Butcher yourself or take in?

I do myself. Did 6 deer last year and usually do 4-6 every year. I am meticulous with how I process but then end result is well worth the effort to do it. The right couple knives and a good grinder with some meat bags and seasonings and I create a large spread of different cuts and ground meat.

 

Now that I have a dog I’m going to do the same with the leg bones. How long do you cook them in the oven and at what temp?


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I usually kill 2 or 3. Once it is home, skinning and butchering typically takes four to six hours depending on how much I grind. Once skinned, I try to let it sit on ice in a cooler for two or three days before butchering.

 

Thanks! I could have googled it but would rather get info from someone who kills 20 deer a year


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Thanks for the responses. I have been doing my own deer for that last few years, 1-2 year. Felt I was getting better/faster each time. Then the doe I got opening morning gave me fits. I do know some of my frustration was due to dull knife I could get a good edge. I enjoy the process Nd feel it completes the hunt for me, and my young girls get to see and appreciate where dinner comes from.

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1. I'll kill 1 or 2 a year.

2. I butcher them myself that way I know it's my deer and I can cut the meat how I like. Plus I don't have hair, bone, pieces of bullets etc in my meat.

3. If I don't quarter in the field the amount of time it takes depends on the amount of beer consumed and how good the football is that day. It took me me about 4 and a half hours to work up the 9 pt I killed last year.

 

From taking quartered animal from aging in cooler to freezer and total mess cleaned up. 3-3.5 hrs. That’s all cuts vacuum packed. Steaks of various cuts, roasts, kabob and stew chunks, and large bags of grind meat that I will grind for sausage, burger etc. at end of season. I don’t get in a big rush as I like to take my time and trim everything nice and remove all hair and whatever else.

 

A sharp knife is an ABSOLUTE MUST! I will go buy a brand new $20 victorinox boning knife if I don’t have a sharp one handy. I must have about 20 good chef/boning/butcher knives

 

I try to take 2-3 deer a year. If time and weather allows I will let them hang in the garage and skin and debone the deer myself. I will cut my own steaks and roasts then I take the rest of the deboned meat to the processor to have summer sausage, burger, and brats made.
One deer typically takes me about 3 hours by myself or 4 hours if I am drinking beer....so typically it takes me 4 hours.

 

We've always butchered our own. A few times once I was living on my own I took one in, mainly due to lack of a place to store it and cut it up (renting apartments).
Only allowed one deer per person in Idaho, I envy you folks that can take more than one. Elk is hit and miss, but almost always fill a deer tag.
FIL used to be a butcher, so that has greatly sped up how long it takes, he breaks down an animal so fast. Really depends on how you're wanting the animal cut up as far as time. Anymore on a deer I just steak the backstraps, leave the tenderloins whole, bite-size all the hind quarters, and grind the fronts, neck, and rib meat that don't have a lot of silver in it. The hock meat and anything else with a lot of silver gets canned (not the same day), as the pressure cooker breaks all the silver and fat down so it can be scooped off the top of the jar after it has cooled.
On average I'd say a deer with just the FIL and I takes about 2 hours or a hair more, and an elk with normally 3 or 4 of us takes about 3.5 hours. Add about 30 minutes if the FIL isn't the one breaking it down.

 

I usually get a couple deer per year. I know everyone is different, but for me at least, working up a deer is not an enjoyable experience. It's just not work that I enjoy. My time, (vacation) is more important to me than the money it cost to have a couple deer processed. I would rather work an extra day or two of overtime at my job (in the off season), to offset the cost of the processing fee. This allows me to not have to hustle around trying to keep a deer cool, and get it worked up. So now I can drink a few beers, relax, and watch football with friends. Also, it allows me to get back into the woods faster on those precious vacation days.

Now, on the other hand, I have been deer hunting for 20 years. I know how to gut, hang, skin, cut up, and cape a deer. I think this is something every deer hunter should experience at least a few times to get a full understanding of how its done. There is nothing wrong with knowing how to do it. At this point in my life, I personally just get more enjoyment taking my deer to a processor (which happens to be about a 10-15 minute drive. The cost is around $100 per deer.

 

Average is 1 deer a year, although the last 2 years have been 0

Used to cut up ourselves with my dad but he passed so now will take in if I'm lucky enough to harvest.

Used to take us about 5-6 hours but that was because I did a lot of grinding and sausage/salami type stuff.