hate to look foolish but any one ever process a deer

We just:
Hang em
Skin em
Debone the hind quarters
Remove backstraps
Remove tenderloins (without gutting)
Remove front shoulders and debone
Wash and put in ice chest with layers of ice and meat
Make sure melted ice water is drained daily
Process myself or take it to a deer processor for sausage
 
One thing nice about pulling their hide off with a tennis ball. (See 1.) Very little to No picking of hair is needed. As jimbob86 stated pulling its fur off can at times be troublesome concerning the loss of incidental meat as I call it. (rib & or flank meat) Another problem area. If one doesn't make just the right hide cuts is on the animals front shoulders prior. {To help assist hide removal.} Its very possible you could tear a front shoulder completely off or perhaps see both sides torn off. I've seen that happen a couple times in my neighbors yard. (one side occasionally seen being torn off)

1. golf ball doesn't work as well on the Northern deer in the late Fall. "To much fur."_ Ropes slip knot will keep slipping over its golf ball when being stretched. Tennis ball seems to work much better. But again requires more neck hide being skin down prior by hand to completely cover the larger ball.

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As far as cutting of the animal throat first thing. What? hasn't anyone ever seen a dead deer get up and run away!! I have. On more than one occasion I've gotten out of my Stand to quick walked over towards or up too my shot dead deer an watched it get up and run away._:eek:_:mad:
But those that do cut the animals throat first thing in the field. You go ahead and keep doing it. There's certainly No harm no foul in doing so.
 
On an oil-free compressor the only thing traveling down the air line will be air and maybe some water vapor. No harm in that.
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I went out and bought an oil free compressor for the sole reason of airing of the bike after I washed it. Left a darker colored film on the bike that was very hard to remove. Having done that and thinkin about using a non-filtered compressor on a deer, I doubt you would notice that same film on the meat. But it was surely noticeable on shiny, chrome and painted surfaces and again, was really hard to remove. Thinkin it may have been and mixture of condensation and aluminum from the compressor itself.
Plus, without a filter system, you will also be pumping a certain amount of rust particle from the inside of the metal tank itself.
Went out and bought an electric leaf blower for the bike and that works fine.

Have since inst'd a nice trap and separator for the oil- less same as on the big oiled compressor and I like the oil- less better to do things like prime/paint etc. But you still need to keep the tank/trap drained on a regular basis and I could have never painted without a filter system.

Anyways, I'm thinkin I will try the compressor thing this fall. Deer skin easily by pulling cape but always like to try something different.

Thanks for the post.
 
Jimbo, I get the knot out every time. I have never torn any significant amount of rib meat off the animal. I actually use a crane, but the principle is the same. You can use a rock as well, so long as it does not have any sharp edges.
 
Your DNR should have butchering tips there. Or go to google and put in a search or it.

My dad showed me how to do large animals when I ws like 3 :)
 
So how do you do a moose ?... assuming you are in deep woods, backpack country, no access to a truck, tractor, or crane ?

I assume our ancestors would have had horses to help them. I guess a horse would be real useful in pulling a moose carcass up to a stout branch of a tree, as well as packing out several hundred pounds of dressed meat.
 
So how do you do a moose ?... assuming you are in deep woods, backpack country, no access to a truck, tractor, or crane ?
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I've never done an animal that large but there is a technique I've done with hogs that might come into play here.

You lay the animal on one side and zip down the spine then across the sides of the font and back legs on the side that is up. Then, you start pulling/cutting the hide off until it those two quarters are fully exposed and the skin is attached only on the belly/chest. You cut out the backstraps and remove the font and hind quarters then trim that side of the skeleton of any small bits that can be ground up. When that side is finished you roll the animal over (rolling towards the belly side) onto the skin you just cut off and you do the other side the same way. When you are done, you have a deboned carcass with the rib cage still intact and the skin still held along the belly and chest.
 
I doubt you would notice that same film on the meat. But it was surely noticeable on shiny, chrome and painted surfaces and again, was really hard to remove. Thinkin it may have been and mixture of condensation and aluminum from the compressor itself.
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I doubt I could see even the film from my oily Stanley Bostich twin tank ..... but that's not the point: Unless you are lubing the thing with olive oil (and cleaning it all out and changing the oil on a weekly basis- rancid cooking oil is just as nasty, if not moreso, than 5W30) ...

It's food. If it tastes BAD, it probably is.
 
Seen a mexican do a goat using a water hose, took the hide right off. Made him a water bottle from that hide.
 
