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DIY Processing - How Long Does It Take You?

B

Bach55

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2019
Messages
231
Location
Indiana
I’ve processed a few deer with friends, but I am doing my first one 100% solo right now. For those that do this, how long would you estimate it takes you? The start point is a quartered out buck with back straps and tenderloins removed, and the end point is it fully packaged in the freezer.

I will share that it is probably going to take me every bit of 8 hours spread over 3-4 days. It feels like that’s too long, but I’m doing it all by myself, I’m trying to remove cuts properly without hacking things up too badly, and I’m probably too picky when it comes to removing fat and silver skin.

Curious to hear from others to know if I am way off the mark here or if this is relatively normal. Keep in mind I don’t have a ton of experience!
 
I did one last year in about an hour from hanging in the tree, field dressed, to deboned meat in plastic grocery bags in about an hour. I washed and cut up and packed the meat in freezer bags inside in about another hour.
 
Hang until rigor sets in, I like hanging in the hide if its cold enough. If not skinning and quartering takes 30 ish minutes, pack in game bags, put in coolers with bagged ice. Leave overnight at least.

I like keeping large roasts and taking off as much silverskin as possible, trim out ribs and and any other area you don't get large cuts. 2 hours ish- maybe 3, then wrapping in saran and butcher paper.

4 ish hours active work, assuming you have a study area to hang, a sawzall, knife skills, and know your way around the animal.

Trimming silverskin and wrapping/ labeling are the most time consuming.

Save your shanks, they are a dream in a slow cooker!

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Bach55 said:
I’ve processed a few deer with friends, but I am doing my first one 100% solo right now. For those that do this, how long would you estimate it takes you? The start point is a quartered out buck with back straps and tenderloins removed, and the end point is it fully packaged in the freezer.

I will share that it is probably going to take me every bit of 8 hours spread over 3-4 days. It feels like that’s too long, but I’m doing it all by myself, I’m trying to remove cuts properly without hacking things up too badly, and I’m probably too picky when it comes to removing fat and silver skin.

Curious to hear from others to know if I am way off the mark here or if this is relatively normal. Keep in mind I don’t have a ton of experience!
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That’s analysis paralysis. I tend to get that way when doing new things. Your gonna makes mistake no matter how fast you go so you might as well grip and rip! The learning curve is quick though so after a couple deer you’ll be doing quick. I’m getting better everytime.
 
It usually takes me, my 18 yr old son and my 11 yr old son about 2-2.5 hours to go from quarters to completely processing the deer into all of the various cuts and trim pile to grind into burger later. That's sitting in the garage being distracted by multiple YouTube hunting videos though. It's usually another 30 minutes to vacuum seal everything and put in the fridge to wet age. I usually wait until I get two or three deer and then grind all of the trim at once into burger.
 
I learned this past season that whole quarters skin on fit great in my chest freezer. Take one out when I want meat. I lose about an ounce, maybe, of meat on the cut edge to freezer burn. The rest is as fresh as a live animal once thawed. It takes me about 10 minutes to have four quarters off a deer. 12 if it’s rut and I cut the hocks off. Another 15 to pull the straps and loins and cut neck roast/head off. I’ll seal the tender cuts or prepare to cook straight away. No more than 45 minutes to have a deer in freezer.
 
kyler1945 said:
I learned this past season that whole quarters skin on fit great in my chest freezer. Take one out when I want meat. I lose about an ounce, maybe, of meat on the cut edge to freezer burn. The rest is as fresh as a live animal once thawed. It takes me about 10 minutes to have four quarters off a deer. 12 if it’s rut and I cut the hocks off. Another 15 to pull the straps and loins and cut neck roast/head off. I’ll seal the tender cuts or prepare to cook straight away. No more than 45 minutes to have a deer in freezer.
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This is wild. Years ago, before a buddy went through a nasty divorce, the place i hunted had a walk in fridge for deer. Hang em for a week in the hide helped age the meat and they were awesome. If my lady wouldn't kill me for buying a chest freezer(no space) I would adopt this method in a heart beat.

