To Process my self or not to process myself. That is the question

[cayleigh2011]

So, this is my first year hunting.  I have been watching video's on how to field dress, skin, quarter and process my own kill.  However, Here is the question.  Is it worth it to do it myself or would I be better off taking it to a butcher to process? I don't want to get in a situation where I am missing meat from a dis-honest butcher, but I don't think I am set up here at my place to do it myself.  What are the going rates ( I am sure I will have to call around for this)? Really want to get this figured out before I bag a deer this year so I don't lose the meat.

Any suggestions, comments, processor recommendations for my area, ALL welcome.

[headshot5]

Processing game animals yourself is very rewarding.  You get exactly what you want, and have complete control over the quality.  That being said, I would not recommend jumping into it, if you are not sure.  I definitely would not start with an elk either start small until you get a handle on how it works (deer is probably the easiest).  If you have the chance to cut meat with someone else, or have someone supervise (who knows what is going on), it will make it a lot quicker, and you can learn some of the tricks to breaking down an animial.

Also, use a good knife and have a sharpener on hand.  Nothing is worse than a dull knife, when cutting meat.

[92xj]

Do your reasearch.
Butchers are like taxidermist.  There are a good bit out there, some good and honest, some bad and dishonest and lacking customer service.  Search forums like this one with folks talking about their experiences and what they have personally experienced. 

If you have the time, equipment and desire to learn do it yourself.  If all you want is steaks, roast and ground, cut the steaks and roast that you want yourself, vaccum seal them and throw in the freezer, take all the left overs and scraps to the butcher to grind for you if you dont have a grinder.  Steaks and roast are easy to cut, especially since you've been watching videos and already doing research, you'll be just fine with those.

[CP]

It’s not rocket science.  I processed my first deer when I was 9 or 10 years old.  Dad gave me 5 minutes of instruction, handed me a knife and saw and left me to it.  It might have been a bit hacked up but it turned out OK and each one after that was easier and results were better.

[lokidog]

Do it yourself.  I wouldn't worry about being shorted meat by a butcher.  What I worry about is QUALITY and more QUALITY of the processing. 

I had a moose done last fall on a Canada hunt and I still have to spend ten or more minutes cleaning up the roasts, steak, and stew meat as well as regrinding the burger before I can eat it.

[DoubleJ]

You can't screw it up.  If you make a mistake, or think you did, put it in the burger pile.  Your first couple of deer, you may end up with more burger than you planned but, you still have deer meat, and experience

[mrmoskillz]

I do my own and its way easier than I thought it would be.  Just follow the muscle groups.  Its like they were made to be butchered

[ctwiggs1]

I haven't done it myself yet because I usually run out of time to do it, but if you've got the time I certainly would do it myself.

Remember - most people eventually get suspicious of their butcher.  I'm not sure how many times I've heard "Yeah I'm not sure I really got my animal back..."

[Old Man Yager]

Check out some how to videos on You tube, or you can buy them online. Get some decent knives, and learn to sharpen them. I use the money I would have spent paying someone else to butcher it to get some of my deer made into pepperoni and sausage. Here's an example of cost difference..... One of my co-workers took his 4 point elk to the butcher. He had some pepperoni and sausage made, and that added to the cost, so anyway, he went to pick it up thinking it would be about 200 bucks, and it was closer to 450. He has to go make payments on it to get his meat when he wants some now!! So, anyway, you can see, you could save some coin by doing it yourself. Like someone stated in thier post, it is really rewarding too, you hunted it, butchered it, and ate it, so it's a cool way to add to your hunting experience. It's not just all about big racks, you get the satisfaction and reward from the whole hunt, start to finish.

[hillbilli]

Shouldnt every man with access to a sharp knife and a fire be able to reduce about any four legged grass eater to dinner size portions? Its something we all should know how to do. well worth it to learn.

[Russ McDonald]

Do it your self.  It is easy and you get satisfaction out of doing it youself.  You know you got everything you could out of the animal.  I have done all of my deer, with help from family, myself.

[724wd]

a good filet knife is indispensable!  that, with a good medium (4-6") sized knife will get you started.  vacuum sealer or heavy plastic and freezer paper for wrapping.  I would NEVER take an animal to a butcher.  it's too easy to do yourself to spend a bunch of money on it. 

1:  take your time (it can take my dad and i 8 hours to do a deer, but we're SUPER picky and EVERYTHING is COMPLETELY clean!)