Some people would make a big deal over dying. Doyle I can think of 2 very good reasons to gut the deer, they are called heart and liver!!!! While those tenderloins may be small on your deer they are very edible meat and it would get you a big ticket where I hunt if you left them to rot!!!!! Another thing is how are you going to destroy any meat by spilling a little urine or fecal matter, I call it ****, on the inside of a deers body cavity? Even if the animal is gut shot how does all that nasty stuff get into the pores of the meat? Simple it doesn't!!!! You would have to marinate the CUT meat in that nasty stuff for hours to affect the meat at all. Why is the throat being cut? Surely not to "bleed" the critter, its DEAD and as bled out as its ever going to be. Remember that sloshing noise you heard when you move the animal into position to field dress it? That was BLOOD sloshing around inside the body cavity!!!! Its as bled as its ever going to be!!! That's what happens when you put a bullet or a broadhead thru the heart or lungs, they bleed out FAST!!!! As far as getting in up to your shoulders I don't get that far in on moose, elk, or caribou much less a 175# deer. I've field dressed, butchered,skinned and cut and wrapped over a hundred big game animals and never done half the crap some of the "experts" on this this site claim are necessary!!! If you have done a squirrel of a rabbit you know how to do a deer!!!! It's all the same just a little bigger or smaller. Get a life people!!!
 
Liberty, I'm sure your're right about the heart and liver if you eat them. I don't eat heart. I do like liver however there is a danger there. If the deer have been feeding on a certain type of white acorns (which happen to be somewhat common in the south) the liver can become quite toxic. You don't hear about it too often but every once in a while you read or hear about a hunter who got sick eating some of that tainted liver.
 
I've field dressed, butchered,skinned and cut and wrapped over a hundred big game animals and never done half the crap some of the "experts" on this this site claim are necessary!!! If you have done a squirrel of a rabbit you know how to do a deer!!!! It's all the same just a little bigger or smaller. Get a life people!!!
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Liberty,

Now that you've gotten the somewhat offensive (to some) 'snarkism' out of the way in a thread that was going otherwise, very politely... would you mind posting your vast wisdom on the subject and actually adding somethin positive to the thread. :mad:

No doubt your way is the best way and your constructive input would be greatly valued so why don't you just post how you process your deer from the time it's shot till in the freezer so that those here that are tryin to learn can do so without feeling insulted.

Thanks in advance for your valued 'constructive' contribution.
 
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Like Kriagwy said, start cutting, you'll see steaks, roasts and hamburger as you go. K.I.S.S.

Rinse, rinse, rinse. Rinse before you skin, rinse after you skin, and rinse the cuts and burger meat. This is a huge advantage you have by doing your own and you will notice it in the flavor of your meat. Yes, urine, blood and feces will rinse off your meat.

Another thing is I have shot deer at dawn and had them in the freezer by noon and not noticed a difference from meat that was hung for a period of time. It has some advantages too. A warm deer skins easier, if it's cold out your hands don't get cold on warm meat and you don't have to deal with the hard layer of dried meat that develops as it hangs.
 
Speaking of hanging, I saw a show on TV that was discussing meat processing. They said that the "aging" of meat during the hanging process had to be done in a very carefully controlled temperature range. I think it was between 34 and 38 degrees or something like that. If the temp fluctuates outside those ranges (like it does in a natural -non controlled - environment) then you not only don't improve the meat you can actually harm it.
 
Don't think this has been touched on yet and I'm to lazy to read through this whole thread again so if it has been...well... it's worth repeating.

Whichever way you choose to process your deer, always stay alert for foreign objects such as old broadheads, pieces of broken broadheads or things such as barbed wire, etc. that may be hidden somewhere inside the cape. Stay alert through the entire process from in the field to the freezer.

Nothing will ruin your day faster then reaching inside the cavity to remove innards in the field, grabbing a handful of cape close to the meat while skinning or snatching ahold of of a piece of meat you're going to remove from the bone and sticking a nice sharp broadhead in your hand that may have been placed there by a hunter the day prior to you taking your animal.

Look the deer over in the field for wounds, scars and stay alert throughout the process as older wounds may have externally healed over.

