# You can process your own deer!



## Onion (Apr 10, 2004)

Standard statement I throw in once a year...

Processing your own deer is not hard, requires almost no specialized equipment except a gambrel ($15) and meat grinder and requires enough space in your yard or garage to hang the deer.

You can get the deer de-boned and packed in the freezer in 2 hours or less once you practice a little.

Benefits:
- Satisfaction of following through the whole process on your own
- You know you are getting your deer
- You know how the meat has been treated from the time it was alive and walking to the time it is on your plate
- If you have a dog...he/she will love you forever for a legbone

Cons:
- Your wife/girlfriend may hate it.
- You will get a little bloddy, but less bloody than when you gutted the deer.
- You have to get rid of the carcass (mostly bones after you are done). I have put them in a garbage can for collection or you can drag it out to the woods where nature will clean it up pretty quickly.

Things you will need:

- A gambrel (walmart- $13-$15)
- A boning knife about 6". I usually use a fillet knife
- Some containers, big tupperware or metal bowls to put the meat in
- a tarp or plastic dropcloth to put under the hanging deer
- Freezer paper or vacuum packer to package the meat.
- A meat grinder

Now go watch this video:

http://www.yourfilehost.com/media.php?cat=video&file=Deer_processing.wmv

You can also make your own sausage etc. but that is beyond my level of expertise. Not everyone wants to do this but to me, I would rather spend the extra time to do this than spend $50-$100.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

I am glad you posted that video again. I have watched it several times and always find it helpful to refresh exactly where to make the cuts. You are right that it is no a bad process. I do it with all of my deer. But I will say that if you are doing a deer in 30 minutes you are a heck of a lot faster than me. I supposed in total I spend a couple of hours starting with skinning all the way to having the meat in bags to take inside. I make quite a bit of mine in to canned venison which takes a while longer but is not very hard. About the only additional meat preparation that is done to can it is chunking the meat. I keep the tenderloin for small steaks. I will usually keep at least one hind quarter of sirloin, round, etc., for steaks or perhaps jerky. Depending on what I have in stock the rest may end up in the canning meat. I have not ground up any meat in a couple of years. Since I usually add either beef or pork to the meat when I make burger it ends up being more of a hassle for me and I have just stuck with beef for burger and used the deer in the ways that I mentioned. However, if I am running low on ground burger I may opt to make some more.

Bottom line is that this is a fairly easy process. I plan to start employing the kids' help starting this year (at least the oldest one) and the job will be even quicker. The 2 hours that I mentioned was just by myself so doing it as a 2 man job is a breeze.


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## Danshady (Dec 14, 2006)

yea i have done a couple b4..but the $70 bucks i spend to get it done is well worth my time and troubles...it takes me about 10 minutes to skin it, another 15 quartering it up..and then seems forever forever for the rest of the deboning and cutting into steaks and grinding..not to mention i make my own jerky and sausage..thats enough work in its own even when you have someone process your deer for you!


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## Onion (Apr 10, 2004)

Honestly, it doesn't take much time at all.

If you watch the video the dude does the whole half a deer in about 12 minutes....thats with all his BS'ing. I can do it as fast (he seems to have insanely sharp knives). Skinning is easy with a truck or atv, a rope and a golfball.....

The process of trimming and vac packing the meat takes longer than the butchering. I didn't include that in my 30 min. estimate  Call it 60-75 minutes per deer. I do not get crazy with saving every morsel of meat either. I am not a big fan of ground venison so I don't go out of my way to save lots of it.

I usually save all my grinding meat for the end of the season when me and 3 other buddies get all our burger together and grind it and mix in the pork or beef. Then we try and make sausage or jerky and end up ruining half of it  . 

The three deer that I have taken to be processed were packaged in the standard styrofoam "plate" and shrink wrapped. I had to repackage them in vac bags anyway to prevent freezer burn. Plus I always got the feeling that I was gettin a meat out of a big pile from everyone's deer since it would be much more efficient to do it that way. Probably wasn't the case but that is what drove me to figure out how to do it and once I saw how easy it was...well that finished that.

P.S. - If you check out the video this is a process that does not quarter the animal. Most of the meat (exception of front legs) comes off deboned.


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## Onion (Apr 10, 2004)

Skinning videos:

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cK1WRGd6tZ0"]YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.[/nomedia]

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nneTTeoPDYU"]YouTube - Deer Skinning with the truck[/nomedia]

This is the method I use for speed!


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## joerugz (Feb 28, 2007)

I have a saw / grinder for sale. I'm asking 125. The grinder itself is well worth that!


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

Onion said:


> The process of trimming and vac packing the meat takes longer than the butchering. I didn't include that in my 30 min. estimate  Call it 60-75 minutes per deer. I do not get crazy with saving every morsel of meat either. I am not a big fan of ground venison so I don't go out of my way to save lots of it.


That explains a lot of the difference. Like I said it takes me about 2 hours and that includes everything down to cleanup. And I do pretty much trim everything off. I spend a bit of time on the neck. There seems to be no easy way to do that one. I also cut out the rib meat if it is a nice size deer. It cooks up nicely in a canner.

