I process my own to make steak, stew, chili, hamburger, smoked sausage, jerky, tamales, etc. We do it as a family and have a good time with good eats. Heard too many horror stories about processors.

The only thing I have ever thought about looking for a processor that can ashure me the deboned meat I take him or her is summer sausage. Then again I'm pretty sure I will just end up reading up on it and doing it myself in the long run would really like to make my own venison summer sausage. Really glad to see all the responses of guys who still do it there self in a family setting. We take out what we are going to eat immediately and for the most part we freeze the quarters and wrap until the end of the season to set up our assembly line it is really a great weekend with the family.

Time spent with my family is always better than being at work and making money. But I do see the other side as we all enjoy doin it together and enjoy the harvest. So I guess I can see that point of view.

The guy I use will take the deer whole for 25 bucks extra. I have never done that because caping and quartering the deer has always been an integral part of the hunt to me. But since he is not far I may do that one day if I am in a hurry for some reason.

Unless you are rich, we all work so we can spend our time not working doing the things we enjoy. That is different for everyone. If you enjoy processing I say more power to you. Many folks do.

A little of both, I suppose. We butcher a beeve and two hogs per year. I have mt pleasant meat locker do those and my sisters typically absorb the cost of processing since a supply the animals and all costs associated. Joshua killed 4 deer and Haley killed two last year. We donated 2, which I paid for the processing on those. We had two processed into jerky and sausage. The other two Joshua and I cut up. I find value in both sides. End result was a lot of meat that found its way to other folks.

When I moved up here to Bellville, it became more cost effective to have it processed. Dad has the equipment, I don't, and he is 2 1/2-3 hours away. Bellville Meat Market is 15 minutes away. I take it there, and a few days later they have it ready. Now if I could convince dad to give me the equipment, I would go back to doing it myself. I've already got the plans drawn up for a smoke house, just don't want to spend the money for quality equipment and I'm not going to waste money on junk equipment. JMO

I did my first complete process week before last and it was very rewarding! I have another in the cooler today that i will begin working on later this evening. I do plan on taking a portion of the meat to a processor for smoked sausage as I'm not set-up for that.

I have doen mine for years because it easy and i know whats done it ,how it is taken care and also i get all of my meat not someone elses that is not taken care of right.It takes a little money at first to get all your stuff set up but with the prices i have been seeing latley it will not take long for you to re-coop your money.

I process my own deer. Just seems like the smart thing to do with wild game.

I've done my own since back in the early 60's.
I've been around the meat business 25 years and watched many operations.
There are some good but mostly bad processors out there. Too many people get involved in those operations and that is where you run into problems.
Doing your own is the way to go if you make the time, and it's not that hard once you do it, you'll understand.

from where it stood happy in the field to where it lays dead on our plate, we take care of all of it ourselves. Time has gotten harder lately, especially since we're cleaning more deer than before too.

we got/skin/quarter/fully debone right there on the ranch. deer are already in freezer paper by time they come home. steaks, soup/stew meat, etc its ready for the table. all meat that we would grind for chili, or mix with a little pork to make hamburger or sausage...just gets packed into gallon frzr bags, and it waits until we get it fully processed in smaller batches after the close of season. we'll do 50lbs of salami, or 100lbs of hamburger, or 100lbs sausage....its easier to work with in smaller batches. spread it over a few weekends.

just de-boning and such...I could never be a verterinarian...but I can take an animal apart pretty fast. the noon hr and evenings in hunting camp are often spend deboning meat.

we own the ranch, so we set up a processing log...never knew you could do that....but aparantly you can. any deer killed....is logged, license# date, all that. log must stay on site for inspection. must have a permanent processing facility of sorts. not a tailgate.

save us from having to take it all home. city garbage collection gets upset when you put too many rib-cages and deer skins in the trash collection.