2:  make sure it's very clean (dirt, hair, leaves, tendon, membranes... ALL GONE)

3:  keep it cool (you can keep it cool in a ice chest as long as you keep it separate from the ice/water)

4:  Leave the meat in chunks.  when you thaw it out, you can decide if you want thick steaks, thin, cubes, etc.

5:  label all your packages!  keep those backstraps separate!

6:  we don't hang an animal for very long, unless it's really cold.  most deer are cut the day after they're shot.  some people will tell you to hang an animal for a week... you're free to do what you want, but i've never seen the need to wait. 

7:  make it fun!  get your friends involved, have a drink, turn the radio on, tell lies stories!   

8:  making sausage/hamburger isn't hard, either!  if you or someone you know has a kitchenaid stand mixer, you can get a grinder attachment for them.  it's fine for general use, but if you shoot a moose, you'd want something a bit bigger...  some hog fat& a ham for sausage or cheap 20% fat hamburger to mix hamburger, you're good to go! 

9:  you can cut a deer on your kitchen counter!  bring one quarter in at a time (and don't cut the countertop!  ).  keep your work area, hands, knives, etc CLEAN!  Cleanliness = tasty meat!

are you rifle or archery hunting?  the WSAA (Washington state archery association) has a lot of members in your area, and i bet you could get some pointers pretty easy!  there's some pictures on their facebook!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/washingtonarchery/

[cayleigh2011]

a good filet knife is indispensable!  that, with a good medium (4-6") sized knife will get you started.  vacuum sealer or heavy plastic and freezer paper for wrapping.  I would NEVER take an animal to a butcher.  it's too easy to do yourself to spend a bunch of money on it. 

1:  take your time (it can take my dad and i 8 hours to do a deer, but we're SUPER picky and EVERYTHING is COMPLETELY clean!)

2:  make sure it's very clean (dirt, hair, leaves, tendon, membranes... ALL GONE)

3:  keep it cool (you can keep it cool in a ice chest as long as you keep it separate from the ice/water)

4:  Leave the meat in chunks.  when you thaw it out, you can decide if you want thick steaks, thin, cubes, etc.

5:  label all your packages!  keep those backstraps separate!

6:  we don't hang an animal for very long, unless it's really cold.  most deer are cut the day after they're shot.  some people will tell you to hang an animal for a week... you're free to do what you want, but i've never seen the need to wait. 

7:  make it fun!  get your friends involved, have a drink, turn the radio on, tell lies stories!   

8:  making sausage/hamburger isn't hard, either!  if you or someone you know has a kitchenaid stand mixer, you can get a grinder attachment for them.  it's fine for general use, but if you shoot a moose, you'd want something a bit bigger...  some hog fat& a ham for sausage or cheap 20% fat hamburger to mix hamburger, you're good to go! 

9:  you can cut a deer on your kitchen counter!  bring one quarter in at a time (and don't cut the countertop!  ).  keep your work area, hands, knives, etc CLEAN!  Cleanliness = tasty meat!

are you rifle or archery hunting?  the WSAA (Washington state archery association) has a lot of members in your area, and i bet you could get some pointers pretty easy!  there's some pictures on their facebook!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/washingtonarchery/

Archery for sure.  I will be talking to folks I know at the local archery club (Skookum) and see what they have to say.  From what I am getting on here, it's more rewarding to do it myself.  I really like the statement that: I killed it, butchered it and ate it.  I feel that if I kill it, I should be the one to do all the work, so thanks everyone.  I really appreciate the feedback.

[Eli346]

 I have a 4'x8' sheet of sanded plywood that I have applied a little bit of an oil (vegetable) on it to keep any dust from coming out of it, lay it over my countertop island in the kitchen, and go to it on cutting boards. We can do a deer in a couple of hours if we really want to. It usually takes a while longer by the time it's cut and wrapped. Elk take about twice as long. You'll love the results!
 If it's warm out I wouldn't hang for more than a day. Even then I put it up in the air (not necessarily hanging) on racks of some sort and put fans on it for a day. It'll cool it down real well. Don't leave the fans on it for more than a day as it drys out the outer tissue which then has to be cut off and it's wasted.
 

[JackOfAllTrades]

If you're not set up for it. Take it to a butcher.
 
-Steve

[BOWHUNTER45]

Do it yourself ...I let no one touch my meat after one bad experience about 20 yrs ago ... besides like someone already said ....it is very satisfying to do it yourself

[Bean Counter]

+1 to all the above. Unless you make a lot of money and have little vacation time. I like to take my time with it. I need a whole day to do a deer right and three days for an elk. I take my time with trimming, washing, etc. i hate seeing grass, dirt, and hair in my meat.

