Big fat butchering

footfootfoot · 11-25-2012, 11:18 PM

My buddy came over at 7:30 this morning and we headed over to our other buddy's barn where Big Fat Buck was hanging. We brought it over to my house and hung it up and started butchering it at about 8:30, we had to peel it first and then wash a lot of poo out of it that I did not see the night I first hung it.

We finished tonight at about 9:30. It was my second time butchering a deer and I was learning on the fly. I was really pretty surprised at how much silverskin and tendons they have. A lot.

The pile of scrap (dog food) was almost as much meat as we vacuum sealed. A big pile of bones and a fairly good hide with a couple of nicks on the belly.

Lots of sinew for bowmaking.

And the deer weighed about 160 field dressed.

xoxoxoBruce · 11-25-2012, 11:26 PM

160 dressed, WOW, that is a fat boy.

Big Sarge · 11-26-2012, 12:51 AM

That was a really nice buck

Griff · 11-26-2012, 06:51 AM

He was a fatty. That was a long day of cutting, sleep in.

Undertoad · 11-26-2012, 07:19 AM

"I like shooting guns, but I don't hunt. Congratulations, you just shot a chore."
- comedian Kurt Metzger

orthodoc · 11-26-2012, 08:26 AM

Wow, long day. Sounds like it was worth it, though. Nice buck!

BigV · 11-26-2012, 09:01 AM

Oh dear!

footfootfoot · 11-26-2012, 11:26 AM

I was surprised at how big he was and such scanty antlers. I'm going to check his teeth today and see how old he was.

I read somewhere that deer only grow their antlers after they've taken care of their nutritional needs for the winter. Mast years will yield larger racks and lean years will yield smaller ones. This year we had a late frost that killed a lot of buds, therefore hardly any wild apples, 50% loss in commercial apples in many orchards, barely any acorns or other nuts (walnut, beech, hickory, etc.) The fall was long and warm so there was a lot of vegetation, but overall I'd guess it will be a tough winter for the deer.

Bow season started a month early and there were more Doe permits given out this year. I think DEC wants to increase the harvest to reduce the number of deer that will die of starvation and or disease.

I still have 4 more permits but I don't think I've got four more days of butchering in me. The most intense part is the thousands of tiny decisions you have to make when cutting. At this stage for me it is not automatic, like chopping up a carrot would be. I can do that in my sleep. But with the deer I have so many questions in my head it is mentally tiring. I need to watch a real butcher work and pick up some tips.

Sundae · 11-26-2012, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by footfootfoot

... and then wash a lot of poo out of it that I did not see the night I first hung it.

You've used that line before when you've had a skinful - admit it.

I suppose you were working too hard to stop and take pics.
I'm no gorehound, but I would be interested in seeing the procedure.

What will you use the meat for (mostly)? Eating, yes, but in what form?
Steaks, sausages? Do you get deer ribs/ chops?
I've had venison before but most commonly as pate or in sausages. We're not in deer country here really.

Griff · 11-26-2012, 05:05 PM

I had to go through a DEC check point at the NY/PA border on the way home from work. Today was opening day in PA so I'm assuming they were making sure people weren't transporting untagged NY deer into PA? Unbelievably beautiful DEC Agent... maybe it was a Hollywood scam.

orthodoc · 11-26-2012, 05:21 PM

Does a buck taste different than a doe? Hormones and all that? Just wondering.

xoxoxoBruce · 11-27-2012, 12:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by footfootfoot

I still have 4 more permits but I don't think I've got four more days of butchering in me. The most intense part is the thousands of tiny decisions you have to make when cutting. At this stage for me it is not automatic, like chopping up a carrot would be. I can do that in my sleep. But with the deer I have so many questions in my head it is mentally tiring. I need to watch a real butcher work and pick up some tips.

If you had 3 or 4 more to cut up, would you be concerned with the other stuff like sinew and bones?

Griff · 11-27-2012, 06:24 AM

If you decided to make just hamburger, stew meat, jerky strips, etc... you could get through the carcass a lot less time. Dad and I made nothing but Speidie cubes one time and got through it pretty fast. I understand the desire to do it "right" though.

orthodoc · 11-27-2012, 06:38 AM

Leaving as much as possible in bigger chunks (like roasts and chops) would lessen the opportunity for bacterial contamination before freezing or otherwise storing the meat. But a 13-hour day is daunting.

What are Speidie cubes?

Griff · 11-27-2012, 06:52 AM

It's a local shish-kabob variation. The meat can vary a lot in size and shape because it's marinated and grilled on a skewer.

