Cleaning deer for money?

Boojum

Ten Pointer
I guess my point is, why do you have time to scout, put up stands, maybe plant food plots, and sit for hours and hours hunting; and time to post about it and post pics of it on here, but you don't have twenty minutes to skin and quarter a deer once you kill it, or a couple hours to process it?

To each their own, not trying to insult anybody, just trying to understand the thought process, and why people always use time as an excuse, but they have time to do everything else except skin and cut up a deer-instead of just saying that they don't want to because it's icky, they don't know how to, or are just too lazy. I guess I was raised in a different time and different culture where taking care of your game was seen as a personal responsibility, and just as more important or more so than killing it to begin with.
 

Banjo

Old Mossy Horns
I do my own. I have only used a processor twice. Once on an out of town hunt to GA and once on an out of town hunt to Illinois.

I personally enjoy it. The gutting part has been a little rough at times, but the skinning, quartering and processing is enjoyable to me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Greg

Old Mossy Horns
Another possible option would be meeting you at the processor's? I'd pay ~ $25 if I could leave it with a guy I trust to gut and skin and get it into the processor's walk-in.

So, here it is from my perspective. My family didnt hunt much except for an older brother. I never learned to process a deer, and I had to struggle with the hands-on part of learning gutting and skinning on my own. I might like to learn to process, but I don't kill but 1-2 per year and I don't want to invest in a place to do it or the $ in the tools.

It takes me a lot longer than 20 minutes to gut and skin a deer. I reckon I'm just not that skilled in it and I don't get a lot of practice. I'm not going to apologize for that.

I enjoy morning hunts mostly, because at my age I don't see as well in the dark as I used to. Many many times I haven't pulled the trigger or I've cut a hunt short because I knew I had to be at work at a certain time, and I wouldn't have enough time to take care of it. Other times I didn't shoot in the late pm because I dread tracking and gutting/skinning in the dark.

So ... we're all different, and not necessarily afraid of a little blood and guts or are lazy.
 

beard&bow

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
I guess my point is, why do you have time to scout, put up stands, maybe plant food plots, and sit for hours and hours hunting; and time to post about it and post pics of it on here, but you don't have twenty minutes to skin and quarter a deer once you kill it, or a couple hours to process it?

To each their own, not trying to insult anybody, just trying to understand the thought process, and why people always use time as an excuse, but they have time to do everything else except skin and cut up a deer-instead of just saying that they don't want to because it's icky, they don't know how to, or are just too lazy. I guess I was raised in a different time and different culture where taking care of your game was seen as a personal responsibility, and just as more important or more so than killing it to begin with.


I see where you're coming from. I gut, skin, and quarter mine, then take everything but the loins and backstraps to the processor. I'm slowly gathering processing equipment. Will probably start by processing a hind quarter on my own, and work up from there. I'm all about wanting to do it myself, but ruining meat isn't something I want to rush in to.
 
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Homebrewale

Old Mossy Horns
I see where you're coming from. I gut, skin, and quarter mine, then take everything but the loins and backstraps to the processor. I'm slowly gathering processing equipment. Will probably start by processing a hind quarter on my own, and work up from there. I'm all about wanting to do it myself, but ruining meat isn't something I want to rush in to.

Usually around September of each year, the WRC offers a class on deer processing. Keep an eye out for it next year.
 

Homebrewale

Old Mossy Horns
So, here it is from my perspective. My family didnt hunt much except for an older brother. I never learned to process a deer, and I had to struggle with the hands-on part of learning gutting and skinning on my own. I might like to learn to process, but I don't kill but 1-2 per year and I don't want to invest in a place to do it or the $ in the tools.

Sometimes the family instructor isn't the best source. My father was showing me how to gut a deer when I shot my first one. I was about 13 years old. He cut his palm all the way to the bone. He left me in the woods for my older brothers to retrieve while he drove himself to the hospital for stitches.
 

Rorschach

Spike
I know of several folks that just aren't confident in cleaning/gutting and want someone to do it live in front of them, or maybe coach them through it even, instead of trying it alone in the woods and possibly ruining a lot of meat. That seems to me like they are being respectful of the animal. No issue with that.
 

