I started butchering deer about 15 years ago as I wasn't happy with the QC of the local lockers....any lockers for that matter. Skin the deer ASAP. Here is what I do once the meat has cooled....hang time is a matter of prefrence, however, the temp is going up in the low 60's starting tomorrow so I butchered today.

I start with the inside filets(they are marinating in Kikkoman now! Next I remove the backstraps, clean wrap and freeze. I use several filet knives for fat and especially sinew removal which I consider mandatory. Next I remove one front 1/4, debone and repeate the other front 1/4. I lost about 1/3 of the front 1/4's of this deer due to shrapnel damage......aggressively remove the damage! Next I remove the main body from the hind 1/4's. I don't take much off the main body but there is usually some good neck meat unless Eric shot it because he specializes in neck shots!:biggthumpup: Now the only thing left hanging is the good part.....the haunches. I split the backbone which leaves me with two dangling haunches. I pick one and get to work. First, I always save the Heart or Pikes Peak Roast. They are simply delicious. This particular deer was a raunchy rutting nasty buck so the rest went to burger. If you follow the pictures you will be amazed because "it ain't rocket science, Dewey!" It took me nearly 6 hours to complete the project.......if you have some help you can do this in 2 or 3 hours.

I hope others chime in here with their techniques. Butchering deer, antelope, elk etc etc is not hard and you have the satisfaction of knowing 1. there is no nasty ****/hair/ bone/etc in your meat and 2. You save a pile of money and 3. you will be amazed at the taste. Comments and questions welcome.....you can do this! Regards, Rick.

been butchering my own deer for about 14 years now. Got hornswaggled by one of the "local cutters" and decided to do my own. You are much more thorough than I!!! I usually cut all the meat off the deer while it is still hanging. also not to good at making "choice" cuts. Up here with the weather, I usually let a deer hang about 1 week, then cape it out and cut it up!!!! I also use ziploc freezer bags so I don't have to mess with freezer paper. I also don't believe i have heard the term "sinew" before, I have always referred to it as "fascia"! my father has the grinder so any hamburg that needs to be made goes to his house! I also cut up my own bear since most butchers won't touch them!!! I can pretty much accomplish a bear in 2 hours by myself! Due to the weather, they have to be skun the day after and cut up and put away. As far as moose go, they are just to darn big to be fooling around with!!!! good post Rick and good cuttin!!!!! God Bless.

Just a few differences.
 
We like to get all the major pieces off and on ice quickly. Usually hot around here. On ice allows us to take our time. The melt also leeches out a lot of blood and "whitens" the meat so it may stay on ice for up to a week. The salt in the blood works like sea water salt and allows the ice to cool lower than 32*.
 
As we process the sholders and hams we look for a little gland that hides between the muscles and is about the size of a marble, really improves the taste when removed.
 
Hamburger has become my preferred cut for use, Adrian still likes roasts and we take them much like you do.

we cut our own animals, too.  my folks and grandparents on fathers side dropped the local shops back before i was born.  pretty much a bad quality experience, like everyone else, prompted the change.  once us kids started hunting and helping butchering, we never knew it any other way.
 
my wife has moved away from wanting venison burger anymore.  everything we get is cut into roasts, steaks, stew cubes or jerky strips.  pretty much any piece can fall into one of the above categories, but if there's left overs that don't fit into our needs, it's thrown into the burger box that someone else is collecting and they get it.
 
we don't have a burger grinder.  one trusted shop is used for this.  they jump on it while we wait.  have them mix in a certain % beef suet for taste and back home to package up.
 
we used to package in zip-loct bags, squeeze out what air you could, then freezer wrap and label.  couple years back my folks got one of those sealers that remove the air then seals the package up.  the whole family's pretty much gone that route anymore.  better air-tight packaging.  less work to accomplish it.  no more freezer paper.  label right on the bagging material and freeze as we always did.
 
butchering's kind of a family deal.  animals are hung in dad's garage for a couple days and we just schedule with them a good time to cut things up.  with them being retired, pretty much any day's a good day for them so it's usually when work allows for us kids.
 
