It's good to know how to do it, but a quality processor does better work in less time for less money than I can.
I do have great memories of a bunch of deer hanging in the barn, and the fellowship underneath as we did the work.
It's good to know how to do it, but a quality processor does better work in less time for less money than I can.
I do have great memories of a bunch of deer hanging in the barn, and the fellowship underneath as we did the work.
الدهون القاع الفتيات لك جعل العالم هزاز جولة الذهاب
I started out taking deer to a butcher.
Then did my own cutting to save some money.
I used to borrow a book on butchering venison from the library
each fall. (Should have bought one myself.)
Can't recall the title but it showed very good ways to get a deer cut up
and in the freezer.
I haven't got a deer for quite a while. Getting slower and can't
stand the cold as well.
Yesterday, though, I put a ruffed grouse in the freezer.
We plan to have it at Thanksgiving basted in hard cider and
wrapped with bacon.
I have no doubt, but I frequently lack the spare coin, children in private school and all...Originally Posted by ST911
I do my own... After the first one or two you are usually set on gear. In cooking school we had a a demo of breaking down a side of beef. I also studied the Outdoor Edge butchering video, which includes deer and elk... Boning out a carcass simplifies butchering to a large extent. Roasts, steaks, burger and stew meat make themselves. You just have to be careful of letting anything go to waste. I have had no problems handling my meat [snicker], and because of careful handling I think I have avoided issues.
Hank Shaw's book is really, really good....
https://www.amazon.com/Buck-Moose-Techniques-Antelope-Antlered/dp/099694480X
I also want to bone an animal as much as possible, as I don't have a 4x4 or a RAZR side by side to get in there, so quarters and/or boned meat is how I get game out.
While I can tell the difference between ground elk, deer, and beef, the über picky wife and kids do not notice the difference. A month or so ago I pulled out a pound or so of ground elk from the freezer. I could tell it from the previous week's venison burgers, but the wife and kids would have sworn beef...
pat
I hear you. I think of it like reloading ammo. I might be able to save some cash, but I lose the value and other possibilities of my time.
الدهون القاع الفتيات لك جعل العالم هزاز جولة الذهاب
I want to hear horror stories of terrible processors that returned ground meat that didn't even come from the same animal taken.
I would only use a processor that guarantees you get your meat back. The one I use for sausage does.
I have used a processor once. They did a beautiful job, but it took more than a month because it was hunting season, and they charged enough to buy some butchering equipment of my own. I already had enough knives, so really it was the dehydrator for jerky, and the vacuum sealer for everything else. I might get a grinder someday.
I no longer live in that state, and don’t know of a processor I’d trust near where I live or hunt, so I just do it myself. I grew up cutting up rabbit, chickens, squirrels, pheasants, etc at home and helping quarter other people’s game animals. Deer are just bigger than the stuff we got at/round home, and Coues are such a small deer, I can load quarters, backstraps, loins and side meat into one large Alice with the head tied to the frame. One load. Elk or moose, I might consider paying somebody to cut for me. Would depend on available time.
That’s the comparison I was thinking about too. I’m glad I know how to reload my own ammo, but it’s not how I like to spend my time now so I’ve just been buying factory ammo.
I think this is going to be the same, at least for now. Plus a butcher is going to be able to make much better sausage than I probably would.
Thanks everyone, all of the posts here were very helpful. You guys rock and this was a welcome distraction from the election.
I think you should do it yourself at least once, just for the experience. Maybe best to find someone to guide you through it, but there is a special satisfaction in handling it all yourself from field to table.
Happy hunting! Sneak low and shoot straight.
More food for thought (hyuk)... Some of this depends on the game. It's one thing to do your own deer, a widely available animal that you can often get get several tags for and reliably restock annually. Same for birds. Other game that is less available, more expensive tags, draws/lotteries, years of waiting, or travel for is probably not the one to experiment on unless you're just going to donate.
الدهون القاع الفتيات لك جعل العالم هزاز جولة الذهاب
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