How to Butcher a Deer

Successfully bagging a deer is only the first step to actually bringing the animal home. Each deer hunter needs to develop basic butchering skills in order to make sure the meat is correctly preserved for human consumption. Read on to learn more.

Instructions

1. Field dress the deer by making a small incision at the deer's crotch, cutting just beneath the hide. Bring the incision up to the base of the sternum.

2. Repeat the path of incision, this time cutting approximately a quarter to half an inch through the skin, making sure not to cut into the stomach and entrails as you open up the body cavity.

3. Remove the internal organs, making sure that your dispose of the organ meat appropriately.

4. Skin the hide by using only the quarter inch tip of your well-sharpened hunting knife. Patiently separate the thin membranous hide by advancing the tip of the blade by appropriate degrees.

5. Remove the deer's head with a saw. Cut incisions into the rear leg ankles in the meaty portion between the ligament and the bone. Suspend the deer from a tree limb with block and tackle, hind end toward the sky.

6. Saw through the backbone, beginning at the deer's buttocks and working your way down through the sternum until the carcass is completely bisected. To butcher a deer properly requires a great deal of precision in this sawing phase in order to split the two halves equally.

7. Cut through the shoulder joints and the ham joints and set the quarter pieces aside to be wrapped. Ensure the meat is properly wrapped in plastic wrapping or aluminum foil.

8. Continue to butcher the deer. Separate the tenderloin and backstrap portions carefully from the spine. To not butcher this part of the deer properly is to sacrifice some of the choicest cuts of meat.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Chefdepot.net gives a thorough description of the appropriate butchering process.
• Eckrich.org gives a tutorial on field dressing, butchering and cooking your deer.
• Biggamehunt.net offers a butchering guide.