# Sticky  Deer Processing 101



## Michihunter

A very close friend of mine and a fellow member of this forum, Rancid Crabtree, put this together as a tutorial. I think it's may be the best I've seen on the subject. Hope you like it.


Step 1. Harvest a nice fat deer with your bow.










Step 2. Gut it out and hang it. I like to hang them from the hind legs because I find they skin easier for me. How long you hang it depends on hot warm it is where you live. 










Step 3. Tell you Son you want to do a pictorial on deer processing and that he "Gets" to process a deer so you can take the pictures. Tell him to cut the hide around the hind legs and start to peel downward.










Step 4. Tell him to do more pulling than using the knife so that he doesn't cut the hide because later, you want to teach him how to stretch that hide on a frame and make rawhide










Step 5. Tell him that if he must use the knife, to pull on the hide and only cut the stretchy membrane that joins the hide to the meat.










Step 6. Before he gets to far along and covers the front legs with the hide he has peeled off the deer, tell him to cut the hide around the front leg joints and to split the hide upwards, towards the brisket.










step 7. Once finished with the front legs, tell him to continue pulling down on the hide while he skins out the neck. When he starts to whine about how hard it is to skin the neck, tell him that the next deer will be easier.










Step 8. Tell him to skin the deer up to the back of the head so as not to waste any of the good neck meat. When he has gone far enough, tell him to cut the neck all the way around until he hits bone.










Step 8. When he asks where the saw is, tell him that he can simply cut between the neck bones to separate the head from the carcass. Remind him that he is getting all sorts of lessons in deer anatomy that will make him a better hunter










Step 9. Give him a break and let him take a few pictures while you show him how you don't need a saw to remove the front legs because you can simply use a knife and cut through the knee joint.


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## Michihunter

Step 10. Tell him to change the pair of rubber gloves he was wearing to remove the hide and get a fresh pair for working with the meat. Allow him to stand back and enjoy the fruits of his labor.










Step 11. Tell him that he still doesn't need the saw to remove the front shoulders because there is not boney joint and that the whole thing is held together by muscle. Then tell him he gets a second chance for more practice on the other front shoulder.










Take the time to discuss arrow placement as you look at the front shoulder.










Step 12. Remind him how much he enjoys things like jerky and snack sticks so that he does not waste any of the trim meat on the brisket.



















Step 13. Tell him all about the best and most tender part of the deer and why it is called: "The Tender Loin" Explain that there are two of them and that he need only make a cut at the top of the tenderloin and that he can remove them by simply pulling them off the side of the rib cage.



















Show him what they look like after being removed. Remove any white fat before cooking. I prefer to remove them when I am gutting the deer (or very soon afterwards) If you don't get them out soon, the exposed areas will turn dark red/black due to drying out. If that happens, soak them in cold (ice) water and scrub them lightly to wash away any blood. DO NOT freeze tenderloins!! these are to be enjoyed as soon as possible. Freezing will make them less than tender-loins. Tell him yo cook them until slightly pink in the center with onions and mushrooms.










Step 14. Tell him that next to the tenderloins that the loins are the next best cut of meat on a deer. Remind him that those tasty grilled loin chops that he likes so much come from the back of the deer and that there are two of them. One on each side of the backbone. Tell him to feel for the hip bone and cut just below it and the to run his knife right along the backbone until he hears the tip of the blade clicking as it passes over each rib. He can then massage the loins off the back with very little knife work..


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## Michihunter

Step 15. With one loin removed, Explain shots taken from high in a treestand and what the bones look like. Show him the short ribs.










Step 16. With both loins removed, lay them out and explain how it's best to leave the loins in large hunks when freezing to avoid freezer burn and that he can slice up steak after he thaws the large pieces. Tell him that leaving the silver skin on the loins will also protect them from freezer burn and it too can be removed before cooking.










Step 17. When he starts to complain about getting all the meat off from between the ribs, remind him again about the summer sausage and breakfast sausage and ask him where he thinks all that meat comes from. Kids love it when you do that.










Again, take the time to discuss anatomy and shot placement until he is thoroughly sick of hearing about it. A tip off will be when he says things like "Yeah! Ok I get it already"










Step 18. With all the meat removed from the front half of the deer, remove the ribs and bag them for the garbage man. this leaves you with the hind quarters.










