If you have some spare time, it's well worth it to process your own deer for a number of reasons. First, you know it's your deer! Second the equipment is cheap. Third, the prices for a locker to do it is sinful!!! I pay 10 dollars for 100 one pound burger bags, paid 25 dollars for a fancy tape machine and built my own grinder for 100 bucks. I finished my son-in-laws buck today. Four t-loin roasts, two heart roasts and 25 pounds of burger. This is about my 20th job and am getting pretty good at it.......obtw, you need some good knives.:smiley: Regards, Rick.

that's some set up...Ron

Very good idea. while cutting up my deer this year a buddy and me decided we are going to get set up. get a good set of cutting and skinning knives, and a good table to cut on. One we can wash down and disenfect after using. get ourselves a grinder, or ask my dad to give me his since it never sees any action, and start turning out some hamburg, and my favorite, good ole deer sausage. I have also found after this year it is a good time to get some buddies together and fellowship a little. God Bless.

Nice setup Rick. We usually don't bother with ground venison unless it's an old deer. I have a nice electric grinder. Makes things easier.   .........Paul H

I process my own...always have....got a couple of grinders...got an old frig'
set-up, where I can hang quartered deer to cool for several days....got an
old single-tree on a hoist hanging from a big limb in the back yard, for
skinning and such....grind what I think I need to get me from one season
to the next....got to where I can work a deer up in just alittle while.....BH51..

I've never taken a deer to a locker for processing.  Elk and buffalo are a lot bigger chore, and I like to hang 'em for about 7 days, so since I don't have a place to hang them at the right temp, I take those to a locker.
 
Deer and antelope are pretty easy, when it comes right down to it.  My wife shrink-wraps the meat while I cut it up, and it works pretty well.  I have a hand grinder, but I'm going to get an electric one before long.  Just makes things that much easier.
 
Daryl

The family invested in a 1 1/2 HP grinder 5 years ago.  It was the best investment we ever made.
 
Rick, you keep the kitchen mightly clean when you do that.  Not even going to show a picture of what the kitchen looks like when we make 50 pounds of burger and 150 pounds of sausage at a time...grin.

Hi All,

        I have a question  what is this thing about burgers and grinding up good meat?

There are those who make venison sausages mainly commercial butchers and I have tried them and was seriously not impressed. I cut my deer up into small joints or for braising/stewing and I recall only once mincing some which I made a venison version of Cottage Pie. Meat and onion with some carrots cooked in gravy the covered in Mashed potatoe and baked until the top of the potatoe is crisp and brown. The same thing using Lamb is Shepherds pie. The carrot is optional.

Brithunter,
 
I've done a lot of deer the same way, without making any burger at all.  The burger is pretty good though, and it's handy for makiing a lot of various dishes.
 
I've fried burger in a skillet with some diced onion to make that same "shepherd's pie" you speak of, but I usually add a few more ingredients.  Mixing some mushrooms, mushroom soup, corn, green beans, or whatever into the burger, along with a little milk to thin the soup, gives some variation to it.
 
With tougher meat from older animals, burger is oft-times the way to go.  I got a lot of burger from the last buffalo I shot.  The tougher cuts of meat can be pretty hard to deal with as a roast or steak, so I burger'd those.  Ended up with nearly 200 lbs of burger.  Mtnpenny made a meatloaf with some of it last night, and I doubt many would have objected to it.  It was really good, with mashed 'taters and corn on the side.
 
Daryl

I do mine about like Daryl.  I cut and the wife (Mrs. RatherNOTbhuntin) does the vacuum packing and labeling.  If a steak can be made of it,that's what we do, after we have enough whole roasts set aside.  Lots of diced meat for dishes too.   But we do eat a lot of burger,  and we never have enough of that.  I especially like venison burger for  dishes that need more flavor than what beef offers.   At least every other front shoulder is sliced thin for jerky, I love jerky and I like it chewy so it lasts longer.

I have an electric grinder and vacuum sealer, but wish I had bigger better ones.

I remove the loins and heart roasts, save a front shoulder to smoke and grind the rest. I use the venison burger in "Rick's killer Chili", spagetti sauce, hot dishes and drum roll....Venison noodle alfredo. I think I'll whip up a batch for tonight.:D :D

The rifle season is over in Missouri (never busted a cap) and the Black Powder season opens on Friday. Then we switch back to doe season before Christmas. Hope to have several does in the freezer by then. Regards, Rick.

"Mrs. Rather Not be huntin'" .......Ha..Haaaaaaa.....sounds like my wife....
 good one, Glenn.:D ....Yea,..I just grind what I need...debone and chunk
 cut the rest.....for roast, barbeque and such........................................BH51....

QuoteI have a question what is this thing about burgers and grinding up good meat?

I would do my whole deer in burger!!! I would eat burger over steaks anyday. Although I think it is very good canned to. someday I am going to do that. God Bless.[/COLOR][/SIZE]

I generally grind up the whole deer except for the back straps. We make breakfast sausage and burger. We mix it 50/50 with pork and I like to add about 3 lbs of pure beef fat per 50lbs of burger or sausage. We just finished making another 50lbs this morning.

QuoteWe make breakfast sausage and burger.

Thats what I'm talking about!!!!!! God Bless.