always have,always will. it's part of hunting. plus you know what your getting.............

Yep, Always have done my own. Doesn't take as long as you would think and I know that it is done right.:happy0001:


Mitch

Just remember, the quality of your meat starts in the field. Keep it clean and cool, and have a clean work area

I had a question for you guys and gals then. I started skinning my own deer two years ago, but still have a butcher process it. Do those of you that do your own processing... do you have a cooler to hang your deer in?

My biggest concern is that if I attempt to process my deer on my own that the lack of a walk-in cooler would be the biggest issue. Tips?

I will be following my uncles advice and do what they do when its warm (normally they hang it for a while cuz it is cooler where they are but its warm down here). After skinning, they remove the front legs, the backstraps, the tenderloins and the hams - everything from the hangiing carcass into a cooler. When done, wrap the sections in a moist towel and put in a fridge for 3 to 4 days. After the 3/4 days are up, butcher, package and freeze. If no fridge, just butcher, package and freeze the same day.

I got my garage fridge and freezer off of craigslist - $30 for the full size upright freezer and $40 for the fridge. I had to be actively looking, though, because they get bought up quick!

My dad was a butcher so we've always cut up our own deer. I think he probaly started back in the late 50's early 60's. He's 85 now so he doesn't hunt deer or help process them anymore, so my nephews and I do it all now. We'll probably never be able to do it as well as he did, but we manage pretty well. We don't make our own sausage yet, but we pretty much do everything else. I think fresh backstraps after boneing out a deer helps complete the season. I would want it any other way.

Debone the meat, and you will save a lot of room for aging the meat in a fridge.

deer jerkey :) yum!!

Never been a problem for me. Like said, get it cooled down quick in the field and as soon as you can butcher it and put it right in the freezer.

I might be cooling it in the way I keep it before butchering. The deer itself is a cooler, I put a bag of ice in the chest cavity until I can get to butchering it. Have had deer in the back of my truck away from home for days and the ice was still there when I got to butchering it, the meat is always hand hurting cold.

Remodeled a house years ago that was a meat market at one time. One of the outside walls still was part of that freezer. All they did was start with a frame and cover it with cardboard, add 3/4" wood
striping and another layer of cardboard until there was 6 layers. Cost nothing as you can get the card board free. I'm sure they just used Ice but anything will do.

I used to just let a local processor do it. He was VERY reasonable, VERY trustworthy, and frankly, I felt like I was helping him out in his retirement.
When he finally fully retired, all I can say is every other "processor" PALED in comparison.
Fee's kept going up every year (They HAD to skin the deer-for $$). Quality wen't down every year. Freezer bags opened in the freezer and ruined meat.
You never really knew who's meat you had anymore. You ASSUMED it was your's, but at times, when I picked up my finished product, the bags didn't feel as heavy as I knew they should be.

I finally had enough, and bought a used stainless work bench with a sink built in it, and an old hand grinder at an estate auction.
Been working my own up for years now.
Started about 8 others doing it themselves too. :)