Raised my own beef for the last 12 years. I buy 3-4 in early May and butcher them in early November. I always send them to be processed. 3 years ago, against my better judgment I took an 800 pound steer that was especially wild. Usually if you lock them up in the stall for a week and feed them grain they will settle down and start to feel at home. This one decided he was never going to stay and broke out and ran for the hills. Long story short he caught a bullet between the eyes. I had to butcher it on my own because of the circumstances. He was only 800 pounds( usually more like 1200 when they go) and I have processed all my big game since I was a kid and I still don’t think I want to tackle that again.
Used a tractor to hang it, knives and sawzall to cut it and I have my own grinder.
If you’re used to cutting up meat( I usually do at least 5 or six deer a year) it’s something I wouldn’t be afraid to try but it’s still a pain in the but because of the size of the animal. Heck the hide is tough to deal with. I did it on my own but if you had a couple extra guys helping it wouldn’t be too bad. Watch a YouTube video or two and get out your 22mag. Those guts are fun to deal with too!!
