How to Field-Process a DEER

I was raised in a family that processed most of the meat we ate, so when I began hunting deer, it was second nature to process them myself. It’s satisfying to sit down to a meal of venison that I’ve harvested, processed, aged, and packaged, and often roasted, smoked, or grilled myself.

Many hunters share the same sentiment, and choose to field-dress and/or field-process their own animals as well. Field-dressing involves a hunter removing only the internal organs in the field and then bringing the carcass home to process, or taking it to a butcher. However, when you process the entire deer in the field, it gives you the option to bring home only the parts your family will use while the remaining parts are left to feed scavengers and nourish the soil where the deer lived and died. Plus, disease-carrying parasites, such as ticks, remain in the field, or are bagged and frozen with the hide prior to tanning. And it’s often easier to pack out a deer in two or three loads rather than to haul the entire carcass home.

Initial Considerations

Before field-processing a deer, read up on your local wildlife laws, and take care to obey them. If you plan to mount the head