Deer processing

[meatGrinder]

For me, processing my own deer is one of the funnest parts of the hunting experience.

 

[AER244]

For me, processing my own deer is one of the funnest parts of the hunting experience.

The fun ends at the quartering for me most of the time. Not to say it’s unenjoyable, but I’ve grown to not enjoy the procedure of boning out and wrapping/sealing. I Don’t mind it, but I won’t often drink whiskey and listen to classic outlaw country with it either. It’s fairly business like at that point. The fun resumes when I go to eat it though.

 

[TedKennedy]

Siegi’s always gave me a ticket with the weight of what I dropped off. I’m pretty sure between the different types of sausage I’d have made the weight I got back was double the amount I took in.

I used to take boned-out meat to Siegi's and get sausage made - but they throw everyone's meat in the hopper, make sausage and you get what you get. Two times I got back a sausage with a bit of lead in it, and I decided to start making my own sausage. When I process a deer, there sure ain't gonna be any bullet fragments in it, and I know it was properly gutted, and immediately put on ice.

 

[retrieverman]

I haven’t carried a deer to a processor for over 30 years, and in that time, I’ve clean ALOT of deer. I’ve mentioned before that my Dad used to tell friends and people at church that if they killed a deer to bring it to his house, and I would come over to clean it for them. It was surprising how many people took advantage of the offer, so I got a lot of practice.
I used to quarter them out and then debone later. In the late 90’s, I quit gutting them and started deboning the hanging carcass. When I haul off a carcass the guts are still in it and all four leg bones are still attached. I let the meat soak in iced salt water for a couple days before I start cutting up the meat.
I’ve got a couple friends that hunt in the TX panhandle, and they brought two deer back to a place here in east TX for processing and getting sausage made. The price was close to $900. I like venison, but there’s no way I’d pay that. I can buy some damn fine beef steaks for that price.

 

[AER244]

I haven’t carried a deer to a processor for over 30 years, and in that time, I’ve clean ALOT of deer. I’ve mentioned before that my Dad used to tell friends and people at church that if they killed a deer to bring it to his house, and I would come over to clean it for them. It was surprising how many people took advantage of the offer, so I got a lot of practice.
I used to quarter them out and then debone later. In the late 90’s, I quit gutting them and started deboning the hanging carcass. When I haul off a carcass the guts are still in it and all four leg bones are still attached. I let the meat soak in iced salt water for a couple days before I start cutting up the meat.
I’ve got a couple friends that hunt in the TX panhandle, and they brought two deer back to a place here in east TX for processing and getting sausage made. The price was close to $900. I like venison, but there’s no way I’d pay that. I can buy some damn fine beef steaks for that price.

you’ll have a hard time talking me out of my bone-in blade and shank roasts. Otherwise your method sounds pretty bomb

 

[retrieverman]

you’ll have a hard time talking me out of my bone-in blade and shank roasts. Otherwise your method sounds pretty bomb

I’m not say my way is the only way or even a good way, but it works for me.
You do you, Boo Boo.

 

[HiredHand]

I used to take boned-out meat to Siegi's and get sausage made - but they throw everyone's meat in the hopper, make sausage and you get what you get. Two times I got back a sausage with a bit of lead in it, and I decided to start making my own sausage. When I process a deer, there sure ain't gonna be any bullet fragments in it, and I know it was properly gutted, and immediately put on ice.View attachment 442603

Yes, I had the same thing happen. If I was still hunting, I’d do exactly the same as you. It would totally be worth the extra effort.

 

[jackary]

If you can get it in, Sallees is good to go but they fill up during rifle season so it can be hard to get them in, they start taking quartered deer after they catch up from rifle season rush.

 

[TeamTomlyn]

I used to do my own but got lazy. I bring mine in field dressed and ask for back straps, tenderloin and grind the rest. So it doesn't get much simpler than that. I've been blessed with 2 awesome processors over the past few years. Artic over in Davis runs around $130.00 I have always been pleased with the quality and impressed by what I get back in grind. Brown & Sons out of Holdenville are an amazing family of knife jockeys, but they sink their hooks in ya on the snack sticks, summer sausage and italian sausage lol. If I can keep from adding on a mountain of extras it runs about $100-$120.00 for my usual processing.

The one bad run in I had with a butcher shop processor out of harrah. I brought in a 8 month old cornfed butcher pig, but got back was more akin to hog meat.

 

[BobbyV]

I used to do my own but got lazy. I bring mine in field dressed and ask for back straps, tenderloin and grind the rest. So it doesn't get much simpler than that. I've been blessed with 2 awesome processors over the past few years. Artic over in Davis runs around $130.00 I have always been pleased with the quality and impressed by what I get back in grind. Brown & Sons out of Holdenville are an amazing family of knife jockeys, but they sink their hooks in ya on the snack sticks, summer sausage and italian sausage lol. If I can keep from adding on a mountain of extras it runs about $100-$120.00 for my usual processing.

The one bad run in I had with a butcher shop processor out of harrah. I brought in a 8 month old cornfed butcher pig, but got back was more akin to hog meat.

I've used the Browns for years . . . I'm pretty sure they hire out the snack sticks if I remember right.

Last year I used 3 South Processing in Stonewall because my usuals were full. This year I was able to use a kid who lives about 5 miles from my dad and he did a great job.

I've processed a few on my own, but I know I leave more on the bone than I probably should. I just need to get more practice I guess, but without a place to hang and work on them it's easier to just drop them off with a processor.

My ultimate goal is to build a walk-in cooler where I can hang and process my own as time allows.