Tell him that if he really wants to use the saw that this might be a good time.










Step 19. Remove the hind quarters from the gambrel and have him separate the hinds from the pelvis. Then lay all the meat out from him to see. Tell him that this is where the fun part begins. Tell him that he gets to debone the front and hind shoulders.

Quiz him and see if he can tall you that the meat on the far left is the meat off the neck and that the meat in the bowl are the tenderloins and that the long, slender cuts of meat are the two loins. He will be able to tell you that the rest of the the meat are the front and rear legs.










Tell him that he will get extra points for being able to identify all the trim pieces through the clear gallon sized Ziploc bags that you will be freezing them in.


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## Michihunter

Step 20. Now that he is feeling confident in his knowledge of deer parts. Show him how the front legs work and what the bones look like. Tell him to look for the ridge bone that runs the length of the scapula.










And to run his knife on both sides of that bone.










Cut along the bone until you have exposed the entire scapula










Follow the leg bone and remove the rest of the meat. There is no wrong way to do this. This meat will end up in a grinder or made into stew or jerky. Tell him that this is a tough cut of meat as these muscles do a lot of work when he moves around too much in his stand or if the deer smell him.










Show him the three bones of the front leg. The blue object is a crude depiction of the heart. Tell him that the the leg bones do a pretty good job of protecting the heart but it still can be gotten to by correct shot placement. Tell him It is better to shoot a little high and he will still get both lungs and the top of the heart. Tell him that this is a deadly shot that will bring a deer down in very short order.










Step 21. Tell him that he is in the home stretch and that all that is left is the hind quarters. Tell him that the first thing to do is to lay the pair on the tail end and press on each hind quarter to see where the hip is. By spreading the hindquarters, he will see where to start. What he is looking for is the hip joint (ball and socket joint) No saws are needed for this operation and he only needs to cut the tendon in the ball joint to remove it from the pelvis.










Tell him to follow the seams in the meat and cut along the pelvis bone until one half is removed.










When he is done. he will have a de-boned pelvis with very little meat to trim off. Tell him that this trim will be used in those burgers or brats he enjoys on the grill.










On the inside of the thigh he will be able to feel the thigh bone (femur). Cut around and remove the bone. This is the bone he is removing. The ball joint is on the upper right.










Once deboned his hind quarter will look like this. This view is from the outside or hide side of the leg. The lines show him the cuts of meat that are in the hind quarter. If he were to leave the bone in the leg and saw across the whole hind quarter, he would have a "Whole Round Steak" Most folks don't do this with a deer and it is seen less and less in beef as well


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## Michihunter

If he follows the natural seams in the muscle groups, he will be able to take each group out. Clean up any fat and he is left with cuts that can be sliced into steaks or used as roasts










Tell him that after he has gone through so much work to process this fresh venison, you he want to make sure it will taste good even after it sits in our freezer for several months. Remind him that no meat is ever improved by freezing but that he can make the best of it by protecting his venison from the effects of freezer burn.

I prefer a vacuum sealer but not everybody has one. If you wrap your meat in butcher/freezer paper, it won't last long in your freezer. You need to use a heavy plastic wrap first. Wrap your meat in layers and press out as much air as you can. Start with a single layer of plastic wrap. Place the meat on the wrap and roll it up tightly. This will still leave the ends exposed it it is a large cut.










Next, wrap the meat in another layer of plastic wrap but this time, turn the meat and wrap in the other direction. Fold over the plastic wrap to protect the previously exposed ends.










While wrapping, squeeze out as much air as you can. You do not want a layer of air next to the meat. The plastic wrap should be in contact with the meat.










Now that you have two layers of plastic wrap over the meat. Wrap the meat again in a good quality freezer paper that has a plastic coating on one side. Use enough so that when you are finished, you will have two layers of paper over the plastic wrap.










While rolling/wrapping, make sure to tuck in and fold the ends to make a good seal. Again, make sure to squeeze out as much air as possible. Seal the paper with tape, Identify the cuts and the date and this meat should last six months in your freezer. I have come across a lost package or two in the bottom of my freezer that were a year old and they were just as good as the day he wrapped them.