I need to try that golf ball trick. That is one I have never done. From what I can tell it looks like you make a cut down the front of each leg and then ring off in the ankle area. Do you also make a cut longways down the front of the neck to the chest area?


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

I answered my own question with a quick Google search. Here is a link for the good details on the gold ball skinning technique.

Deer Skinning


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## steelmagoo (Apr 13, 2004)

I have done two myself so far. I bought a video, boning knife, electric grinder, and made my own gambrel. The process in the video I have involves halving the deer, then "quartering" off major sections before boning out the cuts on a table. The method shown in the video Onion posted is done more with the deer hanging and much less sawing and disassembly. Looks like it might be easier? 
I've done my own butchering because:
#1 I yam a cheap bastard
#2 It is something worthwhile to get good at.


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## Onion (Apr 10, 2004)

Sawing a deer up into quarters is a massive PITA in my opinion. That is what I used to do before I saw this video. I HATED doing that way and is why I took 3 to a processor.

I, too am a cheap bastard when it comes to something I can do damn near as well as the person I am paying.

Being good at this is definitely a useful skill, especially during a hot gun season when folks need the deer cut up and in coolers quick. They may even pay for the service with some loin steaks  Last year during that heat wave/gun season I did 3 deer at our camp back to back and the guys all offered me some steaks for the help.


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## Carpn (Apr 5, 2004)

Good post...I can't see taking a deer to someone to do when I feel I can do a better job myself..Plus deer processing costs add up when you shoot a few deer a yr...I think alot of folks are intimidated but it really ain't that hard..Out of the 30 somethin plus deer I've harvested I've only ever taken two in for processing..Only then was it due to high tmeps and a conflicting work schedule where I wouldn't have time to do em myself.


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## DarbyMan (Dec 11, 2005)

X-cellent video Onion. I have been quartering deer for years but I will be employing that method this year. That dude needs to write a book! One thing he didn't mention, that I'm sure a lot of know is: a fiilet knife makes a good, and relatively cheap boning knife, plus you get double return on your purchase, fish and deer.

I also found it interesting that he didn't use vacum seal. I am too cheap to buy one, and use freezer paper, but I always thought the pros used vac seal.


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## Chippewa (Oct 25, 2004)

bkr43050 said:


> I make quite a bit of mine in to canned venison which takes a while longer but is not very hard. About the only additional meat preparation that is done to can it is chunking the meat. .


How do you can the meat? I have proccessed my own deer for 10 years and make my own sausage and everything else.... then last year at deer camp a buddy had a jar of meat in the cabinet and it looked like hell!!! but after some prodding I opened it and drained it threw it in a pan and added some bbq sauce and it was awesome!!!!! So I want to try and can some this year and I want to hear your favorite way to can it... thanx


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

Chippewa said:


> How do you can the meat? I have proccessed my own deer for 10 years and make my own sausage and everything else.... then last year at deer camp a buddy had a jar of meat in the cabinet and it looked like hell!!! but after some prodding I opened it and drained it threw it in a pan and added some bbq sauce and it was awesome!!!!! So I want to try and can some this year and I want to hear your favorite way to can it... thanx


Here is a post I made about it last season. If you read it and then click on the link in it to go to that thread you will find more discussion about it. If you have any more questions feel tree to ask. You are right that it does not look all that great in the can before opening it but don't let the looks fool you.



bkr43050 said:


> I do my canning in a pressure canner which is both quicker and safer because of being able to cook the meat at a higher temperature. I have done a few batches in a water bath style canner and it turned out fine but it takes 3.5 hours to ensure that it is completely cooked. With the pressure canner it is only 90 minutes. The other difference between the two is that in a water bath style you need to fill the jars with water/broth to enable the heat to get to the meat. With a pressure canner you are able to achieve higher temps so the water/broth is not necessary. You basically chunk the meat and fill the jars to the neck and close the jars and start cooking. You should boil the lids a couple of minutes to sterilize them and then make sure that you don't handle the seals. Once the jars are filled to the neck you can add a bit of salt or seasoning to the meat if you wish but it is not necessary. Just put the lid on and tighten the ring well. You will want to pack the chunks fairly tight because you get a lot of settling.
> 
> Here is what I had posted last fall about it. If you browse that thread I believe there is more mentioned about it.


