redsox3624

this upcoming deer season will be my first hunting season. i'm 15 and i can't hunt until i'm 16. i read about gutting a deer and haning it for 1-7 days. after it is done hanging what do you do with it. do you have to cut teh meat yourself? will a butch do it for you? if so how much does it cost?

tofer

well for one welcome to hunting
second i personally will hang my deer for about 2 -3 days
since il hunting seasons are on weekends we will hang our deer till sunday then sun evening we butcher our own
a locker plant or proccesor will do it but i dont know how much they charge
have fun hunting and be SAFE!!!
saftey is no accident!


by the way where are you from

redsox3624

I'm form Maine. between portland and Augusta in a town called New GLoucester
i'll be using my charles daly shotgun

beebecl

Welcome here, too.

Can't emphasize safety enough. Get a hunter education course. Remember that when you pull that trigger, you can never get that shot back. The slug is gone and will be doing what it's designed to do. I teach hunter ed and can tell you a lot of horror stories: shot the deer and the slug went through and killed another hunter; guy shot and killed his kid (shot at movement in bushes), then committed suicide; etc. etc.

Re: hanging deer, a day or two will suffice. The outside temperature should be 40 or below. Anything more than that, and I'm getting mine butchered right quick.

I tell the butcher I want those packages of tenderloins and backstrap labeled good. That's not meat you want in stew, it's way too tender and succulent for that!

Good luck.

kevin1

Welcome to your newest addiction Redsox !
None of your questions are the least bit dumb , you'll find yourself asking them again , and many more besides . Learning is the difference between a hunter and a slob , I learn something new about it every day and it still gets my blood pumping every time I go out to the woods .

Hanging a deer is a subjective thing , some do it , some don't . That's something you have to learn more about so that you can decide if it's right for you . Learning how to gut one properly is more important . Ask a processor or the meat cutter at your supermarket about aging meat , they're the pros .

Butchering is best left to a processor the first time , but don't rule out learning that too . Cost varies widely , around here it averages around $60-70 , so save your pennies . Choose a processor with a good reputation , and make sure that they guarantee in writing that you'll be getting your own deer back . If possible , choose a processor who will do the job immediately and allow you to watch . Some meat cutters process deer for extra money during the season , and nearly all of them will do it as you wait(and watch) . Beware of cut rate cutters , you get what you pay for , or sometimes not . []

Between now and then talk to as many hunters as you can and keep asking questions . Read books about it , watch hunting videos , get out in the woods and try out what you've learned . Going on "photo safaris" is a great way to not only practice but also scout the land that you intend to hunt . You get to wear the same type of clothes , use most of the same skills , and with a camera you'll rarely have "one that got away" .

Good luck and good hunting !

gamehunter1269

Buy yourself a field dressing and meat processing video.lt Helps a lot. Here in georiga i have only taking one deer to the processor and never will again. The one good movie is Jack Brittingham's Game Processing Basics. It works Great. Im 16 and have had people pay me to process their deer for them. All you need to do is purchase some frezzer paper and some good knifes and your set to go.

charlie brown

Another good read is Basic Butchering of Livestock and Game by John J. Mettler. I think I got this form Outdoorsman's Edge of something of the sort. It works a little better if you have a quick question on a specific cut or something. Take it with you to your stand, throw it in you pack, etc, and read it over and over. It shows you which cuts and how to do them for everything from cattle to swine (which would work also for wild hogs), to deer and small game and birds.

skeeter 7MM

Lots of material on field dressing, aging, butchering, etc, search it out and by all means ask the questions you have not found answers too, we have all been their so don't be affraid to learn from our mistakes.

Like said aging is really up to each hunter. If you can hang the deer in a controlled enviroment of 34-40 degrees than it will not harm it any way. If it freezes it does nothing to age and if it gets to warm you run the risk of spoiling. I would say if your in a position where the meat can not be controlled, take it to a meat locker and have a butcher cut n wrap it for the first time. If you want to tackle butchering yourself try to enlist the help of an experienced hunter and DIY butcher. It certainly isn't hard but it maybe a bit more than you can handle in your first hunting season. I would suggest pay more attention to learning how to hunt safely and effectively in your area, than worry about cutting up your harvest(s).

Cost vary but as mentioned pick a reputable butcher and if you have to pay bit more than so be it. The last thing you want is not your deer back or it done poorly after all the time and effort required to get the animal. Ask here what hunters prefer of cuts when taking there deer to a butcher and match that with yours or your families likes and dislikes. If your not steak eater's or sausage eater's nothing worse than having a pile of that meat to have to struggle through before next season.

One of the most important things to good quality outcomes on the table is a clean harvest and proper field care, so practice your shooting and learn all you can about field dressing and care of the animal after the harvest.

Best of luck!

DUCKSTAMPEDE

redsox3624,

Many of us were lucky enough to have a parent or grandparent show us the ropes on the how and what to do when you hunt, field dress, and butcher a deer. This forum is a great place to either get that information or add to your knowledge. Your questions are excellent. In order of importance-I totally agree that you need to make sure you hunt safely-as was said before when the slug exits the barrell there is no bringing it back. The second most important lesson is make sure you do everything possible to make a clean kill-Lord knows there are enough ways to make a poor one and by the way we all have made poor kills (gut shots, etc). When that is done, get to the field dressing quickly. If you have not done this before it can be an 'interesting' experience. I always believed the faster I got the animal field dressed the better it was for the meat. We let out deer hang (skinned by the way) for 4 days if the temp allows it (under 40 degrees) but one or two is probably just fine as well. Remember to protect the animal when it is hanging so it doesn't attract other interested parties (free food always attracts). You can either butcher it yourself or have it done-I do my own because I have had some bad experiences with Butchers in the past but hey if it is the only choice just make sure they label everything correctly.

Good luck and welcome to the fun.

vtbuckrulrss

hey redsox, for the time of year that we hunt, it's usually cold enough to keep it outside safely for up to a week, if need be. what i would do however, since it will be your first time, is two things. 1) look in your area for local guides, there are plenty, and they can point you towards the local processors that they use for their clients. they depend upon repeat clients, so they won't steer you to someone they wouldn't use themselves. 2) go to predatoroutdoors.com , then their forum. these guys are from maine, hunt maine, and some live in your area. i took a couple of them out for turkey last spring in vt, good guys. they can most certainly help you out.
Pat
p.s. by the way, if you hit the website, check out the turkey'04 pics. you'll see me under "friends". that was the weekend the guys came over.