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Big Game Hunting => Deer Hunting => Topic started by: Axle on November 04, 2009, 11:59:37 PM


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Title: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Axle on November 04, 2009, 11:59:37 PM
How to bone-out a deer tutorial

I’m going to do this in several posts so hang on with any replies till I say I’m done so it doesn’t get broken up. I’ll be using a deer I just harvested as the volunteer for this.

I hope you have a knife with a gut hook. If not, then get one. They are great tools.
This bone-out method works on any deer-like animal.

First of all, don’t gut it out. There is no need to and you will see why in this explanation.

1. With the animal on its side, use your gut hook to zip all the way from the rectum up the neck and then up the inside of each leg. If you are saving the cape, then cape it first. Now skin it from the belly to the back bone on one side and skin the upper two legs down to the knees.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Axle on November 05, 2009, 12:01:17 AM
2. Once the first side is skinned, take off the front leg. It is easy and you really can’t mess it up (takes only a few seconds). Once you have the front leg off, go to the hind leg. This gets tricky because the back leg holds the best cuts of meat except for the back strap and tender loin.

Before cutting the hind leg off, identify the hip bone (I’m pointing to it in a picture).
Cut around it. On the forward side of the bone, the back strap (loin) starts. On the rear side of it, the roasts from the back leg start. Many hunters who don’t know how to properly cut this out end up hacking apart the roasts on the hind leg. In my humble opinion, the rump roast is the best but it gets hacked apart the most by beginners.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Axle on November 05, 2009, 12:02:20 AM
3. Once you have identified and cut around the protruding hip bone, you will then begin to cut the hind leg off. To do this, stay close to the bone all the way around while leaving the meat on the leg. Cut down the spine on the back side. Cut as close to the bone on the inside as you can and be aware that there is a socket to cut through on the inside of the leg. The socket has a ligament in the middle that you will need to cut. (Note: the front leg has no socket like this.) If you keep to the bone all the way around, you will have the rear leg in one piece without any roasts destroyed. Set the leg aside and I will show you a trick to boning it out in a bit.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Axle on November 05, 2009, 12:03:38 AM
4. Now cut the back strap out. Do the same as the hind leg and stay next to the spine while you whittle it out. The strap will go up to and connect to the neck meat. Take it all together and it will be easy to separate later.
Cut off all the rib meat and belly meat and put it in the hamburger pile. There is no wrong way to do it since it will be mostly used in the burger pile. I even take the stomach diaphragm muscle on the animal. It is good meat as long as it wasn’t shot in that area and it is easily accessible.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Axle on November 05, 2009, 12:05:03 AM
5. Once you have the legs off, the rib meat off, and the back strap off, it will be very easy to get to the yummy tender loin. Reach in and carefully cut it out on that side.

Now turn the animal over at this point and repeat the process for the other side
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Axle on November 05, 2009, 12:05:53 AM
6. Next, go to the ribs and separate them somewhere in the middle and reach in and locate the heart. (On a bigger animal, just kick the ribs to loosen them apart.) The heart is in a thin membrane sack that you will need to cut open first. Once out of this membrane, pull it up far enough to cut it loose and pull it out. Don’t be squeamish on this. The heart is good meat and if you don’t want it to eat as sandwich meat, then cut it up and put it in the hamburger pile. If you use it as sandwich meat, boil it up with spices and a couple bay leaves. I promise it to be the finest lunch meat you can put on bread and I’m not joking.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Axle on November 05, 2009, 12:07:36 AM
7. As far as the front leg: there is no wrong way to de-boning it. Just get the meat off and into the hamburger pile. I don’t really like de-boning a front leg. It is more tedious.

8. The hind leg: this is really neat and you will like this. Lay the leg down with the inside facing up. Now identify the knee and the joint. Imagine a line between them and then cut to the bone (the bone follows this line). Cut around the bone while leaving the roasts all intact together. The hock on the lower part of the leg can come off later. When you get all the roasts off the leg, they will be conveniently attached to each other. Put it in a game bag (I use pillow cases) and pack it out of the woods all intact like this.
Later, when you are ready to cut it up, lay it down and you can separate all the roasts from each other easily. You may not be able to tell the difference between the rump roast and the round roast, or the sirloin, but it doesn’t matter. As long as you cut it off the bone correctly, you can separate them and cut them up as roasts or steaks later. If you use a butcher to process the meat, they will know exactly what they have. The roasts separate naturally and easily from the inside.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Axle on November 05, 2009, 12:08:57 AM
Tip: if you freeze them as a whole roast, you can later cut them into steaks. You cannot reverse this if you cut them up as steaks first so package them as roasts and you will have the option to turn them into steaks later if you wish. I only use the back strap as steaks. I use the roasts in a corned meat recipe. Another tip: get a Jaccard meat tenderizer for the steaks. Those things are worth their weight in gold!

