Who Process's there own Deer
 

I started Processing my Own deer about 5 Years ago and what a difference it made in the taste and quality of meat we were getting , My Wife was basically a vegatarian when we met now she helps me process . we have a basic $80 electric meat grinder and a basic vacume sealer . It really made the difference in using approx 1 deer a season now with liberal doe permits were i live we will usually have 3-4 does and usually 1 buck . we had a total of 5 dear last year and are almost out of meat . We do grind in about a 1/4th pork tenderloin and it taste awesome and my 6 and 7 year old ask for it and they love the breakfast sousage. If you havent tried to Process your own deer I think you may be missing out.:biggrin:

I very much agree. stated doing my own and never looked back
the quality of the cuts is better now and you are guaranteed that you are not missing meat to the butcher

Now wait a minute
 

I don't think they issue butcher permits to country club hunters. Why before you know it, they'll think they are chefs cooking hunter stews with dumplings, on a cold winter night.

Lol that's funny , don't get me wrong I love taking big buck's but were i am from Hunting Land is expensive even to lease you have to have deep pockets lucky for me I have a couple small areas that hold deer that I am able to hunt my largest spot is about 25 acres so no big tracts of land so getting big buck to come by is possible but you may starve if you are not going to shoot does. We have neighbors that will shoot little spike and button bucks so it is hard to get the bucks big .

I've done my own for over 15 years now. It is not all that difficult, and it guarantees better quality meat than a processor's band saw. The bone chips that get pulled through the meat by the saw taint the meat.

You mention grinding in your post. Many processors grind venison in batches, so you're getting some of yours mixed with who knows what, maybe a gutshot deer that was handled wrong.

Ground meat generally gets thoroughly cooked. I grind some for a chili or two, and cut most of the front shoulders into stew meat, but mainly roast whole cuts and steaks on the grill. Nothing wrong with grinding, but if you don't save some whole cuts currently, try it. Season with a dry rub, or simply salt and pepper and cook your roasts such as the loin, a top round or a sirloin tip to 120-125 degrees internal temperature, wrap in foil, and let rest for 15 minutes. Then slice and enjoy a nice piece of medium rare venison.

I started, with help from my neighbor, on the first deer I killed. I bought a meat grinder last year, and it works well. This year I will buy a jerky slicer.

I do a very basic butchering. I strip out the 2 back straps, cut in half, vacuum pack and freeze. I cut the hind quarters in steaks, getting between 3-5 steaks per hind quarter. The rest of the meat goes into the grinder for deerburger and sausage.

This year I plan to jerky the entire first deer I get:-)

i was fortunate enough to have a dad that did all his own meat,,deer, pork,beef,and even yard buzzard(chicken) so i came up doing all our own meat,,from growing it to packageing it.life is good on a farm sometimes,,just not all the time,,,my dad was the best hunter ive ever seen,,i never seen him miss till he was old,and we stood there like dummys thinking how could this happen,,we got him a big scope and it never happened again,,,i would never pay for butchering i think all sportsman should know this plus capeing your trophy! back straps on the barby baby.

I started processing deer in the late 70's. It has evolved a lot since then...but I still cold-pack (can) most of mine and wrap the steaks and loins in freezer paper, then shrink wrap them.

wouldn't have it any other way
 

I don't care how big of a deer you shoot or how exciting the hunt was, the best part of taking any deer is cutting those inner loins out and throwing them on the grill the night of the kill. Woo hoo!

When I started deer hunting at 16, my folks paid to get my first deer processed. We were shocked how little meat we picked up from the butcher shop for the price they charged us. That's been 15 years ago, and we have done almost all of our own deer since that first buck. We spent about $60 on a gambrel, knives and a VHS showing how to get your deer from the field to the freezer. The first deer we processed paid for that! You can cut it how YOU want it and you know you'll be getting YOUR meat back. You can get a cheap grinder for about $20 and it will last years if you keep it clean. A dehydrator and a jerky shooter are cheap, and almost everyone likes deer jerky if you don't tell them what it is :s4:

The ONLY time I will pay for somebody else to mess with my deer is if it is just too warm for me to do it. I killed a nice buck a few years back on the second day of the season (Oct 2nd) and it was close to 80 degrees here in southern Illinois shortly after the sun came up. I packed ice in the thing's belly and rushed him to the processor.

If you have a place to do it, give it a try. It's a very fulfilling sensation to know that you did it all- killed it, cleaned it, and then cooked it. Thanks aarontriton. Now I'm hungry :)

rw

Yep, that 'bout sums it up for me, except I can make due with backstraps! :woot:

And YES!... I process my own deer all the way.

iSnipe

I've never paid to have a deer butchered...

We raised and killed 20 pigs a year, had our own smokehouse...

We kill 35-50 deer a year and butcher all but the ones we give to local families...

You might also try canning deer as well...

OH yes!!!!
 

A tradition that has been handed down from generation to generation. Taking the time to remove the suet, makes for a better tasting cut, also knowing it is "my" deer!!!!!:rock:

The majority of the time I enjoy processing my own deer. But sometimes I'll drop one off at the processor and let them work their magic.

Having been a former meat cutter from my early days I can certainly carve up a deer. There is no difference in the types of cuts from beef than there are deer as far as the names go and how you get those cuts such as,a (beef) bottom round roast is the same as a (venison) bottom round roast and the same goes for top round,eye of round,sirloin tip and so on. I bone out and then seam out the hind quarters into individual 99% fat free roast and use them in varios methods. Mostly pot roast and jerky. Back straps as most call them are the same as a the loins in beef or pork which would be the "center cut" style pork chops you buy in the store. "Tenderloin" from the inside of the deer cavity is actually the same as filet mignon from beef. The shoulders I will typically grind up with some beef suet or "fat" into ground venison. Great for chili and such.

Thanks for all the responses as far as my statement about grinding my meat , I usually will grind most of my bucks or older does into burger , and the younger does i wll use for stew meat and steaks and roast . I really find butchering my own deer to be easy to do although can be a little time consuming but I am fairly picky about cutting all the grizzle , membranes and fat off the meat but what a difference ii makes:party0005:

I have always butchered my own because we were raised that way ...killing our own pigs and beef.

Up until a few years ago I would take deer in to have summer sausage made. However I got some back that had lead bird shot in it and I was finished with commercial processors. I have everything to do my summer sausage now and I control all the quality and it's better than any I have made. I don't trust most of them to take care of it like would.

When I went hunting for the first time two years ago, I just assumed that if you kill a deer, you process it. I had no idea you could take it to a deer processing butcher shop. When I learned of them, I did not and still do not understand why people do it. It absolutely an integral part of the hunting experience for me. It kinda seems similar to shooting deer on a fenced ranch.

I process my own deer. Ground meat ( for jerky, chilli, spaghetti), sausage, tenderized steaks to smother in gravy, backstrap and t-loins to grill or strips to fry, stew meat, I do it all. It takes time, but it's worth it. I know I don't have to worry about contaminated meat or biting into bone or gristle, or worse. For anyone thinking about processing your own deer, buy a food vac if you don't already have one. Your meat will last three times longer in the freezer. You will be glad you bought one.

I do. I always have since the first deer I killed as a teenager back in the 70's. My stepfather and BIL trained me. From the ground to the freezer, with a little help from my wife to bag it up. This year, I think I'm going to invest in a vacuum sealer.

We have been processing our deer for as long as I remember. That way we know the meat is what it is supposed to be. I've heard the stories of taking a deer to a processer and not getting the deer that was dropped off. Too many folks like to ride around showing off the deer and getting it nasty and too hot. I don't trust meat that has been rode all over town.

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.