This is the post before I started pressure canning it which is really the way to go.


bkr43050 said:


> I am looking to pick up a pressure canner because after talking to different people I have come to the conclusion that the safest and easiest way to do it is with the pressure canner. However I have done some this year with my water bath canner. I followed the same steps that my father-in-law has used for years to can meats. The steps are really pretty basic. Here is what I do.
> 
> Chunk the meat into whatever size you prefer. For me I made mine aroune 1"-1.5". I filled the canner with water up to about a couple of inches above the bottom of the canning rack and began to slow warm the water. You don't want to start the boiling yet. That is once you get all of the cans in. Set your oven to 200° and place your washed jars on the racks to help sterilize and also to warm them to avoid cracking if they are placed in hot water. Take a small pan and place your canning lids in water and boil the water hard for a minute or so to sterilize it and then leave them in the water until you use them. I used beef bouillion to add a broth which you need to do if you are not using a pressure canner. You will not achieve a high enough temperature to cook properly without liquid. In a pan warm some water and add the bouillions. I used a bouillion per quart and probably used about 1.5 quarts of water. I didn't measure this as I simply added a bit of water to the pan if it appeared that I was not going to make it through all of the jars. Fill the jars with the chunked meat stuffing it in somewhat but not compacting it. You will have air pockets down in the jar when you finish this step. Once you have filled with meat to about an inch from the top then add the broth to nearly the same level and then add a teaspoon of salt if you wish but it is not necessary. Put your sterilized lid on and then tighten down the ring tightly and place the jar in the rack. Once you have filled them all you want to lower the rack down in to the canning pot. If it is a standard size canning pot the water level should be just about right if you had it filled to the height specified above. At any rate you want to make sure that there is water covering the entire canning lids. Keep in mind that some water will boil away as the process occurs and so this will need to be monitored. Once the rack is placed down to in the pot bring the stove temperature up until you get a low steady boil in the pot. You don't want to boil too hard but just keep the bubbles flowing. Once everything in the pot gets to the same temperature it becomes quite easy to keep a temperature setting. Keep the lid on and cook/boil for 3-3.5 hours. This time is much longer than the pressure canner because you cannot attain the higher temperature that is possible with the pressure canner. Once the time is up carefully raise the rack back up and hang it on the side ot hte pot again. Carefully pull the jars from the rack and place them on magazines or newspaper stacks to keep them from cooling too fast. If you are only doing the one batch of canning you could just leave them in the rack with it hoisted up and the stove turned off. Once they cool you should get a sealed jar and can test the lids by pressing on the centers. I leave the rings on but you could probably take them off after a day or so.
> 
> ...


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## Onion (Apr 10, 2004)

Just FYI:

KY DNR has put out a DVD with everything from field dressing to final prep on a DVD. I caught the butchering part of this series las year on TV but it got erased from my DVR. This DVD would have TONS more information and it is the same butcher doing the work.

Linky Link!/


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## Chippewa (Oct 25, 2004)

Thanx BKR...... That is what I was looking for... Now I just have to find a pressure canner to borrow for a couple of days.....


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## WalleyeGuy (Apr 9, 2004)

You can use my canner as long as we do both of our deers here at the house.
I can do 14 pint jars or 7 Quart jars at one time.
I been cutting our own deer from the time I was old enough to handle the knife.(around 43 years or so now)
It was always a family event at out house growing up.
We did nearly all our own butchering at home.(Pork,Beef,Deer,Chickens,Etc)
Even the old water pack method of canning.


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## KWILSON512 (Feb 16, 2007)

Never had canned venison but would like to maybe split some of my meat for a hands on canning course with one of you guys. I usually just grind half and smoke jerky with the other half.


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## flintlock (May 30, 2006)

Personally, I enjoy cutting up my own deer. I usually do 4-5 a year since my boys hunt and I KNOW what condition the meat and tools are in when I do it. Plus it saves a considerable amount of $$$.

Hats off to you guys doing your own.


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## Chippewa (Oct 25, 2004)

Thanx walleyeguy... that will come in handy when we whack-em and stack-em at ravenna ........... P.S. remind me to bring my grinder book so we can order a new grinding plate for your grinder.. I have to order a new one for my big grinder also and we can order them together to save on shipping...


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## dcemsmedic2693 (May 20, 2005)

A Couple of points to remember. 

A GOOD Butcher is inspected and will have clean equipment and process.

You all are correct about the feeling that you never KNOW if it is your deer or not. Most of the time it is your deer but who knows if hey get into a pinch and need to grind up everyones deer at the same time if you are getting only your deer or not.

To be able to cut up your own deer is easy and more affordable especially with todays gas prices and tag prices. I also hunt in WV and just to hunt I have at least $200 per year in tags and sorts. To add another 50-75 per deer would make it not worth hunting to put it in the freezer.

The only benefit that I see from taking it in to the butcher is the summer sausage or hot sticks. I have a recipe for the summer sausage and the hot sticks are not worth that much to me.

To make sausage call your butcher and find out what they put in it. Then make it yourself.........or in the cleveland area you can go to BIRO meats and get sausage seasoning or I think that you should be able to find it online. I think that the brand name I use is Legg's suasage seasoning.

I have been cutting up deer for about 22 years and I am only 30 now. Really it could be a whole family event if you have a patient wife. 

Good luck to all and try cutting up one so that you have that satisfaction!!!!


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## PromiseKeeper (Apr 14, 2004)

Guys,
Try this with some burger.... take about 5# of venison and instead of beef or pork, mix about 1# of old fashioned smoked bacon. Awesome on the grill!

Scott


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