9. Now look at this next picture and I want you to notice that I didn’t have to gut it out. You won’t either when you do it this way. Gutting it out isn’t necessary. Isn’t that cool?

Total time from start to totally boned-out – 1 hour and 4 minutes on this deer. This method will save you a lot of time if you utilize it.
Alright, I admit, I have butchered over a thousand big game animals but anyone can get the hang of this real quick.

OK, last post on this. What do you think? Any questions?

Good hunting - Axle
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: addicted on November 05, 2009, 12:42:47 AM
good write up.

couldn't you have blurred out the gore parts?? lol just kidding

sweet deal.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: carpsniperg2 on November 05, 2009, 12:44:26 AM
that is some great info and great pictures. i am sure someone will get some use out of it
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: LittleJohn on November 05, 2009, 01:34:41 AM
Thanks for posting that was great. I do the same thing except I gut them first. Just my preference!!!! :)
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: robb92 on November 05, 2009, 03:52:54 AM
Thanks for posting the step by step, will have to give it a try.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: ribka on November 05, 2009, 06:20:13 AM
Thanks.Great tutorial. Will try on my next hunt this month.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: wamuledeer on November 05, 2009, 06:31:33 AM
That is pretty much how I did it in the field this year on my deer except I also gutted it first. At the time I was debating on just cutting it in half and taking it out in two trips or boning it out and taking it it one.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: CoryTDF on November 05, 2009, 06:42:10 AM
No complaints from me. It could have used a few pictures a little farther away though. If a person didn't know what they were looking at some of the photos just look like a mess of red goo. Great write up and I'm sure it will help somebody out. Thanks for taking the time to do that.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Mo on November 05, 2009, 06:44:44 AM
Great post.  Thanks for your efforts.

I might be too stuck in the way I was taught to try it, but it did get me thinking there might be a better way.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: BLUEBULLS on November 05, 2009, 07:01:50 AM
Nice job!!

that or quartering is the only way to get a deer out.

saves a little work when you're at home butchering too.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Blacklab on November 05, 2009, 07:17:36 AM
Great info! thanks for sharing  ;)
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: wolfbait on November 05, 2009, 07:24:32 AM
Good Job Axle, great pictures. I have done it that way for years, and surprisingly it doesn't take that long either.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: robodad on November 05, 2009, 07:40:59 AM
Quote
Tip: if you freeze them as a whole roast, you can later cut them into steaks. You cannot reverse this if you cut them up as steaks first so package them as roasts and you will have the option to turn them into steaks later if you wish. I only use the back strap as steaks. I use the roasts in a corned meat recipe. Another tip: get a Jaccard meat tenderizer for the steaks.

This is a great tip, I always leave them in roast form because you lose all the blood once you thaw them if they are in steaks, just package the whole muscle in packages the size you normally eat and cut when your ready, it really makes for a better meal !!

Also I carry a couple new folded shower curtains in the bottom of my pack to do this method in the field, it keeps the meat really clean as well, they are also great for a tent if you happen to need it !!!  :twocents:

Thanks for taking the time to post this up, excellent tutorial !!!
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: HardCorpsHuntr on November 05, 2009, 08:20:26 AM
Outstanding!  I've been doing this for years, but never to this detail.  I learned a few things.  Thanks for your time with this great write up. 

You're an Idaho wardens dream come true :chuckle:
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: mossback91 on November 05, 2009, 08:29:54 AM
theres a big mess in yer yard!
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: saylean on November 05, 2009, 08:39:53 AM
Nice write up Axle.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: C-Money on November 05, 2009, 08:54:26 AM
Like said before, thanks for taking the time to do a good write up on the topic. I enjoyed reading it and learned a lot from it!
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Buckmark on November 05, 2009, 09:00:00 AM
 :tup:, Nice writeup, Hopefully this helps out some people..
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: runamuk on November 05, 2009, 09:02:43 AM
Thanks for that.  I found a couple online and printed them to keep in my pack, figure if I am hunting alone it will be the best way to go to keep my loads light.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: PacificNWhunter on November 05, 2009, 09:38:40 AM
Great job explaining this, I wish I would have see something like this before I first tried to bone-out a deer. Great post.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Dipsnort on November 05, 2009, 11:17:42 AM
My method is nearly identical but I learned a couple of important new things.  Thanks for taking the time! :)
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Alchase on November 05, 2009, 11:29:23 AM
Question for the Moderators

can we get this thread and the other one about the gutless method pinned somewhere for easy access?

I think that would be awesome to have a "clicky" that references processes like this.

Nice work Axle
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Ray on November 05, 2009, 11:34:01 AM
No, we're not going to sticky it. It had already been marked in the articles section. There is a link on the right side of the board.

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php?page=Articles
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Alchase on November 05, 2009, 11:45:30 AM
That was quick!

Even better thanks Ray
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: bow4elk on November 05, 2009, 11:45:34 AM
Axle,

I've been wanting to do this for years!  Now I don't have to  ;).  Well done!