Now with all the work finished, do not wait for him to thank you for the life lesson. He will do that many years later and completely out of the blue. Instead, take the time to tell him all about bacteria and germs and how a clean butchering area is very important and how cleaning up after yourself is a noble trait.


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## InTheRiver

Great post.


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## HunterHawk

holy smokes that was a lot of work!!! good job... thats pretty close to how we do all our deer also... This will be a sticky in no time.... Great post!!!!

depending on how hot we usually hang the deer right side up to drain the blood an all that before we flip it upside down like this....

this is great for beginners... thanks to you for posting and for your friend for the content.


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## andy capp

This should be a sticky!!


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## Rancid Crabtree

HEY! that guy is me. :yikes:










I processing tutorial is making the rounds. I'm glad folks can find some use from it.


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## Michihunter

Why yes it is!!  YOu did a fine job here Rancid. Kudo's to you and Josh on such a great piece of work,


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## michigandeerslayer

thanks for this post

I will have beer and heat in my garage this fall if you want to stop by??



Great Post


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## goemado

Wow! Great post! Excellent information! With processing running over $75.00 in my area, it may be time for some DIY action this fall - this information will be very helpful.

Thanks for all the work.


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## mparks

Very nice job. All those years of butchering mulies for Retch Sweeny, Pat, and Bun in Blight, ID has really paid off!

Seriously, I really appreciate the picture of the hindquarter with the cuts outlined in yellow. Thanks for taking the time to do the tutorial.


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## Laid Back 57

Exellent job.Some of the clearest butchering pics I've seen.


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## upmounty

very, very, very, very, did i say very good post!


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## Bowslayer

This is one hell of a post! Very good job, thanks for taking the time out to do it. There's always about 10-15 posts per year on how to process a deer, and now there shouldn't be any! Thanks again!


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## DANIEL MARK ZAPOLSKI

EXCELLENT POSTif i wasn't taught many, many years ago how to cut up my deer this would be the post i would learn it from!!!!!!
YOU SIR AND YOUR SON GET 5 GOLD STARS:woohoo1:


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## beemer

Excellent pictorial! This is how I process my deer. One ? What is your average time with this process?
Thanks again! Great pictures


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## jme

Outstanding. Very well done - thanks. That's pretty much how I do it too, except I debone the hindquarters while they're still hanging. Sweet garage, I'm jealous.

Years ago I knew a fella by the name of Rancid Crabtree. Great guy, but my grandmother didn't like him one bit. This was when I had a dog named Strange.


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## outfishin_

Thank you for this excellent post! Its second to none thus far....I learned a couple of tips thats for sure.


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## ybone

well done. i have read hundreds of posts about it and have never came across one like this. well done (not my backstraps, though). thanks for the time you and whoever else took to compile this info.


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## ridgewalker

Superb job! I have explained this process in words and demonstrations more times than I can count. From now on the new hunters look at this post which is more clear and to the point than I could ever be. Outstanding work!



_________________________

No one left out = full inclusion


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## symen696

Awsome post!


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## Chivo

Excellent informative post.


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## DEERHUNTERDON

Ive been hunting for 30 yrs, thats the best lesson Ive ever seen on processing deer. How I wish I would have seen that back when. Thank you very much for all the work you and your son put in . especially the ribs, everyone I know skips that part.


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## deathfromabove

Rancid Crabtree said:


> HEY! that guy is me. :yikes:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I processing tutorial is making the rounds. I'm glad folks can find some use from it.


Is that slick trick damage I see...............you are a damn fine mentor.......


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## Slick fishing

I never seen this post before and dam that has to be the best how to I seen on anything on this website, good job.. Cya Slick


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## motcityman

slick fishing said:


> i never seen this post before and dam that has to be the best how to i seen on anything on this website, good job.. Cya slick


 
ditto!!


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## spooledbseries

very good post this is the way i use to process deer very informative thank you


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## Rancid Crabtree

deathfromabove said:


> Is that slick trick damage I see...............you are a damn fine mentor.......


Nope, that is Muzzy Phnatom damage you see.

P.S. When I wrote that deer processing thread up I did not include any CWD precautions for good reasons. Don't worry about it, you don't have access to any chemicals that will remove CWD prions in the first place.