I used to hang my deer as well but for the most part, stopped doing it some time ago for the same reason Doyle suggested. While I feel 'aging' produces the best quality meat(tenderness and taste), I just can't provide the steady temp. ranges required to do so.
But let that extended forecast be predicted for steady temps. in the mid 30's for a week or two and there will most likely be a deer hanging from the barn rafters. With Ohio weather, that just never seems to happen.:rolleyes:
 
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Doyle I can think of 2 very good reasons to gut the deer, they are called heart and liver!!!! While those tenderloins may be small on your deer they are very edible meat and it would get you a big ticket where I hunt if you left them to rot!!!!! Another thing is how are you going to destroy any meat by spilling a little urine or fecal matter, I call it ****, on the inside of a deers body cavity? Even if the animal is gut shot how does all that nasty stuff get into the pores of the meat? Simple it doesn't!!!! You would have to marinate the CUT meat in that nasty stuff for hours to affect the meat at all. Why is the throat being cut? Surely not to "bleed" the critter, its DEAD and as bled out as its ever going to be. Remember that sloshing noise you heard when you move the animal into position to field dress it? That was BLOOD sloshing around inside the body cavity!!!! Its as bled as its ever going to be!!! That's what happens when you put a bullet or a broadhead thru the heart or lungs, they bleed out FAST!!!! As far as getting in up to your shoulders I don't get that far in on moose, elk, or caribou much less a 175# deer. I've field dressed, butchered,skinned and cut and wrapped over a hundred big game animals and never done half the crap some of the "experts" on this this site claim are necessary!!! If you have done a squirrel of a rabbit you know how to do a deer!!!! It's all the same just a little bigger or smaller. Get a life people!!!
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I couldn't agree more. Nobody ever taught me to field dress and then butcher my first deer. To me it was really big squirrel. Wasting tenderloins, the best steak cuts on the entire deer, on an Ohio deer is considered an abomination. The heart is delicious, and has the taste of any other muscle group. I don't like liver, but the dogs love it, as well as the other "unedible" scraps trimmed away. I freeze them in small packages, and boil the pack contents and allow to cool before serving to the dogs. Its funny watching them go nuts in anticipation wheneever deer scraps are boiling n the stove!
 
The heart is delicious, and has the taste of any other muscle group. I don't like liver, but the dogs love it, as well as the other "unedible" scraps trimmed away. I freeze them in small packages, and boil the pack contents and allow to cool before serving to the dogs. Its funny watching them go nuts in anticipation wheneever deer scraps are boiling n the stove![QUOTE

TimSr,

I like the heart as well but don't care for the liver either, but it is always retrieved and used to be fed to the dogs as well till I found out a buddy of mine in Cols. likes them. He gets them now and the dogs don't like the idea.:rolleyes: But they do get a lot of the extra trimmings that would normally be thrown away at a commercial processor. Not much goes to waste.

Another big reason I like to gut/field dress, besides retrieving heart and liver for eating, is it gives me a chance to inspect main organs(lungs,liver, heart etc) for discoloration,tumors etc. to help insure I'm going to eat a healthy animal.
Correct me if I'm wrong TimSr but seems I remember about 7-10yrs ago the ODNR strongly encouraging hunters to inspect main organs for abnormalities?

I do the same with smaller game(rabbits,squirrel) as well.

PS. ...and yes, those tenderloins are surely coming out. ;)
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Why is the throat being cut? Surely not to "bleed" the critter, its DEAD and as bled out as its ever going to be. Remember that sloshing noise you heard when you move the animal into position to field dress it? That was BLOOD sloshing around inside the body cavity!!!! Its as bled as its ever going to be!!!
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Nope, not to bleed him out- he's done bleedin', as you said...... it's just that I've found it to be darn hard to rip the viscera (lungs, heart, intestines) out of the animal if they are still attached firmly to the animal at the top end...... the windpipe and esophagus are attached pretty solidly at the pharynx (back of the mouth) .... if you cut them under the chin, they'll pull out of the neck without having to split the whole front of the carcass.
 
Tip: Chill your pre-trimmed chunked out steak meat in your refrigerator's freezer until its semi frozen. {Freezer meat should be positioned in the freezer the same way you would have it on your cutting board in front of you.} 1 to 1-1/2 hours should be sufficient time to semi-freeze larger chunks. Smaller pieces require less time of course. {Check on the meats freezing occasionally so it doesn't freeze beyond to a rock hard state.}
Pre-Stiffened meat helps its butcher cut evenly side to side for repeatable nice looking cut steaks one after the other. And also helps when cubing stew meat.

Steak evenly cut side to side cooks up better than steak thick on one side thin on the other. Seen some poorly cut pork chops like I said (thick to thin) in my time sold by store front butcher shops. Reminds me of what my father told me when I was a teenager: "Never buy meat from a butcher shop that cut unevenly. Or from a butcher that has long finger nails." One will cheat you the other will make you sick. Oh those old folks sure had their ways & sayings. ;)
 
shortwave said:
Another big reason I like to gut/field dress,...
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And yet another is to inspect the damage done by the bullet. I like to see what's been done. It helps me decide if this animal ran 100 yards by fluke or by bullet failure, for instance, or if it was DRT did I blow the heart up or did bone fragments severe the spine, etc, etc.
 
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