kodiakhuntmaster

I took one elk to a butcher, and I'll never do that again. However, since here in TN after we get a deer we have to take it to the closest check station to be checked in, and the closest check station to me is also a processor, and I don't have a place to hang a deer on my property... I pay to have my deer done. I mean, I've got to drive them to the same place by law anyway, so it's just more expedient.

I'm going to go back to butchering myself next year though. Maybe by then I'll have some sort of a system worked out.

HuntAway

That is why we do our own. Be it moose, deer or bear. All you need is a couple of knives (a six inch boning and a 10-12 inch butcher), a sharpening steel, a good cutting board, a nice high table (so you don't have to bend over while cutting, preferably stainless), a role of brown butcher paper, a bag of elastics, a Sharpie marker, a grinder for doing up burger and a couple of beverages of your choice.

wyomingtrapper

It is more difficult if your lacking in space and equipment, but even when I was back in college--living in apartments we found ways. Line up someone who'll let you hang and skin in thier garage. We quartered and then took them and worked on them on kitchen counters and tables. If the weather is favorable, a piece of plywood on a picnic table or over a couple of saw horsed, stacked cinder blocks, etc... makes a decent outside butcher table. We used whatever knives we had. I did, and still do, most of my boning with a fillet knife or similar narrow, thin bladed, knife. Same knife works well for cutting steaks and roasts, though a longer knife is sometimes nicer for roasts. We put as much of our animals into steaks and roasts as we can. A decent portion now goes into jerky strips and stew meat as well. What's left over we grind. I borrowed a grinder for years and before that took it to a butcher to grind. We've never added fat to our burger. It is mostly used in casseroles, spaghetti, etc... If I can line up some beef fat, I may grind a little in this year for hamburger patties. I will be butchering a hog in a week or so, so will have sausage fat.

Phil from Maine

I do all my own as well, and use a meat slicer for cutting steaks after I have it all boned out. I also like to use bacon pieces for making burgers with. I have never tried to make sauages with it though. It always comes out nicer if you can cut it the way you want it to be done. I also have the wife wrap it for me.

James B

We always do our own big game but I got a early start at doing it because my Dad was a Butcher before we moved on to the ranch.