The most important thing to remember when you go to butcher a deer for the first time is just that: it’s your first time. No one can expect to perfectly skin, slice, and prepare a deer when they’ve never done it before. Take your time when beginning the skinning process, as it takes precision. It goes without saying that having the proper tools for this job can also help to make it easier. Make sure your blade is sharp and clean before you start cutting into the deer!

 

After you have successfully skinned your deer, you can start going in with your butcher supplies to slice the deer into portions. Before making that first cut, though, you should familiarize yourself with the different cuts of meat on a deer. You have everything from the backstrap, to the brisket, to the round, and even the sirloin tip. It’s best to know what you want to get out of the deer before you begin the process of making it into pieces.

 

One crucial thing to remember after you start cutting into the meat is that deer fat is a bit different from the fat of other animals, in that it doesn't taste good and is not edible whatsoever. Make sure you are finally trimming the fat off of the deer meat using your deer processing supplies. After you have fully sliced your deer, it can be frozen or refrigerated for later consumption!