Those of you that process your own deer....how long is the process?

Once the deer is quartered, how long does it take for you to debone, trim fat, slice/grind/etc, and freeze?

I think I'm way too picky because it took me 2 hrs to do one hind quarter tonight. Besides the backstraps, I'm grinding the rest into burger. I try to remove ALL forms of fat before throwing the meat into the "meat to be ground" bowl. Do you guys remove all the fat?

I hate taking my deer to a processor when I know he grinds fat and all but it's almost worth it to due to the amount of time I feel I waste. Tomorrow I will be on day three of processing and I have one hind and one front shoulder left. I still have to grind and package it all as well. I've only been working on this once it gets dark outside so I haven't been hard at it for two full days.

 

it depends how ambitious i am feeling.

 

I processed my first deer I took, at home. A buddy had all the equipment.

It took us 4hrs, start to finish. And, I swore I'd never do it, again. I haven't.

 

Dude...

$55 and I get all the best steaks off him, tenderloins, backstraps steaked out, and probably 40 - 50 lbs of hamburger meat all vacuum sealed, labeled just like it is at the grocery store, and frozen hard for me ready to pick up.

I know someone like Rancid will derive much pleasure in the act, but I can't justify my time for how cheaply I can get it professionally done.

 

With 2 guys working at a pretty decent pace, we can usually get it all done in about 3/4 hours.

 

So...wasn't worth the time? I can relate. It CAN be satisfying doing it yourself but I think I can safely say I hate it. I came to this same conclusion last year but decided to give it another go this year. Funny thing is....I started with the backstraps and said, "hmmm, this isn't so bad." My opinion quickly changed once I got to the shoulders and hinds.

Does your processor do the job to your liking?

 

That seems pretty reasonable. The guy I had do it for me last year charged me about $40, I think, but it wasn't vacuum sealed. The meat is probably freezer burnt now. I'll have to see if he offers vacuum sealing.

 

The last doe I killed, I shot it and gutted it, let it overnight. Then quartered it and let it sit in salt water for another day. Then started deboning and cutting into steaks, stew meat, and jerky. The deboning and trimming and vacuum sealing took about 4-5 hours with just me working on it.

 

My processor charges "me" $40. It used to be $35. And, yes....he does a wonderful job.

 

2 hours for a quarter and 4 hours for an entire deer? You guys just need more practice and/or better tools. I consider myself to be pretty finicky with my meat care and have had many processors comment on the high quality of the meat I bring in. Here's a typical break down of a deer break down (or two) for me.

All my deer are boned in the field since they have to come out of the mountains on my back. The ones I did in August took about an hour each since I was working without the threat of bears. This includes cutting all the meat off the ribs and taking the neck meat, basically leaving a stripped bare skeleton, as is required in AK. If weather or bears are impending then things go a little faster and maybe not as precisely (cut fingers...).

Once home it took right about 3 1/2 hours to process the two deer, breaking the muscles into major groups for steaks and the rest going to scraps (italian sausage, pepper sticks, teriyaki sticks and summer sausage). This includes cutting, packaging, vacuum sealing, labelling and loading into the feezer. It really helps to have a lot of room to work, sink space, large cutting boards, a high quality knife set and an industrial grade vacuum sealer. When I pull the steaks out to be thawed they are trimmed up a touch more and cut to thickness as needed. The key is to freeze things in as large a chunk as possible to prevent freezer burn.

End result from 2 blacktails: 33 lbs of steaks and 64 lbs of sausage meat.

 

In my defense, the last deer was my first time doing the whole process solo haha. That and I cut all the meat from the quarters into thin jerky slices by hand

 

For me it really depends on what time of the year it is. If it's during the PA rifle season it's usually cold enough to hang it in my buddies garage, skin it out and let it hang a few days to cool, if this time of year I'll drop it at a butcher, don't have a cooler big enough to do it at home So once I get started I usually go for the shoulders first, then separate the hind quarters leaving the spine and ribcage. Start to finish taking my time is about 1 1/2 hr or so. If there are more deer to cut then your not so picky about the trim and get through it in about 1-1 1/4 hrs so your not doing that bad. I'm sure a guy like Rancid can probably blast through a deer in about 30-45 min. Check out his thread on the step by step, very informative. Not to be on his tip but so far most of Rancid's posts have been great reading for a self reliant lifestyle. Saves quite a bit of coin in the process.

