wrapping costs all that much. But, I grew up helpin' my grandpa and have never taken a deer to a meat house for butchering. I have had sausage made, about 5 years ago last, was $1.10 a pound NOT smoked, but price included the pork mixed with it. I smoked it myself. My wife finally got me a good grinder/stuffer for Christmas. No longer need to get raped for sausage. :D
 
For a bit on how to dress out a deer:
http://www.michigandnr.com/publications/pdfs/huntingwildlifehabitat/deer_field-dressing.pdf
http://www.whitetaildeer.com/staticpages/staticpage_detail.aspx?id=255

Feel free to google "how to field dress a deer" for other instructions and tips.


After you field dress it take it to a butcher or processor and tell them how you want the meat to be packaged. Find a butcher that will do it before you shoot a deer. This last year the prices seemed to range from about $60-120 as starting prices- this is in Texas. If you have sausage made they will charge you per pound for the added fat (pork), same way for hamburger if you have them add fat. Having the meat cut for jerky is different than having it made into jerky, so be clear about what you want (having it made into jerky is more expensive).
 
Hang it on a gambrel, peel the hide, and remove the guts. (I like to hang mine over a large waste barrell with some strong lawn and leaf bags so I can cleanly haul the guts away afterward). Then, extract the back straps and tenderloins. Carry the rest to the processor and tell him you want spicy sausage (links and bulk).

Research the processors in you area. Make sure you get your processed deer back! Don't take it somewhere that throws everything together, pulls your order, then calls you the next day to pick up. Otherwise you might end up getting some adrenalin pumped meat that was run ragged all day by dogs before it was shot. (If you live in an area that allows dog driving)
 
Guys, it was a typo. Geez, this is a tough crowd. What I meant to type was, UNLESS IT'S FOR FOOD, IT'S A SIN. Meaning, I don't believe in hunting for sport. What I kill, will be eaten.

Funny thing, I went to my local reloading supply shop the other day. Guy there recommended that I join a shooting club (since I reload so often on such a regular basis), I told him that I wanted to start hunting, he said, "I guess you want to be like everybody else, wasting time". Meaning, there ain't to much to hunt down here in Charlotte, North Carolina. lol
 
Well, you have to hunt around there? :D Do some research, find out where the good areas are and how much out of state licenses are if it's out of state. Why not start out with small game, squirrel and rabbits? There are more places to find good small game hunting and they're tasty, fried, in a stew, or with dumplings. Don't forget feral hogs, GREAT for the bbq pit. :D Don't have to be just deer. Don't know about NC, but Texas has a lot of good, cheap hog hunting and it's year around. Heck, I'd rather have pork than venison anyway....or both for the sausage.

BTW, I gut the deer in the field and leave the pile for the coyotes and bobcats. They really appreciate it. :D
 
I'm goingto stick my neck out here a little and propose something that I'm sure will be really unpopular. Keep in mind I'm not doing this to start a fight. I'm going to say this because I believe it.

There is no sin in killing an animal, period.

Hunt for sport or sustenance. It is good.

I know people that hunt all types of vermin and varmints. It's OK.
Others hunt birds for their feathers, and moose for their racks. It's OK.
 
Advice on dressing a deer: Bring a buddy and befriend a butcher. It's a lot easier with 2 people, especially if he's a big sucker, and people who don't know how to cut up a carcass can absolutely ruin the meat (ask me how I know).
 
HM2PAC,
I have to disagree with you, taking the life of a moose just for its rack is unethical (in my opinion; we are each entitled to our own). To me it is the same thing as killing a elephant for its tusks, it is disrespectful to the natural world, and wasteful.
I also believe that it depends on the game which you are hunting, for instance, I DO shoot coyotes and don't eat them. However I keep the pelts, claws, and use the carcass for bait. This even conflicts with my beliefs somewhat. I justify it for the protection of my livestock, as well as the fact that they have an astonishing replenishment rate (you need to kill 70% of the population every year to sustain a decrease in over all population) and large #'s to begin with.

I DO NOT shoot bobcat, fox, wolves, fishers, or any other such predator which don't share the large population numbers, even though they can effect my livestock.

I do enjoy hunting a great deal, and believe that it is a great activity. I just like to see people understanding their actions when taking the life of an animal and do that animal justice by using it for all it offers.

Again, this beautiful country of ours allows us to share humble opinions with each other, while respecting everyones views whether we agree with them or not.
~Russ
 
First you need a place to hunt deer. Let's assume that you have a place to hunt. Next besides firearms and so forth, if you get a deer you need to decide before hand whether or not you will process (ie cut the meat up) yourself or have someone else do it. Let's assume you want someone else to do it?

Call around your area and find a butcher that does deer processing. It will often be a small meat place rather than some big operation. Make a decision to have them do it... ask price. I pay $40 I believe and they cut it up pretty much the way I want it (hamburger, chops, tender loins, steaks etc.). If you are not used to deer meat, I'd get at least half of it in hamburger and have them add pork fat. The tenderized deer steaks aren't bad. Some make sausage, but you generally have to pay extra for that. The processor will wrap the meat in paper or plastic and often freeze it for you.

Check with your fish and game deparment web site for diagrams on field dressing a deer. Many states have a diagram which explains it pretty well. Not hard and not that messy. All you need is a sharp knife and a basic knowledge of mammal anatomy. Deer, rabbit, squirrel.... all the same, just a matter of scale.

After this, all you need to do is see the deer and shoot it. Good luck.
 
<<I've been reloading for a few years and now I want to take shooting to a higher level.>>

and

<<It is a sin to kill for food.>>


No my son.

jesus-with-rifle-thumb.jpg



If Charlton Heston (Moses) parted the red sea with a walking stick. Just think what I can do with a rifle.
 
Stover, those are good points and understandable. However sinful and unethical are two different things.

The moose that I've seen taken for their headgear have all had their meat donated. I would not consider that a waste or truly unethical. I have also smelled rotting animals at the weigh station that were too big to get out of the woods in a timely fashion and were rotting.To say it was unethical or sinful is not a step I would take.

I do not believe that killing an animal without eating it is sinful/unethical because I don't eat everything I kill. I like to have some ducks mounted. This precludes butchering.

My reason for posting what I did is that I don't feel it's the correct thing to do, to demonize a particular aspect of hunting and to call it sinful because it disagrees with a belief held by someone new to the hunt.
 
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HM2PAC,

I agree, as long as the meat is being used (it doesn't need to be you using it), it is not unethical. I for instance, am not a huge fan of eating Geese, however my buddy is, and I love shooting them. So I give the meet to my buddy. Earlier you didn't mention donating the meat from the moose, that would actually make it more ethical (giving to the needy).
Good luck with your hunting endeavors!
~Russ
 
I cultivate vegetables for sport, and the occasional trophy cucumber.

But I hunt for food. Therefore, I am starving to death. Hunting is a lot harder than the anti-hunters want you to believe.

I also could use help. Or a trip to someplace that gets a bit more rain. Or both.:)

My premium tag drawing didn't work out so well. I drew a deer tag that lets me hunt in Los Angeles and Orange County. Maybe next year...
 
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