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

[elkboy]

I did not grow up in a hunting family.  I had to learn to kill and cut up chickens while I was working in the woods in western Washington during college.  When I got my first deer (age 24),  I called over a cousin from Montana who was living in Washington at the time.  She had cut up some deer before, and we cut and wrapped until it was done.  All we did was cut out the individual muscles, and cut steaks and chops across the grain of the muscle, and then wrapped in freezer paper.  Some twenty big game critters later, I have gotten a lot better at the process, but the first time was pretty successful, even with minimal prior experience.  I'd encourage anyone to give it a shot!   There are some good online resources, too, like Youtube videos.

[Hornseeker]

Im with Bone...

I have taken 1 deer and a few bears to the butcher... all the rest myself... OH heck...except my moose... it was 90 degrees and I was not set up or willing to go through the effort to keep meat cool for the couple days it would take... and I paid dearly and was NOT impressed with the job... ugh.

[robodad]

When the local butcher has a reputation for mixing game up and waiting for a full cooler to cut your game and just hanging game way too long you learn pretty fast to do it on your own. If you go into his store and ask for a sample of something you might like to have done to your animal he will take a package of someone else already done meat and open it up, give you a sample then repackage it.

I once had 3/4 of a deer to cut before I went on a trip and couldn't get to it before I left so I took it to him to finish, On my way back from this trip 17 days later I called him to see if it was ready and frozen to pick up and he said they hadn't gotten to it yet and were waiting for a few more to come in to get started on them so I just told him to keep it !! Lesson learned !!

[birddogdad]

the same that prompted me to work on my own cars, mow my own lawn ect.... I guess I am a cheap ***. if I can do it myself and have the time, why throw money away?

[wheels]

you know that your getting your meat and quality control

[KFhunter]

I was still in diapers helping process rabbits,  then chickens by the time I was in grade school.
Venison was always processed at home.


Now I'm getting set up to process my own hogs, first will be whole hogs for the low and slow BBQ then eventually cuts too. 
Right now I'm not setup for much more than a deer but that'll change soon.
I just picked up a scalding tub 


Within 10 years or so I plan to be a state certified artisan butchery just for selling my own hogs, I'd like to get setup for a post retirement hobby type gig.
I can't stand commercial pork and chicken,    

Just the stink on the meat makes me gag, having grown up on home raised animals I must be hyper sensitive to commercial "meat".

[RadSav]

I worked part time at a local IGA store as a butcher.  So I guess it just made sense

When I moved back to Washington I had no place to butcher my animals and I found an amazing butcher of wild game in Redmond (Ulrich Meats).  If they hadn't retired I would never cut my own ever again!  Loved what they did!!  After that I tried half a dozen or so butchers in the Seattle area and another four in Clark county.  Not a one of them worth the price even if their services were free!  So now, even if we do not have the time we just do it ourselves.  Big PITA, but at least our meat is clean, the silver skin is removed and you don't bust your teeth on bones and bullets in your burger!

[KevinClimbs]

I started hunting in 2006 when I was a poor college student and did not have the money to take deer to a butcher. I was hunting alone and had printed out instructions on how to gut the deer. Looking back I did OK other than I nicked the paunch. When I got home a friend (who also had never butchered a deer) helped me do the skinning cutting and wrapping, using online videos as a resource.

Even though I can now afford a butcher I just like having control of the process and learning how to improve that process each year that I am fortunate enough to bag a deer.

[T Pearce]

Like someone said earlier. What is the worst that can happen? Steak becomes stew meat?

[Stein]

Money and then the sense of accomplishment.  It now feels like part of the hunt and it wouldn't feel right if that part was missing.

Another reason is quality and the ability to do exactly what I want.

I didn't grow up in a hunting family and don't know anyone around my area to learn from.  A few dvds, Youtube and a general sense that I can learn pretty much anything was all that was necessary. 

[pinelockiller]

my grandpa always took his to the butcher, but my new hunting partner is a tight wad lol and thank god for it cause he has taught me more this year about hunting and butchering then i have ever learned befor. Also I find it quite fun butchering deer, it could just be the green in me talking but man havin acouple beers and shootin the *censored* with my hunting partner as his 3 year old is watching us butcher his dads biggest buck to date will be a memory that i will never forget!!!

[RadSav]

Another reason is quality and the ability to do exactly what I want.

It is nice knowing EXACTLY what is in your burger, isn't it?  "Parts is Parts!" doesn't fly around our place.  I prefer to leave that mentality to Ronald McDonald

[Hunterman]

My wife is a cheap skate.

Hunterman(Tony)

[billythekidrock]

Unscrupulous butchers, poor quality and cost led my family to process our own. It can become tedious at times, but at least I know it is mine and the cuts are how I want them.

[MuleySniper]

My wife actually started eating and really liking wild game since I started processing it all myself. Some of the best steaks I have had in my life were from animals I harvested and processed myself. It pays to take the time to discard as much of the fat, silverskin, little ligaments and what not. You'd be surprised how much better it tastes.
MS