Heavy Metal Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 How many of you completely process your own deer. I started two seasons ago in November of 2007. It was a bit intimidating at first. But by the second and third deer...It really is worth it. This year I did three. My little doe, and two big bucks for a friend who's finances where tight and he wanted me to teach him. I'm no pro, but this last season I watched some really good online videos that make it so stinkin' easy. My meat tastes so much better than anything I've gotten back from a shop. Almost zero gamey taste, even, especially in our burger. I think it's because they don't have the time to properly trim ALL the fat, tendons and silver back off. That and almost all mix your meat with everybody elses "rutt" bucks when they go to the grinder, I don't care what they say. We use the meat grinding attachment that we got with our Kitchen-Aid. It works awesome. Just need a sausage press now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 Do everything except the sausage myself. Had a small doe done into sausage last fall and the meat locker charged me over $300.00. Of course 40% pork was added which I had to purchase. I plan to learn this part of the processing some day. I enjoy spending a cool fall/winter day with my dad skinning and butchering deer. I bought the 1.0 HP grinder from Cabela's last year and did seven deer with it. This year I only did 2 since everyone except me got skunked this year. Prior to last year I used to use a small kitchen grinder that had to be cleaned after grinding 3-4 pounds of meat because it got clogged. The Cabela's grinder has to be cleaned once (when you're done). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hunterDWL Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 I do it all we have always butchered all our own animals around the farm and the friends of mine seem to find there way to my house to. I have a huge walk in cooler and every one wants to store there deer in it LOL ! I have a lot of friends around hunting season we smoke all our own meats to . I enjoy cutting up meat this year weve have cut up 8 hogs , 4 beef , and around 30 deer . More than that i think numbers just off the top of my head still have a few more beefs to go also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turningcustomcalls Posted January 23, 2009 Report Share Posted January 23, 2009 I had been processing my deer until this year. I went in with some buddies and had a doe completely made into summer sausage. ($27 for 5 rolls). Then I had a doe made into sausage except for the backstraps. ($80). Probably won't ever process another one myself unless I have too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
layin on the smackdown Posted January 23, 2009 Report Share Posted January 23, 2009 i process my own deer as well...been doin it for years. The only time i don't is when i have a whole pile of em, or i want sausage made, then i just bring em to the Old Mans meat packing house...he does it for free:D I will say this too...If your one of those people who shoot a lot of does...this will save you a lot of money...i shot 6 does in 2007 and one buck and processed em all myself. You do the math. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stcif Posted January 23, 2009 Report Share Posted January 23, 2009 I started proccessing my own deer in 1999 with my hunting partner. I bought a video from LEM. The first deer we butchered I had a small TV and VCR going in the garage helping us along. "Wait rewind that" was said about 100 times that night. We aren't experts but we get it done the way we like it and do it boneless. The only tough thing is when there is a warm spell and you have to butcher it right away. The meat is like cutting jelly. We also get a little carried away labeling the packages with "cute" messages all over them. I guess a couple beers and cutting up deer at 11:00 p.m. make you do silly things. It now has become a tradition and an extension of the hunt. Can't imagine how long it would take me to butcher an elk or moose though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Washi Posted January 23, 2009 Report Share Posted January 23, 2009 Between me, my parents, my sisters family, and my brothers family we process all our own deer, beef, and pork. I think we have actually done about 65 deer in the last three seasons alone. We make our own deer sausage and jerky. We get better quality and we don't have to pay about $75 per deer like you would would with a processor. Early and late in the season the butcher shop won't do it at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted January 23, 2009 Report Share Posted January 23, 2009 Far from an expert, but we manage. We have the cheapest cabelas grinder that they sell, would have liked a little bigger one, but the wife got it for me as a gift and while it may take a little longer it does still get the job done. Will have to get a new one in the next year or so, would be nice to have one that grinds a little more per minute. Have processed probably close to a dozen deer since we got the grinder, I figured it paid for itself the first season. I did let a guy we know, who butchers hogs and deer for a living, skin and quarter one for us the season before last on a day when the wife and I both killed one. Was pretty warm here and did not have time to do both, was also our youngest daughters birthday and we had a house full of company. When we got that deer back I was a bit disappointed and said never again. There was hair all over the quarters, I take care not to get hair in my meat. Looking back, I don't think I want to know how the deer we had processed in places in the past were handled. I like knowing I am getting my deer back and like knowing it is cut how I want it. One thing that I find interesting is that people will process their own and then pay someone to have jerky, snack sticks, or sausage made. That stuff is the easy part imho and is kind of fun to make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHISKEYSWAMP Posted January 23, 2009 Report Share Posted January 23, 2009 I generally do my own unless It's too warm out and or don't have the time... I'll take some boned out meat to the processor for summer sausage, snack sticks, and jerky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted January 23, 2009 Report Share Posted January 23, 2009 Unless it's really warm or if I don't have the time, I cut my own up. I just picture it as a big rabbit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddyboman Posted January 23, 2009 Report Share Posted January 23, 2009 yup do all my own Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PotashRLS Posted January 23, 2009 Report Share Posted January 23, 2009 Yep. We do all our own butchering and most of our sausage and brats and such. On occasion we take