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

Good tools will make it faster!

My father and I have done it often ourselves and when time did not permit we brought to a butcher. He did a good job but $60 plus the cost of burger to mix with the venison was around $75 total. We found we got more meat and cut it the way we wanted, cleaned but whole muscle groups. That way when you thaw it half way you can cut it really thin and make some really nice minute steaks. We also save time by making shoulder and rump roasts, they cook beautifully in the crock pot or over bags. I can process one in about 3 hours myself not including skining time. Of course it used to be more like 5 to 6 hours for the first few on my own. A real cuttlery set will help.

 

Only once I brought a doe In to a butcher so they could process It for me. Time wasn't on my side because of work. Never will I do that again around here. I hated how they cut my steaks. There was more bone then meat In them steaks. It usually takes me 1 to 1.5 hours to skin, quarter and cut steaks. The stuff I don't want as steaks I'll put In a bag and give that to my butcher and get whatever made from that. My dad did all his own butchering years ago so as a little kid I was watching and helping then. I got a pretty good Idea on what I'm doing. I too hate doing It but I also hated the job the butcher did on the one and only deer I brought In.

If I'm out west and I'm lucky enough to shoot something out there I'll quarter It out and bring It In to a butcher and they can then finish the rest. Never have I gotten anything out west but a few of the guys In the hunting party have. A few elk and muley's have been brought In to the local butchers all quartered out from our group and they did a tremendous job. I'm thinking these butchers out west do a much better job. Another reason too why we have them butcher It Is we have no freezer while were out there. Just makes sense too being they have the quarters and everything there that they might as well butcher It too. We bring big coolers with that we'll leave In the truck In hopes that we'll have packaged meat to bring home. The meat does unthaw some but when It's full of frozen meat they stay frozen fairly well.

 

I prefer doing doing my own butchering regardless of the time involved. I generally will spread it out over 2-3 days but almost nothing goes to waste. I try to use everything but the skull, hide and the backbone. What we don't eat goes to the dogs. I want to get to the point where the hide is used also.

 

Yeah and if you're like me it was whether you wanted to or not!! I can remember being so excited to get to help the first time but I can also remember dreading that time of year because some years it felt never ending. But we have always done our own and now I'm glad I had to growing up because of the learning experience. The more you do the faster you get. As dad always says when he's teaching rookies: "the good lord gives you lines to follow so don't find it just cut with the lines."

If I could get mine done for $40-$50 like some of you guys I probably would consider it on some deer! Man they must be sticking it to people around here I always hear $100-$150.

 

I'll never have it done at butcher again. First off, it's $95 around here for basic processing - and that means hind quarters are cut on a band saw with bone in them - NO THANKS! (and most bills run over $200 if you want any kind of jerky/sausage) Secondly, I just don't like not knowing what my deer is touching and how it's handled if my family is going to eat it.
So Price, Process(not deboned and trimmed like I do), and Being done with other deer are the reason I don't choose a butcher.

If I am going to do more than one deer - an extra set of hands speeds things up big time.
But even by myself, a typical kill to freezer goes like this.
-Harvest Deer, take home and skin immediately to cool meat quicker (and it pulls right off while warm)...hang/cool overnight
-Next day debone right from hanging carcass. Backstraps/loins lay right on cookie sheet, pull remaining steaks from rear quarters - on cookie sheet, rest of meat is just trimmed of all fat/sinew/tallow, cut in chunks and placed in large bowl. All meat put in fridge to cool overnight again. Carcass can be disposed and area cleaned.
-Next day, paper all cut to wrapping lenghts. Get meat from fridge, cut steaks to desired thickness and wrap. Chunked meat run through grinder and wrap. Double wrap all meat to preserve longer. Freeze.

Sounds like a lot of work, but by doing in shifts it is VERY quick once you get good at it - and I typically just do once the kids are in bed, don't watch much TV - kind of enjoy a hour in the garage with radio on. All 3 stages together about 2.5 hours by myself - most guys spend more time watching Football or UFC in a night...

 

Central IL processing costs are excessive, I envy some of the pricing I've seen here and elsewhere.

Last year I was lazy and sent 2 in for processing, and leftovers for sausage. Their pricing last year was $79 for fawns and $109 for adults. Basic job of 2 tip roasts, rounds cut into steaks, tenderloins whole, and backstraps however whole, butterflied or both. I thought the prices were steep then.

This year I gave my fawn buck to my neighbor and we took it to the processor. Seen their new prices and was dumbfounded. $89 for fawns. $119 for adult does and $129 for adult bucks(caping and antler removal extra). Said they felt it was a fairer way of doing it. Plus it can take up to 3 weeks plus to get meat back, longer if sausage or jerky items ordered.

Needless to say I'll be doing my own again this year. Generally takes me about a 12 pack aka 4 hours from hanging hide on to vacuum packed, dated and labeled in the freezer. I think I get a little too tedious, plus I slice everything I can into steaks and the leftover into stew meat. Don't really care for roasts and if I need burger I'll grind a package or two of stew meat up as needed.

