First time butcher
 

My buddy and I have been trying to skin and quarter our own deer up these past couple of years. The problem is we are kind of sloppy, or just don't have the right technique yet. We usually hang them by the back legs, cut around the back legs, and make our way down. Then we cut out the backstraps, all the quarters, and some of the neck meat. I don't worry about steaks too much, because we make rolls of deer sausage out of our deer, so bad cuts don't matter. Our problem is hair. For some reason I can't get the deer started cutting around the legs without getting hair all over. Is this just normal. Also, after I'm done, I usually wash all the meat real good, place in trash bags, wrap with paper, and stick them in the freezer. Is this proper, or do I need to let the meat dry after washing.

Another side topic. I've watched a video on this website http://www.fieldandstream.com/fieldstream/hunting/photogallery/article/0,13355,1254741,00.html It is about quartering the deer in the woods before skinning it. Would this be legal in IL? What do you think about it?

Thanks for helping out a newbie,

Justin

RE: First time butcher
 

I found this info helpful-

http://home.rochester.rr.com/sevendzero/

RE: First time butcher
 

Do you usually wash the meat after cutting and put it in a freezer? Or does it have to dry some before being put in the freezer?

Justin

RE: First time butcher
 

Well what my dad has always done, something I think he learned early on was that once you've got it skinned to take a blow torch and burn the hairs that had stuck. Seems to work very well, and doesn't harm the meat. Sure eliminates the hassle of the hair.

RE: First time butcher
 

I remove the backstraps......the tender loins......quarter the animal and put the mea tin a cooler. I then go over to the gaden hose.....wash all the meat off.....rinse out the cooler....and place the mea tback in the cooler.

I put a bag of ice in the cooler.....and I age it for a few days.....then I take it to the processor.

I have really no issues with hair.

Jeff

RE: First time butcher
 

This is definetly a situation where there very well may be 100 ways to skin a deer.

Here is my .02.

Hang the deer by it's neck not the back legs. Using a knife cut all the lower limbs off. Starting on the inside of what remains of each limb, cut the skin down to the center of the body. Cut a ring around the neck of the deer. Cut down the center of the sternum. Start skinning.

You will get much less hair on your deer this way. At least that has been my experience.

The few hairs that are left you can use a blow torch or in my case a propane torch to singe them off. Just wave it back and forth along the carcass.

Tom

RE: First time butcher
 

Anybody ever tried the "golf ball method" to skinning a deer?

I'veheard about it and I may have seen it on video some years back but can't remember exactly how it's done.

RE: First time butcher
 

I never field dress deer. I get them hung up usually within an hour where we hoist them up by the hind legs with a gambrel where they are skinned. Then we gut them, then use the garden hose and spray nozzle to wash them off. You keep washing til you get them clean. Then they go in the walk-in for a few days. They hang by a hook that comes up through the pelvic opening. Then they are quartered and cut up and whatever.

RE: First time butcher
 

You still have to skin the back legs and sever the tail. Fold the hide over a golf ball and tie a rope around the hide (that is covering the ball), connect it to your truck or ATV and pull. Skin will come right off...it's pretty easy.

RE: First time butcher
 

I have found cutting off the legs, head and starting the HQ to be skinned while still on the ground gets less hair on the deer than hanging it from the get go. The propane torch is what I use to burn off hair that stillgets on the meat.

RE: First time butcher
 

I skin my deer similar to most that have already posted. However, I add an additional step. After first cutting the hide in all the right places - legs, neck, down the length of the sternum, I take out my shop vac and suck up all the loose hairs before I begin to pull the hide off. The few that end up on the meat are disposed of with a propane torch.

RE: First time butcher
 

Well I have skinned/ quartered/ deboned many deer. Over 30. We hang them by the back legs. when you cut around the back leg and all that hair that starts to come off just take your hand and sorta scoop it all off and throw! it aside and dont throw it in to the wind. LOL but that usaly works fine for me. Just when your getting a bunch of hair befor it falls all the way off on to the meat grab it and throw it away.

If you have anyother questions feel free to PM me or ask on here

Mike

RE: First time butcher
 

This is how we do it, it's fast and simple and really cuts down on the hair.

Before you hand your deer take a saw and cut off the front legs above the knee. Cut off the back legs BELOW the knee so you have the tendon/leg bone "loop" to hand it from.

Now, take your knife and on the back legs slit (just under the skin) from where you made the cut to field dress teh deer all the way to where you sawed the legs off on the inside of each leg.

Be careful around the tendon with the knife. Work this skin down the leg towards the thigh (once you get the hang of it this is a quick cut and pull procedure).

Now that that is done, hang the deer by the back legs.

Extend the cut you made along the brisket all the way to the head, just under the skin.

