BvrHunter

Doing it yourself its the only way to go!!! Takes all the guess work out it. And like stated above gives you a great personal satisfaction

daveyrock

I've just started processing my own deer this year and have to say, I should have been doing this from the beginning. I have never had a problem with my butcher and sawing the meat though I'm sure he does; I have never gotten a tainted piece of meat. That being said I'm worried that someday it might happen. I have also heard the stories of getting someones scrap meat added to yours and that just seems wrong. I like the quote above "do your own and you are guaranteed to get your own meat back" SO true....not to mention it has cost me roughly $200 bucks per deer at the butcher and that is just basic, best steaks and roasts the rest goes to sausage, jerky, and burger. I do it all myself now; kill it, skin it, bone it(the way I do it requires no sawing except the head and front legs), process it, eat it. Bought a grinder and dehydrator, was able to score a free woodchip smoker till we can get a better one. Plus I like the idea that I was able to do it myself, it adds more to the hunt that way.

Here is the first deer I cut up myself....I pulled quite a bit of scrap meat after this picture as well.

The Outdoorsman

Im with others on this in doing your own processing. It can be time consuming but if you continue to do it and understand the cuts of meat you want off your deer, you can go thru that in no time. And yes, you will save yourself a ton of money. Me and my dad butcher our own and after 6 deer, the equipment has already paid for itself. At $70-85 a pop to have your deer processed here in Indiana, doing it yourself and getting your own vaccum sealer and meat grinder, you save yourself alot of money and you know you are getting YOUR meat, not someone elses. You know that none of your meat is going to someone else (getting shorted), you dont have to worry about hair in your meat and that they are packaged and cut the way you want them. There is a DVD called Kentucky Field Processing (i believe thats the name of it) and it will show you step by step where to cut on your deer and how to go about the entire process. Main thing is, have two sharp fillet knives and have space to do all of the work and you will have your processing down to a T and moving along at a good pace in no time.

daveyrock

I learned from that video; the Kentucky Afield one. Great resource in fact its the best I've seen. It will show you how to get your deer from the field to the freezer. Very Good!

nodog

People think there's a lot more meat on a deer than there really is. Sure you'd end up with more if you did it yourself but what you'd end up with is what I cook up for the dog, a lot of connective tissue that makes any meat it's being strangled by tough as all get out to chew..

He's what you do, get 2 deer of about the same size send one to the butcher and do one yourself and then compare the 2. I'm thinking the biggest discrepancy will be the amount of money left in your pocket after; Unless dear old Dad is paying the butchering bill.

It's just way too much money to get all the game done I get to have someone else do something I do well myself. Your dad is right to be concerned but he's thinking it's more sanitary at a butcher shop. Wait till you see the pile of deer waiting to be processed and then just think how much greater the chances are that one of them may have something that effects the whole bunch not to mention everything else in there. If done right it just makes sense that your meat can be way more safe that any butcher shops can be.

Keep things clean and think about what your doing. For starters don't skin with the same knife you butcher unless you clean it first and clean up yourself after skinning. Treat the 2 as 2 separate jobs and your meat will be fine and taste great. It begins in the field remember that. Get it from the field to the freezer in good order and no one will ever say your food tastes gamie or get sick on it.

All this is a mute point until ya get one which is a hole lot harder to do.

Happy hunting!

YooperMike

I do EVERYTHING myself when it comes to my deer. Steaks, roasts, sausage, the whole deal. The thing about doing it yourself is that you know how that carcass was handled. You bring it in to a meat locker, you have no idea how the other people handled their deer. If that deer rode around in the back of a truck for 3 days, I sure as hell don't want that deer mixed in with mine. People seem to have a misguided notion that these people are doing one deer at a time, and the jerky in the freezer came off the ass end of their own deer. Tell your dad to pound sand and instead of being a whiny ballbag, pitch in and help you process the thing.

Also, with you being fairly new to this bowhunting thing, processing a deer is about the best anatomy lesson you can get. Take some time and study the front shoulders, where they connect, and more importantly HOW they connect to the rest of the deer. On your first couple, the job may be a little sloppy, but with some practice, you will become good at it, and have way more pride in what you've got in your freezer.

Schultzy

I do all my butchering except making sausage or whatever I choose. The trimmings go to the butcher shop, I let them make the goodies. In the future though I want to do everything myself, I just need a sausage stuffer and I'll be set.