 

Yeah, I think it's 90.00 just to have the processor look at your deer. They add more costs for everything (skinning, grinding.... sausage is rediculously expensive)

I can get a deer gutted, skinned and deboned in less than two hours. I debone shoulders in big chunks for stew or grinding. Cut the back leg into three primary chunks. Cut the backstraps down to ~12" pieces. If I want steaks, I'll thaw out a backstrap or leg chunk and cut it then. I could also turn it into jerky or grind it if I'm outta burger. Keeping the chunks large gives me more choices and it saves time when I'm processing the deer.

I DO NOT try to remove all the fat. I don't understand what the issue is with folks and deer fat. It doesn't taste weird, it tastes like deer. I do remove sinew, veins, lymph nodes and such.

 

One year after a very successful bear hunt we butchered 10 bear In one day. It was a blast!! There was 11 hunters In our group and we just missed going 11 for 11. All 11 hunters came over to my dads place and we butchered all 10 bear. What an awesome day that was!!! Bear steaks on the grill all day!!

Here Is a picture of the 10 bear we got In a span of 10 days. 5 of these bear were shot In one evening. We were tracking and skinning and quartering bear till 7:30 the next morning. This was back In 1995. Hell of a year that year for bear hunting.

 

Some of you who process you're own definitely motivate me. I guess I just need more practice and maybe I need to be less picky about removing all the fat. I don't have anyone to help me though so it will still take a while.

Steve, I gotta say. That is very impressive! I bet that was a lot of hard work that day/night.

 

I want to add that besides good knives and a big cutting surface. There are a couple of other things that help me process deer.

An electric winch/hoist. This thing is awesome. I used to hang a deer at one level and then stand on my tiptoes to work on the high stuff and hunch way over to work on the low stuff. Now I just push a button and the deer goes up or down to where I need it.

A 150 quart cooler. Put some ice in it. (I use bag ice and frozen water bottles and gallon jugs) To cool meat quickly on hot days, I'll skin and cut the deer down into manageable chunks (sometimes boned, sometimes bone-in quarters) and put them in the cooler. Then I can leisurely cut trim and bag the venison later without worrying about the ambient temps. Put ice between the meat, don't just stack the meat on top of more meat. (I'm sure you know this... but it should be mentioned.)

For later processing. I bought a cuber/jerky slicer. link

There are different blades for cubing or cutting jerky. (It was only 99.00 when I bought it)

A good sized buck still makes good chicken fried deer steaks and jerky ...and you can do it quickly with that gizmo.

:D

 

For what it’s worth. I think that part of the hunt is to process your own deer. I do all of my deer myself and from hanging it up to packaged it's about 3 hours. I trim off all of the fat and ligaments. But I do not waste time on small areas. Here in ILLINOIS the average is about $150 and you do not get your deer back. Besides when I make jerky and sausage I control the flavor and texture. I am out more for the meat and the experience more than for the "rack".

 

3 hours from start to finish. I enjoy it. Turn on the radio or TV and have at it. Having a nice work area with the correct utensils speeds up the process.

 

I usually just debone, cut the loin into butterfly chops and use the rest for roasts. I don't do the burger/jerky, so I can get one done pretty quick. Usually less than 2hrs.

 

Depends on time of year and where I'm at. At camp we do our own. Drink a few beers cook on the fire as we do the task! A great time!!

In Ohio I have a retired butcher who only does deer fro a select few. He's awesome charges 55$ . I can call him anytime if I get a deer in warm weather and he'll open up to put it in the cooler foer me.

I do enjoy cutting my own, but not gonna make the mess at my house.
I do grind my lesser cuts for sausage etc and enjoy that aspect.

 

When i first started it would take me quite a while as well, so no worries. Now that i've got it down pat i can usually get a deer taken care of (hung, skunk, deboned) in about 2.5 hours, if one of my buddies is there then i can usually take an hour off that time.

 

I'm with Greg on this one, I just don't enjoy this aspect of it. It is more like work than my hobby of hunting to me. Butchers here charge 50-75 for a basic processing, your choice of steaks and roasts and the rest into burger meat. All packaged and frozen solid for my pick up. You DO get your own deer back (I know for a fact I did anyway, cause I was the only person to drop off that weekend).

It just always seems like a huge rush/hassle after the animal is down to get it processed and taken care of, especially with school/work schedules to balance in as well. I'll likely never do my own around home again, unless it is over a holiday break where I have plenty of free time to do it. It was just SUCH a relief this year to NOT have to worry about rushing home to labor away over the meat for hours anymore, I just relax and enjoy the moment now. Take pics, drive it to the butcher, and I'm done with it until it is ready for me to start thawing out and eating.!!

I will do it out of necessity and don't mind to at all in these instances (out of state hunts, etc)....but I won't be feeling obligated to around home anymore either.

 

x2!!

Yeah man your post is awesome. (Had to make it long enough )

 

Last week, 100lb Doe. Took my time, skinned, quartered, deboned, trimed, bagged and in the fridge in 2 hours. A couple of days later, spent a half hour cling wrapping the roasts, steaks and backstraps and grinding the trimmed meat.

I'm really picky......there is NO, white (fat) on any of the meat I put into the freezer.

 

I do a whole deer in about an hour. From hanging to freezer. That's without grinding anything.

 

wow thats cheap here in new york we get charged 90 dollars