 

1 to 1.5 hrs here... but I take out all the crap. I like to be able to unthaw it and not have to monkey around cleaning it up when it comes time for sausage.

 

I take my time and am VERY fickle about the job I do. It's still only about a 2 hour job to debone and package. Sometimes I have a couple extra hands helping me too. Sometimes I'm more ambitious than others. In recent years we've been taking the straps and maybe a roast or two, possibly the sirloin and running everything else through the grinder. That makes things much quicker (as far as deboning). We make a LOT of sausage, jerky, slim jims etc....

As far as time? Yeah my time is worth more than the time I put into the process compared to what it would cost me. But so is my hunting time. Why not pay someone to hunt for you too? Just my opinion but it's all part of the deal to me. I kind of enjoy it and feel better about handling my own deer. But if you don't like it and it's a real pain in the arse for you then by all means I can understand you wanting to take it somewhere. Personal preference...... like anything else.

 

We process all of our deer, and we lay down a bunch each year. We are very experienced in this and we dont have all the greatest tools, but I would say on average we get 1 deer done in 2 hours ... that's for 3 of us....

I wouldn't miss the fellowship around the butchering table for nothing .... there is nothing like killing, gutting, hanging, butchering, and EATING your deer ....

I dare say processors don't always give you ONLY your deer AND they usully do not clean it the way I want it cleaned .... and the flesh might go on a table that a deer from that some doorknobs deer was just on....ewwww

 

I process my own and wont have it any other way. Most processors here charge 60-70 bucks for one deer. plus extra for sausage,jerky, etc. and that can get pretty steep if u kill more than one.

I usually quarter mine up the same day and I have an extra fridge in the basement and I usually just let it sit in there for a day or two. I am very picky and i clean everything off the meat so it takes me a while...but the end product is SO much better than what i have seen from the processors here.

I would say about 5 hours for me alone for one deer, I absolutely HATE doing it...but I am a cheapskate so I suck it up and get it done haha

 

Last sentence answers your first couple...

I enjoy hunting (tremendously, of course); I don't enjoy spending a couple hours over a table working at a pile of meat. I'd rather be back out hunting.

We all make choices of what we enjoy and don't, I guess... my wife doesn't enjoy housework... she'll DO it, but doesn't enjoy it. So yesterday our housekeeper came and left our place spotless... WELL worth the money, to me -- and especially her. Same to me for deer.

I'd DO it if there was no other option. Fortunately, I've found a place close to home I trust and have formed a great relationship with. The owner even gave me his cell number so if I kill one after hours or on a Sunday he'll come open up for me and let me throw it in the cooler.

It's like the old "Cheers" show when I walk in there... "NORM!!" I think they take bets on how many deer I'll bring in there each year. The pic of the three does that rode on top of my Jeep Grand Cherokee back from jmbuckhunter's still hangs in their foyer.

 

I do my own, it takes anywhere from 2-4 hrs just depends on what im doing. If im cutting steaks, roast, and cubing meat to be fried it takes me around 4 hrs start to finish. If it is primaraly going to be taken in to be made in salami, 2 hrs tops. The meat I take in, I dont worry with defatting, just debone it, and throw it in a freezer bag after rinsing.

 

Once its quartered, 1-2 hours depending on the size of the deer and what cuts I want.

 

i've done it a few times, by myself and with friends and its a lot better with someone else there! took me about 4hrs by myself and i was beat! deff not my fav part of deer hunting but like stated before pretty cool when you can look back and say, "i did this"

on the other hand dropped off mine to the butcher (Grainery in Antioch,IL) last yr and Tony did a GREAT job!