 
 
 
k

I've never used a locker to process a deer.  I've always done it myself, and dad taught me to do it as a kid.

I've used a locker for elk and bison with decent satisfaction.  Mostly, I wanted the meat hung for about 7 days before processing, and the temps aren't always right for that here in Arizona

With a deer, I can "age" the meat inside of a refrigerator if I want to, but elk and bison are a bit too large for that.

Daryl

I usually do mine myself, and I like cutting my own meat, but last year I boned out the deer and elk and took them in to Brothers. They are an award winning meat processing plant. Their brauts and franks and sausages are the best!

Oh I kept the backstraps and tenderloins! They lasted about a month.

RJ

Dewey?:laugh:..........I can't add much to your methods, Rick......as I pretty much
follow the same guide'lines as you have (and a great job you've done)........
.........Butchering my own game is as much a tradition as hunting, to me......
And I've done more than my share of both......but, I couldn't stress enough the
importance of the examination of game meat for projectile and bone fragments
to include broadheads as I've run across on occasion some I didn't put there
myself....Deer are remarkably self-healing....I've harvested a few in my day that
have had whole limbs shot off'em and heal-up nicely without any noticeable
inability to feed, flee or reproduce.....On the same token, projectile/ fragments
can change course within a carcass once it's been disfigured and I've found
some in the most unlikely places on occasion....I busted an arbor on my electric
grinder on a bullet (not so bad I couldn't use it fortunately)...
..........Zip'locks?........Well it seems they come in different ML (thickness) and are
ever changing to capture sell/profit....They offer simple storage, storage/freezer
and freezer specific, and many are double zip'pers....some with little additional
zipper aids for easy zipping...(I'm not too crazy about those)....
..........I'm glad you guys butcher your own stuff.....I've got a chop't-out 'frig in
my shop just for such as that.....Great thread....................................BH51....

Great post Rick. Turning a deer into quality cuts. I can taste it from here.

We simply don't shoot deer in the same numbers as you guys do. So home butchering is not high on the list of my skills.

The Game Council in NSW provides a butchering and caping course for R licence holders. I guess I will have to jump on one sometime soon.

Another thread.....another reason I love this forum. We are indeed a band of brothers. I'm not exactly gobsmacked........but darn close. Regards, Rick.

I follow pretty much the same routine. I even use the same grinder and stuff ground meat bags the same way. I skin and quarter and pull out chops and tenderloins right away. Once its "broken up" I can toss into garage fridge and cut up as I wish. I usually make major cuts and use trim for burger. Have only 4 labels on my meat: burger, chops, steak, roast, and stew(small cubes of meat to good for burger). I picked up a vacuum sealer cheap and really like the way it keeps the meat fresh. Around here they want $80+ just to cut and wrap. Add sausage or jerky and 1 deer can easily go over $100. It is becoming more of a family affair here as the kids get older. I cut and they weigh and bag. My kids know where their meat comes from.

Wow! Love that mincer!!!!

we also butcher our own venison.it helps that my neighbour has a walk-in cooler in the garage.we can hang it for a couple weeks before butchering.we have the same grinder as well,set up in similar fashion.sure makes short work of the burger.I have found the steaks and chops have better flavour now that we do them boneless as well.

Hi 22 hornet,  sorry if I am not doin'  this right,  but I read your post on butchering a deer etc,  or your remarks about the Game Council having a course for  butchering etc,  My question is= is this the same course that the Food Council of NSW conduct,  handled by TAFE for Hygene and Handling of game meat,  I feel that it is not, but not sure,  maybe you can let me know please?  I am only recently become licensed,  after many years absence,  so am trying to pick up the threads as I go,  and find this site really good.  I am after any info in field dressing too,  just in case I am lucky enough to get lucky!!!  thanks anyway everyone regards Norman

The Game Council butchering course is not a TAFE style Nationally Accredited course. It's more of a basic carcass breakdown but of course with the relevant hygiene and handling thrown in.
 
 I'm not sure if the Game Council has this course up and running again after the disbandment of the original Game Council. They did run the course out at Silverdale range in NSW.
 
 I'll keep and eye out if it gets up again. I still have not had a chance to do it yet.