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## deepwoods

That is a great and informative post.


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## Uncle Lou

Nice, makes me feel wasteful. I thought I cleaned'em up good


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## WhitetailCountryboy

awesome and very informative post .... processing a game ur self is the only true way to get 100% out of a hunt.... IMO

EV


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## 7MM Magnum

That *IS* one of the BEST, if not *the BEST*,... narrative and visual depictions of 
processing a whitetail I have ever come across in some 40+ years in hunting.

Both you and your son did a fantastic job !! Hats off to the both of you !!

I certainly hope that Neal,.. or one of the other MODS on this forum turn this into a sticky! 

It would be quite beneficial to ANY new hunter who has those questions,.. but didn't 
want to ask due to feeling like someone might make fun of them.


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## Sam22

This is about the best post I have ever seen on this site! I may print it out in book form and finally try one all by myself. My buddies do a poor job in comparrison.


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## cayenne

Awesome job.... Now i can finally explain to my wife how to process a deer while i drink beer.... I mean supervise


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## LTCracc

Well Done Sir! Thanks for the effort you put into the post.


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## WHITE CLOUD

good post


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## kwcharne

Great Post! I have never processed my own deer befor, but with processing prices rising, I plan to this year. I will definetly use your post as a guide. In fact, I will probably have the computer on right next to me as I am doing it in case I get lost.


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## bluefin75

Thanks, wish I would have caught this Oct 1st. I thought I had done one of my better jobs of processing my own deer to date, until I saw this. Thanks for a few new tricks!


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## Frantz

Two things would make this perfect. A picture of the cooked loins with the onions and Mushrooms, but more then that, a PDF or other printable/saveable file of this thread, at least the important stuff just above post #2.


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## wfransee

If you plan to sell your hides, you will lose money with all the flesh on it. If you take your time, and start low near the abdomen/brisket to separate the skin from the flank meat, and then work your way back up to the hinds, you can peel that hide and not have any meat or "skin" on it whatsoever... It takes some practice, but once you get the hang of it, it is a piece of cake. Also, the sooner after the kill that you skin, the easier the job will be.


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## BarryPatch

Excellent tutorial.

I do things similarly but saw the front of the rib cage off with a sawzall and take the upper ribs off at the spine with the loin attached to make bone in chops with the front top loin.

Only other thing is I don't sever the head/spinal column until after I've removed all of the meat to avoid any chance of CWD contamination (unlikely as that is).


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## ashhoe

I need some help with step number one.


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## Beaglernr

From Pat McMannus lover to another, great post. I rasied my three kids cleanning deer which takes us just over two hours from hanging to the freezer. When my oldest daugher new husband came over to butcher his first deer with us he could not believe how fast his new wife was at skinning and deboning a deer. We had to laugh at him when he finally realized what a prize he picked up. 
Great post, fantastic directions, much better than I had when I started.


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## Rouxballs

Nice Job!

A Vacuum sealer is nice for the meat---Foodsaver

Take the Backstraps and cut them into 1 inch thick madalions.
Marinate them in an egg and dijon mustard batter.
Then bread them in italian bread crumbs.
Fry in a pan and eat---yummy venison.


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## JohnRambo

Thanks for the info. This is probably one of teh best and most helpful posts on here.


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## bucksrus

This is a great post! Helped me do my first two deer.

Going to inculde this link as well for all of us to use.

http://www.newjerseyhunter.com/video/deerfield.wmv


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## Roosevelt

Awesome job Rancid Crabtree. That video is nice too.


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## dwlk5

Great Lesson thank you


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## Wishn I was fishn

Bump


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## 782warbird

Excellent post! But where's the Top Sirloin? It's the most flavorable of all the primal cuts and the one that I enjoy cooking the most!


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## short stick

Very well done,I do mine the same way.


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## Michigander84

This is going to help sooooooo much. No way I'm paying a butcher when I have the internet, a brain, hands and a knife! lol:lol: Thanks, man!!!


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## DeerManager

wife won't be happy with the blood and meat all over the laptop this year when i attempt my own butchering! Thanks for the info, will help greatly!


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## WHITE CLOUD

BUMP :corkysm55


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## Hart

This is a great tutorial, and every hunter worth his or her salt should be able to perform these simple butchering steps with a little practice. You don't even really need to worry about the "round/sirloin/top round" technicalities. Just bone it out and cut up the meat into suitable size steaks. 

