Beginners Deer Butchering 101

[BT]

I remember someone here some time ago asking how to take care of a deer.

The following is a modified version of my field technique.

The process should take 1 hour for the beginner and 15mins after having been done a few times.

Hope this is of aid to someone in the future

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With the gutted deer hanging , we are ready to start.

Here I begin by working the knife blade between the flesh of the ham and the hide , cutting towards the hoof.



Now the knife is used to separate the hide from the flesh , working from the bottom to top and around , cutting the hide around the lower joint as we proceed.




Once the hide is detached from the lower leg you will have worked your way completely around the leg and this is what you should have so far.

Repeat on the next leg.




Now we are to the tail.

Pull the hide down hard until the tail stops its progress and then use the knife to chop through the bone.
(very easy)



Now simply grab a hand full of hide and force the hide down past the rib cage.



Use the knife blade to separate the hide from the rib cage,past the shoulder until you have a good separation and progress further would be difficult.
Stop!



Now , center the foreleg and shove the knife blade through the hide and back up the leg into the open area.

slit and repeat until the leg is exposed.
Cut the hide off the leg as you did on the rear leg.





Now,with the leg exposed cut around the scapula which is only held in place with muscle.

This is extremely easy and once done you will have your shoulder roast.





I am not one for neck roasts so I'll move on.

Now I remove the tenderloins.

Do this as you would fillet a fish by cutting down the spine from the hip bone to the necks base.



Now cut across



Once you have placed the first cuts you have a template to follow.

Simply work the knife blade down while following the bones of the spine and ribs.







Repeat on other side.

And now we are ready to remove the steaks

Start by cutting in below the knee joint and following it to the femur.



See the white line? ....follow this with the knife until you feel the femur



Repeat on the opposite side



Now that you are at the femur on either side,work this two cuts together to free from the bone.

next....follow around the pelvis and down to the femur





repeat



Now cut where the center of your calf would be.
Do not cut all the way to the bone!
The inner calf muscle is not worth keeping and will serve better to keep your deer hanging correctly

Once you have the main thigh loose you can follow the femur around or split the ham as I do and then follow the femur one side at a time.









If you do choose to do a one cut procedure this is what you will end up with and you can then tie this up for a great stuffed roast.





And thats it!

[michihunter]

Great illustration but I'd like to point out just one thing. If you can, removing the hide while the deer is still warm is a LOT easier than after the deer gets cold. Another thing I do is use a propane torch to burn off any hair that might be on my meat.

[BT]

Good pointers

[Greg Krause]

Nice post BT!

[DocHolladay]

I will help a little.... Here is a video that used to free to view and now they want you to pay for it. Great video and is very similar to what BT is doing(a few slight differences). A member of my forum took the time to break it up and load it up for all to see. Great video full of information. BTW BT, the "tenderloins" that you are referring to are actually the backstrap or backloin. The tenderloins are on the inside of the ribcage by the spine.

This is broken up into 3 sections because photobucket will only accept 5 minutes of video at a time.

Part 1



Part 2



Part 3

[BT]

docholladay said:

BTW BT, the "tenderloins" that you are referring to are actually the backstrap or backloin. The tenderloins are on the inside of the ribcage by the spine.

I guess it depends on where your from

What you are referring to is what is called the hanging tenderloin and the backstrap is the same as the tenderloin.

Just different reference name to the same thing

[2chucks2]

Great post. To get t he hair off the meat, I use a green scotchbrite pad that is dipped in vinegar. It picks up the hair like a magnet. BT, good job taking the pics. Who is the old guy doing the skinning?

[BT]

You mean the silver fox?

[bluegillman]

2chucks2.....To get t he hair off the meat, I use a green scotchbrite pad that is dipped in vinegar. I picks up the hair like a magnet

That's new to me using vinegar... you said "I" picks .... you were saying "It" picks... Right?