I'm a big pillow case fan as well and have been using them as game bags for many years.  cheap, washable, disposable, and if you buy new king size cases on clearance (Kohl's, Target, etc) they are strong and great for larger game like elk. I follow this identical process on all my game animals and it works perfectly.  Why people insist on getting into the guts or packing all those heavy bones out is beyond me!

Most of the time I do cut up my hinds into steaks, but I leave my backstraps in roast-size chucks.  My favorite cooking method is a dry rub or marinade, then jam in a meat thermometer and BBQ on indirect heat until it reaches 150 degrees, then I pull it off and let it finish to about 155 degrees on a platter before slicing into 3/4-1" thick steaks.  Juicy, tender and worth fighting over at my house.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: hoytem on November 05, 2009, 12:03:29 PM
simply amazing! i hunt with meat cutters and am not sure their method is that neat. we always gut, then bone. it takes me atleast an hour to bone, it takes them about 15 minutes.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Alchase on November 05, 2009, 12:05:45 PM
I use to use the old fitted bed queen sized bed sheets as game bags. If you cut out a piece were the elastic is you can use the elastic to pull closed the sheet (like a tall kitchen garbage bag) and tie it off on the antler.
Just throw them in the wash and re-use.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Savage3006 on November 05, 2009, 04:50:42 PM
Great info on processing. I bought this DVD set a few years ago and I learned a lot from it. Larry Metz Deer Processing I and II. Worth the money IMHO. :hello:

http://www.onestopjerkyshop.com/product_info.php?products_id=259
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Galpster on November 06, 2009, 08:18:20 PM
Great write up Axle. I would be interested in trying this with my bear if I ever get one. Would you be interested in being on hand for expert advise?
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: NW-Eric on November 08, 2009, 11:30:57 PM
ive seen axel in work, the only reason it took an hour and 4 minutes is cause he was taking pics alog the way, i watched him bone out his boys deer in less than 25 minutes... but he has had a little practice
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: eastside boy on November 10, 2009, 09:13:52 PM
Good info....thanks.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: KillerMiller on November 12, 2009, 05:18:56 PM
Thanks! :)
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: flyguide on November 18, 2009, 11:38:29 AM
Great job, thanks for posting.  This would have done me a lot of good 10 years ago!  A LOT of newer hunters will benefit greatly from this.  I especially liked seeing you pull the hind roasts off in one chunk.  I have never been very good at that, but am rejuvinated now.

Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: sa on November 21, 2009, 09:33:39 PM
Great post...Thanks for sharing!
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Mike_D on November 24, 2009, 06:14:20 PM
Axle,

Great article and well done.  I've never done this (only the old fashioned way) so I've got some questions. I figured you could use some.

1.) Near the end you were looking at knee to hip, did you lop off the lower leg?  Also I presume if this was a buck with tarseles you remove those or lop off the lower leg?

2.)When cutting around the hip (after getting through the ball and socket) I presume you cut on an angle toward the inside of thigh? (if you continue cutting straight down you end up in the yucky stuff)

3.) when removing the rear leg, you still need to cut around the anal canal right?

4.) when you removed the backstraps and neck, (at the neck part) you remove the entire all the way down to the windpipe?  (since this meat is round, does it matter where you cut in half on the bottom side?

5.) when working on the front leg, I always thought there was some shoulder meat that was pretty good.  Is it not enough to worry about (too small) on deer?

6.) Whats the best way to remove the most rib meat?

Asking alot of questions here and probably more to come, I'm still chasing whitetails for late season, and I can no longer afford to take this stuff to butchers.

md
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Axle on November 24, 2009, 09:24:15 PM
Quote
Great article and well done.  I've never done this (only the old fashioned way) so I've got some questions. I figured you could use some.

1.) Near the end you were looking at knee to hip, did you lop off the lower leg?  Also I presume if this was a buck with tarseles you remove those or lop off the lower leg?

I hope I can answer all the questions as needed.
The whole leg bone stays intact. I skin it as far down as needed and that is it. I try to avoid glands as much as possible. This method keeps you from cutting into the bladder too. Urine and other stuff from the digestive system can spoil meat when it touches. I don't 'lop' off anything. It is all knife work. I use no saw or axe.

Quote
Near the end you were looking at knee to hip

It was knee to socket. When you cut along this line, you will be amazed at how easy it is to get all the meat off the leg (except the hock) and it is totally intact. Makes it easy to bag and identify later. A butcher will know exactly what he or she has when getting something like this. The rest on the leg is just burger meat. If you can't tell the difference between roasts, don't worry. Just cut it as you see fit.

Quote
2.)When cutting around the hip (after getting through the ball and socket) I presume you cut on an angle toward the inside of thigh? (if you continue cutting straight down you end up in the yucky stuff)

I make the hip cut first (this is on the outside near the backstrap). The inside is a little tricky with the innards being close. I'm careful due to bladder and intestines and it may take someone a time or two to get this perfectly right, but once you do, you will love it! Once you are through the joint, it is all meat and not much to risk for innards getting in the way. My son got it a bit wrong his first attempt but his second time he did it just right.

