Butchering your own deer can save money and result in delicious cuts.
When presented with a freshly killed and cleaned deer, often the first question is cut it up so that is in manageable pieces to work with. Many people allow a meat processor to do this work for them but, depending on the processor, this can cost anywhere from 35 cents to $1 per pound of deer. It doesn't take a lot of time to do it yourself and you can get exactly the cuts of meat you want.
Instructions
1. Use the meat saw to cut the forelegs off of the deer. By looking at the deer, the natural places to make these cuts are easily seen. Set the forelegs off to the side.
2. Repeat the procedure with the hind legs. Set these aside.
3. Use the meat saw to separate each leg section at the knees.
4. Remove the backstrap from either side of the backbone using a sharp knife. Remove the neck from the shoulders using the meat saw.
5. Use the meat saw to separate the remaining carcass. Use the backbone as a guide to cutting the two sections apart. Cut the ribs into manageable sections.
6. Use a sharp knife to cut steaks from the hindquarter hams and from the backstrap. Front sections can be cut into roasts or chunks for stew beef. Remaining meat can be ground into burgers.
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