our clear trimmings in to a local well known meat market and have something made my wife wants. I also have them smoke and shave some hind 1/4s for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slughunter Posted January 23, 2009 Report Share Posted January 23, 2009 I take it to a guy in town and he does it for $80. Seems like its pretty reasonable to me. He gives me all my own mean the way I want it. -shane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pendog Posted January 23, 2009 Report Share Posted January 23, 2009 All myself, have done many for friends too. I will be buying a grinder this year as that was the only thing i could not do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elnor Posted January 23, 2009 Report Share Posted January 23, 2009 My father taught me way back when, so I've always done my own. Over the years I've accumulated a hand-crank grinder (way back) and an electric one (Wally World special, and worth every penny!), cutting boards, etc. to make things easier. This year I processed seven deer and helped with some others. I completely agree that you get a better quality product if you do it yourself; in fact, that's why my father started doing his own many years ago. He had his first deer processed somewhere and got back terrible, gamey meat. His second he did himself, everyone loved eating it, and the rest is history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heavy Metal Posted January 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2009 I take it to a guy in town and he does it for $80. Seems like its pretty reasonable to me. He gives me all my own mean the way I want it. -shane That's about what it costs here without any sausage which can be up to $3+ per pound extra. Now that I know how $80 is allot. Especially considering we normally go for 3 or four deer a season. That ads up real quick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoosierbuck Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 (edited) Yep, like someone else said...it's now a natural consequence of pulling the trigger. We did 9 at my house this fall, 8 for us and one for a buddy, who is doing his own next year he was so excited. Bought a stainless table from Sam's Club, and have a decent grinder (I think it's the one that goes for like $130 at Cabela's) which I also wish I had gotten a bigger one, but I figure I will just try to wear this one out, then i can justify an upgrade, and if I can't wear it out, I didn't need to upgrade anyway. We do it boneless, and could not go back to having it done by another person. Even if it is warm, I can get it skinned and quartered in less than an hour and a half, then I can put the pieces in a fridge or freezer to get a chill on them. I would like to have a dedicated fridge/freezer in the garage for that purpose, but we will have to wait on that. HB Edited January 24, 2009 by Hoosierbuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bowhunter56 Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 Yep, it's not that hard after you do one or two and have a few good knives and saws,,,and grinder...save alot of money... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWSmith Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 When I take deer "Out-of-State" I take them to a processor. At home I process them myself usually into "Steaks, Stew Meat, and Burger". I used to be a meat cutter in a previous job so it fairly easy for me. It still takes time to do right. I've done the deboning of deer for other family members while hunting out of state so all they have to do is drop them into coolers with ice for the trip back home. While hanging it's super easy to take off the "Backstraps" whole. Pull the "Front Shoulders" off and then the "Hind Quarters". At that point I tell the tag holder to "get any meat off the carcass you want" while I debone the shoulders and hind quarters. Once you learn the muscle groups it becomes alot easier. If theres any tips I could give the novice at this it would be these: Remove all the "Silverside" that covers some muscle groups to allow you to be able to actually chew the meat later...if you dont you might as well throw a boot on the grill because the meat will chew just about the same:D ALWAYS cut acrossed the grain of the meat to allow the muscle fibers to be shorter in the finished product. Short sections of meat cut acrossed the grain create even smaller sections of muscle fibers which fall apart when chewed(tender). Compared to long sections of fibers from cutting with the grain which create long stringy(tough) extremely hard to chew meat no matter how it's cooked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Illinois59 Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 Unless it's really warm or if I don't have the time, I cut my own up. I just picture it as a big rabbit. Or a giant squirrel! LOL We do our own if we have time ( all of our hunts are out of state ) otherwise it's off to the butcher or donated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doe-ee Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 We used to process our own. Now we have a couple of really good meat cutters who are as picky as we are and don't charge too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stringpicker Posted January 26, 2009 Report Share Posted January 26, 2009 I have a friend that has a processing building behind his warehouse. I have been helping them all year. He started it for him and a few friends. It is nice, we hang the deer anywhere from 2-3 wks then process them. We have 6 guys that work the operation. It is alot of fun. Guys that have deer needing to be processed come about 5 in the evening and skin their deer and wait till it is done. Lot of stories go around. Going to clean tonight! We charge $55 to process and hang the deer. $20 if you want us to skin the deer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2labs Posted January 26, 2009 Report Share Posted January 26, 2009 I have done my own now for over 10 yrs, even grind my own burger! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doubleA Posted January 26, 2009 Report Share Posted January 26, 2009 Was raised up processing our deer, been doing it for over 30 years on my own now. Now days I strictly make sausage from a deer. The wife and I will take a deer and it will be made into links and smoked and ready to eat within 48 hours of being harvested. Dried sausage takes a few more days. I even managed to get the family involved this year. Here are a few pictures........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heavy Metal Posted January 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2009 **calls wife from work** Yeah honey, I know where we're going to live now!!!!:D:D:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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