Respect for the Butcher !!

[tahoe2]

Having had to butcher both of my deer myself; I have a great deal of respect for my local butcher, I wish I could afford to use him (.80 cents a pound to process) more for sausage,
spent all my "butcher money" on gas so I could hunt!
I probably have over 120# of meat between the two ( buck & doe).
Maybe next year he'll get my money. Being over 6' tall, being hunched over the kitchen counter for hours at a time,
is hard on my back. But I am thankful that I have lots of Venison in the freezer. Next year I will try to support my butcher.

 

[Patocazador]

Get more proficient at it and you won't need to spend all that time hunched over or all that money for the butcher. Practice makes perfect and a friend who does it himself can probably give you techniques or lessons that will make things go smoother and faster.

I saw a video on You-tube of a guy who cut up a skinned, gutted deer in less than 5 minutes. That did not include grinding burger but did include a bunch of roasts.

 

[Art Eatman]

Back when I was far more serious about having deer meat in the freezer, I mostly just kept the backstraps intact, as well as the hams and inner tenders. Everything else was ground for deerburger, for spaghetti sauce or chili.

 

[Andrew Leigh]

Hi,

google these video's. Roe Deer Butchering Part 1 - The Hunting Lige. There are three parts and if you can understand the english accent you will find them most informative and will save you a bunch of time.

 

[Lloyd Smale]

like art i too shoot alot of deer and mostly keep just the best cuts of meat and grind the rest for burger and sausage. Do a few and it will get alot easier. A little practice and the right tools and you can eaisly take a deer from hide on to in your freezer in under 2 hours. If i had to support my local butcher hed be driving a porche!

 

[hardluk1]

Besides a grinder a cuber is another worthy addition is the home butcher.

 

[oneounceload]

Being over 6' tall, being hunched over the kitchen counter for hours at a time,

Take a standard folding table, cover it with wax paper, then place the legs on top of gallon paint cans or similar to raise it up - back pain goes away (I'm 6'3 and discovered this helping a friend cut up some mulies)

 

[Kingcreek]

I do just what oneounce does. I raise a table with 4 paint cans and I stand on a neoprene mat and switch off with a shop stool. I also have a heated garage/workshop with floor drains, double laundry sink, and good lighting. The more deer you cut, the easier it gets. I bone mine out with a couple of sharp fillet knives for backstraps and roasts, and use a cleaver for stew meat and grinder cuts. I use a hand butcher saw for the neck and legs only.

 

[desidog]

^ Yup.

I generally take off the two hind quarters in the field at the hip joint too. Easier to carry.

Years ago i worked in a fish processing plant; lots of graphic detail i'll spare you there, but i'll say that the height of your work surface makes all the difference. If you use a folding table that was intended to be used in conjunction with chairs, raise it up to a corresponding height for standing.

Also, I've seen a lot of people cleaning game making all sorts of faces and stupid squeamish gestures. The bottom line is: Since you're going to do all this work 'til it's done, shut up and do it. You'll spend the same amount of time cutting, but the process will be a lot quicker overall.

 

[outboard]

Processing a spike elk is usually a 4 + hour chore with the help of one to two additional people. By the time you cut roasts and steaks and grind the remaining into burger it consumes the better portion of half a day. If we make sausage in casings and meatballs you can add another hour or two of labor. Its a lot of work but well worth it. i find great satisfaction in taking the animal the entire way from the field to the dinner table.

 

[MCgunner]

Back when I was far more serious about having deer meat in the freezer, I mostly just kept the backstraps intact, as well as the hams and inner tenders. Everything else was ground for deerburger, for spaghetti sauce or chili.

Pretty much what I do 'cept I stuff a lot of sausage and, occasionally, I'll trim strips off the shoulder and/or lower hams for jerking. I always want to keep some ground for chili.

 

[Pacsd]

Tahoe, send me a PM and we'll make arrangements to send you a video I made of how I do my deer. The emphasis on "how I" do them. I process by the head not by the pound.