It's really not that hard - certainly not brain surgery.


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## Due51

I have butchered my own deer for a while now, and this post makes me realize how much meat I'm leaving on the carcass.

I have a few questions for everybody:


How do you clean up the meat that's been traumatized by the shot? Most specifically, how do you get rid of that bloody/gelatin like stuff that's on the meat?
Do you grind the shank meat with all the tendons or try to remove as much of the tendons as possible?
Hair? It's the one thing that drives me nuts. No matter how much I try, I still get hair on the meat and can't seem to remove it sufficiently.
Thank you for the informative post. I think it's great.


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## 7MM Magnum

Well I normally use the knife blades edge to scrape away any gell on the exterior left under the hide then cut away the contaminated and non contaminated fat from the exterior of the animal before even starting to cut away the specific portions. IE: hind 1/4's, front shoulders, backstraps, etc. Any internal meat damage gets cut away and discarded as well.

When I get down to working the shanks I personally try to remove as much of the tendons and silver as possible. We all know that there are many layers of these and all of them are impossible to remove but the larger of them I make go away. They just tend to clog up the grinder plate and blade which in turn means a lot of wasted time cleaning them out during the grinding process.

I've found that using a small hand torch will get rid of the majority of the nusiance hairs left behind like you would do with the pin feathers on a game bird, wiping down the meat with a dry paper towel sometimes helps with this task as well. 

Hope this helps,.. 




Due51 said:


> I have butchered my own deer for a while now, and this post makes me realize how much meat I'm leaving on the carcass.
> 
> I have a few questions for everybody:
> 
> 
> How do you clean up the meat that's been traumatized by the shot? Most specifically, how do you get rid of that bloody/gelatin like stuff that's on the meat?
> Do you grind the shank meat with all the tendons or try to remove as much of the tendons as possible?
> Hair? It's the one thing that drives me nuts. No matter how much I try, I still get hair on the meat and can't seem to remove it sufficiently.
> Thank you for the informative post. I think it's great.


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## timbrhuntr

This post looks great. I usually just take my deer to the butcher. This kinda has me pumped up to get a deer and try it myself.I just shot a big doe last night and I am finally going to get to try my hand butchering the whole deer myself. I hope I do as good a job as your son did in the tutorial. Thanks for the info.


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## Charles Hooke

in the photos I still note a fair amount of fell left on the meat. For those that do not know what fell is \Fell is a thin, papery bluish membrane on top of the outer layer. To my liking fell must be very carefully removed and yes it is a ton of work.

If you don't know what fell does to your venison's taste just trim some off and fry it up. All it will take is one bite and you will never leave it on again. Eating fell is a little like eating the shell of a walnut. The walnut nut tastes good. The shell....ugh ...not so much.


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## Charles Hooke

Also when I am meat hunting I always shoot right behind the eye. Sometimes I miss of course but remember this is meat hunting not trophy hunting. A head shot leaves one so much more meat. Another tip is to pull the hide as fast as possible while the animal is still warm. Much easier then. Of course not everyone has a place to hang a deer inside so this isn't always possible. Cut it into quarters and put it in a giant cooler with ice packs and work on it when one has the time. Processing one's one venison is part of the hunt but after one does it $75 would seem like too much if the butcher does a good job. Most butcher's aren't very careful about removing the fell. Keep that in mind. Also there is virtually no part of a deer that is too small to make a steak.


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## rork

Brother in law gave me a small book "If I killed a deer". It says almost nothing about butchering but has many deer recipes: slow cooked, fast cooked, ground, sausages. Author is from South Carolina and knows tradition there, but also knows traditions from around the world. I liked it because it is less about following his exact recipes, as much as it is about ideas. Deer with too much mustard and some capers (French idea, one of many), or too much allspice, turmeric, ginger, coriander (like goat in Jamaica), Persian tricks, Italian tricks, rehrucken like my relatives make in Germany, where you cut a chunk of back out that has bone protecting both toploins, like a double prime rib (done with their small roe deer, or chamois = gamsbock, a type of goat).
Or maybe you are looking for the book that calls for dried French onion soup, or Campbell's cream of mushroom - which is fine, but this is not that book. For me, it was the perfect gift, and a strategic one - the giver is expecting to benefit. He's crafty that way. Rather than buying a deer cart, he gave me one - so I get to store and transport it, but it's always there when he needs it. I kindly reciprocate: he provides me with exactly the right firearm for every occasion, so I don't need to own any, clean any, or buy ammo.


