HuntingNet.com Forums - proccessing your own deer

Hey Mich. We learned mostly by o.j.t. but picked up a few pointers along the way from others. Have processed probably close to two hundred of my own deer and who knows how many for others. There are tons of videos out there, but I have only seen clips from a few. Most were not worth watching. Probably going to a professional processor and watching for a couple of hours would be your best bet. We can have a fresh killed deer skinned, quartered and in the cooler inless than fifteen minutes using only a knife. I see guys break out saws and hatchets and just smile because you just dont need them. When you learn where joints connect you can slice a leg or hindquarter off with ease. When skinning, use more muscle than steel. I watch guys literally wittle a hide off a deer and it can take forever. Get the hide started, lay down you knife and put some weight on it! I have a boat winch rigged to actually pull the hide off and you only touch it here and there with a knife. After the hide is off, we fillet off both backstraps and tenderloins, slice off the shoulders, fillet off the neck and flanks, cut the hams off at the hip joint and your deer is in the cooler. The actual processing and wrapping takes a few hours but when done right, it's worth the effort. I see guys put a ham in a garbage bag and throw it in the freezer and it sickens me because that fine piece of tasty protein will be freezer burned in short order and will probably be thrown away. Good luck with your hunting and take care of that meat!