# Does anyone else butcher their own meat?



## Poka_Doodle (Nov 14, 2015)

We butcher all meat we kill. This includes turning our shop ing to a butcher room after each sugcessful Elk or Deer hunt. We also do our chickens, and it takes all night. I manage to escape every time from killing and chicken butcher. But I oddly love helping the guys butcher Elk or what ever they get. Cutting meat takes a decent bit of time and I have been know to also cut myself when not wearing latex gloves, but it is still so much fun. I only escape chicken butchering because I have a close connection with the species.
If anyone else does or is interested in it please post about it. This is also on TSS.


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## Goatgirl47 (Nov 14, 2015)

We butcher deer, and chickens ourselves, but we bring our cows to a slaughter house. Do you raise meat chickens?


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## Baymule (Nov 14, 2015)

I butcher my own chickens, so far it's been old hens and the roosters from a straight run. But I want to get better set up for growing off my own chickens and my breed of choice is Delaware. I will get chicks in the spring.

2 years ago, I ordered 20 ducklings, raised them up and butchered them. Tasty.   In the far past, I raised rabbits, quail and pheasants and butchered them.

I can take a deer from the field to the plate. I haven't hunted in a long time, but a friend of ours has promised us deer meat if his hunt is successful. Told him to skin, gut, quarter and drop in ice chest. I'll take it from there.


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## Poka_Doodle (Nov 14, 2015)

Cool, we raise meat chickens, next year I will be doing it for 4h for my first time.
I might get to butcher 2 elk today


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## Latestarter (Nov 15, 2015)

If you happen to have any extra elk, please let me know and I'll gladly take it off your hands!


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## Southern by choice (Nov 15, 2015)

We only do chicken, turkey, duck, goose and deer.
Goats go to our local processor... very inexpensive and cut the way we want. Vacuum packed, labeled, weighed.... $60 for </=60 lbs hanging weight >60 lbs is $1 lb. additional.
For us the time savings as well as having it ground up and cut the way we like is well worth the (basically) $1 pound.

@Latestarter - YOU need to go hunt some elk and ship some out to me.


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## Hens and Roos (Nov 15, 2015)

We do rabbits, chickens, and sometimes turkey and meat chickens.


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## Poka_Doodle (Nov 15, 2015)

Latestarter said:


> If you happen to have any extra elk, please let me know and I'll gladly take it off your hands!


I actually would, but we never do . Maybe you should learn to hunt and thenput in for a last season cow tag in Creed next year. That is a family thing and it took 2 days to get 2 elk this year. If you are looking to buy beef let me know, my uncle farms cows in SD but then brings them back and sells quarters


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## Latestarter (Nov 16, 2015)

I've hunted all my life... just much older now and makes it a lot more work and all my kids are grown and gone so nobody to go with  My kids were basically raised on venison and some elk.


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## Poka_Doodle (Nov 16, 2015)

I don't hunt anyways, but Creed is a great hunting area


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## Rivmage (Mar 15, 2016)

I would love to go hunting with someone never been.

I'll be butchering my rabbit and quail. 

Scott


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## Latestarter (Mar 15, 2016)

I don't think anything is in season right now... at least not big game. Maybe rabbit or squirrel... Some things are always open like coyote. I prefer to hunt big game; deer/elk... much more meat for the expense that hunting has become.


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## Pamela (Mar 16, 2016)

We do all our own butchering. Or I should say my husband and kids do. I generally pull the princess card and stay inside with our disabled son.  We've done deer, elk, turkeys, chickens, countless beef and pigs, even did an emu once. We cut and wrap all our own. My husband inherited a commercial meat grinder and meat saw from his father. That has been a huge blessing. We mix our own sauage and grind our own burger. We've tried to smoke and cure our own bacon and ham, but have found that the butcher shop does a much better job of it.


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## Poka_Doodle (Mar 16, 2016)

We'll be butchering our meat birds this summer. Or every one but me. I manage to avoid it.