Quote
3.) when removing the rear leg, you still need to cut around the anal canal right?

You don't cut around it. You will stay away from it by staying to one side or the other depending on which leg you are cutting. It really is easy to stay clear of this. slit the hide up to the anal canal and then you will be able to stay stay on one side or the other.

Quote
4.) when you removed the backstraps and neck, (at the neck part) you remove the entire all the way down to the windpipe?  (since this meat is round, does it matter where you cut in half on the bottom side?

Since I use all the neck meat as burger, I don't get pretty on cutting it up. There is enough steak and roast in the back and rear legs that I don't bother with cutting it perfect in the neck area. Anyway you want to cut it is fine. The cuts are easy except on a rutting animal. Then they get tough due to active behavior but they make fine burger. I try to leave it all attached to make it easy to transfer to the cutting table but it can get hacked up at times.

Quote
5.) when working on the front leg, I always thought there was some shoulder meat that was pretty good.  Is it not enough to worry about (too small) on deer?

I think when you say 'shoulder' and 'front leg' you are talking about the same thing. If so, the shoulder meat is great. It's just that I like lots of burger and use it as such. I used to cut the shoulder into roasts but ended up pulling lots of roasts out to make more burger. If you cut it into burger, then it doesn't matter how you get it off the bone. There is plenty of meat there, it's just a bit more work to get off. If you are talking about the brisket - this is a great cut which I didn't mention before. Brisket can be used in good ways but I usually burger it too. Especially on a small animal but on a big elk, it makes a great roast. As you can see from the final picture, nothing went to waste. I didn't eat the liver but I did give it to a neighbor.

Quote
6.) Whats the best way to remove the most rib meat?

I fillet the meat off the outside of the ribs first. Then I cut the meat from in between the ribs individually. Takes a bit of time but you will get plenty to make it worth while. Run the knife along one side of the inside of the rib (next to the bone) and then hold on to the meat and cut up the other direction. There is a trick to this too - make a slit on one side (next to the rib), then go a couple inches away and make a slit on the opposite side (but still between the same ribs). This will give a better starting point for the other side once it is cut off with the first cut (otherwise it is hard to get a grip on it due to it being a small flimsy piece of meat). This also goes into the burger pile. Older animals will usually have more fat layered in between the meat on the outside of the ribs and some folks may not want all that fat.

I hope this works and you get an animal to practice on. The more you utilize this method, the more you will impress your hunting partners. :chuckle:

One problem some hunters face now is that there aren't many butchers out there to go to. That is one reason it is a good idea to have a grinder at home. You can get some fat from your local grocery store to mix in the burger. I usually add 10 to 15 percent beef fat on the burger that I grind for grilling purposes. I save some for use in spaghetti, Mexican food, etc. with no fat added. You only need fat if you plan on grilling it and I grille a lot. If you pan fry it, you won't need the extra fat added.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Axle on November 24, 2009, 09:38:02 PM
One of my goals in this was to help hunters not only with time, but to help them learn to get the best meat possible. Especially for helping young and new hunters.

Many of us didn't have this when we started hunting and many have had meat go bad for different reasons which could've been avoided. I hope I've shown that this method is not only simple and easy, but it will save you a lot of time. There are videos on the market if you really want to get fancy with cuts of meat.

My goal would also be to see this taught in hunters ed. If anyone wants this in a word doc, just send me your email address and I will send it directly to you. You can save it, add pictures, change it to make it suit you, or however you like to use it. Just as long as it gets used to help hunters - I will be happy!
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: washelkhntr on November 24, 2009, 09:41:39 PM
Awesome write up and pics. Thank you.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Mike_D on November 25, 2009, 07:57:52 AM
Hi Axle,

thanx for the response, this will definitely help me when I get my deer, and yes, I was talking both shoulder (leg) and brisket.  Thanx again!!!!  Now to start practicing.... who doesn't want that deer they got this year??  :chuckle:
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: AKBowman on December 23, 2009, 09:13:26 PM
That's the exact way I was taught...you're not from Wisconsin are you?

Only thing I would add is to take the liver as well...I get it made into liver sausage its amazing! When I was a kid we would get moose liver made into sausage. I think an average Alaskan-Yukon Moose liver is close to 12 pounds which makes about 25lbs of liver sausage! Makes for good holiday gifts.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Mike_D on January 08, 2010, 05:45:59 PM
Nope, not from wisconsin... Kentucky originally, Military took me around the world and dumped me in Wa.  I've always been hesitant about liver, but I was never a huge fan of calves liver and onions as a kid, so that may be part of it.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Mike_D on January 22, 2010, 02:36:57 PM
Hi Axle,

Do you have this in doc format?  I had it once, but had a system crash.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Axle on January 23, 2010, 01:19:35 PM
Hi Axle,

Do you have this in doc format?  I had it once, but had a system crash.
Quote

Yes! I will send this to anyone who wants it. Use it however you want. Teach this to the younger generation and practice it yourself.
Just PM me with a direct email address and I will send it to you in a word doc.