ScottyB

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I guess my point is, why do you have time to scout, put up stands, maybe plant food plots, and sit for hours and hours hunting; and time to post about it and post pics of it on here, but you don't have twenty minutes to skin and quarter a deer once you kill it, or a couple hours to process it?

To each their own, not trying to insult anybody, just trying to understand the thought process, and why people always use time as an excuse, but they have time to do everything else except skin and cut up a deer-instead of just saying that they don't want to because it's icky, they don't know how to, or are just too lazy. I guess I was raised in a different time and different culture where taking care of your game was seen as a personal responsibility, and just as more important or more so than killing it to begin with.
To be honest....I have the equipment to do it, but my wife complains about the mess and I never could get my sausage right...so I just gut it skin it and take it to the man! He does a great job and vacuum packs and labels it all....plus he does Italian sausage, salami, summer sausage.......lots more than I ever want to deal with trying to perfect.......and yes, now that I go that way.....maybe I am a little spoiled and lazy.
 

Boojum

Ten Pointer
It's not hard, nor do you need a place or a lot of equipment. There is a learning curve, but it's not complicated. People processed game for tens of thousands of years with stone tools. The place: I skin and quarter it wherever I killed it, put it in a cooler on ice with the drain plug open for a week, then process it on my kitchen counter. My equipment: a pocket knife and gambrel for skinning and quartering, one cooler for aging, one cutting board, one fillet knife, one meat hammer, one $25 digital scale, one $99 grinder from Northern Tool that has lasted fifteen years and tons of meat so far, one $99 Food Saver vacuum sealer. I also have an $79 meat slicer that I use sometimes for jerky or Philly steak meat or slicing deer pastrami.

It takes about two lazy hours to go from quartered in a cooler to vacuum-sealed in the freezer, and maybe another half-hour to clean up. And that's being very picky, cleaning off all the membrane and siverskin, etc. I cut roasts, steaks, cube steaks, stir-fry meat, butterfly steaks, ground meat, sausage, jerky, pastrami, whatever a processor does. I know that I'm getting my own deer back, especially the ground meat; I know how it was handled, I get more meat, and I have the satisfaction of doing it myself without having to hire someone to do my dirty work. I usually cut and portion, and my wife packs and seals.


As for the original question, I have a friend in Mebane who makes a pile of money skinning and quartering deer every year for people who are too lazy to or don't know how to. I think he charges about $35, and it takes him about ten-fifteen minutes.
 
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lasttombstone

Kinder, Gentler LTS
Not casting aspersions Boojum. Obviously you have it down pat. I've been cleaning and messing with deer for nearly 40 year and it takes me 2 hours just to clean all the membrane and silver skin off and debone, separating most of the muscle segments in the hams. I know I'm slowing down these days but that is lightning fast. I have always cleaned my own deer and a lot of other peoples. I did the process it yourself thing for a while but decided that I would rather let someone else grind the burger and run my loins, which I had already cut, through a tenderizer and package it. That's one job I'll pay to have done. I know there are plenty who enjoy doing it themselves and and encourage them to continue what they enjoy.
 

Boojum

Ten Pointer
Not casting aspersions Boojum. Obviously you have it down pat. I've been cleaning and messing with deer for nearly 40 year and it takes me 2 hours just to clean all the membrane and silver skin off and debone, separating most of the muscle segments in the hams. I know I'm slowing down these days but that is lightning fast. I have always cleaned my own deer and a lot of other peoples. I did the process it yourself thing for a while but decided that I would rather let someone else grind the burger and run my loins, which I had already cut, through a tenderizer and package it. That's one job I'll pay to have done. I know there are plenty who enjoy doing it themselves and and encourage them to continue what they enjoy.

Nothing wrong with that, either. Seems to be the new way of deer hunting. I guess I just enjoy doing my own. I'm no expert, but been doing it for five decades. Grew up killing our own hogs, chickens, and such.
 
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beard&bow

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
It takes about two lazy hours to go from quartered in a cooler to vacuum-sealed in the freezer, and maybe another half-hour to clean up.

Thanks for all the info. That sounds like something that can be done after supper any night of the week. I've heard of guys spending 6+hours. Though they may have been doing more than one. I've got everything you listed, less a vacuum sealer. Maybe with my 2.5 week break, I'll be able to shoot a deer. I'll probably still only start small and work my way up. The meat market here charges $1.25lb packaged. So not too expensive for the rest. Definitely want to go to one of the classes homebrew mentioned. Thanks again.
 