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## Mike CHS (Mar 16, 2016)

For the smaller animals it doesn't take a lot of equipment to process them.  We have bone saws, a meat slicer and an elevtric meat grinder that we bought at Northern Tool.  We have used it a lot and although it does a good job, I think I would like a heavier duty one. 

That is a "want" though and not a "need".


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## Hens and Roos (Mar 16, 2016)

we process extra roosters and rabbits.  @Mike CHS have you used your meat grinder to grind up rabbit?


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## Mike CHS (Mar 16, 2016)

H&R - No rabbit yet but we have done a lot of pork, beef and mutton/lamb and it does great.


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## Baymule (Mar 16, 2016)

Hens and Roos said:


> we process extra roosters and rabbits.  @Mike CHS have you used your meat grinder to grind up rabbit?



BUNNY BURGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Hens and Roos (Mar 16, 2016)

Baymule said:


> BUNNY BURGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



yep we make sliders


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## Latestarter (Mar 16, 2016)

Oh wow... just contemplating... bunny sliders? How do they taste? Do you mix any other meat in with the rabbit to add fat/moisture? I imagine being so lean, that it would be hard to make a bunny burger that would hold together... When I was in my final years in high school I worked in a meat room at a local grocery store. When  they ground beef, they always passed it through the grinder 3 times and aside from scraps and trimmings, frequently added suet if the batch was too lean. When I'd have my venison processed, I always had them add 10% suet and 10% pork (meat and fat) by weight to the grind. Best ground meat I've ever had.


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## Hens and Roos (Mar 16, 2016)

Latestarter said:


> Oh wow... just contemplating... bunny sliders? How do they taste? Do you mix any other meat in with the rabbit to add fat/moisture? I imagine being so lean, that it would be hard to make a bunny burger that would hold together... When I was in my final years in high school I worked in a meat room at a local grocery store. When  they ground beef, they always passed it through the grinder 3 times and aside from scraps and trimmings, frequently added suet if the batch was too lean. When I'd have my venison processed, I always had them add 10% suet and 10% pork (meat and fat) by weight to the grind. Best ground meat I've ever had.



we mix ground pork with the ground rabbit- 50/50 mix, they turn out very good.


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## Latestarter (Mar 16, 2016)

Thanks H&R! To clarify... you buy pork and grind it with the rabbit, or add already ground pork while grinding the rabbit or mix with after the rabbit is already ground? How many times do you grind the rabbit?


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## Hens and Roos (Mar 16, 2016)

we usually buy the ground pork.  we grind the rabbit and then mix the pork in.  We only grind the rabbit once.


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## Baymule (Mar 16, 2016)

When I used to hunt, I mixed pork with deer meat. Then I got smart and bought a fatty beef brisket to mix with the deer meat. It tasted better and kept longer in the freezer. @Hens and Roos why don't you try grinding your rabbit meat with a brisket?


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## SteveElms (Apr 17, 2016)

We do all of our own processing. We've done chickens, rabbits, quail, goats, deer, waterfowl, turkeys and even a longhorn steer (long story).  We like knowing where our food came from and that we aren't getting somebody else's animal that may not have been raised the same as ours. It's more work but well worth it to us. About the only equipment we have is a commercial grinder, really good knives (Knives of Alaska), hand meat saw and a vacuum sealer. 

If you ever need someone to go along on an elk hunt I'll volunteer. I haven't gone since 2004 when we went to Del Norte. I saw one elk about a half mile away but had the time of my life. 

Steve


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## Baymule (Apr 17, 2016)

SteveElms said:


> We do all of our own processing. We've done chickens, rabbits, quail, goats, deer, waterfowl, turkeys and even a longhorn steer (long story).  We like knowing where our food came from and that we aren't getting somebody else's animal that may not have been raised the same as ours. It's more work but well worth it to us. About the only equipment we have is a commercial grinder, really good knives (Knives of Alaska), hand meat saw and a vacuum sealer.
> 
> If you ever need someone to go along on an elk hunt I'll volunteer. I haven't gone since 2004 when we went to Del Norte. I saw one elk about a half mile away but had the time of my life.
> 
> Steve


We like long stories! Tell us about the longhorn!