Do you teach hunters Ed? Please use this if you do. I would be thrilled.

Mike D and Galpster came over a few days ago and I grilled a burger for them. They both said it was the best deer burger they had ever had. One of the reasons is because it was processed immediately and had no repulsive gamey taste.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: DoubleJ on February 24, 2010, 10:59:12 AM
Stupid question but, is this leagal to do in the field?  If so, how do you prove sex?  I was under the impression that genitals or antlers must remain intact to a portion of the carcas.  Am I missing something?
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: DoubleJ on February 25, 2010, 06:00:48 PM
Also, does this affect the aging?  I assume you just age the cuts like you would a hanging deer, correct?
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: bobcat on February 27, 2010, 07:38:31 PM
Stupid question but, is this leagal to do in the field?  If so, how do you prove sex?  I was under the impression that genitals or antlers must remain intact to a portion of the carcas.  Am I missing something?

Yes it's legal and yes you must leave evidence of sex attached to a portion of the meat.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: DoubleJ on February 27, 2010, 07:41:50 PM
So, what evidence of sex should I leave to what portion of meat?
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: bobcat on February 27, 2010, 07:56:51 PM
This is the law that addresses it:

Quote
WAC 232-12-267 No agency filings affecting this section since 2003 
Field identification of wildlife — Evidence of sex — Definitions.
  (1) It is unlawful to possess or transport game birds unless the feathered heads are left attached to the carcass, except falconry caught birds, until the carcass is processed and/or stored for consumption.

     (2) It is unlawful to possess or transport big game animals unless evidence of the sex of the animal remains naturally attached to the carcass until the carcass is processed and/or stored for consumption.

     (a) Evidence of sex means the head with antlers or horns attached or penis or testes of male big game animals or the head or udder of female big game animals any of which must be naturally attached to at least one quarter of the carcass or to the largest portion of meat.

     (b) For the purpose of this rule, "stored for consumption" means at the final point of storage prior to consumption of the meat.

     (3) It is unlawful to possess or transport goat, sheep, moose, deer or elk taken in hunting areas which have horn or antler restrictions unless the head or skull plate, with both horns or both antlers naturally attached, accompanies the carcass.

     (4) The possession of a taxidermist's receipt which includes the taxidermist's name, address, and telephone number, the hunter's name, address, telephone number, license, and tag number, the species and sex of the game bird or big game animal taken, as well as antler points or horn size and the date and GMU location or special deer/elk permit area where taken, shall be deemed to constitute compliance with this section.

     For the purpose of this rule "accompanies the carcass" means to remain with the carcass until it has reached the point of processing or storage.

     (5) It is lawful for persons who have complied with the department of fish and wildlife's chronic wasting disease sampling program to possess deer and elk without proof of sex under the following provisions:

     (a) The head of the deer or elk must have been surrendered to an authorized department collection site.

     (b) The hunter is in possession of an official department disease testing program identification card, completely filled out and signed and dated by a department employee or authorized agent.

     (c) The carcass of the deer or elk is transported directly from where the head has been surrendered to the point of processing or storage.

     Failure to comply with (a) through (c) of this subsection constitutes unlawful possession of big game and is punishable under RCW 77.15.410.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: DoubleJ on February 27, 2010, 08:03:14 PM
If I bone it in the field, is this considered processed?
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: bobcat on February 28, 2010, 06:00:27 AM
No, processed would be when the meat is cut into steaks and ground into hamburger, and then packaged for the freezer.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Axle on February 28, 2010, 07:51:49 AM
Quote
Also, does this affect the aging?  I assume you just age the cuts like you would a hanging deer, correct?

The meat will age just fine when it is boned-out. I process it immediately in most cases though.

If you age it, just make sure it is in good bags that bugs can't get into it. Yellow jackets and hornets are notorious for chewing the game bags and getting into the meat.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Magnum_Willys on February 28, 2010, 09:44:40 AM
Note - you may be cited in some other states like Iowa for "illegal field butchering" using this method.   Just a heads up.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: DoubleJ on February 28, 2010, 05:15:47 PM
Note - you may be cited in some other states like Iowa for "illegal field butchering" using this method.   Just a heads up.

