Minnesota Outdoorsman

Hunting Forums => Deer, Moose & Elk => Topic started by: Outdoors Junkie on December 12/07/19, 06:46:48 PM

Title: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: Outdoors Junkie on December 12/07/19, 06:46:48 PM
Believe it or not I moved from MN to South Dakota 13 years ago. Before moving to SD I had never skinned and processed a deer before. Our deer camp had always just taken our deer in to be processed. Our favorite place that we used the most is the same place HD helps out at.

After moving to SD I had started a new job and didn’t have a lot of extra money. I had also been a member on MNO for about a year. I read some posts from other members about how they cut up and processed their deer. So, rather then spending a couple hundred bucks having someone else process my deer I made the decision to give it a shot myself. I watched several YouTube “how to” videos and went to work and included my boys. I’m sure we did a lot of things wrong but we made it through it. I had bought a small grinder from Cabelas (we are still using that same grinder today). We ground up most of the meat. My (city girl) wife was really grossed out by the process and struggled to use the meat with that first deer. I had to do the cooking if we were using venison & to get her to eat it I would mix it with ground beef. But over time I weened her off mixing the burger and then she was able to cook it herself.

Fast forward to the present, my boys have grown up & moved on. It’s my wife and I and our two daughters in the house. My older daughter doesn’t hunt (neither does my wife) but my youngest hunts with me. She is a freshman this year. I still have to be the one to skin the deer but my youngest helps me cut up the deer. My wife will cut up and package the deer steaks (after we have cut it up some and bring the meat in the house), both my daughters help with the grinding and bagging of the burger. My wife really enjoys marinating steaks and grilling them up. My wife also makes jerky for all of us to enjoy. We hardly ever buy ground beef these days. My wife likes to push my daughter & I out the door during hunting season and encourage us to get deer to fill the freezer. It’s amazing how much has changed over the years. We have processed every single deer that my kids and I have harvested in South Dakota. That has been 2-3 deer a year!

Our friends and family never know that it's venison in the meals we are serving them (chili, lasagna, spaghetti, burgers, egg bake, breakfast sausage, and so on.

I always tease all of my kids that if there ever is a zombie apocalypse they will be able to eat because they can all process their own meat if they had to.
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: mike89 on December 12/07/19, 07:49:37 PM
That is awesome!!!   good traditions growing there!!!
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: dakids on December 12/07/19, 08:13:31 PM
Awsome!!!  We have always cut up the animals ourselves.  We make our own jerky but take trimmings in and had the sausage made.  We leave that to the pros.  We cut up a lot of the meet into thin steaks that we grill while ice fishing.

You have and are doing a great job.  Thanks for sharing.
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: glenn57 on December 12/07/19, 09:45:20 PM
we do all our deer too!!!! except the trimmings, they go to the butcher shop for various things. some day maybe make my own stuff...…… but I really like the product our local meat shop makes. sticks, summer sausage and hot dogs.
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: LPS on December 12/08/19, 08:56:52 AM
Great story OJ.  Nice tradition.  Is the table on the benches to get it higher so you don't get back aches? 
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: Rebel SS on December 12/08/19, 09:04:17 AM
I'm loving this stuff.... :smiley:
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: glenn57 on December 12/08/19, 09:09:28 AM
Great story OJ.  Nice tradition.  Is the table on the benches to get it higher so you don't get back aches?
i'd bet a case of MDL its  to save on the back. I gotz me an old metal chair that's just the right height. but in most cases I like to be standing looking down at where me knife is!!!!!! :rotflmao: :rotflmao: and I had no human blood this year!!!!!!! :happy1: :happy1:
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: Outdoors Junkie on December 12/08/19, 09:17:40 AM
Great story OJ.  Nice tradition.  Is the table on the benches to get it higher so you don't get back aches?