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## Wild Thing

Charles Hooke said:


> Also _*when I am meat hunting I always shoot right behind the eye. Sometimes I miss of course *_but remember this is meat hunting not trophy hunting. A head shot leaves one so much more meat. Another tip is to pull the hide as fast as possible while the animal is still warm. Much easier then. Of course not everyone has a place to hang a deer inside so this isn't always possible. Cut it into quarters and put it in a giant cooler with ice packs and work on it when one has the time. Processing one's one venison is part of the hunt but after one does it $75 would seem like too much if the butcher does a good job. Most butcher's aren't very careful about removing the fell. Keep that in mind. Also there is virtually no part of a deer that is too small to make a steak.


Sorry Charles Hooke but if we had a "Thumbs Down" option I would have to use it on your post here. Of course you are going to miss sometimes. Have you ever missed your mark but shot off the lower jaw so the deer died an agonizing, painful death? 

When I see someone proclaim that head shots save the meat I am unimpressed and more inclined to believe that head shots are an "ego thing". If you want to show off your marksmanship skills, please do it on the range and not in the woods with head shots. 

Just my opinion, of course... but I have never liked to see anyone promoting the shooting of deer in the head.


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## Ralph Smith

I have no problem with headshots if the deer are close enough. I'm sure your not shooting 200 yard headshots..:lol:...I'm still wondering about the "fell" stuff.:lol:... whatever it is, there's none on the meat I butcher. All the white is gone, we call that talo,silver skin and or fat.


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## bulletslinger

Decided to build a walk in cooler. Always do my own processing and didnt like to have deer hanging in the warmer temps. Hope to have it done by the 1st
View attachment 434319









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## bulletslinger

Outside









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## Martin Looker

How cold can you get this new cooler?


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## Wild Thing

Been thinking about building a walk-in cooler myself bulletslinger. Can you post up any more info on yours - i.e. dimensions, wall (insulation) thickness, what you used for a hanger, are you hooking up the Cool-Bot, etc.

Thanks.


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## bulletslinger

Should be able to get it down to 34 degrees. 10,000 btu air conditioner with a cool bot control. 4.5" of foam board insulation. Cooler is 5x6. 8' tall 

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## bulletslinger

Covering inside walls with frp sheets









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## kisherfisher

My son just finished his in his shed . 5 x 10 Exactly the same except an 18, 000 btu conditioner. After locating a second sensor in the unit (whew) he got it down to 34 in 2 hours. He lagged in a 2x10 with five , 6 in bolts for hangers.


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## bulletslinger

I will mount 2 rods the length of the cooler mounted to doubled up 2x6









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## bulletslinger

I am going to bend the eye bolts so I can hang spreaders on those. Then they should just slide down the pipe 3 hangers per side

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## Ralph Smith

bulletslinger said:


> I am going to bend the eye bolts so I can hang spreaders on those. Then they should just slide down the pipe 3 hangers per side
> 
> Sent from my SM-G970U using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


If your talking just bend the eyebolts into a "U" shape, be careful they don't straighten out on you from weight of a decent deer. Plus the might just break bending them. Might be better to get some "U" bolts?


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## bulletslinger

Heating them up with a torch. 3/8 bolts going to keep them short just so I can get the gambrel on them

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## onlinebiker

I built my cooler 15 years ago and it has cooled a bunch of venison. I have neighbors who bow hunt and they make use of it more than me.

Mine is 140 cubic foot. 6 inches of R13 and styrofoam, 2x4 walls, 2x6 overhead. 2 inch styrofoam floor with epoxy coated 1/2inch floor. Galvanized steel automotive drip pans to catch drippage. It will hang 3 deer.

My compressor is an 8000 btu wall shaker A/C unit with the mechanical thermostat removed. I use a 25 amp relay controlled by a old style mercury bulb furnace/ A/C thermostat. These style thermostats can be set to a lower range than design by simply mounting them out of plumb. 