But it is legal in Washington, correct?
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: OneShotJim on May 10, 2010, 01:13:58 PM
Thank you for this outstanding tutorial! I just started hunting last season and have yet to harvest an animal.  This will definitely come in handy when I'm handling my first kill.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: ELK SHOT on July 17, 2010, 06:38:15 PM
Ya know dout that is a good showing on how its done in the field.Not to much dirt and grass and crap, good job for who ever done it.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: DoubleJ on July 21, 2010, 03:21:35 PM
Still waiting for some people to respond that have actually had game wardens approve of this method.  I would really like to use it but, I am very leery about it.  Seems like too much of a gray area for me.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: BlackRidge on August 17, 2010, 02:24:24 PM
Great info!! The pictures really helped, and overall, great write-up

Thanks Axel!
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: cashmerekev on November 05, 2010, 07:21:37 AM
Great job!  I learned watching my dad butcher on the farm growing up but like the idea of not gutting..
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Decker on January 18, 2011, 10:09:53 PM
Excellent, thank you!
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: iRem on March 04, 2011, 11:37:25 AM
I always hunted with buddy of mine that was taught by his father how to cut up game meat for personal use. I never question why and how he did what he did just went along with it. :bash: :bash: :bash:    I always thought that I would be able to process my own deer and elk,   ;) and after reading this tutorial last year before archery season I was able make it happen. :IBCOOL: :IBCOOL:   Did I not only process my owe deer and elk last year I was able to process another buddies buddies deer with in about 1 1/2 hours and saved myself and him an extra $100 by doing so.  A big shout out for this tutorial!! Awesome! :)
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: NW-GSP on May 24, 2011, 08:14:56 PM
Thanks for posting this! Really good info!
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: wlandrum on May 31, 2011, 02:19:33 PM
Thanks for posting this.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: khunter#1 on August 18, 2011, 10:59:28 PM
How to bone-out a deer tutorial

I’m going to do this in several posts so hang on with any replies till I say I’m done so it doesn’t get broken up. I’ll be using a deer I just harvested as the volunteer for this.

I hope you have a knife with a gut hook. If not, then get one. They are great tools.
This bone-out method works on any deer-like animal.

First of all, don’t gut it out. There is no need to and you will see why in this explanation.

1. With the animal on its side, use your gut hook to zip all the way from the rectum up the neck and then up the inside of each leg. If you are saving the cape, then cape it first. Now skin it from the belly to the back bone on one side and skin the upper two legs down to the knees.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: sixty4nhalf on October 02, 2011, 10:26:50 AM
8) I must say I have never seen this done before, I have always done it the old nasty way before!
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Elkrunner on October 03, 2011, 10:09:39 AM
I finally used it this year and it was great.  I am still a bit confused on getting the dang tenderloins out so I ended up pulling the guts at the last moment to get them.  Can someone assist me with that?  I have heard of a few people cracking the ribs at the 3rd rib back to reach in there? 
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: jwd7777 on October 09, 2011, 07:07:12 AM
Thanks alot for the info... I hope to use it this year.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: AKBowman on October 12, 2011, 06:06:34 PM
Last year Dec. 1 I shot a big old fat doe with my bow and used this method. I've always used it and it works great. As far as keeping the head or antlers of a buck or elk naturally attached to the largest part of meat...I hope I run into a gamie that tries to give me a ticket for that one year. I hunt three miles back and I am not going to take an entire deer head out of the woods.

Anyhow hope the pics post
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: AKBowman on October 12, 2011, 06:09:38 PM
ready for the pack out
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: MMMike on December 22, 2011, 08:13:03 AM
Thanks for the tutorial.  :tup: On a deer I think I would just gut it out first...it only takes me a few minutes anyway. That way I wouldn't need to worry about accidently cutting into the icky stuff. I can really see where this would come in handy on an elk!
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Co on April 20, 2012, 08:47:10 AM
More guys need to see this.. so they stop calling me to come out and do the dirty for them...  :tup:
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: robertsjd on June 26, 2013, 07:08:34 PM
awesome post man . appreciate the efforts . thanks again will use in future
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Ductsquatch on October 30, 2013, 03:21:36 PM
Great post...........
Modified it a little for my uses.......
I don't have the nadds to post the pictures.......I tarped off my driveway and did the deed there.......would have REALLY had hard time out in the woods.....I haven't done this in over 30 yrs.......(long story)....
Did I mention I live downtown Tacoma........on VERY busy street.......ALMOST done.......no problems yet.....Not sure what the crackheads in my "hood" would think. :yike:
I can tarp off anything.......... 8)
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: stagnw on April 08, 2014, 12:36:12 PM
any way to fix links to pics? they aren't showing for me.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: bronczilla on May 22, 2014, 10:52:05 AM
any way to fix links to pics? they aren't showing for me.

x2, cannot see the pics either.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: M_ray on November 18, 2014, 09:31:02 PM
Also, does this affect the aging?  I assume you just age the cuts like you would a hanging deer, correct?

Actually aging is the process where the marbling of fat begins to deteriorate over time and works in beef but with no marbling of fat in deer it becomes irrelevant really ...

Ive done this back in the day, did I miss where you got the hangers or tenderloins?  not all that hard as the last step regardless. Also I have found this method works best if you are not going to save the cape otherwise it adds some additional work ... its been awhile since I could do it this way without having to worry about saving the cape.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Axle on November 26, 2014, 09:14:27 PM
Quote
Also, does this affect the aging?  I assume you just age the cuts like you would a hanging deer, correct?




