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Author Topic: Deer processing...who all does it themselves?  (Read 7068 times)

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Offline Outdoors Junkie

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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.
« Last Edit: December 12/07/19, 07:16:18 PM by Outdoors Junkie »
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Offline mike89

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That is awesome!!!   good traditions growing there!!!
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Offline dakids

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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.
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Offline glenn57

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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.
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Offline LPS

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Great story OJ.  Nice tradition.  Is the table on the benches to get it higher so you don't get back aches? 

Offline Rebel SS

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Offline glenn57

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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:
2015 deer slayer!!!!!!!!!!

Offline Outdoors Junkie

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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!
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Offline deadeye

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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. 
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Offline Rebel SS

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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?

Offline Boar

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i cut mine also. thisnyear infinnaly have a heated shop to cut and grind. made thing much quicker and simpler..
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Offline glenn57

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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:
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Offline Boar

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2019 GRAND MASTER BUCK CHAMPION!!
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Offline HD

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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:
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Offline markn

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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:
mm

Offline LPS

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That's a great idea Mark.  Man that is hard on the back leaning over like that.

Offline Reinhard

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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.

Offline HD

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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!
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Offline Reinhard

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By any chance do you do this near Soderquist off 65 HD?  good luck.

Offline HD

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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
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Offline Reinhard

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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.

Offline HD

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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.....
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Offline Reinhard

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So sad to hear that.  He was a great guy.  He was built like a athlete.  good luck.

















Offline Rebel SS

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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?
« Last Edit: December 12/08/19, 02:27:12 PM by Rebel SS »

Offline glenn57

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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:
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Offline HD

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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.
Mama always said, If you ain't got noth'in nice to say, don't say noth'in at all!

Offline glenn57

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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:
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Offline Rebel SS

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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)
« Last Edit: December 12/08/19, 03:14:40 PM by Rebel SS »

Offline glenn57

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Most hunters hang them up a week. If the weather was like opening weekend they were froze solid by morning.
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Offline Rebel SS

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Outside? he leaves his hang in a tree...don't birds peck at 'em?!