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Ive done 2....and I'm sure they weren't done "correctly".....I never had anyone show me how other than utube. It takes me a couple hours spread out over a couple days...just like any other task...only way to get good is practice.
When I was visiting my uncle in anchorage his son was learning to process a moose in his school..they teach fish and moose processing in public school...I would pay to take a class on how to do it correctly if it was available. Video is helpful but I'm a hands on learner
 
I've never actually timed it. Sometimes I'm doing one deer and other times it may be multiple deer. Butchering is actually one of my favorite parts of the process so I am generally having a good time and enjoying it.
 
I have done two does so far this fall and it takes me about 2 hours from quartered deer to finished in the freezer. I no longer work on the front shoulders trying to debone it. I keep it whole. Dont do much ground meat anymore. So about 2 hours, 4 if the wife helps!!
 
Sziggy2.0 said:
I have done two does so far this fall and it takes me about 2 hours from quartered deer to finished in the freezer. I no longer work on the front shoulders trying to debone it. I keep it whole. Dont do much ground meat anymore. So about 2 hours, 4 if the wife helps!!
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I call up the wife if I shoot one and she runs to get ice, and let's the dog out so I have ice for coolers and dont have a dog eating my deer while I'm quartering.

First time I shot one while we lived together I was worried, that woman is a champion.

In other news rusty loves venison, and he always gets a little. Just not while I'm skinning and quartering!

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Im with you, it takes me about an hour to quarter and debone and get meat off the deer. I do all of that in the field as I don't believe in hauling out bones and I am 100% public land so I am usually way back. I have cleaned quite a few deer over the years and I have learned to be very picky and very thorough. It takes more time up front to do it right but it makes a HUGE difference in the taste if you take the time needed which for me is about 4 to 6 hours. not to mention I want to maximize every single bit of meat I can get off the deer. I also season and vacuum seal every thing so it takes a little longer but when I am done I have meal sized portions already trimmed and ready to thaw and go straight on the grill

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I've processed all of my deer sans 1. In the last 18 years I've processed all 30+ deer and three hogs. I'm meticulous about getting all the meat....I mean all. I take the leg shanks and fillet all the silver skin off and put into my grind pile. I take all the scraps off the H-bone, the legs, ribs and neck meat...well at least I used to. When I first started I didn't have youtube...I had two VCR tapes that I would play one section...go and cut...rewind...cut, rewind. My first deer took me literally 18 hours to cut off the meat off the bone. Today, from gutting the deer, taking off the skin, and breaking down the deer off of the bones...3 hours. Then the meat sits in my basement fridge for 5 days minimum. With my method of processing I am able to get 45-50% yield of total completed deer meat. One large buck gave me 101#'s of recorded meat, weighed and documented meat in my freezer. I can typically get 45-50#'s of meat from an average doe.

Here's what I do now. Starting from the head to the tail:

1. Head...cut off at the base of the skull. Remove the tongue and use as a sandwich a day or two later.
2. Neck...cut off the neck and debone it as a flat piece of meat...roll into a meat roll and make a neck roast. Slow cooked it is delicious. Will make two roasts whether deboned or not.
3. Ribs...one side I'll take all the meat from the ribs and put in my grind pile. Other side I'll keep whole...along side with the brisket meat.
4. Back straps...cut into roasts and if I later want steak then I cut them in 1" cuts. I leave the silver skin on and will fillet the silver skin when its about to be prepared. This keeps it from any freezer burns.
5. Rear leg quarters. Cut off one side as ONE whole chunk for thanksgiving and turn the rest into about 3 other roasts. The other side I cut into about 4-5 roasts
6. Front leg quarters: One leg gets cut into two bone in roasts. The other leg quarter gets deboned and made into roasts and grind.
7. Leg shanks...cut into 4" sections (bone in) and turn into Ossco Bussco.
8. Front and rear leg bones...cut into 2-3" sections and make bone broth and use the bone marrow as seasoning or on toast.
9. scrape meat off the backbone, hip bone and other bones and throw into grind pile
10. Take the heart and stomach fat...trim all the fat and gristle off and out of the heart. Then wrap the call fat around the heart and cook over the open fire (if at my lease). The stomach fat will season and flavor the heart as well as keep it moist. So...so good. If I'm by myself...I save the heart till I get home and share it with my son. He would be very upset if I ate the heart by myself.
11. Take out the inner loins and save for my wife and I...
 