You can't just turn one of these on and expect it to work. You have to run it at higher temperatures (50 f) for an hour or so on startup to prevent icing on the condensor.

Once it goes through the first few cycles you turn temps down a few degrees or so at a time.

It will get a big buck down under 40f in 6 hours and frozen in 24 hours.

The duty cycle at 35f is about 20% if you keep the door closed.

A remote thermometer allows temperature monitoring.


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## jrose

Michihunter said:


> A very close friend of mine and a fellow member of this forum, Rancid Crabtree, put this together as a tutorial. I think it's may be the best I've seen on the subject. Hope you like it.
> 
> 
> Step 1. Harvest a nice fat deer with your bow.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Step 2. Gut it out and hang it. I like to hang them from the hind legs because I find they skin easier for me. How long you hang it depends on hot warm it is where you live.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Step 3. Tell you Son you want to do a pictorial on deer processing and that he "Gets" to process a deer so you can take the pictures. Tell him to cut the hide around the hind legs and start to peel downward.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Step 4. Tell him to do more pulling than using the knife so that he doesn't cut the hide because later, you want to teach him how to stretch that hide on a frame and make rawhide
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Step 5. Tell him that if he must use the knife, to pull on the hide and only cut the stretchy membrane that joins the hide to the meat.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Step 6. Before he gets to far along and covers the front legs with the hide he has peeled off the deer, tell him to cut the hide around the front leg joints and to split the hide upwards, towards the brisket.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> step 7. Once finished with the front legs, tell him to continue pulling down on the hide while he skins out the neck. When he starts to whine about how hard it is to skin the neck, tell him that the next deer will be easier.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Step 8. Tell him to skin the deer up to the back of the head so as not to waste any of the good neck meat. When he has gone far enough, tell him to cut the neck all the way around until he hits bone.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Step 8. When he asks where the saw is, tell him that he can simply cut between the neck bones to separate the head from the carcass. Remind him that he is getting all sorts of lessons in deer anatomy that will make him a better hunter
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Step 9. Give him a break and let him take a few pictures while you show him how you don't need a saw to remove the front legs because you can simply use a knife and cut through the knee joint.





Michihunter said:


> A very close friend of mine and a fellow member of this forum, Rancid Crabtree, put this together as a tutorial. I think it's may be the best I've seen on the subject. Hope you like it.
> 
> 
> Step 1. Harvest a nice fat deer with your bow.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Step 2. Gut it out and hang it. I like to hang them from the hind legs because I find they skin easier for me. How long you hang it depends on hot warm it is where you live.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Step 3. Tell you Son you want to do a pictorial on deer processing and that he "Gets" to process a deer so you can take the pictures. Tell him to cut the hide around the hind legs and start to peel downward.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Step 4. Tell him to do more pulling than using the knife so that he doesn't cut the hide because later, you want to teach him how to stretch that hide on a frame and make rawhide
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Step 5. Tell him that if he must use the knife, to pull on the hide and only cut the stretchy membrane that joins the hide to the meat.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Step 6. Before he gets to far along and covers the front legs with the hide he has peeled off the deer, tell him to cut the hide around the front leg joints and to split the hide upwards, towards the brisket.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> step 7. Once finished with the front legs, tell him to continue pulling down on the hide while he skins out the neck. When he starts to whine about how hard it is to skin the neck, tell him that the next deer will be easier.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Step 8. Tell him to skin the deer up to the back of the head so as not to waste any of the good neck meat. When he has gone far enough, tell him to cut the neck all the way around until he hits bone.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Step 8. When he asks where the saw is, tell him that he can simply cut between the neck bones to separate the head from the carcass. Remind him that he is getting all sorts of lessons in deer anatomy that will make him a better hunter
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Step 9. Give him a break and let him take a few pictures while you show him how you don't need a saw to remove the front legs because you can simply use a knife and cut through the knee joint.


This is awesome, and should come with the purchase of a deer tag!


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## bulletslinger

Cooler is done. 1 hour to run it down to 34 degrees no icing problems. Cool bot works as advertised

Sent from my SM-G970U using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


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## onlinebiker

Whatsa " coolbot"?


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