How Many Process Their Own Game?

[Ricochet]

Ive cut mine up for the last 25 years or better. The last time I took one to a processor, I got some deer meat and a couple packs of pork sausage!??! Made me wonder whose deer I was actually eating, the one that rode around in a truck for a few days or the one that I took them! Over the years I have acquired all of the tools and machines that I need to do a good job of it. Plus, I like to clean the meat of gristle and sinew before I grind it and add a little fat of my choosing. Makes for a better meal in the end.

 

[The Baron]

Our gang does our own venison cutting. We cut roasts, steaks and some nice stir-fry strips ourselves, then take all the lesser cuts in for processing into various sausage products or just have it ground. We've tried making our own sausages, but it was a ton of work with mediocre results. The local guy does such a fantastic job we gave up on the sausage making part.

 

[sawyer04]

Small processing plants, maybe you get your deer, maybe you won't get your deer. The summer sausage is all thrown together with other deer and processed as one batch. Has to be done that way to get the mixture and time right. I say most of the time. Far better off processing your own product; then if any complaints arise, whose fault is I? Just bone it in the field like Spence 10, but bury the remains to help guard against disease.

 

[PeteDavis]

Rawhide, sinew, pressure can all of the meat. Days.

Pete Davis in Virginia

 

[jackley]

Just finished up cutting wrapping and freezing a deer. Now in the process of canning the rest of it. Going to brain tan the hide another new adventure.

Jerry

 

[Logcutter]

I process my own deer. I've been doing it a while and it doesn't take long and I enjoy it. But if I'm lucky enough to take two or three whitetails I will take some meat to a local guy that makes great hot sticks and bologna.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I canned some deer this year for the first time, great on a sandwich. I may kill an extra deer this year with lots of canning in mind, I share it with my friends.

 

[hanshi]

The processor I always used did nothing else but deer so the business was basically seasonal. I knew them well and they knew me very well. You always got the deer YOU brought in. Since quite a few people never reclaimed their deer, they would sell the meat to those who didn't hunt. I know a number of folks who bought the processed meat at the end of the season.

 

[appalichian hunter]

Hanshi in Maryland it is illegal to sell harvested game, you can give it away and a lot of hunters donate it to the hunters for hungry programs. different states different rules and laws.

 

[Dave Orchard]

Can no longer make & carry a "deer pack", or even drag a deer more than a few feet.
I have to bone them out where they fall.
Skin and lay the hide open for clean work "table".
Have to work while on my knees. (Not much fun due to repaired broken knees/no cartilage.)
I'me still fit enough to pack out a couple of bunnies, grouse, or even a turkey ;-)
Grouse practically clean themselves....place grouse on it's back head facing away from you, put a foot on each wing and lift up on it's feet. Hey presto! Done! ;-)
Dave

 

[BrownBear]

Grouse practically clean themselves....place grouse on it's back head facing away from you, put a foot on each wing and lift up on it's feet. Hey presto! Done!

We do the same with coots, but I never thought to try it with grouse. You're right- slick as a whistle. Tried it once each with mallards, gadwall, pintail, wigeon and teal. No need to try it again!

 

[artrepro]

I hunt solo, and I used to field dress my deer, load it in my SUV, take it home and process it in my garage. I eventually got old enough that I couldn't get the deer in the Jeep by myself, so I opted to clean them where they fell, or close by. I bought a small game tackle, and now I drag the deer to a nearby tree, attach the tackle to the back legs and hoist it off the ground. I skin and debone it there, take the meat home and finish the cutting, packaging and freezing. I've been doing it that way for about 12-15 years now, but am now getting to the point that is a problem, and am having to do some creative thinking once the deer is on the ground.

Spence
View attachment 476 View attachment 477

Spence buys his deboned skeleton from me. True
chuck40219

 

[NAVYSNIPER]

Started butchering my own over 40 yrs ago been doing ever since, built small shed and over the years went to many small farm auctions and bought numerous butchering equipment, band saw,grinders,sausage stufferand saws very cheap. Setup a small butchering area ( personal and friends use only ) to get the job done to meet our needs. On very fridget days we have a portable LP setup to take the chill out, and fresh water supply to clean and rinse the carcass, quick way to remove hair use hand torch to lightly singe the hair clear off carcass and rinse clean.