Yes! That was the biggest complaint my boys and I would have after spending a couple hours hunched over cutting up venison. My younger son (he’s now 20) came up with the idea of putting the benches under the table legs a few years ago. It worked great! No more back aches!
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: deadeye on December 12/08/19, 09:17:46 AM
Half and half here.  I usually process any bow kills and other single deer kills like the one my grandson got during the youth hunt.  Also, this year I cut up the last one we got during the rifle season.  If we have a bunch at the same time we bring them in because I don't want to spend days working when I should be hunting. 
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: Rebel SS on December 12/08/19, 09:37:10 AM
How fast do you have to get that meat cooled off and put away so as not to worry about any nasty stuff happening? Or is that a rarity?
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: Boar on December 12/08/19, 09:48:02 AM
i cut mine also. thisnyear infinnaly have a heated shop to cut and grind. made thing much quicker and simpler..
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: glenn57 on December 12/08/19, 10:36:43 AM
i cut mine also. thisnyear infinnaly have a heated shop to cut and grind. made thing much quicker and simpler..
finally got that furnace working, huh!!!!!!!! :nerd: :nerd:
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: Boar on December 12/08/19, 10:39:50 AM
yup
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: HD on December 12/08/19, 11:10:06 AM
How fast do you have to get that meat cooled off and put away so as not to worry about any nasty stuff happening? Or is that a rarity?

The quicker, the better....trust me, I've seen some nasty things that have came in from deer getting not cooled down. And if you want them processed, frozen isn't the best way either.

For the original question...I process mine, and a few hundred of other folks deer.  :rotflmao:
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: markn on December 12/08/19, 11:26:53 AM
We put a piece of schedule 40 pipe on each leg of the table to get it up higher. You can make them any length they don’t take up hardly any room to store and don’t weight nothing. Great back saver. :happy1:
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: LPS on December 12/08/19, 11:33:30 AM
That's a great idea Mark.  Man that is hard on the back leaning over like that.
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: Reinhard on December 12/08/19, 12:40:19 PM
Great idea with raising the bench.  I used to do my own deer for many, many years.  Also did 70 or so deer by myself in my garage.  Now I'm done.  I hunt north of Duluth and I'm at the point that I love just being there and don't mind at all if I do not get a deer.  Told everyone I'm out just for a decent buck.  And when I do get one I will have it processed up there  But I will make my own sausage.  Will tell them to put the trim in roughly 10 pound bags.  good luck.
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: HD on December 12/08/19, 01:02:06 PM
We have folks that bring their trim in cause they like to cut up their own deer and have us do their sausage.
We have some folks that ask for their trim because they make their own sausage.
We have folks that have us do the whole thing.

And....we have folks that just want to donate their deer to us.  :scratch:

Trust me, I've heard some weird requests and seen some strange things in the 30+ years I been doing this.  :rotflmao:

Our benches are higher as well, it does make it easier on the back!
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: Reinhard on December 12/08/19, 01:10:13 PM
By any chance do you do this near Soderquist off 65 HD?  good luck.
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: HD on December 12/08/19, 01:46:17 PM
By any chance do you do this near Soderquist off 65 HD?  good luck.

Nope, we are North of Cambridge about 10 miles right on 65
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: Reinhard on December 12/08/19, 02:02:14 PM
Ok,  maybe that's the one I meant.  Always seen a lot of deer outside there at times.  Is that the place where the owner who loved bow hunting died when he fell off a tree?  He was a nice guy.  stopped there a lot back then.  good luck.
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: HD on December 12/08/19, 02:08:54 PM
Ok,  maybe that's the one I meant.  Always seen a lot of deer outside there at times.  Is that the place where the owner who loved bow hunting died when he fell off a tree?  He was a nice guy.  stopped there a lot back then.  good luck.

Nope he died by diving off a dock in shallow water breaking his neck. He was my best friend, and his family are like my own.
When we have the rifle season, our front pad holds about 300 deer.....
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: Reinhard on December 12/08/19, 02:22:28 PM
So sad to hear that.  He was a great guy.  He was built like a athlete.  good luck.
















Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: Rebel SS on December 12/08/19, 02:23:48 PM
So, can you always tell if it wasn't cooled off fast enough? What do you do if yer not sure, but have some doubts it may "be bad?" ? Refuse it?
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: glenn57 on December 12/08/19, 02:30:43 PM
So, can you always tell if it wasn't cooled off fast enough? What do you do if yer not sure, but have some doubts it may "be bad?" ? Refuse it?
it smells like your dirty socks and grundies!!! :rotflmao: :rotflmao:
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: HD on December 12/08/19, 02:55:36 PM
Glenn is right for a change...
You can smell that it's bad. I've seen green meat, milk sacks that have been cut through and the milk had leached into the meat, gut shot and poorly cleaned, deer hanging in the sun for a few days, drug down the trail after gutting, not gutted completely....you name it. So, yes Reb, I/we inspect every deer that comes in and we have rejected some.

It really does not take long if shot on a hot day and not properly cared for. The meat gets a bad color and starts to decay quickly. The last part of the deer to rot,(usually) are the chops (back straps) but, it depends on how it was shot & handled.

Yup, RH, he was built like a small brick craphouse and a very easy guy to get along with..hahaha...we spent a lot of time fishing, trapping minnows and bow hunting. I do miss his friendship, but like everything else time goes on.
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: glenn57 on December 12/08/19, 03:04:00 PM
Glenn is right for a change...
You can smell that it's bad. I've seen green meat, milk sacks that have been cut through and the milk had leached into the meat, gut shot and poorly cleaned, deer hanging in the sun for a few days, drug down the trail after gutting, not gutted completely....you name it. So, yes Reb, I/we inspect every deer that comes in and we have rejected some.

It really does not take long if shot on a hot day and not properly cared for. The meat gets a bad color and starts to decay quickly. The last part of the deer to rot,(usually) are the chops (back straps) but, it depends on how it was shot & handled.

Yup, RH, he was built like a small brick craphouse and a very easy guy to get along with..hahaha...we spent a lot of time fishing, trapping minnows and bow hunting. I do miss his friendship, but like everything else time goes on.
:pouty: :confused: :bs: wadda mean for a change. :doofus: :bs: :rotflmao: :rotflmao:
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: Rebel SS on December 12/08/19, 03:11:28 PM
Thanks, HD! Always wondered about deer hanging in a tree.....my cuz leaves his hang overnite sometimes.....! :puke:  (I have no idea why anyone would)
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: glenn57 on December 12/08/19, 03:16:48 PM
Most hunters hang them up a week. If the weather was like opening weekend they were froze solid by morning.
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: Rebel SS on December 12/08/19, 03:23:41 PM
Outside? he leaves his hang in a tree...don't birds peck at 'em?!
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: HD on December 12/08/19, 03:35:04 PM
Most hunters hang them up a week. If the weather was like opening weekend they were froze solid by morning.

Yup, to each his own...
A deer is a rather small animal (compared to a cow) and the longer it hangs, the more meat you loose. But, it all depends on the conditions. If it's frozen, and your trying to age the meat by hanging, it serves no purpose. If it's hanging and it's hot out, and properly cleaned...the meat dries out, then gets trimmed off and good for nothing anyway. If it's hanging in a tree and it's just warm enough for it to rain...it just rots....
If it's hanging and froze, and brought to a processor, everybody else's deer gets done first that has deer thawed out while yours un-thaws...or worse, gets rejected because it's frozen and you get put on a waiting list.

Like I said....to each his own.....I have seen it all (at least I think so)

The best way to age it, is have it skun and hanging in a cooler...even then, you loose some of the outer meat.
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: glenn57 on December 12/08/19, 03:38:25 PM
I won't skin mine unless I can at the very least quarter it, and put it in a frig covered with plastic.
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: HD on December 12/08/19, 03:53:15 PM
All I can tell you, is what I do....I get it skun and into the cooler as fast as I can.
That way, I loose very little, if any meat.

Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: Steve-o on December 12/09/19, 07:20:26 AM
On reason I like to get the hide off - especially if it is a mature doe - is so I can peel that fat cap off the hind quarters.
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: Jerkbiat on December 12/09/19, 07:39:07 AM
Getting them skun right away really helps cool the meat down faster. We skin ours right away and hang them in a cool garage. HD is right, some of the outer meat dries some. But I just cut that off. We process all of our deer and make the sausage to.
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: Steve-o on December 12/09/19, 12:39:53 PM
What do you guys do with the ribs?

HD, when you have so many to cut up, do you do anything with the ribs?
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: glenn57 on December 12/09/19, 12:51:14 PM
What do you guys do with the ribs?

HD, when you have so many to cut up, do you do anything with the ribs?
i'm a tight azz with my venision...........i take the time to trim it out as much as possible, it'll make a stick or wiener or 2!!!!!! i do that first thing....cause it does suck!
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: HD on December 12/09/19, 12:58:09 PM
What do you guys do with the ribs?

HD, when you have so many to cut up, do you do anything with the ribs?

A lot of the deer that come in, have huge holes through the ribs. And that is area that dries out first from hanging. Not much is salvageable from the ribs.

But,
It also depends on the size of the deer, if it's a real large deer, you can get some meat off of them.

If it's a real fatty deer, it's almost not worth the hassle of separating the fat from what little meat there is.

I cut mine up pretty quickly, and depending on damage, I save what I can and grind it up.
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: Rebel SS on December 12/09/19, 01:40:46 PM
Do all the hoofies, head, and guts go to the rendering plants? Aka kitty food factory?
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: mike89 on December 12/09/19, 01:56:53 PM
no, that is a huge no no!!!!  land fill fill most likely....    some burned them too...
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: Steve-o on December 12/09/19, 01:58:34 PM
Noticed something interesting this year.

I usually let the dogs investigate the deer I bring home to cut up.  One dog is still a chicken, but this year I noticed the other dog went and smelled each of the four hooves.  Nothing else.  No other scent glands, body cavities, head, or anything else.  Just the feet.

Interesting the way animals figure out how to identify each other and decide which scents are worth smelling.
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: glenn57 on December 12/09/19, 02:00:56 PM
maybe your dog has a foot fetish like boar!!!!!!!!!! :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao:
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: mike89 on December 12/09/19, 02:41:41 PM
only you Glenn!!!!! :rotflmao:
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: Rebel SS on December 12/09/19, 03:37:44 PM
If the dogs had smelled Boar's feet, they would no longer be upright.  :puke: :rotflmao:
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: HD on December 12/09/19, 03:50:52 PM
Do all the hoofies, head, and guts go to the rendering plants? Aka kitty food factory?

The guts are "normally" disposed of in the field before they get to me. I say "normally" because I have seen some bad stuff come in.

The hoofs, and head along with the carcass go to the land fill.
But....we have had requests for hoofs and left behind antlers for peoples dogs, and rib cages for coyote hunters.
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: glenn57 on December 12/09/19, 03:52:56 PM
after i plucked clean my rib cage my FIL used to take it out to his place and hang it in the trees for the birds.

i've also seen some pretty neat stuff made out of the feet/hoofs!!!!
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: savage270 on December 12/09/19, 03:57:10 PM
If they are not shot through the ribs, I cut them off of the deer and will throw them in a crockpot with bbq sauce and they are very good.  However, you have to eat them while they are still hot/warm or they get a tallow film on them when they start cooling off. 
Title: Re: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?
Post by: LPS on December 12/09/19, 04:07:32 PM
I have done that too with the rib cage Glenn.  The birds love it.  I had one once that had a perfect round hole and the chicadees would go in and out of the hole like a bird house.  They sit right on top of my bird feeder nicely.