Butchering Deer

How To Skin and Process Your Own Deer

Why is it that the same hunters who clean their birds
and small game balk at butchering deer? Instead of taking
a couple of hours to do the job right, they depend on
expensive processors or the kindness of friends. If you
think of a deer as being a rabbit on steroids, though,
you’ll quickly realize how easy the job really is.

As you read this you are, hopefully, tuckered out from dragging your deer out of the woods. Not me. Chances are I’ll be with my man Pat Greene, skinning other folks’ deer. It’s what we do, every year, for a processor.

While I appreciate the money, it’s something I never understood. Why would any rational hunter pay somebody else for skinning and butchering deer. It isn’t hard. Nor particularly time consuming.

If it were only a couple of dollars I could understand it better. But it’s not. We get $15 just for skinning the animal. And the processor charges $60 for butchering deer. Even at today’s inflated prices, you can buy a lot of meat or other foodstuffs for 75 bucks. Or take your spouse out for a romantic meal at an upscale restaurant.

I butcher other people’s deer as well as my own. I take my payment in kind, though, rather than in money. My fee for butchering deer is a hind quarter, one of the loins, and the tenderloins. That’s an awful lot of your venison to give away to somebody else.

There’s more involved than just money, though. If you put your faith in a processor, you’ll wind up with a handful of large cuts and a whole lot of chopped meat. Far more hamburger than I’m willing to eat. And that’s assuming the processor is honest, which isn’t always the case.

The first time I used a processor was up in northern Illinois, where the deer grow very large. Estimated live weight of this buck (estimated by the fish & wildlife people, not by me) was 305 pounds. The rule of thumb is that you lose about a third of the weight when field dressing. So we brought a deer weighing at least 200 pounds to that processor.

What we got back was a total of 95 pounds, more than half of which was ground. The rest included bones with some of the cuts. Unless you order ribs or chops (which we didn’t), none of the meat you get back when butchering deer should have bones in it.

I later learned that that particular processor was known for ripping people off. But I also vowed, then and there, to learn how to do my own butchering. Turns out it isn’t hard.

First step in butchering deer, of course, is to remove the hide. This is a lot simpler than many people make it out to be. I start by hanging the deer in a head up position. Alternatively, you can use a gambrel and hang it by the back legs. Either way, extend the belly cut you made when field dressing all the way up to the chin. Ring the neck with your knife. Then ring each of the legs, just above the knees. Run a cut from those rings, along the inside of the leg, to the belly cut.

That’s almost all the knife work you need to do. Starting at the neck (or one of the legs, if hung upside down), peel back enough of the skin so you can grip it well. Then pull. The hide should peel off like a glove. Very occasionally a little judicious knife work may be required to help release it. And you may need to use your fists, and even your elbows, for more leverage. The first time you do this is a learning experience so it will take some time. But once you know what to do, skinning a deer should only take about 20 minutes.

If you intend keeping the hide, fold it in on itself, so that none of the hair side touches any of the inside. Set it off out of the way for now. Not keeping the hide? Something else I don’t understand. One of the largest wasted resources is the number of deer hides that get trashed every year. A real shame! Instead of getting rid of it, turn it into leather and make some clothing out of it.

At any rate, now you’re ready to start butchering deer. First step is to break it down into major parts. This is generally referred to as “quartering” the deer, even though there are more than four pieces involved.

Remove the rear quarters, which consist of the rumps, upper legs, and part of the shanks. You’ll be able to see how to do this, because the quarters naturally form those parts. Cutting them will be like following the dots. Most of this removal can be done with a knife.

Now you have to make a decision. Do you want whole loins? Or do you prefer chops? Most people, nowadays, go with the loins because they’re easier to remove, and more versatile to cook with. The loins lay in a hollow formed by the backbone and the top of the ribs. Cut down along the side of the backbone, then, using the curved bones as a guide, remove the loin. Here, again, less knife work is required than you think. Repeat on the other side.

There isn’t much meat on deer ribs. Even so, they make a nice treat. I like them on the grill, using a dry rub at first, then finishing with a barbecue sauce. Alternatively, scrape the meat off the ribs and use it for chili.

Using a bone saw or hacksaw, cut the ribs away. It often makes sense to first cut them about halfway up, because they’re rather long.

Now look at the backbone, along what had been the inside of the rib cage. You’ll see two smallish strips of meat. These are the tenderloins, and if you don’t take them, shame on you. They’re the best tasting part of the animal.

Actually, that’s a lie. The tenderloins are bad for you, and instead of eating them you should send them to me for proper disposal. The way I dispose of them is to cut them into medallions and sauté lightly in garlic butter.

But I digress.

The front legs are next. They are not attached with a ball and socket joint, and will come off, along the shoulder bone (called a “blade”), with just a little knife work.

All that’s left is the neck. Using the saw, cut off whatever remains of the skeleton. Then make another cut as high up towards the head as you wish to go.

You’ve now completed phase one in butchering deer – you’ve quartered your deer. See; it wasn’t hard at all. The next step is to divide all those big pieces into useable cuts of meat.

When butchering deer, the process of converting these big pieces to quality cuts is even easier. Tune in next time and we’ll go through the step by step process in the second half of our butchering deer primer.

Click Here for Part II of How To Butcher Your Deer