My sons and I have been butchering our deer for many years. A lot of advice has been given here. One thing I would like to add is that I rented a video the very first time we decided to do it ourselves. It was by Leonard Lee Rue III and it showed in detail all the steps necessary to do a clean, complete job. It was great because you have the ability to rewind anything that may be confusing. If you do get a how-to video my only suggestion is to watch it from beginning to end before beginning the butchering. That way, you'll have a good idea what steps are necessary and why. Good Luck!