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## Poka_Doodle (Apr 17, 2016)

SteveElms said:


> We do all of our own processing. We've done chickens, rabbits, quail, goats, deer, waterfowl, turkeys and even a longhorn steer (long story).  We like knowing where our food came from and that we aren't getting somebody else's animal that may not have been raised the same as ours. It's more work but well worth it to us. About the only equipment we have is a commercial grinder, really good knives (Knives of Alaska), hand meat saw and a vacuum sealer.
> 
> If you ever need someone to go along on an elk hunt I'll volunteer. I haven't gone since 2004 when we went to Del Norte. I saw one elk about a half mile away but had the time of my life.
> 
> Steve


Oh, I'll let you know if the boys mention it, I might go once though. Only one problem for you though, Southern Colorado. However they bird hunt in South Dakota every few years.


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## Sheepshape (Apr 24, 2016)

Slaughtering your own animals on a farm in Britain is very uncommon as a certificate of competence in slaughtering  is needed and strict adherence to hygiene and Animal Welfare Standards need to be proven. it is permissible to slaughter poultry on a farm without the certificates etc.

Whatever, as a vegetarian for many years and one who sees all my animals pretty much as pets, I'd fine it impossible.

I keep as many of my sheep as possible and sell on ewes and some rams for breeding. I have to send some ram lambs for slaughter to an abattoir, and so I have been to this abattoir to see the process (I'm not at all squeamish). I don't have any problem doing autopsies on animals to try to find out why they have died. I'm sure that there is a degree of hypocrisy in my keeping of sheep, but I can say that all the animals I keep have good lives. 

I've no idea what lamb tastes like, but I don't like the smell of the meat cooking (unlike chicken which I think smells appetising, though I would never eat it!).

I suppose it takes all sorts.....


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## Baymule (Apr 24, 2016)

Sheepshape said:


> Slaughtering your own animals on a farm in Britain is very uncommon as a certificate of competence in slaughtering  is needed and strict adherence to hygiene and Animal Welfare Standards need to be proven. it is permissible to slaughter poultry on a farm without the certificates etc.



I can see it being a problem if you slaughter an animal to sell the meat, but if you are going to eat it yourself, why does it matter? A certificate?  I can just picture the reaction of some of these backwoods rednecks if some gooberment official showed up demanding a certificate because there is a carcass hanging in a tree.  Or me, for that matter.


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## Sheepshape (Apr 25, 2016)

I very much doubt that anyone would come snooping around here, either, and  even less that they would be able to pronounce the name of where we are (I live in Wales,and in what is described in a book on the county as 'an isolated and remote rural location with  a harsh climate'.........so we don't get many unwelcome visitors). If folk want their animals slaughtered for the table, then there is a butcher not too far away who is licensed to slaughter and will skin, joint  up etc., so it isn't really a problem.

Don't carcasses hanging in trees get eaten? Over here there's nothing much more than birds to take hanging things, but foxes will take any on the ground.


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## Baymule (Apr 25, 2016)

I've hung deer from a tree before to skin and gut them. From there they get quartered and dropped in an ice chest. After several days on ice, drained twice a day, then to the kitchen to be processed.

So you live in a isolated rural location with a harsh climate....... there's no place like home!


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## Poka_Doodle (Oct 3, 2016)

We butchered my meat chickens this summer, but now that hunting season has started the fun butchering has finally started. We butchered an antelope yesterday, it was interesting.


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## misfitmorgan (Oct 3, 2016)

We have antelope in the US?


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## NH homesteader (Oct 3, 2016)

Pronghorn?


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## misfitmorgan (Oct 3, 2016)

Pronghorn is not an antelope...its more closely related to a  giraffe then anything else. But yeah definitely not the same family of critter.

