Hunting is a tradition in my family. You could even call it a way of life. If it wasn’t season yet, then we were working towards it. We were scouting, checking cameras, and driving around trying to glass up deer to see what might be still hanging around in the fall. At the very least we were talking and dreaming about what we may encounter on the opener.
My grandfather and my uncle showed me the whitetail woods and how to be successful in them. I always looked up to them and their uncanny ability to always fill a tag. These are the type of guys that just always make it happen. More than anything they taught me the camaraderie that the tradition of hunting can build. For us it had the same effect as any holiday, the whole family would be involved in the process.
While I enjoyed the hunt, the pre-season work, and all of the time spent with friends and family to get there. My favorite part has always been the processing. There is just something about working as a family to get a deer broken down and organized for the coming year. Procuring and preparing your own food can also build camaraderie and long lasting memories. I have my father to thank for teaching us how to prepare venison from field to plate. You should think twice about bringing your harvest to a commercial processor, here is 5 reasons why.
Prolong the experience
The season does not have to end with you dropping off your deer to a stranger. You can continue the memory building and family time by doing the work yourself. I harvested a very nice Blacktail buck in western Washington state in 2019. I took it to a processor before I even brought it home, and you know what? It still feels like a dream that never happened. Just like that the season was over.
Get your family involved in the process. If everyone chips in to help not only will it go faster, but it provides an opportunity to continue the tradition. The younger generation will surely have some positive memories of these times to look back on as they grow older. I sure do.
Control
Processing your deer at home will give you the ultimate control over the quality of the end product. Most of the processors that I have used do a good job. However for the basic price, your cuts will not be tailored to your specific liking. The reality is they have a goal of quantity and speed.
They may cut steaks in a different thickness than you prefer. I have found it common for most processors to leave too much fat and silver skin before grinding venison burger. By processing your deer at home you can take as much time as you like to remove as much fat and silver skin as you like. We owe it to the animal to make the most of such a wonderful resource.
Dry aging
If you can manage temperatures with a walk in cooler or even a pole barn if the weather cooperates, you can dry age your deer. Dry aging is the processing of hanging a deer until the natural enzymes break down tissues and effectively tenderize the meat. This also adds flavor and can remove the “gamey” taste of venison.
Very few commercial processors are going to dry age your venison. In many areas that would take up to much space in the cooler for other paying customers. I have found that properly aged venison is well worth the effort of aging it yourself.
Specialty meats and costs
While I sure do love a good backstrap or a tenderloin cooked on the grill, I also enjoy a homemade venison brat. Specialty meats like bratwurst, summer sausage, jerky, chorizo, and even venison hot dogs are a great way to introduce non-hunters to wild game. They can be ordered at processors but that is where the cost really begins to rise.
With a little bit of time you can make all of the specialty meats at home. It may be an upfront investment to purchase things like a meat grinder or sausage stuffer, but they can pay for themselves in the first two or three years in most cases. The cost of having someone do it for you will quickly over take the cost of purchasing the equipment.
A year round hobby
When you process your deer, save and freeze what you have selected for the grind pile in weighed out packages. I like to do 5 pounds each and it works out for most of my recipes. You can then break them out when you are ready to make a batch of summer sausage or bratwurst.
It will give you something to look forward to in those long summer months while you are waiting for the weather to cool back down. You family and friends will appreciate your hard work as well. Give processing your deer at home a try! I think it will open a whole new door to the outdoors you have been missing out on.