Actually aging is the process where the marbling of fat begins to deteriorate over time and works in beef but with no marbling of fat in deer it becomes irrelevant really ...

Ive done this back in the day, did I miss where you got the hangers or tenderloins?  not all that hard as the last step regardless. Also I have found this method works best if you are not going to save the cape otherwise it adds some additional work ... its been awhile since I could do it this way without having to worry about saving the cape.

Aging deer and elk has no advantage (though some 'old thinking' says it does) ignore the old 'stinking thinking'. You will only get meat that tastes stronger with more 'gamie' taste. Those who quit aging their deer and elk will agree with me. I usually have all the meat in the freezer within 2 days. The only reason it takes me that long is because of work and family and general pain in my body that has slowed me down a bit. Otherwise, I would have the meat completely in the freezer within 4 hours.

As far as capeing, I will cape first (which is easily done) then cut the meat off. Taking the cape off will add a little time but not much and won't hinder the boning-out process. I normally sell the cape if it is mature enough. Taxidermists need them and it will pay for my tag.
I'm sure I mentioned how to get the tenderloins but I will say it again - once the back strap (loin) and hind leg is taken off, and you take off or relax the stomach membrane, the tenderloin is easily accessible (one side at a time). Just reach in and cut it out.
Once you master this process, you will never go back to the other methods. Getting the meat off and into the freezer asap will reward you with the best wild game you've ever had.
I've recently handed out jerky meat to co-workers who have said they would never eat deer again. They were amazed that they could not taste the gamie flavor.
For the past 3 decades, my mother-in-law has not even suspected that we have fed her wild game (and she's been an animal rights nut-case). She loves what we prepare for her and asks my wife where I get 'this awesome meat'. She wouldn't ask that if I strapped the carcass to the top of my truck for 2 days and waited a week to process it. My wife simply tells her that I go to the 'meat market'. Yep - it's a market that God gave us and it's awesome!  :tup:
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: aaronwyle on November 17, 2016, 03:32:21 PM
Hi Axle,

I'm working on making this into a powerpoint presentation to be used at Hunter Education classes, if that is ok with you of course.

If I can figure out how to put the finished presentation on here somewhere I will.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Debark on June 20, 2017, 06:46:46 AM
Thanks for the post, I will be sure to use this if i can land my first big game this year!  :chuckle:
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: alexramsey on August 12, 2017, 07:17:00 PM
Great post. thank for share this. very helpful
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: Hilltop123 on November 30, 2018, 08:14:23 AM
Dang none of the pix work? Was really interested in seeing this.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: screedler on June 16, 2021, 11:35:41 AM
This would be a lot better if the pictures all actually loaded up. Whatever server hosting provider is used for Hunting-Washington ain't got enough juice to load all this stuff up at once. Would be better in an imgur album or something along those lines that will actually return all image results at once... I had the misfortune of trying to load this up when processing my deer last october; this was not helpful with the technical issues that exist in failing to render images.

Oh and here's an example of what I mean from a technical standpoint, http 403 errors if you click photo links from the thread trying to learn more.  https://imgur.com/a/Yag5rZi

I guess whatever software was used to implement this forum looks at http requests that are timed too closely as a DDOS threat or something; really frustrating user experience. But i guess you get what you pay for LOL
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: bearpaw on June 16, 2021, 12:05:20 PM
This would be a lot better if the pictures all actually loaded up. Whatever server hosting provider is used for Hunting-Washington ain't got enough juice to load all this stuff up at once. Would be better in an imgur album or something along those lines that will actually return all image results at once... I had the misfortune of trying to load this up when processing my deer last october; this was not helpful with the technical issues that exist in failing to render images.

Oh and here's an example of what I mean from a technical standpoint, http 403 errors if you click photo links from the thread trying to learn more.  https://imgur.com/a/Yag5rZi

I guess whatever software was used to implement this forum looks at http requests that are timed too closely as a DDOS threat or something; really frustrating user experience. But i guess you get what you pay for LOL

It's pretty easy to criticize!
I own the forum and I am the one who pays the bills, from what I've been able to figure out the main problem is not with the server, the issue is when too many photos are posted on one page, such as the first page of posts in this topic. We have learned that one or two photos per post seems to resolve the problem of your device being able to load the page! I'm sorry for your frustration but don't see how your criticism is beneficial. I'll try to resolve the issue for future topics by reducing the number of photos that can be attached to each post.
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: bearpaw on June 16, 2021, 12:19:06 PM
Dang none of the pix work? Was really interested in seeing this.