Maybe out on the range people call them antelopes?


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## NH homesteader (Oct 3, 2016)

Butchering meat birds is way less fun than butchering big animals. Birds are gross! We are doing a pig soon...  Anxious to  do it all at home this time! Well,  except the smoking.  We have a friend who's set up for it so why bother trying to do it  at home?​


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## misfitmorgan (Oct 3, 2016)

Here we have mounted pronghorns and people call them pronghorn deer...of course they are not deer either.


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## NH homesteader (Oct 3, 2016)

No I know it isn't one,  but I think people call them that.


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## misfitmorgan (Oct 3, 2016)

NH homesteader said:


> Butchering meat birds is way less fun than butchering big animals. Birds are gross! We are doing a pig soon...  Anxious to  do it all at home this time! Well,  except the smoking.  We have a friend who's set up for it so why bother trying to do it  at home?​



I agree i hate doing poultry but i dont eat store poultry so i must!!

I like doing deer and pigs.


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## NH homesteader (Oct 3, 2016)

We don't do store poultry either.  In fact we don't do store anything unless we are desperate! 

Between now and Thanksgiving we need to butcher 8 turkeys and 36 or so meat birds,  and a pig. Hopefully we'll also have a deer shortly after!


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## Poka_Doodle (Oct 3, 2016)

Not sure what you mean about their existence, but in Colorado and Wyoming there are Antelope.

I agree about how unfun doing birds is.


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## Mini Horses (Oct 3, 2016)

So -- question.   Why bunny burgers?  Is it just because you have rabbit meat, looking to use?    Curious, that's all.   When gramps skinned them, they just cut up & fried (or canned).  Since I haven't eaten rabbit in many years, just never any thought to other ways of cooking.

Next,  Bay, you would love to shoot that big ole buck living next door.  LOL   He's fat & slick....as are his does.  Well fed on all the crops around here -- corn, soybean, peanuts, wheat, milo.  It's a wildlife paradise.

Today I had to wait for about 15-20 wild turkey to cross the road!   We have some nice birds around here.

Do you guys know that a single smoked chicken/turkey foot is $1 each in Jeffers catalog???

Next Spring I will be butchering -- excess roos from straight runs.


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## Baymule (Oct 3, 2016)

At one time I had over 100 breeding does, I raised and showed Satin rabbits. I had red, white, black, chinchilla and Siamese colors. I sold show prospect bunnies and butchered the culls. I sold the culls for meat and ate a lot of them. Since I had so many, I got creative on my recipes, hence Bunny Burgers! 

@Mini Horses sounds like you have some Primo venison walking around your neighborhood!


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## misfitmorgan (Oct 4, 2016)

Poka_Doodle said:


> Not sure what you mean about their existence, but in Colorado and Wyoming there are Antelope.
> 
> I agree about how unfun doing birds is.



You must be talking about pronghorns...which from what i gather are called antelope out there. There are no true antelopes in the US not in the wild anyhow.


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## misfitmorgan (Oct 4, 2016)

NH homesteader said:


> We don't do store poultry either.  In fact we don't do store anything unless we are desperate!
> 
> Between now and Thanksgiving we need to butcher 8 turkeys and 36 or so meat birds,  and a pig. Hopefully we'll also have a deer shortly after!



Sadly we got no turkeys this year so we are gonna have to do store turkey.. im not to happy about it but it is what it is. Lots and lots of deer around here....we live in a heavily populated area for deer even in Northern Michigan. In the afternoon driving home from work which is a 8 mile drive it is not unusual to see 30-50 deer in yards and fields.


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## Poka_Doodle (Oct 4, 2016)

misfitmorgan said:


> You must be talking about pronghorns...which from what i gather are called antelope out there. There are no true antelopes in the US not in the wild anyhow.


Hmm, I'd never exactly realized that if it is true.