If you're not sure about making the investment in a grinder or not, you can always carefully (tightly) pack your grind pile and save it for next year. That will give you time to find a good deal on a grinder or maybe make friends with someone who has one.

[Eli346]

Cayleigh,
 Kenzmad just put a post up today offering to help out anyone who wants to learn to butcher their own game. I believe he's from Kent which isn't to far from you. I'd take him up on it if I were you. Check it out!

[ReformedVeg]

Definitely do it your self.  Its rewarding.  You know exactly what you have and how it got that way.  And next time it will be easier and better.

I processed my first deer this year and it was slow, 9 hours if I'm being honest.  Just take your time, stop and CLEAN your tools frequently, keep everything cool, and enjoy knowing you earned it.  If you make a mistake, it likely just means you have one less steak and a little more burger. 

[huntingfool7]

Quite a few years ago, I had a S. Hill butcher send my deer burger home with gravel in it.  I know it was my buck because I eventually found the 12 gauge slug that I slew him with in a steak with a wad of blood and hair sticking out of it.  Been cutting them myself ever since. 

I'm in Puyallup also.  If you whack one this year, give me a buzz and I'll help you cut it.  PMing you my #

Good luck,
James

[KopperBuck]

8-9 hours for a deer? That would kill me. 2 hours max for me, and it's clean. Don't think that this is such a big deal, it isn't. Just cut with the muscle groups, do some research on what cuts are better for the pot vs the grill or grinder.

Like it was said before, decide before hand which choice cuts you want. The rest you can freeze for later use. I don't take many, if any, roasts from a deer. Everything but the goodies is ground into some kind of sausage, or made into jerky.

If you're going to do sausage I suggest waiting until you have a two evenings or a weekend free. The cure time for much of the stuff requires time.

Lots of good advice here, one thing not mentioned is make sure you are going to be comfortable. Especially your first time, it'll take you a little longer. I'm a taller guy and bending over for long periods kills me. I made a raised platform just for this purpose. Something to think about...

[ghosthunter]

Depends

For elk I hunt out of a camp. Black powder. The weather is warm most the time. 150 miles from home and not planning to go home till after deer season.
Heck we skin it and drive it the 20 miles to Nile Meats.
He cuts , wraps and freezes it. We pick it up. When we are done hunting. $150.00.
No fuss.

For deer we are 100 miles from home cooler weather. We bone any deer out ourselves and run it home if we need too.

I have done it both ways, now in my senior years I am more prone to take to the butcher . The secret a quality butcher .

I will add that ( off topic) you get back what you take in. I stood outside nile meats one afternoon while my buddies were filling out paper work and watched the butcher turn away several elk. I could not understand how people could spend tons of Money to hunt, and treat meat the way they do.
Covered in mud, dirt, hide still on and 60 degrees out.,  chopped up with a hatchet, stinking meat. Some green on edges.

Just. A waste. Anyone can kill one how you treat it after the shot is what's important.

[Bean Counter]

Just. A waste. Anyone can kill one how you treat it after the shot is what's important.

Well said.

[jechicdr]

All it takes to butcher an animal is a filet knife and possibly a meat grinder.  Took a deer to a butcher once...once.  I got a pile of "jerky" that had fat and tendons still attached.  I got some "round" steaks and some burger.  That time I was smart enough to cut out the backstrap and tenderloins before giving up the rest for processing.  The only thing that came out really good was the pepperoni sticks.  When I process myself, I get a lot of lean, tendon and membrane free steaks of various sizes and a little bit of burger and strips of steak that would work as well in a stir fry/bulgogi/or tender jerky.

My method involves carefully cutting each muscle segment from the other muscle segments and bones.  Then just filet away any dry or oxidized meat, tendons, and membranes.  Determine the grain of the meat and just cut across the grain ~1 inch thick.  Some muscle groups have a large tendon or membrane going through the middle, in those, sometimes I'll cut across the grain and then trim the membranes and tendons out.  I divide my meat up based on quarter of the animal and the size of the steaks.  Anything too small to be called stew/steak/strip gets ground for burger.  This last year I got an elk and two deer, so I already had plenty of steaks, so I ground most of the front shoulders on the deer for burger, but on a leaner year, I'll try and get a few medium and small steaks from the front quarters.  The hindquarters yield the largest amount of steaks mostly in the medium to large range with a few smaller ones.  Muscles around the chest cavity yield most of the strips.  Back strap are the easiest to clean up once you cut them away from the underlying spine and ribs.