Since Virginia now has what I call the "dial-a-deer" program for checking in Deer harvests by phone, It got me to thinking that some folks, including myself (I ain't no "spring chicken" anymore ), may be more apt to "field butcher" Deer, especially in remote areas and back-pack out the meat rather dragging the whole deer out.

We used to have a guy who was very proficient at doing just that, who was a visitor at our VA Camp. I only ever seen it done by him once and forget the exact method he used, other than he did not gut the Deer and got basically all of the meat except for the rib cage.

So any of you folks happen to have any good "links" for "Field Butchering" so the meat can be backpacked out ??

thanks !!


99er

I dont know of any links but have done it with elk. I skin the side thats up and then role it over to skin the other side. A deer will fit in one large game bag, as you bone it out put the meat in the bag to keep it clean. I do one side at a time, starting with the backstrap, then the neck, front shoulder,hind quarter, then role it over and do the other side. The last thing to cut out is the tender loins,(it realy helps if you know where they are befor hand) you can make a cut through the back of the ribs at the top and botom of the tender loins and reach in and pull them out from the back.When boneing out the frount shoulders I take out a roast and then the rest is going to be hamberger so it doesnt mater how you cut it off the bone. The back quarters I start the same as the shoulders by takeing out the roasts. On elk I make steaks frome the backstrap and tender loins, 2 roast from each hing quarter, one roast from each shoulder, stew meat from the neck, and the rest hamberger.

Jamie

After reading my post I see my writing skills SUCK. There use to be a good step by step how to with pictures on the Colorado game depts. web site but I cant find it now.

Jamie

Jamie,

That's ok, if you find happen to find the "step by step" procedure, please post it. I'm just looking find the quickest and cleanest way to get the hams, shoulders, and the backstraps so they can be backpacked from the field.

Like anything else, I'm sure there are several "acceptable" methods to do this. Again, I'v only ever seen it done once, but your post jogged my memory a bit and I do remember that the guy I watched doing it made some very "unusual cuts".

Again my memory is poor, but I think he may have actually started skining the deer along the backbone. Then perhaps made a cut down the middle of one shoulder and later the ham on the same side, so that he would sort of use the hide as a blanket to help keep the meat clean. Once the ham and shoulder 1st side was done, I'm thinking he skinned back the hide a bit to expose both backstraps and then cut them out. Then lastly, just fliped over the Deer and get the remaining ham and shoulder on the otherside.

Sure wish I'd paided a lot more attention at the time, but I was just dumbfounded in awe of how he did it and the short amount of time it took him to completely do the Deer. The only thing that was left was the rib-cage (with the guts intact); I'm not sure wether he took out a neck roast or not.

Again, thanks for your post !!


99er