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## lcertuche (Oct 5, 2016)

We don't have a rifle or shotgun, any gun for that matter but an abundance of wildlife. All my neighbors hunt wild pigs that run rampant here. There is also a black bear that meanders down our driveway and of course some fine looking deer. Rabbits galore and squirrels. If we had a gun I guess we could fill the freezer. I have invited a young friend come and hunt the bear when the season rolls around. Several years ago a bear chased my neighbor on his 4 wheeler. He locked himself in his chicken house and the bear pushed over the 4 wheeler. I worry about my children playing outside.


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## Poka_Doodle (Nov 16, 2016)

Okay, so it's mid November, today my dad and thinner brother left, tomorrow my older brother is leaving to go hunt. While I have nothing close to an idea when they will return I'm still excited to get in the garage and cut meat.


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## NH homesteader (Nov 16, 2016)

We did our pig last week.  It was cool to learn. My husband and I much prefer it to poultry.  Our meat birds and extra cockerels are in the freezer with the pig and our turkeys go this weekend.  Keeping an eye out for signs of deer,  we finally got a place to hang it when we do. 

I forgot about this thread


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## Poka_Doodle (Nov 16, 2016)

Sounds like fun!!!

I also did so there weren't any posts about doing our chickens this summer.


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## Goat Whisperer (Nov 16, 2016)

Spent last night and this morning processing 2 different deer. 

This morning it was unexpected... a friend pulls up and says I got this deer but have to head to work, would you mind taking care of this?  

Dang deer was bigger than me. Took some effort to hoist him up


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## NH homesteader (Nov 16, 2016)

Haha! What kind of friend is that? I hope one who gave you some meat in return? 

My husband helped a friend process his the other day so he'd better show up when it's our turn!


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## Goat Whisperer (Nov 16, 2016)

Nah, it was really okay. I always get to eat the venison  He wouldn't just "dump" one on me for no reason.


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## Baymule (Nov 16, 2016)

A couple of days ago I boiled a package of chicken necks from us butchering our roosters. I poured in 2 cups of rice and we added it to the dry dog kibble. They ate it like candy. The pot lasted 3 days and gave them a break from their usual food. I have 2 or 3 more packages of chicken necks!


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## MaggieSims (Nov 16, 2016)

YES! this thread is wonderful!

My family hunts, all of us. Together, between 3 adult hunters, we tagged 2 elk, and 3 deer. Grouse are really common in my area, think of them like woods chicken. Countless grouse, bag limit of 4 per day/ per hunter, so just about as many as we see we shoot. 
My husband has been hunting and processing his own for too long now it is second nature. I, however, had to learn. But i have a strong stomach and LOVE wild meat, so a quick learner am I XD My kids love venison, like more than your average adult hunter. Ask for it, want it for breakfast. Ask for elk burgers, and deer spaghetti. Want back strap pieces with carmelized onion. MY KIDS ARE 7, 5 and 2. 

We also process any farm animals that need it, so far just chickens and rabbits, but if i get my way it'll be cows and sheepies soon


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## Beekissed (Nov 17, 2016)

I do chickens, deer, wild turkey, squirrel, rabbit here mostly now, but have done cow, sheep, turkey, ducks, doves, etc., in the past.  Have done meat chickens but not for the past two years now...getting by nicely on the flock's hatches and even on free birds out of the locals that we finish off here on fermented feeds and free range.  

Currently in the midst of deer and the chicken harvest.  Each year I cull the flock for hens not up to snuff, oldsters no longer laying, extra cockerels hatched that spring, etc.  Got maybe 10 more chickens to go before I'm done for the year and the deer?  Who knows?  Already did one but the boys are here right now, ready to go out tomorrow and if they see one, we will have one.  They are excellent bowhunters, so we always have deer to put up each year.  

The dogs, cats and chickens all get their share of the meat harvest each year, so this is a good and plentiful time for all on the homestead.