11-25-2012, 11:18 PM	#1
footfootfoot To shreds, you say? Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: in the house and on the street-how many, many feet we meet! Posts: 18,449	Big fat butchering My buddy came over at 7:30 this morning and we headed over to our other buddy's barn where Big Fat Buck was hanging. We brought it over to my house and hung it up and started butchering it at about 8:30, we had to peel it first and then wash a lot of poo out of it that I did not see the night I first hung it. We finished tonight at about 9:30. It was my second time butchering a deer and I was learning on the fly. I was really pretty surprised at how much silverskin and tendons they have. A lot. The pile of scrap (dog food) was almost as much meat as we vacuum sealed. A big pile of bones and a fairly good hide with a couple of nicks on the belly. Lots of sinew for bowmaking. And the deer weighed about 160 field dressed. __________________ The internet is a hateful stew of vomit you can never take completely seriously. - Her Fobs

11-25-2012, 11:26 PM	#2
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	160 dressed, WOW, that is a fat boy. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

11-26-2012, 12:51 AM	#3
Big Sarge Werepandas - lurking in your shadows Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: In the Deep South Posts: 3,408	That was a really nice buck __________________ Give a man a match, & he'll be warm for 20 seconds. But toss that man a white phosphorus grenade and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.

11-26-2012, 06:51 AM	#4
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	He was a fatty. That was a long day of cutting, sleep in. __________________ If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis

11-26-2012, 08:26 AM	#6
orthodoc Not Suspicious, Merely Canadian Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 3,774	Wow, long day. Sounds like it was worth it, though. Nice buck! __________________ The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. - Ghandi

11-26-2012, 07:19 AM	#5
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	"I like shooting guns, but I don't hunt. Congratulations, you just shot a chore." - comedian Kurt Metzger

11-26-2012, 09:01 AM	#7
BigV Goon Squad Leader Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Seattle Posts: 27,063	Oh dear! __________________ Be Just and Fear Not.

11-26-2012, 11:26 AM	#8
footfootfoot To shreds, you say? Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: in the house and on the street-how many, many feet we meet! Posts: 18,449	I was surprised at how big he was and such scanty antlers. I'm going to check his teeth today and see how old he was. I read somewhere that deer only grow their antlers after they've taken care of their nutritional needs for the winter. Mast years will yield larger racks and lean years will yield smaller ones. This year we had a late frost that killed a lot of buds, therefore hardly any wild apples, 50% loss in commercial apples in many orchards, barely any acorns or other nuts (walnut, beech, hickory, etc.) The fall was long and warm so there was a lot of vegetation, but overall I'd guess it will be a tough winter for the deer. Bow season started a month early and there were more Doe permits given out this year. I think DEC wants to increase the harvest to reduce the number of deer that will die of starvation and or disease. I still have 4 more permits but I don't think I've got four more days of butchering in me. The most intense part is the thousands of tiny decisions you have to make when cutting. At this stage for me it is not automatic, like chopping up a carrot would be. I can do that in my sleep. But with the deer I have so many questions in my head it is mentally tiring. I need to watch a real butcher work and pick up some tips. __________________ The internet is a hateful stew of vomit you can never take completely seriously. - Her Fobs

11-26-2012, 05:05 PM	#10
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	I had to go through a DEC check point at the NY/PA border on the way home from work. Today was opening day in PA so I'm assuming they were making sure people weren't transporting untagged NY deer into PA? Unbelievably beautiful DEC Agent... maybe it was a Hollywood scam. __________________ If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis

11-26-2012, 05:21 PM	#11
orthodoc Not Suspicious, Merely Canadian Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 3,774	Does a buck taste different than a doe? Hormones and all that? Just wondering. __________________ The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. - Ghandi

11-27-2012, 06:24 AM	#13
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	If you decided to make just hamburger, stew meat, jerky strips, etc... you could get through the carcass a lot less time. Dad and I made nothing but Speidie cubes one time and got through it pretty fast. I understand the desire to do it "right" though. __________________ If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis

11-27-2012, 06:38 AM	#14
orthodoc Not Suspicious, Merely Canadian Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 3,774	Leaving as much as possible in bigger chunks (like roasts and chops) would lessen the opportunity for bacterial contamination before freezing or otherwise storing the meat. But a 13-hour day is daunting. What are Speidie cubes? __________________ The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. - Ghandi

11-27-2012, 06:52 AM	#15
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	It's a local shish-kabob variation. The meat can vary a lot in size and shape because it's marinated and grilled on a skewer. __________________ If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis

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