Process yourself or pay someone to do it?
 

How many of you do your own butchering? As much as I enjoy getting out in the woods and harvesting a deer for me the real satisfaction comes from finishing the job myself. A good friend, more like a brother to me than my blood relation, got me into deer hunting and taught me the ropes from field to freezer. Going to a job so you can buy groceries is one thing but actually putting meat on the table for my family is a source of pride I can't get over. The real fun for me happens back at the shop with a roll of butcher paper. :happy0001:

I'm with ya. It took a few years to really hone my processing process. But, now, I can take a deer from hanging off the back of my truck to my freezer in about an hour and a half.

I still hate cleaning up the mess though. That actually takes longer than butchering the whole darn thing.

It all starts with a knife that will hold its edge throughout the whole process. So I make my own knives too. I have taken three deer from field to freezer with two knives and never sharpened once in between.

They will need a good sharpening after three though. I think I could force em to go four deer, but that is pushing it and then your butchering times start increasing.

Nick:)

i do my own, i taught myself how to do it, on my buddys first deer, then ive done it on all of mine, not once have i been to a butcher, im a meat hunter, and i like the fact that i have a smaller grocery bill when the freezer is full, and when you do it ur self you can put what you want where you want it, say this is for steaks this is for grinder, this is for stew and so on, but you get to do it UR WAY

Plus I know that the meat in the freezer is the deer I shot...not someone else's leftovers the processor palmed off on me.

i always process my own deer too! i feel that it is a part of the hunting experience. plus i think alot of butchers rip you off some. i also like to debone all the meat and get more fat and sinew off than what the butchers do.

I do my own as well.

i realized the 1st time my buddy sent his off...wasnt even the same deer meat..call me crazy, no i didnt do a dna test, but was easy to tell ...to me anyways....he didnt even get the quantity of meat he turned in.
besides i know how the meat was handled doing it myself...as i am very shy about accepting meat from others already..
i do it myself, i know where,when, what and who about it. no questions. and its cheaper...
.4 deer take bout 6 hours to get through processing. and the biggest thing is how long your hand can sling a blade.

I have always processed my own but this year I want to buy a dehydrator and make my own jerky. I have a 13 year old that has gotten quit good at the proccess himself and loves to sit down and enjoy the fruits of his labor. I may be back to this thread later this fall for some jerky recipes:s1:. God Bless you all.

I roll my own too. Started when I pulled up to a butcher shop and saw (and smelled) a 6x20' pile of deer moldering in the rain! And, on what deer I do shoot with a firearm, I use all copper bullets (Barnes TSX); they contain no lead and give AWESOME terminal performance.

Taught myself from a book. (After your deer is down), been doing my own for over 10 years now.