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## NH homesteader (Nov 17, 2016)

@Baymule I have about 75 chicken necks for the  dogs! Our chickens plus my husband helps his friend butcher theirs and they did 25 for another guy,  and we're the only ones who want the necks.  They're going to be happy dogs when I get around to doing something with them! 

We've had a lot of people act horrified that we did our own pig. Apparently people prefer to pay $300/pig to have someone else do it. 

@MaggieSims my daughter (4) loves venison too! We haven't gotten a deer yet this year but hope to.  Never had elk,  is it similar to venison?


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## MaggieSims (Nov 17, 2016)

@NH homesteader   Yes Elk and deer are really similar. Most probably wouldn't be able to see or taste a difference, and both meats are venison. But we know our meat, and can tell the difference between our elk and deer, even the difference between Mule deer and whitetail. BUT IT'S ALL SO DELICIOUS. 

We also share the bounty with all our animals, the hounds get bones to chew on, an elk leg is quite the treat for a dog, they love us.  Our farm cat has one year's deer hide as a bed, I tried my hand at preserving it, wasn't a complete fail, but the kitty loves her warm furry bed. I train our horses and goats to the smell of the hides, for future packing. We use all antlers, harvested and found sheds for all kinds of things, knife handles, door handles, light fixtures, and various DIY projects i have 

I use all my fallen chicken feathers and choice feathers from culls to make a variety of things, jewelry, necklaces, earrings, key chains, and such.

My goal is to do as much as we can by ourselves, meaning, growing our food, hunting our food, processing our food. And then using all I possibly can from everything, trying to leave nothing to waste. So far with my garden, milk goats, chickens, ducks, and hunted meat, we depend on our grocery stores a lot less than we used to.


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## NH homesteader (Nov 17, 2016)

So cool! Us too,  we do not buy any meat from the store anymore.  We don't eat much beef,  but when we do we have to buy it.  So only special occasions! My husband made a handle for his skinning  knife from an antler,  it's pretty cool! He really wants  to learn how to tan hides...  That's  his next big project. We raise milk goats,  pigs,  chickens and turkeys.


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## Poka_Doodle (Nov 17, 2016)

I can agree about Elk and Deer. They are both pretty good.


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## NH homesteader (Nov 17, 2016)

We only have white tailed deer here.


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## TAH (Nov 17, 2016)

We help some friends butcher up an elk, and got some of the meat. It was okay I say get a young elk, his was a older one so not the best tasting. 

I have permission to finally get a moose tag next year. I have always wanted to hunt but haven't had the opportunity, so now since were AK might as well get my hands on my dad's gun and pull the trigger on something tasty, not just a target. I also really liked bear meat so I might try to get my bear tag as well, we'll see. 

I have help butcher turkeys, chickens, quail, and rabbits. I have watched my dad do goat, and a llama, and help with pig. I love getting my hands dirty.


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## Poka_Doodle (Nov 17, 2016)

Cool. Moose hunting sounds like fun.


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## TAH (Nov 17, 2016)

Poka_Doodle said:


> Cool. Moose hunting sounds like fun.


I sure hope it is!


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## NH homesteader (Nov 17, 2016)

OK home processors I have a question for you.  How long is a turkey good in the fridge after butchering? We use shrink wrap bags.  Trying to figure out  when we have to process our turkey day bird and have it still be fresh.


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## frustratedearthmother (Nov 17, 2016)

Good question - guessing 3 - 4 days?  But, that's just a guess.  We processed some roo's a while back and I usually let them sit in the fridge for 48 hours...I forgot them for 4 days and they still smelled good.  Froze them, but haven't cooked them yet.


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## NH homesteader (Nov 17, 2016)

That's what I'm thinking too.  It's going to be beautiful the next two days then get really cold so we wanted to butcher Saturday.  I might have to freeze it for a few days.  Ugh. I knew I should have ordered one of the fancy bags that keeps it 6 days in the fridge! Lol!


