It is my impression that many deer hunters give their kills over to processors and get lots of ground venison and a few steaks. I believe this is wasteful of the resource, and may well not do justice to numerous delicious cuts and uses of the meat, as well as costing a significant amount to have the processing done.
Yes, but butchering requires work and proper weather conditions, but I suspect that many hunters may find this a satisfying activity, get JUST the cuts of meat they like, and save a substantial amount in the process.
To be clear, I did not kill the deer shown here being butchered. It was hit and killed by a car in front of our house in the evening. It was a seven point buck, apparently a year and a half old. I immediately hung it and gutted it and let it hang overnight before skinning it the next morning. I then let it hang at 35-40 F in a protected area for two weeks. I have never had such mild, tender and delicious venison. It needed no heavy seasoning, over cooking, or disguising of its flavor. I would suggest to all who try venison, to be sure to gut it immediately, carefully and cleanly skin it, let it hang, and try it with the minimum of seasoning and cooking. If yours tastes like this one, you will have your socks knocked off.
Most of these pictures were taken by Tammy Maham. My thanks to her for her assistance and photographic skill.
1. Hang the carcass in a 40 F protected area for at least a week. Clean dry air should circulate around it, and no folds of tissue should stay wet. Pay particular attention to the inside of the carcass.
2. The outside oft he carcass should dry nicely, and have a parchment-like appearance.
3. Cut towards the ribs, just above the end of the shoulder blade.
4. Cut between the shoulder blade and ribs to release the shoulder blade from the rib cage.
5. Continue the cut to free the arm and elbow from the rib cage.
6. The entire shoulder will open out from the rib cage towards the neck.
7. Cut along between the upper portion of the shoulder blade and the rib cage to free the shoulder.
8. Finish rmoving the shoulder by following the collar bone and cutting along the rib cage
9. Here is the shoulder removed from the chest.
10. Remove the neck by cutting as much as you can with the boning knife, exploring the space between neck bones. On the side of the carcass with the major portion of the backbone, you will need to saw.
11. On the side of the carcass without the major portion of backbone, you should be able to complete the cut with a knife.
12. Trim off the wall of the thin walls of belly, but leave the meaty portion on the loin.
13. Score where you are going to make your cuts for ribs, and then cut between each space between rib with the boning knife. First cut on the inside of the carcass.
14. Repeat and complete the cuts on the outside of the carcass, following the dotted lines of cuts from the previous step.
15. Cut along the cut lines made between the ribs with a hack saw to free up the slab of ribs.
16. These ribs may either be kept whole, or cut into sections of 5-7 ribs each.
17. Cut just above the last rib (first with a knife, then with the hacksaw through the backbone. You are releasing the rib steak section.
18. This is an end view of the ribs steaks which will be cut into individual steaks between each rib (first with a knife, then through the backbone with the hacksaw, as above.
19. Cut with a knife between the loin and the hip bone to release the loin. The loin can be cut as with the ribs: one steak per vertebra (about an inch thick).
20. Release the hip from the ham (thigh). Note by comparing with the next image, that I cut a little lower than I should have…
21. Cut towards the ball and socket of the hip joint.
22. Explore with the boning knife to find the ball and socket.
23. When you find the ball and socket, cut to release the socket (hip) from the ball (thigh or femur).
24. I got 55 pounds of cuts from half a deer
25. This is the end view of the ham (thigh) which I will cut into bone-less steaks by first cutting into 3/4 inch slabs and then freeing from the bone with the boning knife..
26. Here are three ham steaks cut as in the previous step.
27. Here is an end view of the ribs for barbecuing.
David Fankhauser 