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Newhunter1 said:
I've processed all of my deer sans 1. In the last 18 years I've processed all 30+ deer and three hogs. I'm meticulous about getting all the meat....I mean all. I take the leg shanks and fillet all the silver skin off and put into my grind pile. I take all the scraps off the H-bone, the legs, ribs and neck meat...well at least I used to. When I first started I didn't have youtube...I had two VCR tapes that I would play one section...go and cut...rewind...cut, rewind. My first deer took me literally 18 hours to cut off the meat off the bone. Today, from gutting the deer, taking off the skin, and breaking down the deer off of the bones...3 hours. Then the meat sits in my basement fridge for 5 days minimum. With my method of processing I am able to get 45-50% yield of total completed deer meat. One large buck gave me 101#'s of recorded meat, weighed and documented meat in my freezer. I can typically get 45-50#'s of meat from an average doe.

Here's what I do now. Starting from the head to the tail:

1. Head...cut off at the base of the skull. Remove the tongue and use as a sandwich a day or two later.
2. Neck...cut off the neck and debone it as a flat piece of meat...roll into a meat roll and make a neck roast. Slow cooked it is delicious. Will make two roasts whether deboned or not.
3. Ribs...one side I'll take all the meat from the ribs and put in my grind pile. Other side I'll keep whole...along side with the brisket meat.
4. Back straps...cut into roasts and if I later want steak then I cut them in 1" cuts. I leave the silver skin on and will fillet the silver skin when its about to be prepared. This keeps it from any freezer burns.
5. Rear leg quarters. Cut off one side as ONE whole chunk for thanksgiving and turn the rest into about 3 other roasts. The other side I cut into about 4-5 roasts
6. Front leg quarters: One leg gets cut into two bone in roasts. The other leg quarter gets deboned and made into roasts and grind.
7. Leg shanks...cut into 4" sections (bone in) and turn into Ossco Bussco.
8. Front and rear leg bones...cut into 2-3" sections and make bone broth and use the bone marrow as seasoning or on toast.
9. scrape meat off the backbone, hip bone and other bones and throw into grind pile
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Next deer you shoot, keep one shank bone in. Don't sweat the silver skin, leave it be, just whole.

Oil and garlic in a cold pan, add some cumin, cayenne, & dried cilantro. Pinch or pinch and a half each, then turn on medium high, as soon as you see the garlic cooking or smell it, add the shank, brown on both sides. Remove from heat, slice onions to cover bottom of crock pot, put shank in, cover in cooking juices, add either a can of diced tomato & green chili, diced tomato, or white vinegar.

Cook on low for 4ish hours or until meat is fork tender. Remove bones, shred meat, and mix with queso. Best damn dip you ever had.

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I will have to try that, but that ossco bus’s i is the best venison I’ve ever eaten.
 
I also take about 4-6 hrs for the whole thing from hanging to packaged in the freezer. I am at over ten under 20 deer total for processing,only a few completely on my own. My buddy who took me under his wing when i started has a schedule that doesn't jive with mine as much as it used to.
I try to get all the meat of carcass. This is the first year i saved the shanks whole and i love it already. Trimming those out was the single most frustrating thing about butchering deer. I also saved the legbones for the first time this year. You tube videos are good to get ideas on figuring out what works for you.
 
Let me recommend meat eaters cookbook. It has recipe on making bone broth as well as the marrow.


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