Just killed my first deer so I’d like to know.
How many of you do the field dressing, skinning and de-boning yourselves?
What can I expect to pay at a processor if I do the deboning myself vs. not?
Are loins and ground meat a good start for simplicity sake?
What do you like to get done, and what does it cost you?

I've always done mine myself till this year because I sold all my equipment with a business. The only one I've paid to get done was this year it was quartered and I got my loins whole and ground the rest with 15% beef fat vacuum packed and it was $64

I watched the kids working at a processor "de-bone" my deer once. All l can say is that they were fast and inefficient. I've de-boned all my deer myself since that experience, and I still use a processor for sausage and ground meat. Usually keep some roasts to make jerky.

It will take you a few deer to get the hang of it, but you'll get more meat off a deer than most processors.

I do everything in-house these days. I’ve never paid to have an animal processed so I can’t tell you what they charge. I did, off and on, take my saved trimmings and such to a processor to have link sausage made (Monroe sausage co most recently) but I’m doing that now too. They are at least going to charge you per pound of product. The processor is going to add fat so take whatever weight you bring them, trimmed meat wise, and add 15-20% by weight to it and that should be what you get back.
I’m a stickler about getting MY meat and only my meat.

I can show you a kid here in Lamar county who can completely skin, quarter and store an adult deer in about 3 minutes flat. He don’t leave anything. Most amazing thing youll ever see.

most processors are gonna be $65 to process a standard cut (all ground or ground and cube steak, back straps and tenderloin whole or butterflied) sausage is a little extra. its $20 extra if they have to gut it. if I take a quartered up deer its $1.50 a pound finished weight so between $30-40 max depending on size if you only take 4 quarters. my processor doesn't charge a gut fee just strait up $65 so I haven't gutted one in 2 or 3 years if I have to but one I'd just as soon quarter it up without gutting keep the straps and tenderloins and drop off the quarters. I usually get all ground the wife cooks it more often my third deer of the season I get ground/cube 3 big deer keep us from ever buying hamburger meat at the store all year

It has to be one of the Bentondorf kids. Its been years since I was there, but they were raised doing it.

I have no desire to process my deer myself. I've usually paid around $125 or so to skin and process an average size buck. A doe may be $75. You can run that up pretty quick for things like jerky and sausage and summer sausage.

Dr. B

Mbrock, you should video him and post it here. I’d love to see that.

Skinning, quartering and deboning is part of the hunt IMO. Many memories are made under the skinning shed. I used to grind, make sausage etc but gave that part up several years ago. Removing the silver skin, hauling out the equipment, grinding. packaging, clean-up is all a frickin chore I've moved on from.

Gkelly who do you use?

Does anyone have Whitt’s Processing in Athens AL number, or know when they are open, or address?

Congrats on the first deer !

I gut, skin, and quarter up all of my deer. Cut out the back straps and tenderloins and vacuum seal those myself to make butterfly steaks or bacon wrapped poppers with jalapeños and cheese. Throw the 4 quarters in a garbage bag and drop them off at the processor. Usually pay around $70/deer for ground and cubed steak. I like the jalapeño deer poppers from the back straps the best, and the processor never even sees that meat. I use ground deer more than anything else so I usually get mostly ground deer from the processor.

Andy Whitt 256-729-1047

On baker hill rd. He's a good guy. He's there

Me and my family process our own deer due to so expensive to get gone these days and don’t get as much meat. Plus taste a lot better doing it yourself. We take all fat and the silver skin off it takes longer but taste better, most processors dont. Due to they have a lot of deer to do and they rush through it.After will kill we quarter up and put in bags and put in our spare fridge for about a week then make summer sausage, ground, cube steak, stew meat, breakfast sausage and small steaks.

As someone said it’s part of the camp experience. Everyone should know how to clean and cut up a deer in my opinion. Bamaeye gave you the answer on cost of having one processed. Some do a better job than others with the packaging. Last I used was a guy in eufaula I can’t recall the name but just down the road from Dollar general. He does an excellent job. I’m still eating deer from 3 years ago he did due to way he wrapped it. Cost a few more bucks was definitely worth it.

I process all of mine myself unless I just absolutely don't have time to do it. I vacuum pack everything. Usually I'll do the backstraps in 6 inch sections, piece out the hindquarters into individual roasts, pack the two tenderloins together, and pack the shoulders whole to cook in a crock pot. I'll change that up from deer to deer though if I need to make some burger. My packaging always lasts 3x longer than what I've gotten from a processor. Seems like I'll have freezer burn inside of a year with processor packaging.

Nothing better than standing around the cleaning tree with your buddies, drinking a beer and celebrating a successful hunt.

One of my favorite parts of deer camp. Especially the cold beverages and offering up useless advice.