Hunting Forum

Does any one know of another processor near Walden? I had one done buy the guy at the grocery store, that does wild game on the side. " I " used to do a better job! Expensive too! Hoping not to have to drive over the divide to Steamboat or back down the mountain to La Porte.

I think the grocery store on the north end of Walden is the only place which does any kind of storage or processing (as you know, Walden is not a very big town). I'm sorry to say, but your best bet is driving back to Fort Collins, or possibly Grandby, Kremmling, or Larimie are about your only other choices (depending on whch way you are heading) to get you meat prcessed. Personolly, I have used Reliable Processoring in Fort Collins for several years. although if you want salami made then it does take 7-10 days. The other problem with Reliable is that they are limited in the number of carcasses they can process at one time and I have had to be put on the "waiting list" for a couple of days to be able to drop my meat off.

I've always cut my own meat. So I don't know about any by Walden but then I don't hunt there. I mainly hunt out of Craig and Kremmling these days.

I'm curious though as to why you use a processor. Cutting meat is pretty easy and you get a better finished product if you do it yourself. I can cut and wrap an entire deer in less than an hr and a half and that includes grinding the burger. Get a good vac packer and the meat keeps a long time too. Why lay out the $$$ for an inferior product when it is so easy to do?

Hey Flags, How goes it? I am sure with years of experience it is a quick process. I have done my own deer and that has taken four to five hours for me. I have never been shown how to do it properly and as much time and effort goes into it, I want all the best out of it I can get. We all have an agreement in camp. How ever many of us get an animal, we all share in the processing costs and equally share the meat. I guess it has also always been easiest to tell a neutral party how to divide it up so everyone gets the same number of steaks, roasts and so on. Do you know of any good videos that show how to do it step by step?

TSnake,

The DOW has a pretty good video that shows how to cut an elk. The same basic concept works for deer. There are also several really good videos on YOUTUBE that show how to cut game. One guy from England has several that show him cutting Roe Deer. He can completely bone one out in 7 or 8 minutes.

I sort of came up with my own method. It works well for me and I've shown several others how I do it. Now all of them use it as well. I don't even gut game anymore. I bone them on the ground and only bring meat out. Skin, bones and heads stay where they are. I've never been a trophy hunter so antlers mean nothing to me. Give me a doe or cow tag any day. The method I use is effective on everything from antelope to bison. It roughly follows what is on the DOW video but I have tailored to my own way of doing things.

Try butchering your own game. When you get the hang of it, you'll never pay someone to do it for you.

I'll do some looking flags. It would be great not to have to pay that money out. As I am still partially disabled, as long as the others will lend a hand, there time will be well spent helping. Thanks old buddy. Good luck to you this season.

tsnake,
I watched a pretty good video from Outdoor Edge a while back. Of course they are trying to sell their knives and such, but not a bad tutorial on home butchering.

My Grandpa had a grocery store for a bunch of years and butchered all his own meat for the store. He used and taught us the same techniques with wild game and it has always served me well. The basic placement of the cuts of meat are the same as on cattle, so if you get one of those diagrams that they have at the deli that shows where the cut is in relation to the part of the animal that should help with the location of steaks and such.

For me, getting the right grinder for the burger is the absolute key to getting your own stuff done. It can be the difference between a few hours and a very, very long night. As well as between having squished burge rmeat and a nice even grind.

The clincher to all processing is getting the air out when you wrap it. Of course air is the catalyst for freezer burn, so getting the air out is important. We don't use vacuum sealers because of the cost, but I'm sure it works great.

Once you do your own, like Flags said, you will never pay someone again. It is nice to know where your animal has been from when it was grazing to when it goes in your mouth.

Good luck!

Thanks guys! I am glad I checked in this morning before leaving. Headed up the mountain this morning. Looks like the weather is changing and by tonight I'll be a happy camper. Now if I can wind up a happy hunter within the next twelve days... Let me take that back. I will be a happy hunter whether my tag gets filled or not. I am alive, walking upright on my own and the freedom to hunt Elk in the great state I call " home sweet home". I'll let you all know how it goes!