Deer hunting, getting it butchered.

[caesius]

Moving into a flat next year, foods gonna be expensive so I've had this great idea to go deer hunting every couple of months and stock up a deep freeze with venison steaks, sausages, mince etc etc.

Only problem is I've got no idea where to take the carcass. I'll be in the Wellington area but I wouldn't mind driving for a good butcher.

I've also got no idea about how much it would cost, how much meat you get back, how to transport it, how long it takes, which places to avoid etc etc. Would someone who knows a bit more than me fill me in? I'm so exciting about the deep freeze fulla' delicious deer meat I need to know.

Venison steak with an appropriate selected beer...I can't wait.

[ynot slow]

Maybe try any rural home kill butchers,some can cut up for you,also try the regions sports shops selling rifles etc,they may have info on butchers or processers,not sure if yellow pages help to you,our ones have butchers and home kill lists.

[ynot slow]

Ps,my finders fee is 2kg saussies,and 1 kg steak.

[deanohit]

Just ask around butchers shops. I've always butchered my own meat and sent parts in for sausages to one of the butchers in Blenheim. Not any more though now in Tauranga, I don't get out hunting much these days.

[Krusti]

Last beast we got done was about $1.20 per kg to do.

[riffer]

Stokes Valley Quality Meats offer this very service for hunters and lifestyle blockers.

Here's their number:

04 563 8891

[caesius]

Cheers, so @ 1.20 / kg, an average deer would be about $100 am I right?

[Goblin]

Great idea in theory but I know a few deer stalkers who dont always manage to see any deer let alone shoot any. If you want to do this as a money saving exercise you'd be better off just buying your meat at a butcher rather than the super market. I spend about $30 per week on meat at the butcher and that includes bacon and free range eggs.

A few years ago we had this huge hind hanging around our house. My son was busy playing in the sand pit when he looked up she was about 3 meters away from him and he turned white and ran inside. Well I didnt have a gun. If I did I would have got a clear head shot out my livingroom window! so I drove over to the neighbors and asked if he could come and shoot this deer for us. He got his gun ready and as we came back up the driveway the deer took off. We didnt get it that day but a few mornings later she was back so I phoned Trevor and this time he got a shot away but he sort of missed and blew its bottom jaw off and she took off into the pine trees. He got another shot that dropped it but it was a hell of a job to drag the carcass out of the trees to the ute. I dont remember the price for butchering but we ended up with 116 kilos of meat and sausages. She was a BIG hind! We went halves in the meat and Trevor paid for the butchering. God I miss my neighbors!!

So I reckon deer stalking is more of a sport/hobby than a need to provide food. Good luck in the flat. There are ways of living cheap if you have to.

[Colapop]

I suppose that's a point Goblin. Is there enough wildstock around to make it a worthwhile venture?

[Goblin]

Well I dont know for a fact but the hunters I have spoken to rarely shoot anything. Hunting is becoming more and more popular so that cant be good for the numbers.

Maybe go ask in the "Firearms" thread. Some of those fullas should know.

[deanohit]

Mate of mine back in Blenheim has some blocks he hunts in, going to a different block each weekend. ALWAYS comes back with some thing whether it's a fat pig, hind or spiker or even a young nanny goat (very tasty curried). It can be done, just don't hunt regularly in one spot. And anyway, how long do you think 100kg+ of meat will last, it' not like he'll be out every week or even month maybe.

[caesius]

Mate of mine back in Blenheim has some blocks he hunts in, going to a different block each weekend. ALWAYS comes back with some thing whether it's a fat pig, hind or spiker or even a young nanny goat (very tasty curried). It can be done, just don't hunt regularly in one spot. And anyway, how long do you think 100kg+ of meat will last, it' not like he'll be out every week or even month maybe.

As long as I can shoot it, and get it butchered, I'm game. Yeah I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have to go too regularly, as you say 100kg meat is a lot for even a few people to get through.

It ain't so much as a cost saving measure, I just like the idea of having a freezer full of my own meat.

Can't wait to get out of the hostel, buy a ute and start filling up the freezer! It's being done mark my words. :rockon:

[Finn]

Cheers, so @ 1.20 / kg, an average deer would be about $100 am I right?

If you're deep in the forrest, surely you would gut it first. This would reduce the weight quite a bit. Still to heavy... off with the head.

Ate some Elk the other night. Nice.

[Goblin]

As long as I can shoot it, and get it butchered, I'm game. Yeah I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have to go too regularly, as you say 100kg meat is a lot for even a few people to get through.

It ain't so much as a cost saving measure, I just like the idea of having a freezer full of my own meat.Yeah I'd love to shoot one myself too.:ar15: Looks like fun to me. Spose it depends on the area you live too. Around here there are hunters utes parked up everywhere and on any day of the week.

When you do start to fill ya freezer you might want to get other types of meat too as eating the same thing week after week can get a bit monotonous.

