What prompted you to learn to process your own Big Game VS the Butcher?

[T Pearce]

Grew up processing chickens and small game, however once when returning late 11pm? To town with a whole well taken care of Mule Deer. we stopped at a meat cutter shop that had a big friendly sign that said call anytime...... we called, he was pissed that we did (dad pulled away after waiting 30 minutes for him) the next day dad bought the supplies and we boned out and wrapped the best tasting venison ever!
Pasco shop..... I'd like to thank him now.

[jtw]

I was taught by my dad who was taught by his, etc. The thought of paying someone else to do it doesn't appeal at all. I actually enjoy making my own cuts and sausage.

[steeleywhopper]

To this day my buddies all get together and help when any of us have game to cut. It's a good social get together and the kids get to learn as well. it's a heck of a lot cheaper to do a deer yourself then paying for it.

[boneaddict]

Its all I knew.

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

The Old Man taught me  from a tender age. As noted before it is a grate social event for friends and family!

[Fl0und3rz]

$

[mfswallace]

$

 

[Miles]

I was lucky enough to be raised in a family that hunted a lot and we processed all our own deer/moose.  I can't see ever paying someone to do it.

[Southpole]

I had a local meat cutter process my blacktail several years ago. I don't know what they did to it, but it all smelled like they processed a half rotten deer. That was the last time I had a deer processed by someone else. The Mr. had his bear processed by a guy in Curlew this year for a couple of reasons. For one, the weather was warmer than what we prefer for a carcass to be exposed outdoors and it was questionable if we were going to be able to get it back home without it spoiling. The other was not having time to finish processing the meat when we got home. Fortunately, the bear turned out good and we are happy with it. We acutally enjoy processing our own meat. It's as much of a ritual as the hunt itself. 

[T Pearce]

Besides a set of sharp knives, I learned to grind with the hand crank... #12 I think. I still have it. All greased up and under the counter. You clamp this to a board and I would clamp a 2x6 to the kitchen table (towel under it to protect the table) then clamp the grinder to that.
I guess if I thought it worked that well I wouldn't have purchased the electric version. Gifted and old KA 5 qt mixer awhile back.. mixes 4# divisions with room to spare.
Need a stuffer now though..
Grind cold/Mix cold (partially frozen) I enjoy it

[bobcat]

I agree with the money part, and in addition to that it's the hassle of trying to get an animal into a meat cutter when they are open. Also I remember, many years ago, calling around and hearing "sorry we can't take anymore wild game, we are full."

And again, back to the money issue, spending $100 or more for 50 pounds of deer meat defeats the whole purpose of hunting. I spend enough as it is on fuel, licenses, and hunting gear, I can't justify paying someone else to cut and wrap my meat.

A good way to do it if you don't want to spend $500 on a grinder, is to cut and wrap all your steaks, and take the remainder of the meat in to be processed into sausage, pepperoni, or just plain old ground meat.

I used to do this before I bought a grinder, and I would wait until late December or January. That way I could be pretty certain my meat wasn't getting mixed in with everybody else's.

[BackStrappin]

Took One Deer to a butcher in Idaho , Took almost 3 months to get it shipped to me ... I guarantee it wasn't the deer I brought in .

After that I had some help to do it on my own ..  It's still a work in progress though each year I should get better at it.

Reading all the horror stories about the screw up's at butcher shops .. That alone should be enough to make one want to learn to do it on their own.

[CoryTDF]

My uncle taught me how to do it. I took to it fast and have always done my own. I showed some friends and they took to it now I have a group we all help each other and get great tasting meat every year. The other trick we use is to sample the meat as we cut it. We cook up a little piece of each quarter and test for quality. If it's good, steaks, roast, ect. If it is gamey it goes into the sausage pile. Never had a complaint about bad meat from anybody because I won’t serve it if it's not good.

[Bean Counter]

I've never paida butcher.  I think it was easier to figure out this aspect than actually killing the animal and I just view but butchering as another step in the experience .

[jackmaster]

we cut and wrap all our own game, elk deer bear everything, we know what we are getting when its a finished product, i once took a deer to a meat cutter as i was leaving for a deployment and i didnt want my dad stuck taking care of my animal all by himself, i paid for it all he had to do was pick it up, it was flat nasty, they udes a bone saw to cut it up which drug bone marrow through the meat and it was just flat nasty, that was the only deer that wasnt cut and wrapped by us...that and its so simple to do