 

[roundballman]

Have always processed my own deer and elk. I want to be sure I have my own meat, not someone else's. I also think that after one or two, you learn to save more grinding meat and keep a larger percentage of your kill than if taken to a processor.

 

[QuinnTheEskimo]

I generally process the deer we kill, I’ve got a vacuum sealer from Cabela’s that works pretty well. I buy 70% burger and mix a pound of it with 2 pounds of ground venison to make burger. I also buy bulk Mackenzie breakfast sausage and do the same thing with that. Makes a nice lean, mild breakfast sausage.

 

[Mercian]

Back in the day, we had a processing plant near the house that would process deer during the hunting season. I was never quite pleased with the quality. The final straw was that I killed a deer on a hunting trip in which we ate the tenderloins. When dropping the deer off I informed the folks at the plant that the deer I was dropping off had no tenderloins. Yet, when I picked up the deer later, I had tenderloins in my box. It made me wonder if I was actually getting back meat from the deer that I had dropped off.

Anyway, my dad and I built a skinning shed in which I mounted an old boat trailer winch to the wall which connected to a pulley system routed over the rafters. Now, all I have to do is crank the deer up to the holding bracket. We also installed lighting and have water access from a hydrant/hose near by. When the wind blows cold, I have an enclosed area in which to skin and process my deer. I have found that with some practice, I can have a deer skinned and deboned in about 45 minutes. I like knowing that the deer is processed just the way I like it and I know that the deer I'm eating is the deer I killed.

Anybody else do their own processing?

Jeff H

My father was a butcher, but I never had any inclination to follow in his foot steps, instead I followed my mothers family and became a blacksmith. However I picked up enough off him to get by doing my own butchering, but I certainly couldn't earn much of a living at it.

 

[Mad Professor]

I do my own.

I learned first from my uncle who taught me to hunt (for my years ages 12-14 before I got my first deer), and some from working on a farm school days. That was before my first deer when I was 15. An old farmer friend helped me with that first one.

I learned more with each deer and helping friends with theirs, I'm still learning. You can get a lot more meat if you do it yourself;take all the little scraps and cuttings and make burger or sausage. Also cut up things for the way you want cook or store it. Along the way I got more knives and tools for the job, and a freezer.

There was a man close by who would skin, cutup, and wrap a deer for $25, which I thought was a bargin. A friend had used/recommended him, so I brought a deer to him. I was amazed at how fast he worked with great skill. The main thing I learned from watching him do my deer was how to skin it. He had a nice setup to get deer hung. He only used a knife around the lower legs and head, then from there to the pelvis and chest, respectively. He then just pealed the hide off, using different grips for different parts, sometimes holding the partially peeled hide in one hand, and his elbow on the other arm to peel with.

I also learned a lot from my cousin, who was a professional butcher for many years , he had all the tools of the trade. He would help you for some of the meat, and also was the one to go to if you wanted to make sausages.

Today there are videos that will teach you, but you'll learn more from an old sage who has dressed animals for years

 

[jrmflintlock]

I do the gutless method and leave very little meat behind. Takes practice it does, to be efficient.

I used to have a good butcher, but he died many years ago and the few I have tried left me with the same types of experiences stated by most so I cut and wrap it all myself. But I am currently out of practice, not having been any tags to hunt with.

Next year!!!

 

[Christophero]

Yep, butcher my own. Most of my deer get stuffed in jars and processed in the pressure canner. My mom taught me how to do it and has kept the pantry shelves stocked for over 20 years.

Because of this post I canned venison for the first time in my life. Grandma's old National Pressure Canner worked like a charm. Looking forward to tasting the fruit of my labor.
And, yes, I process my own since learning how on my first deer by Dad's friend 32 years ago.

 

[shane a gress]

The nice thing about canned deer meat is that the old ones that are tuff turn into tender meat. The pressure must break down the meat and make it easier to chew on. Also if the power goes out you don't have to worry about the meat getting spoiled. You could eat it right out of the jar if you had to.