My favorite thing to do is get the rear quarter smoked.

It is the BEST bone in ham you will ever have in your life.

I'm not sure if anyone mentioned this yet, but if you want to really keep the meat for a long time, investing in a vacuum-sealer would be a good idea.

Or if you got a vacuum(sp) sealer, no mess with all that wrapping that way.

I do up my own deer, with work and everything I don't have the time or proper facilities I'd like to do and Elk, plus the fact I've ate Elk tag soup since '96

But I think butchering your own helps in the whole hunt for food ideals that most of us equate with hunting. If you don't have someone help you, I was told to just bone everything then when actually cutting it up just do what you feel, with steaks and such, follow the muscle lines and it's pretty easy and you can be pretty creative that way too.

I buchered my own deer, for the first time last year.I HAD A TAPE ON HOW . TO DO IT BUT NOTHINGS BETTER THEN HAVING A NICE NEIGHBOR TOGIVE ME HAND DOING AND SHARING MY VENISON WITH 2 GOOD SHARPE KNIVES IS ALL IT TAKES, PLUS YOU NO FOR SURE IF YOUR GETTING ALL YOUR MEAT BACK AND ITS NOT IN SOMEONE ELSE FREEZER

I have butchered all of mine myself (Well except the first 2 which my uncle taught me how to do it), lately I have gotten old and lazy, I cut out the backstraps, the tenderloins, and then I bone the rest of it out. Then I take the boned out meat and any roast or steak I can cut out of it I do, the rest is either ground into burger or sausage, some of it is set aside for jerky.

I have seen a few deer processed over the years and these guys are good, but they are also fast so there is a lot of meat lost with the speed!

We used to take it to be processed for many, many years, but the last two we got, I did it myself. I just take out the tenderloins and backstraps and the rest goes for sausage and hot smoky links. That we do take to get made up. I don't really want to get into making sausage !!

We do our own here. We let the deer age for a couple days in the uninsulated half of our shop, but we pull out the tenders right away. after its aged, we cut out the backstraps, then cut the hindquarters into two pieces, and it the front shoulders dont have a whole lot of bullet damage, we cut them in two. then we bone the things out in our kitchen, cutting out the glands and sinew. we save some of that if we get it ground up. we cut the backstraps into pieces and package them. same with everythign else. we dont mess with neck meat or badly shot front shoudlers. if its 3 1/2 or older buck, everything but the backstraps and tenders go to jerky meat. we grind up the stuff that doesnt get made into kabob meat or any dishes, and then we make our own jerky. we get some sauasage made from a place a coule hours away, its very expensive but the stufff is teh best. Bavaria in Madison. that or we just get some made at the meat locker. Bavaria suppsedly gives you your own deer back, but i know most meat lockers dont. thats why we like processing our own. that and thats how my dad learned it and his dad learned it. its a tradition, cutting up meat.

slayer

i do my own also for the sole reason that all the meat lockers around here can't give me back MY meat. they also like to turn everything into sausage, burger, and jerky. but i like backstraps left as is. so what i do is butcher my own and keep the good meat the way i want it then take the rest to them for sausage and such. i would love to try that at home but haven't yet. oh and if you do take any to them try some brats they are great

I did my 1st deer my self but i diddent have a grinder or anything so it was nothing but steaks, roast, and stew meat and i like hamburger and sausage so i just have it done by a butcher now its only $50 and i only shoot 1-2 deer a year so its not to bad

I like to use plastic wrap on all pieces of meat before wrapping in freezer paper. It gets all the air out and seals the meat effectively, also blood does not run out as the meat defrosts in the fridge. I also do not add anything to my burger I like it just fine as is.