Deer Down. Butcher it yourself? Bring it to a processor?

What do you do?

As for me, I've always butchered my own. Here's a 110 lb. doe.

Loins & Tenderloins


Boneless Roast from Hind Legs


Chunks from Front Shoulders for Stew or Daube


Bone-In Neck for Pot Roast or Soup


Ground Meat from Scraps and Trimmings

Excellent !! Haven't done my own the last few years but used to process all of em myself.

We used to process our own. But now we go to the processor, as you age time becomes more valuable, I have other things to do.

Good visual that simplifies a process that many are intimidated by.

just dont ever take one to Bluff Dale

I prefer to do my own processing if I have the time.

Nice job. I process my own other than taking some of the boned out meat to the processor for sausage and salami.

I do my own.
Processors charge by the pound so what are you getting.

You did a good job getting the silver tissue off the meat. That must have taken some time. The processor would never get it that clean.

I have always taken to processor but would love to start doing it myself.

" The processor would never get it that clean."


Exactly. That's why I do my own.

I don't trust processors.

We do our on. It is to easy to do, definitely not paying someone else to do it.

Looks a lot like I them, but will pull out the Eye of round with the hind leg roasts, good eating. On the roasts and Backstraps I leave the silverskin on if it is to be frozen and will remove it when frozen with fish skinning pliers, peels off real easy then.

If I dont have the time to process it myself, then I wont shoot. I just got tired of getting someone elses deer back everytime. Im sure not all processors mix everyones deer together, but I know the ones near us do.

I thank my lucky stars, I have a great processor. Knock on wood no horror stories.

Processing it yourself you know whats going through the grinder..and for sure your getting your deer. For me its all part of the experience de-boning, grinding, making sausage etc..Although at times i do get lazy and would rather drop the meat off and have it processed. Doing it yourself, depending on how you process , it can be pretty time consuming. Backstraps i just make cutlets and butterfly them, run them through the tenderizer and vacuum seal.

We've got an excellent processor here, he'll have it in and out in 3 to 4 days plus he's only about 15 minutes from the ranch.

I really want to learn how to get those cuts off the the back legs!

Not difficult to get those back leg cuts, just seperate the muscles from each other and the leg bone

I usually skin quarter and take out the loins/tenerloins and soak the meat for a few days.
At that point I either freeze the roasts or drop it off to have minute steaks or sausage or what ever made.

I let it age, grind anything red into seasoned burger meat and grill these days.

Hey, not all processers are bad, I take a lot of pride in the work we do, if you tried us I think you would be shocked. We are located in Gatesville

Mostly process & wrap everything except ground stuff at home. On the rare occasion when we take a whole one in we at least quarter it out first...Costs less!

Of course there is a downside to processing your own meat....

Will definetly be processing the first deer I kill just so I have the knowledge of how to do it. I will hopefully get my first deer this November when I go back up to VA.

after skinning and caping out 100+ animals a year, plus whatever myself and the family shoots It's money well spent to take ours to the processor...plus we get a nice discount since we bring a ton of business to the local shops.

Skin, quarter, process, cape... miss doing 15-20 every weekend.. some good times. Most everything I process of my own goes to jerky except for the straps

At first I was thinking, kinda an odd time of year to be posting this; somebody must've gotten a pre-season itch.

Then I realized the OP is from Louisana. Deer season, schmeer schmeason.



As for the op question, I have a great processor and it's not me so that makes it even better.

I get a great deal of enjoyment from processing my own. It's not hard to learn, and you get ALL your meat back, and you know it's your meat. I take an extra step, and vacuum pack everything that is headed to the freezer. It keeps it all fresh and yummy good! The last deer I took to a processor (in 1972 or maybe 1973) gave me back some really musty stink like a buck with the scent patches ground into the meat junk back. Pretty bad since I took in two does. I know that's not what I got back. I decided then to do my own. Never looked back. There are dozens of videos and books that will show you how to get the most from your butchering. Best rule of thumb is - if it's red, it's meat, take it off the bone.

The implication of your comment is offensive sir. I hereby demand satisfaction and challenge you to a slap down with fresh deer tongue - taken in season of course.


If you are adverse to the use of tongue (which I can understand, for surely you would be the recipient of a severe tongue lashing) I offer several feet of lower intestine as an alternate weapon.

By the way, there are two i's is Louisiana. But one does not usually expect correct spelling from a Texan.

Process it all myself. I make pan sauasage and jerky as well. I break the hind quarters down into 3 sections and make steaks. Just run them through a tenderizer. The only things I don't use are the hooves.

After some issues with a couple of processors many years back, I started doing my own. Over the years I acquired various tools and equipment to make it easier and more efficient. It was fun to learn and it really doesn't take me long these days. I still get a sense of pride in taking the meat from trigger to table.

Oooof. I meant to type Loser-ana. Getting called out for my spelling is embarrassing enough - we're even. You can keep the tongue and intestine for some venison gumbo or whatever else you crazy coonarses do with those pieces.

I usually bring it in to camp and bmd goes rambo on it. Takes him about 20 minutes to do what would take me an hour.

Loser-ana? Loser-ana??? This from a Texasanine?

Forget the tongue. Forget the intestine. We SIR, shall do battle with entire front shoulders. (Small ones, like those in Texas.)

And tongue and intestine is never used in gumbo, but chopped and used in jambalaya.

We process the deer ourselves. Mostly link sausage and summer sausage.

Looks like u did an excellent job. Wish I could get mine that clean