Looking for DIY Deer Processing Ideas

[JFish]

I took a deer to be processed and do not want to pay those prices every time I shoot a deer. I’d also rather process my own meat, so I’m looking for some ideas to process deer in my garage once it’s cold enough. I figured mounting a harbor freight winch would be the way to go. I’m also open to doing it in the backyard and testing the HOA rules. Anyone have any inexpensive DIY setups or ideas?

 

[np307]

Quarter in the field. Makes life much easier in many different ways.

 

[Straight Arrow]

Whether deer or elk, dealing with quarters is much easier if you're solo in the field and also for hanging and processing.

I hang quarters from rafters in my shop which typically remains at the right temperature during the late fall hunting season. After some aging of the quarters, I then bone out the meat and take it inside to a countertop and cutting surface, where I cut and package, and grind and package.

 

[JLS]

Buy a pulley system if you need to hang a whole deer. I’ve used a come along as well.

You can do it in the backyard if you want. I do deer and elk on my kitchen counter. Have for many years.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

Yeah I just do mine in the house too. Garage is good. I wouldn’t overthink it.

 

[rwc101]

I know some public lands out east won't allow quartering in the field. In that case garage + gambrel + kiddie pool works well.

 

[Gellar]

Use the search feature as there has been some good threads on this in the past. All you really need to get started is a knife and sharpener, cutting boards and a hoist. As you dial in on what you want to make you will refine and add to your equipment.

 

[WapitiBob]

I have done mine for years after getting advice from an old timer

quarter in the field
buy a 5' folding table from walmart
1/8" x 2' x 4' hdpe plastic sheet (cutting board)
1 fillet knife, 1 havalon piranta
separate every muscle following the membrane lines
fillet off the outer crust (crust side down)
cut into steaks, roasts, chunks for burger

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

I use my kitchen table. In fact, cutting up a moose right now.

 

[Pucky Freak]

Tailgate, 3 mil plastic sheeting, large cutting board. Quarters fit nicely across the tailgate. Toss the bones and scraps in the bed, roll up and toss when you’re done. No need to hoist anything.

 

[Dave N]

I have to get deer out whole so I hang in the shed with a chain hoist until I'm ready to butcher. I then quarter it and use the kitchen counter for processing. I lay a heavy vinyl tablecloth over the countertop and bone everything out. I have a large plastic cutting board to make all of my cuts on. Cut it how I want it, vacuum seal roasts, steaks and stew meat, then grind the scraps and seal for burger packages.

 

[JFish]

Good replies and ideas. I would like to try quartering in the field on public, but Id like a colder day since Ive never done it. One of the farms I hunt the property is small and the old man is nice enough to drive to the deer and drive it out to my truck whole.

I think I’ll get myself a pulley system and a tarp for the occasions I have a whole deer. I like the kiddie pool idea too.

 

[Bob-WY]

Start simple, not very hard to get a rope over a rafter and high enough to get the nose off the ground.

Knife to skin and butcher. We use 2 saw horses and an old kitchen counter top. Then you ha e to wrap and freeze, we've moved to vacuum sealer and going right into bags

 

[Steiny]

Can't always rely on cold weather so we typically get the deer broken down into quarters and big pieces, then into a 120 qt cooler on ice right away. Can then take your time deboning, butchering, and processing over the course of a a couple evenings if necessary. A sawzall is nice for cutting off legs, cutting through spine, pelvis, etc., but a hand saw will work.

All you really need is some good table space, cutting board, a couple sharp knives, a small tub to put meat in, and a grinder. I use a vac sealer to package, but we did it for decades in white butcher paper and it worked fine.

 

[Bob-WY]

You don't need a saw unless you are turning shanks to oso bucco. No other bone needs cutting

 

[LuketheDog]

Do it in the kitchen, put the kids to work on the vacuum sealer...

 

[DRAFTSTUD]

All of the above ideas are good! So you have your deer on the ground, spend the money for a good knife for skinning and breaking down your Deer or Elk. Do you have a nice set of knives and stones to process the animal. I take large aluminum pans and place the cuts or quarters in a Fridge for a couple of days so it dries out and is easier to cut into steaks and Burger grind chunks. When starting out years ago I would buy myself one item for processing. First year was a LEM 3/4 hp #12 Grinder. I also bought the Paper Roll holder and tape dispenser. Now I could make Sausage and Summer Sausages! Next I added a Meat Tenderizer for the Grinder, great tool. I think the next items I bought were the large meat mixer and Sausage Stuffer along with Hognose ring tool for my sausage bags. This year I have done 3 Deer and plan on doing a couple of batches of Venison Bacon! https://www.curleyssausagekitchen.com/collections/seasonings/products/venison-bacon

All of this extends the joys of bringing an animal to the plate! Good Luck! John

 

[ccc23454]

If mainly doing deer and such, a trailer hitch hoist works great if space is limited

 

[Jamen]

We process deer for people in the fall. Most we have done is 151 in a year. That being said i will tell what we do in our garage. We have an electric winch with a gambrel. We have a homemade gambrel it is wider than most you get at sporting goods stores. We have used a hand come along before when our winch took a dive. That would be the cheapest route unless you had more uses for the winch. We use 2 stainless steel tables one with a custom made cutting board that fits the one table. We use the tables for other applications so it made sense to get them. Otherwise a folding table works well. I also use a propane torch to singe the hair once the hide is off. doesn't do anything to the meat and gets the majority of the remaining hair.

I hate tarps on the floor they get slippery and can trip on them and suck to fold up with blood in them. I get large sheets of cardboard from the grocery store and put them under the deer soaks up the blood and can be disposed of pretty easy. We bought a hitch hoist for our mule deer trip since we couldn't transport the whole animal out of the unit. that worked really well and is a good option.

As stated above quarters are easier to handle but in my experience the deer we have had brought in the quarters come a lot dirtier than whole deer. That comes down to the hunter they mainly toss the quarters on the grass or where ever. The nice thing about having the entire animal is you can take your time and get a lot of the trim meat.

 

[MT_Chad]

I have a couple block and tackle fence stretchers I use to hoist mine up, paid a couple buck at garage sales for them. Have a couple old gambrels I got from my grandpa that are commercial hog gambrels. Got a couple cabinets from a friend who was remodeling his kitchen, put 4x4s under it to raise them up, and built a countertop, installed in my garage for a dedicated space. Couldn't swing stainless, so I had a piece of aluminum broke with a backsplash and front lip to top the countertop. Also a fridge in the garage for meat storage. If it's too warm here to let things hang, I bone everything out and get it in the fridge. I rarely bring anything home whole anymore, gutless and quarters are are so much easier. I just hang quarter bags the same way as whole when weather permits.