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How to butcher a deer

You hunted hard, found the deer, made the perfect shot, now your work begins.

Processing a deer begins right after the kill. For the best tasting meat you will want to get your animal cooled down as quickly as possible. This begins with the removal of the entrails or gutting. If you plan to save the heart and liver or other organ meat, this is the time to put them in a plastic bag and set them aside.

After your animal is gutted it should be transported to camp or home and hung up. A gambrel designed to hold the hind legs apart is good for this. Your deer should be skinned as soon as you get it hung. This will help it finish cooling and help cut down on any gamey taste. Make sure and prop open the rib cage with a stick so air can circulate. In warm weather you can put bags of ice in the chest cavity to speed up the cooling. You should remove all four legs beyond the knee while you are skinning.

You will notice that the meat is now covered with several loose hairs from the hide. The way to get rid of them is to take a propane torch and lightly go over the whole animal and singe off all the stray hairs. This works very well and will keep them out of your food.

When you are done skinning you will want to cut out the tenderloins that are next to the backbone inside the abdominal cavity. There is one on either side of the backbone, A few inches long and a couple inches around, all depending on the size of your deer. Don't forget to take the heart and liver and put them in a bucket of water to soak overnight, then cut and package them the next day. A tradition in my neck of the woods it to slice up the heart the next morning, fry it and serve it with scrambled eggs.

The deer should hang for a couple days to age. Aging is actually the start of decomposition but this will give you a better flavor and more tender meat. You should age longer in cooler weather and shorter in warm weather. Some people are just as happy butchering their deer right away. I have done it both ways and usually cut it up the Saturday following my kill (unless the weather is very warm) because that's most convenient.

When your deer is aged to perfection it is time to start the butchering process. It is best to have everything you need at hand so that you can complete what you are doing without having to run off and locate something. You will need at least one knife, a sharpener, a cutting board, plastic wrap, freezer paper and tape, a marker, a cooler for hamburger,

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