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## lcertuche (Nov 17, 2016)

I think if you put it in an ice chest full of ice, salt and water it might keep as long as 6 days from the butcher day depending how big it was. The bigger the longer to completely chill. A couple of days in the freezer probably wouldn't make much of difference in taste though and it would be a shame if it spoiled.


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## NH homesteader (Nov 17, 2016)

No it would be fine,  we don't notice any taste issue with freezing meat.  It more just seems absurd to put it in and take it out  haha.  Oh well,  better than hand plucking.  Our plucker would probably freeze and sieze up in the weather that's due next week!


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## frustratedearthmother (Nov 17, 2016)

Butcher Sunday - cook on Thursday. Think keeping it in icy salt water for those 4 days would be ok.


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## NH homesteader (Nov 18, 2016)

I think we are stuck with butchering on Saturday.  We do a collective butchering with friends. And our equipment is kind of a pain to get going and clean up so probably won't start it up for a bird or two.  Maybe I can convince my husband to do that Monday or something but doubtful! It's going to be 60 the next two days then drop to the 30's and snow.


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## Hens and Roos (Nov 18, 2016)

We process our chickens and rabbits- we really aren't set up to handle anything larger, plus we don't always have the extra time.  Today is our last nice day and then dropping into the 30's, snow will be more north of us and if we do get anything it shouldn't accumulate ...our equipment isn't quite ready yet!


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## farmerjan (Nov 18, 2016)

Turkey will keep if you put it in salt water/ice for 7+ days and it stays cold with ice in it. Totally submerged.  If you have a vacuum packer it will keep in the fridge for 7-10 days in the coldest part or in a cooler chest covered in ice.  The vacuum bags are the best thing to ever come down the pike.  We did turkeys years ago and they dressed in the 35-40 lb range and I took them to a USDA place that got them in their vacuum chamber, I didn't have anything big enough for them, and they were still good frozen after 5 years.  Kept 2 for the holidays in the vacuum bags for 8 days in ice and they were fine. Gotta keep them from the air...


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## NH homesteader (Nov 18, 2016)

We have shrink bags we usually use which get the air out but possibly not as well as a vacuum seal.  But we'll probably do a brine for it so maybe that'll help.  I don't know.


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## farmerjan (Nov 18, 2016)

They are also calling for nice Fri and then cooler Sat with possible showers late then COLD and windy Sunday with possible snow showers...they are getting some serious snow out west now....We will feel the difference from the 60's and 70's the last few days.  We will be baling small square bales today, cut 2 fields that we were going to bushhog but someone wanted sq bales so with the warmth decided why not.  I raked yesterday and it was pretty dry already so should mostly do up pretty good.  I'll be glad to be done with hay though....


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## misfitmorgan (Dec 15, 2016)

So far we have a handful of rabbits and two pigs in the freezer. One pig belongs to my mother, the larger of the two and the other is for us. We still need to brine and smoke the bacon and hams, cure the jowls, and make sausage...we will get to it for now they are chilling in the freezer. We also have a small white-tail deer to process that will be ground except for the tenderloins. DH hopes to get 1 or 2 more deer before the season is over and now that there is snow on the ground it should be easier.

I think Elk and Deer taste very similar but i think elk taste more beefy. I like most all game i've tried. We should have one lamb to go to the freezer in the spring and we will be ordering freedom rangers for our meat chickens this year. If our ducks do well they should hatch us out some meat ducks.


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## Baymule (Dec 15, 2016)

Can we come for supper?


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## lcertuche (Dec 16, 2016)

I'll probably send my cockerels to freezer camp this Sat. because it is suppose to get up to 64. I was waiting to see if I could get a pressure canner but no such luck. I guess I could still can them later if I wanted too. Otherwise, they will have to be chicken and dumplings. Then again there is nothing better than chicken and dumplings on a cold day!


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## misfitmorgan (Dec 16, 2016)

Baymule said:


> Can we come for supper?



Your always welcome!