Boojum

Ten Pointer
Thanks for all the info. That sounds like something that can be done after supper any night of the week. I've heard of guys spending 6+hours. Though they may have been doing more than one. I've got everything you listed, less a vacuum sealer. Maybe with my 2.5 week break, I'll be able to shoot a deer. I'll probably still only start small and work my way up. The meat market here charges $1.25lb packaged. So not too expensive for the rest. Definitely want to go to one of the classes homebrew mentioned. Thanks again.

It will probably take you longer the first couple times. You can do it in stages on different days, though, too. I would recommend a vacuum sealer for sure. It will keep that meat fresh for years, and works great for fish, and all kinds of other stuff.
 

Crappie_Hunter

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
Valuable piece of advice I got one time.... "Son, be really good at what you do so you can pay people to be good at what they do." I can skin, gut, and process a deer, but I don't want to. So I pay someone to do that for me.

And I'm sure the processor uses the money I give him to pay for his "conveniences" as well... see how this works? It has nothing to do with being a man....
 

Boojum

Ten Pointer
Valuable piece of advice I got one time.... "Son, be really good at what you do so you can pay people to be good at what they do." I can skin, gut, and process a deer, but I don't want to. So I pay someone to do that for me.

And I'm sure the processor uses the money I give him to pay for his "conveniences" as well... see how this works? It has nothing to do with being a man....

I guess I'm just different. I wouldn't hunt if I didn't want to deal with a dead deer. It's a major part of it. I didn't pay somebody else to kill it, so I'm not going to pay somebody else to clean it for me. If I'm really good at deer hunting, will you pay me to come shoot deer for you? :D
 

Crappie_Hunter

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
I guess I'm just different. I wouldn't hunt if I didn't want to deal with a dead deer. It's a major part of it. I didn't pay somebody else to kill it, so I'm not going to pay somebody else to clean it for me. If I'm really good at deer hunting, will you pay me to come shoot deer for you? :D

Hahahaha, if I had some that needed killing and didn't want to do it I might!
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
I guess I'm just different. I wouldn't hunt if I didn't want to deal with a dead deer. It's a major part of it. I didn't pay somebody else to kill it, so I'm not going to pay somebody else to clean it for me. If I'm really good at deer hunting, will you pay me to come shoot deer for you? :D

Absolutely if i ever payed anyone.: You mountain boys lay them out when you get down here.
If i had a deer problem on a farm, i would advertise in a western paper. you probably wouldnt have a problem but for a year or so.
I spoke with a couple from robbinsville in a local restaurant that were hunting jordan a few weeks ago.. they were about out of tags and had been here a week. :)

the kiss of death is to hear that "There are some mountain boys down for opening week." Anywhere remotely near your lease. LOL

But i get your point.
 
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Trappertod

Six Pointer
I do my own processing for the most part, but I did take one to a guy that does it out of a building at his house. He was a butcher for a store and now retired. He made me some of the best sausage I have ever tasted. He will make my sausage for now on, I will still do my burger. I think you are fine processing even for other folks, the law part come in when you begin selling to general public.
 

Boojum

Ten Pointer
Absolutely if i ever payed anyone.: You mountain boys lay them out when you get down here.
If i had a deer problem on a farm, i would advertise in a western paper. you probably wouldnt have a problem but for a year or so.
I spoke with a couple from robbinsville in a local restaurant that were hunting jordan a few weeks ago.. they were about out of tags and had been here a week. :)

the kiss of death is to hear that "There are some mountain boys down for opening week." Anywhere remotely near your lease. LOL



But i get your point.
Lol! We go to Alamance every year grocery shopping. :D
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
Lol! We go to Alamance every year grocery shopping. :D

isnt it a piece of cake here versus up there? stuff like gremcat talks about is just more than most will do for a deer. Traveling around fontana last weekend i wondered how in the world anyone ever got to a turkey or gets a deer out.

I walked those hills for the forest service in Sylva and never even considered hunting there. and i was pretty young then.

KUDOS to you guys that can handle it.
 
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