How many men still know how to butcher???

[KDM]

In the last few years dealing with youngsters and hunting in MN, I've come to realize that VERY FEW of those that deer hunt know how to skin and butcher a deer, let alone a cow, hog, or other big critter. Most seem to take their deer to a locker to be processed. Many know how to breast out a bird, but when it comes to skinning the whole bird, the number that know how to do that drops quickly. Is the knowledge of how to butcher critters becoming a lost art??

 

[BP338]

I'm not great at it, but I do all my own processing. I'm still learning though. It's a good time to do it with the family.

 

[Lycanthrope]

I dont know if id qualify as a 'butcher', but I can get most of the meat off a carcass in a reasonable amount of time. Skinning is more of a PITA than removing the meat IMO....

 

[guywhofishes]

I still do it all. I started early - skinning and drying mouse hides in our fort. Little tiny miniatures of deer hides on the walls. Ha ha.

I often deer hunt alone. Dealing with deer alone is an interesting activity.

Super rewarding somehow. Boy does a guy want a toddy when that's over.

 

[SDMF]

Butchering has changed. Now instead of meat, people butcher spelling and sentence/paragraph structure.

 

[wjschmaltz]

Support your local butcher.

Sincerely,

Mr. Schmaltz

 

[Shockwave]

We still do our own. We have even started buying a whole hog every year instead of buying pork butts. We keep what we need for sausage and then have ribs, loins, chops and make bacon.

 

[Rowdie]

HAND RAISED :;:howdy

 

[snow1]

Good question KDM,I no longer deer hunt,but in my younger days,bow hunting was my crack,my area allowed me and land owners nuisance deer tags,5 apiece,we shot many nice deer on our local apple orchard farm,my deer harvested we hung/skun when warm ,buchered steaks,chops,roasts myself always deboned,whitetail tallow and bone marrow on the meat sucks,scrapes went to local butcher for sticks/sausage...recent years our deer in september were infested with ticks,mostly black legged ticks (deer ticks),dang critters would be all over us skinning the deer,buddy got lyme,almost died from it, caught the symtoms to late,still has nerve issues from lyme (hands and feet),so now it's steaks at my house,I butcher the hell outof a big ole ribeye.

Only hogs I've done were pig roasts,so I'm out on hogz.

 

[LBrandt]

Me know how. Ugh lb

 

[Duckslayer100]

I could never afford to have my deer processed. It was out of necessity that I learned it. Rented a VHS back in high school after seeing a live demonstration from a butcher at Gander Mountain where I worked. This was 20 years ago. I've butchered every deer since then I've shot, and many more killed by others.

Wouldn't have it any other way! I take a lot of pride in getting every scrap off my deer, and our family enjoys it throughout the year as much as possible. Lord willing, I'll get more than one deer this year, so we don't have to ration the venison has much!

I'd love to learn how to butcher other critters. I'd also really like to figure out "bone-in" cuts to try something new.

 

[Mort]

Ah the lost art of butchering your own kill, should be a 'must' for all wanna be or soon to be hunters. Kids these day all they want to do the 'fun' stuff of hunting but not the dirty work.

 

[Lycanthrope]

I could never afford to have my deer processed. It was out of necessity that I learned it. Rented a VHS back in high school after seeing a live demonstration from a butcher at Gander Mountain where I worked. This was 20 years ago. I've butchered every deer since then I've shot, and many more killed by others.

Wouldn't have it any other way! I take a lot of pride in getting every scrap off my deer, and our family enjoys it throughout the year as much as possible. Lord willing, I'll get more than one deer this year, so we don't have to ration the venison has much!

I'd love to learn how to butcher other critters. I'd also really like to figure out "bone-in" cuts to try something new.

Bones are for dogs...

 

[Sluggo]

I've helped butcher more deer, hogs and a beef than I care to remember. Especially the gut shot ones altho that was usually just an occasional deer as pa could usually hit the hog or steer between the eyes We used to do a family hog butchering weekend each year but my family no longer raises hogs.

What's the rule on how soon you should gut and skin a deer after it is shot??

 

[riverview]

when i was a kid dad used to go around to farms and butcher cattle and hogs for people. learned very young what happens when you poke a cow stomach with a stick a few hours after its been gutted. still pluck all my birds

 

[Jiffy]

Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. Do I know how? Yep, it's really not a big deal honestly.

I can't make Habanero Sticks like these guys do. I'm hopelessly addicted to them.

https://www.greatfrontiermeats.com/about-us/

They get all of my business.

 

[Trapper62]

We do all of our own, grew up doing pretty much every domestic we had; chickens, turkey, hogs, beef, lamb plus everything we hunted we had to eat so learned to process all those as well.

Just built a walk in cooler so that butchering, sausage making, etc. doesn't have to be a fall/winter only project. Kids were home this past weekend and we made 60 pounds of sausage and 15 pounds of jerky along with some pulled pork. I really can't enjoy eating waterfowl anymore (ate to many as a kid), but I love to brine and smoke them, tastes great that way.

 

[Retired Educator]

I know how and so do my kids and most of the grandkids have at least learned enough to do it if necessary. Also enjoy making sausage and other goodies. Have a small group who shares a sausage making day. Good chance to make some sausages as well as share a beverage of two (and usually more). Always include kids or grandkids in this as it's a good way to learn and share time together. It's not really that hard. Some use old family recipes but there are also some very good sausage mixes as well as jerky and stick mixtures as well.

Some of the equipment can be pricey if bought all at once but if you have a group you don't all need the different pieces. Share the work and equipment. Nothing more enjoyable than sharing some meat you've processed and then getting some compliments on how good it is.

 

[PrairieGhost]

Have butchered since 1958 helping on the farm. Only city folks went to a butcher those years. I have an electric grinder now, but when the wife and I first got married I picked up this little hand grinder I don't even think was meant for meat. I paid under $10 for that little suction cup bas grinder and ran a deer through it every year from 1971 to 1993. I don't think I ate anyting other than summer sausage sandwiches at work those years until my doctor told me to cut it out because of high cholesterol. Now i don't gut a deer I simply bone out the meat where the deer falls. Sure beats dragging to. I spent most of one day pulling every tendon and got a buck down to 62 pounds. No bones, no fat, not even tendons or silver skin.Je

These days its no sausage. Half of it's jerky for the grandkids who think it's candy. A few backstrap steaks brushed with oil and ground fine mesquite seasoning then on the grill. Stir fry with venison is good, curry venison with peppers and mushrooms in gravy over brown rice is good, but my favorite is stew. I could eat stew every day.

 

[BP338]

We do all of our own, grew up doing pretty much every domestic we had; chickens, turkey, hogs, beef, lamb plus everything we hunted we had to eat so learned to process all those as well.

Just built a walk in cooler so that butchering, sausage making, etc. doesn't have to be a fall/winter only project. Kids were home this past weekend and we made 60 pounds of sausage and 15 pounds of jerky along with some pulled pork. I really can't enjoy eating waterfowl anymore (ate to many as a kid), but I love to brine and smoke them, tastes great that way.

If you don't mind me asking, how did you build a walk-in cooler? This is something that I feel every hunter has to have...and that I will have one day!