Watch: Bearded Butchers Show How to Process a Deer

These days, many hunters know little or nothing about deer anatomy, or even how to skin one out. These guys show how to go about cutting up your critter, and it’s valuable information whether you do it yourself or take it to a processor.

The first step is removal of the tenderloins, which he calls “fish tenders.” That is a new one on me; no idea why anyone would call red meat “fish.” But whatever.

From there he removes the hams at the ball sockets, removes the shoulders, and whittles out the backstrap. The first stages are pretty much just what I do right after the kill. I usually hang and gut my deer, and carve the usable meat off of the carcass right then and there. I then keep that meat cold until I can take it to my butcher, who takes over from there and packages the meat for good long-term freezer storage.

While he works, he tells us about the cuts and what they’re good for, which is all valuable info. He even shows you how to cut the hams for jerky.

Enjoy!

Russ Chastain

Editor & Contributing Writer Russ Chastain is a lifelong hunter and shooter who has spent his life learning about hunting, shooting, guns, ammunition, gunsmithing, reloading, and bullet casting. He started toting his own gun in the woods at age nine and he's pursued deer with rifles since 1982, so his hunting knowledge has been growing for more than three and a half decades. His desire and ability to share this knowledge with others has also grown, and Russ has been professionally writing and editing original hunting & shooting content since 1998. Russ Chastain has a passion for sharing accurate, honest, interesting hunting & shooting knowledge and stories with people of all skill levels.