[riffer]

If you're deep in the forrest, surely you would gut it first. This would reduce the weight quite a bit. Still to heavy... off with the head.

Ate some Elk the other night. Nice.

Exactly. And the taste of near raw venison back steaks lasts long after the agony of dragging the animal out of the forest is forgotten.

[caesius]

Yeah I'd love to shoot one myself too.:ar15: Looks like fun to me. Spose it depends on the area you live too. Around here there are hunters utes parked up everywhere and on any day of the week.

When you do start to fill ya freezer you might want to get other types of meat too as eating the same thing week after week can get a bit monotonous.

Hell yes fun.

Hmmm you're right about getting bored. Steal a cow perhaps? :lol:

[caesius]

Exactly. And the taste of near raw venison back steaks lasts long after the agony of dragging the animal out of the forest is forgotten.

Like trout fishing, more than half the fun in the adventure catching the damn things.

I wasn't aware there was any other way to eat a steak than near raw?

[riffer]

I wasn't aware there was any other way to eat a steak than near raw?

Yes, well apparently some heathens actually don't like the taste of blood ya know... :crazy:

[jrandom]

If you just want to fill the freezer, the trick is to know where reasonably large groups of deer hang out.

Often this will be on land that you may not be easily able to arrange access to with full permission, so, er... yes. Once you locate a harvestable herd, you can just sneak back and take one every time supply runs low, but the trick is to know where they are so that you can drive straight to your 'insertion point' and be reasonably sure of finding them within a couple of hours.

Have you done much deerstalking before?

To be honest, if it's a budget thing, what with petrol used to travel around, butcher's fees, and general time wastage, I'd be inclined to just buy whatever beef is on special at the Mad Butcher and make do with that...

[Goblin]

Hell yes fun.

Hmmm you're right about getting bored. Steal a cow perhaps? :lol:Sheep are easier.:shutup:

[Krusti]

If you just want to fill the freezer, the trick is to know where reasonably large groups of deer hang out.

Often this will be on land that you may not be easily able to arrange access to with full permission, so, er... yes. Once you locate a harvestable herd, you can just sneak back and take one every time supply runs low, but the trick is to know where they are so that you can drive straight to your 'insertion point' and be reasonably sure of finding them within a couple of hours.

Have you done much deerstalking before?

To be honest, if it's a budget thing, what with petrol used to travel around, butcher's fees, and general time wastage, I'd be inclined to just buy whatever beef is on special at the Mad Butcher and make do with that...

Will the farmer not get pissed off though? :angry2: . :lol:

[one-speed]

yep it's not really that easy
first you gotta find one,
then you gotta shoot it.Hopefully your aim is good so it do'nt suffer.
then gut it that even means puting ya hand up u know what.
then ya gotta get it back to the car,
then hang it for 2 or three day's,
and by the the time ya done that you might of found a butcher:)

[Colapop]

I can shoot good. I don't have a gun, or much hunting knowledge but I'm keen to fill the pantry... Hunting spots around Welly? Hmmm I reckon the back of Wainui and Rimutakas would possibly be good spots... Hunting shops would have a bit of local knowledge...?

[scumdog]

Buy a small block&tackle, hook a gambrel through its legs and hang the beast up from a beam in the gargre. (in the shower is also good if you can do it - makes the clean-up easy)

And get a couple of good sharp knives and a heap of bags and learn to cut the bugger up yourself. (The library will have a couple of deer hunting books that include how to cut up the deer wot you have just made dead).

[caesius]

I'd love to do it myself but I don't wanna make an arse of the meat cuts. I've been reading up how to gut them while still in the bush though.

I thought when you hung it up it had to be in a chiller (a LARGE chiller)?

I'm all for the DIY approach, I gotta learn someday. I'm not too sure how a flattie would feel driving their car into the garage only to find a headless carcass.

!!!

Oh god, or a gal going to take a shower and finding said headless carcass hanging next to her Parmolive naturals. On second thoughts holly hell that could be entertaining...

[jrandom]

Gutting the buggers where they lie is a piece of cake if you don't mind a bit of blood on your shirt sleeves.

Skinning and butchering beasts properly takes a bit of practice, I still spend over an hour doing an animal these days and my results are never very professional-looking.

You can get videos etc that teach butchering, I'd say they'd be good value (should check them out myself, actually...)

[one-speed]

yep my x came home one night
and there it was bambi hanging up in the shed.
but she did get over it
lol

[deanohit]

Yea, it's not hard to cut up an animal once you have been shown how to. A deer or sheep is fairly easy to skin compared to a pig if you've got them hanging right. Just take ya time, takes me over an hour to skin a big pig still, but I can do 3 sheep in that time now. You don't need a chiller to hang an animal if you have a cool, shady corner of the shed. Although the mate I was talking about before has a proper chiller that he can hang 6 big pigs in. Mad keen bloke though and he sells alot of the meat he catches. Go for it mate.

