DryForkSlayer

I do everything from the scouting and setup to the processing and eating It has always been a family thing for me, I group up watching my dad do it. Then when I was old enough I would go with him on hunts and if he got something then he let me "help" as much as I could along with him teaching me the proper way to do things. Eventualy I was old enough to go out on my own and when I bgought my first one home, he watched me do the work and helped me as needed it. Since then I've completed and thoroughly enjoy the entire process that goes along with it all. To me it's just part of it and it wouldn't be the same without it,although I understand and respect the many reasons for others who do not such as never being taught as I was or maybe being unable to for whatever reason, even just not wanting to. It's a free country thank the Lord and they can make their own choices about and I'll make and enjoy mine

lightfoot52

good answer,i agree

unklechuckles19

I've learned to process my own deer from my father and uncles. When I'm hunting in NY with my dad and uncles we do all the butchering and grinding ourselves. I don't have a grinder down here in PA at home, so I'll hang and butcher my deer in the garage then once I have my grind meat set aside, I'll take it to one of my co-workers, who does deer processing on the side in the winter and I'll have him do the grinding and smoking. He makes the best smoked boloney and beef sticks in the whole Stroudsburg Area, so I'll let him take care of it.

DeerandbearhoG

Butchering deer is not as difficult as some people might think. sure you wont dont a perfect job the 1st time ,but that goes for just about any task. You dont need alot of special tools or a garage either, all you need is a kitchen table,a hack saw, a fillet knife and typical hunting knife, some freezer bags and some ambition. an inexpensive electric meat grinder is a good idea too. I get almost as much satisfaction from butchering as the actual kill. I would encourage people who want to learn, to try it.

salukipv1

Being able to do it and doing it are two different things.

I think for most hunters living in the city or suburbs who hunt in the country it's more of a convenience type of thing.

Not sure how easy it would be to process a deer out of the back of your truck in the middle of a field? You could get it in the cooler and eventually process it once you get home, personally I think alot of guys would rather get the meat cooled off sooner and processed sooner than keeping it cool for a few days or a week then doing it themselves once they get home.

Also depending on what suburb you live in, a neighbor sees a full deer carcus hanging in your garage might end up with the police on your doorstep.

If/when I have my own farm and walk in cooler, I'll definitely be processing my own game.

Jimmy S

We have been cutting up our deer for well over 25 years. As previously mentioned, it's all part of the hunt. Plus, we always make it fun. A few beers, a football game and a lot of laughs.

Of course there has been times sending it out to be butchered makes more sense. This is especially true if we encounter warm weather. This happened twice this year, both during bow season and M/L. The temps hit almost 70 degrees. Both deer were packed in ice and taken to the butcher asap.

One last point. My buddy's old man (now in his mid 80's) always made sure we did a good job in butchering our deer. He was a great teacher. When he was no longer available to help that first time, we rented a video by Leorard lee Rue II and followed step by step. With our previous experience and that one time video, we felt very competent and still do to this day.

If you have never done this but want to try, I say "Do it"! Sure, it may be rough at first but like most things, the more you do it the better you'll get. Browsing the internet, reading book or watching a video will be very helpful as well.

troid

I got into hunting last year mostly for economic reasons. Shot and processed my first deer last year. I just watched some youtube vids, asked a lot of questions, and gave it a shot (no pun intended). I really enjoy doing it. My wife and I have a nice little "assembly line" worked out. Maybe next year, I 'll pick up a grinder and learn how to make sausage.

Nothing against processors - I just can't justify the extra expense.

teedub31

I have read at least 2 posts in this thread where it was claimed that butchering a single deer saved the hunter a couple hundred dollars. I am just curious as to who is ripping you off?? I had 2 deer processed (110lbs doe and 170lb buck into normal cuts roasts burger summer sauasage and ground sausage). Bill was $55 for the doe and $65 for the buck. Hard to pass up the easy economics. Plus without a cooler, processing deer yourself in October and November usually means doing it pronto. Kill a deer at dusk, get him checked in and back to the house for 4-5 hours of butchering makes for a long night (usually alone) when a guy has to be at work at 5am the next morning.

fishinsoap

I bring mine to a prcocessor. I could do it myself, but they have a huge advantage and I think it is a pretty sweet deal. I always get the $58 package. That rate is flat, no matter how big or small the deer. They dry age it for me (I do not have the facilities to do this) then butcher it down and put everything into labeled packages. The ground meat, and steaks are put into approx. 1 pound packages so I dont have to thaw out more than I need at any given time, and the roasts are all kept whole, loins are put into one pound packages as well because I ask them to.

If I had the place to dry age my deer for 10 days, and the space to do a proper job of it, and could justify spending about 4-6 hours doing it, then I would. But I dont have the space, I dont have a refridgeration unit to dry age, and I am paid at work....well, 4-6hours of work nets me more than the $58 I pay to the processor.

toyota4x4

I used to just drop mine off at the processors every time I killed one but a good friend of mine has always done everything himself so these last two seasons thats what ive done. We take it straight from the woods and hang it up to remove the meat. Then put meat in a cooler with ice and salt and drain cooler everyday while adding salt and ice as needed. After 3-4 days we cut and grind the meat as we like. Done my first of the season last night took about 2 hours. We got 12 pounds of ground, full rear ham, then with the other rear ham made steaks n what not out of it. And of course we cut the back straps n tenderloins up for good breakfast steaks. Either way gets the job done..but, atleast at my local processors, the turnaround is never that quick and I have found the "game" taste is hardly present when we do it as compared to sittin in a deer cooler for a week before any work is done on it.