people using saws to cut the hams off of deer!!!!!

[hounddoggy]

It erks me for some reason when i watch guys hacking a deer with a saw in order to de-tach the hams! I learned years ago that a single edged razor blade is sooooooo quick at cleanning a deer. I lower my deer onto a table and seperate the hams by cutting the joints free from the aich bone with the razor. Ofcourse the leg then needs sawing off but am i the only one who does this??

[Bucknut]

I cut of the backstraps first - then I use a saw to cut through the spine and drop both hindquarters onto my table. Then I just use a knife to separate the 3 big muscle groups on each hindquarter. No bone in them, Then I just trim the rest of the meat off the leg bones for burger.

Bruce

[George Roof]

I'm with Bruce.  I teach wild game cooking and one of the worst things you can do is leave the bone in ANYTHING.  Wild lean meat has little fat and what's there is extremely tallowy. The bones are also "dry" by cattle standards and impart a strong taste when cooked with the meat.  "Deer chops" are a big waste.  I cut out the back straps whole.  Just like Connie and I had tonight, I'll take one side out of the freezer and cut it into thirds.  Strip the sinew off the top side, and salt.  Sear in hot olive oil and then grill until medium rare.  This stuff melts in your mouth and does NOT have any "wild taste".  Same with the ham meat.  As Bruce says, those three muscle groups give you great roasts.  Sear them, put them in a tray with a bit of water, cover with a browning bag or with aluminum foil and cook till medium rare.  If you add mushrooms , onions, potatoes, and carrots to the bag, all it takes is a bit of milk and flour to make a killer gravy with the vegetables.

[gunner62]

You can remove hind quarters, backstraps, and front legs with out the use of a saw. Pop the joint in the hind quarter and follow the h bone around the hip and remove the hind leg with your knife. No need for a saw

[Nina]

George, your post about cooking is making my mouth water. I am all out of venison from last season. archery must ge here quick so I can fill my freezer again.

[Matt]

A knife is all that is needed. Just cut out the h bone, and separate the femur from the ham. Then you can separate the bottom round, top round, and tip for steaks.

[DCon]

Bone it out while it hangs....pretty simple. No bone in anything saved. Give away the neck roast or bone them and grind them up.

[psycho]

I completely butcher my deer even removing what guys call the mini back straps or inner loins without even gutting the deer.  No mess no fuss and the guts stay completely intact inside the ribcage.  Makes fantastic coyote bait like that or makes for easy disposal because you can double bag the whole rib cage and have it disposed of.  I do everything with a scalpel blade or a Victorinox (msp) knife that I purchased from Jim Allred Taxidermy Supply.  One of the best skinning, easy to sharpen knives I have ever purchased.  This year I think I am going to do a video tutorial to put on here so guys can actually see how to do it.  It's very easy and simple once you see it done and usually becomes peoples favorite way of butchering them unless they are one of those guys that thinks you have to let the meat hang for 3-5 days......  LOL  After my deer fall they are butchered.   Dan

[fougair]

I would like to see that video sounds nice and quick.

[Old Fart]

psycho, What about the tenderloins?

[dsbragg]

I'm with Dan. Tender loins are easy to remove when hanging without dropping the guts out.

[George Roof]

And the purpose of all that is?? Now I understand if you're in the wilderness and have to pack out the meat like we do in Alaska, but for normal situations, why would I want to twist and turn 60 pounds of guts while I'm butchering?

[Bucknut]

I am never fortunate enough to drop a deer where I can drive up to it and load it up. I need to drag mine. Not leaving the guts in for that. Plus, on an evening hunt, I won't be butchering until at least the next day. So the guts are coming out of my deer where I drop them.

Bruce

[psycho]

psycho, What about the tenderloins?

Piece of cake.  You just let gravity be your friend.  When you make a small slice through the muscle tissue that holds the stomach and thigh area together the weight of the guts in the rib cage fall forward towards the floor.  When it falls towards the floor it exposes you inner tenderloins. All you have to do is reach in and grab them.  I know when I first started hunting; and many of you will be able to appreciate this, but I remember gutting deer and either being covered with tons of blood all the way up my arms to my ears, smelling the guts because I was ripping them apart to get them out or even trying to drag them out of the carcass while in the field and ending up with dirt leaves and God knows what all over the meat or inside the cavity of the deer.  Now I had to clean the cavity out too.  To me that is all just a big damn hassle.  Why do all of that when I can just haul the deer back to the shop, back it in on the truck or the 4 wheeler, hoist it up to the rafters by pressing a button and start skinning and butchering. As far as twisting the guts around and stuff, I would rather just walk around the deer and butcher it without all the mess.  I know everyone has their way of doing things but when people around here watch me do it they always end up asking themselves why they never figured it out.  LOL  So easy a caveman can do it....    Every once in a while you'll run into that guy that claims the deer needs to bleed out more and they want to let it hang for 3-5 days, well sometimes that's the same guy that thinks it is necessary to slit the throat too.  

As far as cooking them, that's the wife's department because I am a horrible cook.  Like George and a few others have said there is a lot you can do with those muscles off the hind quarters.  My wife makes some awesome Italian beef out of them.....  Damn now I am making myself hungry.  I'll just blame George for that....  LOL  

I am never fortunate enough to drop a deer where I can drive up to it and load it up. I need to drag mine. Not leaving the guts in for that. Plus, on an evening hunt, I won't be butchering until at least the next day. So the guts are coming out of my deer where I drop them.

Bruce

Maybe you should be a better shot....  LOL  All joking aside I am very fortunate because when I hunt, thats all I do is hunt....  If I kill a deer it is taken care of that day or night because I refuse to leave it hang no matter how exhausted I might be.  Now if I wasn't going to be able to butcher my deer the same day I killed it, then yes the guts would come out.  I mean we are talking about red raw meat so some common sense has to come into play.  On another note NONE of my deer are dragged.......  I recruit friends to help carry them out and if thats not possible then the deer are put into a huge deer sled.  The deer sled I use is heavy duty and I have had 300 pound deer in it without any part of their body toughing the ground.  Their hooves or legs my get caught in brush from stick out the top of the sled but thats it....  You could say I am very anal when it comes to my deer and cleanliness too.  LOL 

[George Roof]

Everything has to eat.  Why would I want to haul guts and carcass away later.  I always carry long field dressing gloves and don't have any blood or guts on me when I field dress.  I'm not about to lug a lifesized deer up on to a 4 wheeler for any reason.  I also carry an L.L. Bean pocket hoist if I need it out in the woods as well.  Ain't hauling guts no place.  Feedin possums all night long.