Do you process your own deer, elk, bear, ect... Or do you take it to a processor? ... There are people around here that do both... I have always done it myself, but then my father was a butcher, so I had grown up seeing it done... But what do you do?

In my household, we had always butchered our own when I was young.. About 10-15 years ago, we ran across a man that was a processor, became aquainted, and, eventually started taking the deer to him to have sausages and ground venison made. But, couple of years later,, he got popular, got expensive, and, so the whole family pitched in and bought a huge grinder..lol...so, now, we all grind our own venison (for burgers), and make our own different types of sausages. We do the other cuts as well. Everyone in my family butchers their own now....lol..myself included.

I do both some times I dont have time to do all of it it my self so I'll take a couple of quarters and have summer saugage made(I love that stuff). But most of the time I do it my self.

^^Summer sausage is mighty good.

And, Welcome to the forums!

Welcome aboard WildBoar !!


As far as butchering, I'v never paid to have it done !!

I'v done my own, but mostly it turns into a small party with friends who now have snazy meat saws, grinders, etc.. Buying my own equpiment would only cost me $$ and ruin all of the fun !!


99er

^^ LoL...that's what I said too

We got other family members all together (that hunt and would use it), and we each put in some dough to buy some equipment. That way, I figure, we all save some money...and so far, so good. No one has needed it on the same day yet.

Just bringing this back up to give the newer members the oppertunity to comment if they wish....

Good idea.

The whole pitching in and buying a processor....that worked for a little while til whoever has it loses parts for a few days while you need the machine, or "it's such a long drive..can I bring it next week?" or "I won't be home...come by in a few days"....
Save the dough and buy your own, that's my new advice!

Some of my best memories I have have been cutting up deer with my family. Hands is corrret buy your own things.

I use to pay some butcher $129.00 to process my deer. When I saw him dig in a box and place someone elses steaks into my box. That was the straw that broke the camel back.

Kind of real relaxing too. One of the best therapeutics and or remedies that takes care of stress. I would have liked to be a meat cutter in a butcher shop.

Also nothing like aging and or curing your venison yourself. I like to let it hang in the cold for about 7 days before I cut it up. The only thing that might make me cut it up let say in 4 days if a snow storm is approaching. I do butcher my deer outside.


What kind of a table do you use to cut your deer up on? I have a heavy duty folding table that works outstanding. I place a few large cutting boards on it so we do not cut the vinyl.


I know a hunter that places a of finished smooth plywood panel on two work horses and cuts the venison up on that. Now an stainless steel table would be the best.

I've usually always had some type of table in an out-building, or a garage, that I used...except in one small place we lived in when my family and I were just getting started. There, I hung it outside in the back. When I got ready to cut it up, I laid a couple of pieces of plywood over a couple of saw-horses, and some of that window-cover plastic over that, and quartered the deer up while it was hanging, and did a quarter at a time... However, on some smaller deer, we just brought it into the kitchen sink a quarter at a time, and cut it up there.

For me, I just watch 99er and take notes...

Butch A.

Butch,

You do provide quite a valuable service ... someones gotta do the dragging and keep the "cold ones" coming during the butchering !!


99er

Uncle Buck, I'm with you on the shify processors. We had one that had a cololer full of packs of cuts with no way to tell who's was who';s. Only found out when he gave us something we didn't want and then took us there to dig around for a pack of what we asked for. One down the road maybe 20 miles will charge you to skin the critter like all the others around here, but then they charge you for disposal of capes and horns, unless you ask for the horns..then they turn around and sell the cape and horns, so you pay them to make money of off your cape and horns.
Had a cousin who went into it briefly but he was an idiot. He paced at a place where ther e is no hunting allowed and main and only sport is fishing anyway. So, he paid dearly..lol.

Anyhow, we have this big outdoor metal sink with table thing that people mainly use for fish cleaning...you might see them at docks where you go on charter trips for fish cleaning. I don;t know how or where they come from, but the lot of us on here have one, all my surrounding kin..guess we;ve had it longer than I can remember. It's right handy,table big enough for meat and can wash up in the sink if you have it connected. We just run a pipe to it from the spring water since it's outdoors.

LOL! I thought that was Bawana's job...

Butch A.

Just to toss this in....... I don't know what they charge to process a deer in other places... But, about 20 miles down the road from here is a small meat market. I know the fella who owns it. In fact, he is my brother's best friend, and I have known him for probably 30 years or longer... He, along with his wife, son, daughter in law, and one other fella do all the work there... If you bring in your deer, and don't want any "special cuts", and the deer is properly field dressed, he charges a flat 50 bucks to skin and process it, no matter the size. (Now, of course, if you want him to let it hang in his locker for any length of time to age, or want any special cuts, he charges extra for that.)... But, I was talking to him at my brother's house last week, and he told me between all the deer seasons (rifle, black powder, and archery) they did almost 1000 deer last year.

Well it was, but as you've noticed BB (Big Bawana) seems to have his hands rather full lately just taking care of LB (Little Bawana) ... I'm hoping you can hold out long enough until I can properly train LB to replace BB as chief dragger and beer fetcher. Hell it's getting even damn hard just to get BB to be the "wheelman" these days !! lmao


99er

LOL!!!

I'll hold up just fine, until we can recruit "Little Bawana". But if you or I nail a big 'un waaaaaay up the mountain, I just might have to borrow one of Miss Winston's deer carts!

Butch A.

That's not too bad, and dang...they do pretty good, with all that business. He must be aces, a real good guy and butcher.
I think the one we ended with started out really kinda cheap, compared to surrounding ones...processing and special meats like seasoned sausages and links and such, think it was around $65. But, eventually he was almost $100 bucks, and at the time, we were hunting in a place where we would normally kill 2 deer each (6 deer) each time we went. It got too expensive real quick.

Welp, if it wasn't for the neighbors (decent folks that kinda overdid a good thing) to the the left of the main trail, who used to have a bad habit of cutting new ATV trails on the National Forest and the yahoos (putting it mildly) to the right with their lease, we'd still be able at least to drive up to the "Y" to park without anything being said and there wouldn't a whole hell of a lot of dragging to it.

Course, iffin wasn't for some of our Camp's done departed founders/elders back in their hell raising days with the old Camp Cars, the 5 mile loop road up thru the mountains that comes out about a mile down road (next to the maintaince shed) might not be bulldozed shut in over a 1/2 dozen places either !! LOL

Suffice to say that ol "Miss Winston" better damn well let ya borrow his deer cart, cause he prolly was along on quite a few of the escapades along with the hell raisnin founders/elders !!



99er

Very true... Very true...

Ya know, you got me thinking. Making a home-made deer cart would be a pretty cool little project in the off season. Hmmm... ideas... ideas...

Butch A.

I have butchered every deer I have ever shot and some for others that I didn't shoot. Just don't trust processors, I like to get the same deer back that I shot.

Welp, normally one would want one that is fairly sturdy but also light-weight. In yer case, iffin your planning to also use it to tote in yer gear, ya best forget about the light-weight part and make it extra strength !! lmao

While yer at it, since Bawana or I might wanna borrow it, ya best also make it towable by a vehicle and at least have reflectors !! roflmao


99er

Good point!