[doc]

Cmon don't you think you are being sucked in by a troll.Who the fur...k moves into to town and hopes to pay the bills with a bit on the side in the weekends. Would probably get buck fever if he saw a rabbit. Send him to the firearms thread. Regulars .....are you really are you that bored you have to respond to something like this ?

[Timber020]

A mate pegged a 14 pointer 2 minutes out of karori with a .22 the other day, jammy bugger!

[caesius]

Cmon don't you think you are being sucked in by a troll.Who the fur...k moves into to town and hopes to pay the bills with a bit on the side in the weekends. Would probably get buck fever if he saw a rabbit. Send him to the firearms thread. Regulars .....are you really are you that bored you have to respond to something like this ?

Ae? Just moved into town? I live here. And what's this about paying the bills? Who said that.

Why should I not have posted this? I searched the internet for butchers who deal with homekill stuff, returned very little. I searched KB for a thread like this and found none.

What rules did I breach.

[doc]

Ae? Just moved into town? I live here. And what's this about paying the bills? Who said that.

Why should I not have posted this? I searched the internet for butchers who deal with homekill stuff, returned very little. I searched KB for a thread like this and found none.

What rules did I breach.
Have you got one before ?

[caesius]

Have you got one before ?

I assume you mean deer? I've been with mates a few times back home, I was only really spectating, i.e they did the shooting/gutting etc.

I'm getting my gun license, and I'm bloody keen to get better at deer hunting and all I wanted was a few pointers as to the "after shooting" part.

What that have to do with whether I should have posted though?

[mstriumph]

yep it's not really that easy
first you gotta find one,
then you gotta shoot it.Hopefully your aim is good so it do'nt suffer.
then gut it that even means puting ya hand up u know what.
then ya gotta get it back to the car,
then hang it for 2 or three day's,
and by the the time ya done that you might of found a butcher:)

too hard!!

try becoming a vegetarian? --- all you can eat in a handy backyard plot and you don't need hours of patience, a funny hat and a gun to harvest them or a butcher to dismember the result................


......... on the other hand - venison - mmmmmmm :love:

[deanohit]

Ahhh just go for it mate, even if you don't get anything, you'll still have fun getting out there.

[TLMAN]

I have a mate in Waitara who has a block with a sh#*load of deer on it. He will guide you up there and show you where they are for you to shoot. I think he charges $300 for the guide, meat and the dressed animal. PM me if interested.

[riffer]

I assume you mean deer? I've been with mates a few times back home, I was only really spectating, i.e they did the shooting/gutting etc.

I'm getting my gun license, and I'm bloody keen to get better at deer hunting and all I wanted was a few pointers as to the "after shooting" part.

What that have to do with whether I should have posted though?

I can't see anything wrong with your thread. Good discussion I reckon.

Anything involving guns and fine cuts of meat has got to be good. :yes:

[Grub]

My best mate is a deer hunter of long standing and Riffer is right ... the Stokes Valley guy is apparently one of the primo game butchers in the country. Anything you hunt, he butchers

[Slingshot]

Stokes Valley Quality Meats offer this very service for hunters and lifestyle blockers.
I've had work done there in the past, from memory it was around $40 to $50ish. You can also may a small amount extra and have it vacuum packed, then it'll last longer in the freezer.


If you're deep in the forrest, surely you would gut it first. This would reduce the weight quite a bit. Still to heavy... off with the head.
Of course you would, they've got to be bled out good and that needs to be done before the blood starts to clot...be way to heavy to carry out of the bush intact as well. Unless you're planning on cheating and using a quad to cart you catch.



I thought when you hung it up it had to be in a chiller (a LARGE chiller)?

We use to hang em in the woodshed for a couple of days, worked nicely.

[Shadows]

Moving into a flat next year, foods gonna be expensive so I've had this great idea to go deer hunting every couple of months and stock up a deep freeze with venison steaks, sausages, mince etc etc.

Only problem is I've got no idea where to take the carcass. I'll be in the Wellington area but I wouldn't mind driving for a good butcher.

I've also got no idea about how much it would cost, how much meat you get back, how to transport it, how long it takes, which places to avoid etc etc. Would someone who knows a bit more than me fill me in? I'm so exciting about the deep freeze fulla' delicious deer meat I need to know.

Venison steak with an appropriate selected beer...I can't wait.


Stokes Valley Quality Meats offer this very service for hunters and lifestyle blockers.

Here's their number:

04 563 8891

Darren Meates is his name.

Get a good hilar shot, front third of the animal's body and a third of the way up. Definately don't shoot the arse out of the animal as that is where the most of the meat is and the meat will spoil quickly around the bullet hole and where the projectile has shattered bones.
Make sure after you get the kill that you quickly get the guts and as much blood as possible out, and open the legs out. The object is to get as much heat out of the carcass as quickly as possible so that it doesn't spoil.

If you're really keen then join the Deerstalkers when you get down here, they even do a practical hunts course.