How to Quarter a Deer

Every autumn, many people in areas populated by deer pack up their rifles and head out in search of deer. Hunting serves many different purposes, with some people hunting just for trophy deer and other people hunting for meat. For those hunting for meat, knowing how to quarter a deer is an important skill. Quartering makes your deer much easier to transport and to butcher once you get home.

Things You'll Need

• Rope
• Large knife
• Hacksaw
• Game bags

Instructions

1. Hang your deer and skin it. Quartering a deer is easiest to accomplish while your deer is hanging, so choose a tall, steady object to hang your deer from.

2. Take your knife and remove the back strap sections from your deer first. The back strap is the thick section of meat between the top of the ribs and the spine. Slide your knife gently along the ribs, pressing down until you feel your knife stop to be sure you’ve gotten the entire back strap section.

3. Hold one front leg of your deer, and cut off the lower portion of the leg. Place your hacksaw just above the knee joint and cut through until the leg comes free. Repeat this with the opposite foreleg.

4. Pull out one foreleg section and cut along the shoulder blade in a circular motion. Continue cutting down along the ribcage and up over the shoulder to remove the entire front quarter. Be sure to keep your knife as close to the bone as possible and make sure you keep as much meat with the quarter as possible.

5. Remove the other front quarter section, following the same process. Hold the leg out as far as possible to stretch the tendons. Keeping the tendons tight makes them easier to cut through as you trim around the leg quarter.

6. Cut along the inside of the rear flank between the leg and scrotum or udder area of your deer. Use short slicing motions to cut all the way down to the hip joint.

7. Slice up from the flank area and around the hip to release the first rear quarter from the carcass. Cut deeply to make sure the quarter comes off cleanly. Use the hacksaw if necessary to cut through any tough tendons.

8. Turn your deer around and repeat this procedure with the opposite rear quarter. Take care when removing this last quarter, as the carcass will be fairly light and will move away from you as you cut.

9. Check your quarters for any foreign material or bone fragments. Remove any objects from your meat and place your quarters in game bags, tying the bags firmly. Set your newly butchered quarters in a cooler for safe transport home.

Tips & Warnings

• Quarter your deer as soon as possible. The quicker your butcher your game, the fresher your meat will be.

• Do not let your game sit in the heat. If you are unable to quarter it quickly, keep it on ice to avoid spoiling.