If you remember we implemented a two photo per post policy for one of the meme topics and that solved the issue of photos not showing. The pictures in this topic mostly load on my laptop, if I reload the page when a phto doesn't show that seems to solve the issue for that post. But I think reducing the number of photos that can be attached to each post will help resolve this issue for many devices. Of course unfortunately that will not do anything to help this topic, perhaps someone could make a new topic with the same info?
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: screedler on June 16, 2021, 01:07:29 PM
This would be a lot better if the pictures all actually loaded up. Whatever server hosting provider is used for Hunting-Washington ain't got enough juice to load all this stuff up at once. Would be better in an imgur album or something along those lines that will actually return all image results at once... I had the misfortune of trying to load this up when processing my deer last october; this was not helpful with the technical issues that exist in failing to render images.

Oh and here's an example of what I mean from a technical standpoint, http 403 errors if you click photo links from the thread trying to learn more.  https://imgur.com/a/Yag5rZi

I guess whatever software was used to implement this forum looks at http requests that are timed too closely as a DDOS threat or something; really frustrating user experience. But i guess you get what you pay for LOL

It's pretty easy to criticize!
I own the forum and I am the one who pays the bills, from what I've been able to figure out the main problem is not with the server, the issue is when too many photos are posted on one page, such as the first page of posts in this topic. We have learned that one or two photos per post seems to resolve the problem of your device being able to load the page! I'm sorry for your frustration but don't see how your criticism is beneficial. I'll try to resolve the issue for future topics by reducing the number of photos that can be attached to each post.

Pointing out the 403 errors is beneficial information... I'm tryin to help make this a better site, I like it here! What I lack in hunting skills and outdoorsmanship I make up for by being a nerd! Has anyone mentioned it in this technical of a manner before? Like do you have a sysadmin that works on this site in a technical capacity that can look at this? Or did you implement this install of SimplePortal on some random hosting and BearPaw is the big boss? If so, check this out -> https://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=560194.0 may have beneficial information on resolving this error...

When viewing page 1 of this thread, please see the errors returned in your web browser's developer console (if on a desktop browser, hit F12) to see the plethora of 403 errors returned by the first page of this thread.

That is why these images ain't loading. I only do web application development for a living, been in the software industry 15 years now. I'll PM you my linkedin if you want to see, sorry to be a nerd in a not so nerd friendly forum.

Is the back-end all php? I do asp.net so this ain't exactly my baileywick but I may be able to help you figure out why this site rejects image GETs with a 403 after the first so many are loaded. That simplemachines link I referenced is an effort in that direction. In fact, the whole dang site freezes up with 403 errors if you try doing things too fast. :(

Error images from my browser's developer console in chrome browser running on win10 OS:
https://imgur.com/a/n4nPEip
Title: Re: How to bone-out a deer tutorial with pictures
Post by: bearpaw on June 16, 2021, 01:21:00 PM
This would be a lot better if the pictures all actually loaded up. Whatever server hosting provider is used for Hunting-Washington ain't got enough juice to load all this stuff up at once. Would be better in an imgur album or something along those lines that will actually return all image results at once... I had the misfortune of trying to load this up when processing my deer last october; this was not helpful with the technical issues that exist in failing to render images.

Oh and here's an example of what I mean from a technical standpoint, http 403 errors if you click photo links from the thread trying to learn more.  https://imgur.com/a/Yag5rZi

I guess whatever software was used to implement this forum looks at http requests that are timed too closely as a DDOS threat or something; really frustrating user experience. But i guess you get what you pay for LOL

It's pretty easy to criticize!
I own the forum and I am the one who pays the bills, from what I've been able to figure out the main problem is not with the server, the issue is when too many photos are posted on one page, such as the first page of posts in this topic. We have learned that one or two photos per post seems to resolve the problem of your device being able to load the page! I'm sorry for your frustration but don't see how your criticism is beneficial. I'll try to resolve the issue for future topics by reducing the number of photos that can be attached to each post.

Pointing out the 403 errors is beneficial information... I'm tryin to help make this a better site, I like it here! What I lack in hunting skills and outdoorsmanship I make up for by being a nerd! Has anyone mentioned it in this technical of a manner before? Like do you have a sysadmin that works on this site in a technical capacity that can look at this? Or did you implement this install of SimplePortal on some random hosting and BearPaw is the big boss? If so, check this out -> https://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=560194.0 may have beneficial information on resolving this error...

When viewing page 1 of this thread, please see the errors returned in your web browser's developer console (if on a desktop browser, hit F12) to see the plethora of 403 errors returned by the first page of this thread.

That is why these images ain't loading. I only do web application development for a living, been in the software industry 15 years now. I'll PM you my linkedin if you want to see, sorry to be a nerd in a not so nerd friendly forum.

Is the back-end all php? I do asp.net so this ain't exactly my baileywick but I may be able to help you figure out why this site rejects image GETs with a 403 after the first so many are loaded. That simplemachines link I referenced is an effort in that direction. In fact, the whole dang site freezes up with 403 errors if you try doing things too fast. :(

Error images from my browser's developer console in chrome browser running on win10 OS:
https://imgur.com/a/n4nPEip

I'll send you a message with more details.
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