i worked for my friends dad last year butchering. it was a great job and now i can do a deer in 10 minutes at the most.

i do my own also. my friends showed me how to do it the same year they taught me how to hunt. been doing every year and i still get the same salivating mouth with every cut and slice. lol! i feel that it's a part of the hunt. plus after hearing complaints from others that have their deer processed from bone bits affecting meat taste to not getting all the meat or the meat from your deer. i debone my deer and trim off 99% of the deer fat. some people are surprised at what a big difference that makes.

I'm just lazy. I'll process one if I kill it in the evening and it's too warm to let it hang, but if my processor is open, I head straight there. He does a great job, vacuum sealed and all. Someone has to keep those guys in business. Plus he makes a mean cheese and jalapeno summer sausage.

Having worked in the food industry for 20+ years, I'm a food safety fanatic, so processing my own is the only way to go. From the time I pull the trigger (or release), I have it quartered and in the frig within 2 hours. After it ages 3-5 days, I process it into roasts, steaks, burger and freeze it, except for the tenderloins, they always seem to find their way onto the grill.

The only time I take one to the processor is if I'm having it mounted.

Somebody said they drop one at the butcher in warm weather. I don't do that here in Pennsylvania. It might be a state law only here, but nothing with hooves and hair can go in the cooler with dressed meat. I know guys here that tell me they run for the butcher in warm weather, but they don't know the deer is laying in a shed until they get to skin it. I get big zip-lock bags and just quickly put chunks of meat in ice coolers until I can trim and cut it to size. It is easier to cut once the meat is chilled anyway.

Everyone in our hunting party gets together on the Sunday of Thanksgiving and cut up our deer. We drink a little beer and enjoy this time together. All the deer are divided up with all our hunters and then we make sausage so every one gets some venison. Good hunting to all!! I can't waite.

There are butcher's in Pa that do deer ,they don't "throw the deer in some shed". Reputable butchers have a separate walk in to hang thier game brought in.
In warm weather when one can't hang the meat for a day or two I'll take it to a butcher , in cooler weather I'll process my own game.

I started doing my own deer last year, it really makes you feel good knowing that you did everything your self.