On the front legs, start where you cut them off and slice along the inside of the legs until you connect this cut to the cut you just made up the brisket.

Now the hide should be hanging down around the thighs of the back legs, grab a hold of it and pull down so it'sjust below the tail.

Now grab the tail and pull down on it while cutting across the base of it right where it connects to the body. Go in between the little bones in the tail to keep from dulling your knife or use a saw. Leave the tail attached to the skin.

Once the tail bone is severed pull down on the tail to pull the hide down on the back of the deer.

Alternate between the hide you freed from the hind legs and the tail working the skin all the way down to the head. You may have to use the knife a little to cut pieces of meat loose of the hide so it peels off easier but it will be very little.

Once you reach the head, cut through the neck and saw through the spine to free the hide and head from the rest of the carcass. If done right, this will leave you with fairly "hair-free" carcass but it doesn't hurt to wash it off again.

Next I remove the tenderloins and then the backstraps. Then I remove each front shoulder with a knife and then cut the chest cavity loose with a saw just in front of the hind quarters. Finally, I take the saw and split through the rest of the pelvis holding the hind quarters together.

It's really a simple and easy process, it just takes some practice!

RE: First time butcher
 

This was my first year doing it myself and it doubled the thrill of the hunting experience. It's really and completely your hunt at that point - now I could never have someone else do it.
I agree with the above two posts after researching on the web & asking around a lot. Have you ever seen a blow torch or a shop vac in a butcher shop?
As for water - I worked as a chef for a good number of years and we never, ever washed steak. Why do that do your deer?

RE: First time butcher
 

I have done a 100+ deer and this is the easiest to me. Get the hide off and then take a small propane torch and burn the hair off. If it hasnt been dead for long I can skin, quarter and debone by myself in under 2 hrs.

RE: First time butcher
 

Hair problems on the deer meat start in the fieldafter dresssing.If it is at all posible don't split the pelvis untill your deer is hanging ,when it is split and open it will alow the hair and other debris to get on the hind meats.Like one of the guys mentioned cut from the inside out when you start doing the ring cut.Freedome01115 gave some of the best advise and does it the same as I do.After I bust out the quarters,take the saddle(backstraps with bone),and cut out the tenderloins and some nexk meat I take the meat inside to my garage and start taking apart the hind meats and making roast and steak cuts,then butterfly the backstraps into steaks.The "golf ball method" of removing the hyde ,I read about that along time ago when I just got into deer hunting,you can remove the hyde many other ways, and one is simple using your hands and weight .

RE: First time butcher
 

When you skin the legs get the knife under the hide dont cut through the hair. It makes a mess and dulls a knife in no time.

RE: First time butcher
 

use one of those "tacky" or "sticky" rollers people use to take pet hair off of their clothes or use one of the meat scrappers like they use in meat departments and grocery stores and scrape it down the carcass
plus remember if the weather is HOT remove the hide right away,,and if it is COLD leave the hide on till the last minute
plus as we are skinning IF hair gets on the meat we just scrape the hair off with our knife blade and wipe it on a towel,,i have never heard of using a propane torch to singe hair off,,seems like it would sear(SP) the meat or melt the hair on/into the meat

RE: First time butcher
 

You may be interested in this video produced by the Virginia Dept of Game.
https://www3.dgif.virginia.gov/estore/proddetail.asp?prod=VW250

RE: First time butcher
 

Ohiobob, run lighter past your arm. Does it sear your arm? Is there any hair left. Think about it.

RE: First time butcher
 

Singeing hair is how most pigs are processed BTW.

RE: First time butcher
 

I use the golf ball method almost exclusively...however....

You need to be careful..I used my tractor once and the knot of the golf ball was not settled well...when I started pulling with my tractor the knot came undone, and I heard the golf ball whizz by my ear...

Good method, be careful though!

RE: First time butcher
 

My method is: Take it the the butcher and let them worry about skinning it and cutting it up. Just my .02. Not worth the time and the Hassel to me. I would rather someone else do it while i'm out hunting for another one.

RE: First time butcher
 

Thanks all for replying.

I never thought of the blowtorch, I may try that next time.

Does anyone cut them up in the woods? Would this be legal in IL?

Thanks, Justin

RE: First time butcher
 

There is a video on the internet. I think the guys name is Sam Harpson(sp?) When it starts a guy is outmuzzleloading foradoe. Then they go back and this Sam guy has a doe hanging. He has already done half of it and he shows you how to do the other half. I down loaded it to my desk top. Was trying to find a web address? I am sure someone else knows which video it is.

It was the best free video I have seen for butchering. I followed how he did it and it workd great.
crutch

RE: First time butcher
 

whenever its hanging there upside down.. start skinning the back legs first.. but use your knife and skin UP... once you get to the joint, keep skinning up with your knife... dont try and skin down because that makes hair fall off...