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## SherryV (Dec 16, 2016)

Latestarter said:


> I don't think anything is in season right now... at least not big game. Maybe rabbit or squirrel... Some things are always open like coyote. I prefer to hunt big game; deer/elk... much more meat for the expense that hunting has become.



Yes, big game is great to fill the freezer.  My husband got a Moose this year and so did his father.  Moose hunting in Maine is a lottery drawing you need to put in for.  It was amazing both he and his father were drawn this year.  Between the two of them the freezer is well stocked for the winter.  It came out to about $3.00 per pound; can't beat that.


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## lcertuche (Dec 16, 2016)

We don't have a gun but if we did we would hunt pigs. Most our neighbors freezers are stocked with wild pig. I don't know what moose taste like but I've eaten elk and it was great. I do have a little venison in the freezer a friend gave me. If meat is in our freezer it is usually chicken since DH works for Tyson. I'll be glad when I can raise my own meat birds. Now it's only a few BSL cockerels. I also am trying to figure out what kind of rabbit cages since I also want to be eating rabbit someday soon.


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## misfitmorgan (Dec 16, 2016)

Here Bear and Elk are Lottery and we do not have Moose hunting at all because the re-introduction of Moose to northern Michigan is not going to well. 

They re-introduced approx 70 Moose in the mid-30s but the population declind by the mid-40s and then again introduced approx 60 Moose to the Western UP in the 80's which were doing great with roughly a 25% population increase bi-annually until 2009(estimated 450 Moose) when it slowed and now since 2013 it has been dropping. Atm there is somewhere around 325 re-introduced Moose and another 100 native Moose in the east. THe target was 1,000 Moose by 2000 but that didnt happen at all.


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## NH homesteader (Dec 16, 2016)

I had moose once when a friend won the lottery and got one. It was good! 

Bear lottery? Ha! Here they practically beg us to hunt them.  We have sooooo many! 

I love seeing moose.  They're so awkwardly adorable!


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## TAH (Dec 16, 2016)

Moose jerkey!! My grandpa had the best moose Jeremy ever!!


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## Poka_Doodle (Dec 16, 2016)

Oooh, I'm looking forward to trying moose jerky when I'm in Alaska in March.


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## Latestarter (Dec 16, 2016)

When I was in Maine they limited it to 1000 moose permits, 900 for residents and 100 for out of state and all hunting had to be north of the cross state railroad (can't remember the line but was midway up the state). I submitted for the draw several times but never lucked out.   1 adult moose is a LOT of meat! Enough for a family of 4 for about a year! I guess the moose pop in Maine has grown rather substantial... they've had them walking through down town Portland! I understand bear numbers are getting pretty high as well, throughout New England.

Just a few years ago I think they started re-opening moose in Colorado on a limited special draw license. They were spreading really well and turning up in places they were never transplanted into and hadn't been seen in for over a century. I've walked up on several bulls in CO. They are huge animals! I'd love to try moose meat, I've never had it but have heard nothing but good reviews.


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## lcertuche (Dec 17, 2016)

Well I sent four BSL cockerels to freezer camp this a.m.. I still have one for the ladies. I can't convince DH they don't need a male, lol. Well maybe he'll learn to protect them. We started off with 12 roos and 8 pullets buts dogs have been hard on them. (my sons little starve strays). Now we have the 1 cockerel and 5 pullets. I do have plans on getting much more pullets but only for eggs. All boys have the potential for future chicken dinners. A friend of mine just got 4 pigs for $10 a head. I would want to try and butcher a couple and sell a couple. So many hunt pigs instead of buying pork though.


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## misfitmorgan (Dec 19, 2016)

I've never had moose, i've most of other northern wild game though.

Here pigs are $17/head atm and we dont have a lot of wild pigs up here, the ones we do have mostly stay to the southern part of the state.


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## lcertuche (Dec 19, 2016)

A friend just ask if they can hunt pigs on our place. I'm hoping for a mess pork if he gets one (or ten).


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