Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting My first deer - from field to table.

Congrats and nice work. The campfire needs more stories like this.

I think I see a couple of Mora knifes and possibly a Marttiini? How did those work out for you?

I clearly see the Victorinox

Congrats, nothing like doing it yourself. My first deer I took to be processed, every big game animal since has been done by me. It greatly enhances the experience and wouldnt have it any other way.

That rapala knife is one of the best low cost deboning knives going, it also doubles as a filet knife if needed 😀

We use those small Rapala knives all the time in the kitchen and yes for butchering game too. Great little knives.

Congrats. Nicely Done. I'm happy for you.

I've been processing my own game since 1972. I've learned some things about it along the
way that I like/prefer and make portions of it easier.

Keep it up !


Jerry

Very cool, congrats!

Thanks for sharing your story.

I'll echo my friend, here, and say thanks for taking the time to let us know how your hunt went. Congratulations.

What they said...


And a question...is your Rem 700 a CDL or a Mountain rifle? I'm currently working on a project gun thats a combination of the two...

And BTW..Mule deer does can be pretty tasty!

Gratz Nathan!

Wondering about this, but other than that, very cool. I like people that process their own meat. With my back problems I am struggling with it, but managed to do 2 so far this year. I dread when I can no longer do my own. miles

Hi Miles, after field dressing on the ground we caped and removed the head and forelegs with the assistance of a gambrel. We then covered the body in an elk quarter and lowered into a huge REI backpack and I walked the deer out using the hind legs to balance the load. It was a relatively flat 1.5 miles so it was doable. By September i'm usually in excellent shape due to working in the mountains with the US Forest Service but even so the load was really heavy. I think next time I will divide the animal up and make multiple trips.

Are you mounting the does head? miles

The rifle was a gift from my Mom to my Dad for his 18th birthday in 1978. According to my Mom, she saved her money from working at the flower shop and then went to JC Pennys (it may have been Montgomery Wards, I can't remember now) with my Uncle to buy the rifle. My Uncle was there to help select a rifle with nice wood and he ended up buying the same rifle but in .243.

The rifle in question started out as an ADL but at some point the stock broke and Dad replaced it with a CDL take off stock and the hinged magazine. Over the years he took a few deer with it but the rifle never really saw much use and probably languished in his safe for 15 years without use. When he heard I was going to buy a hunting rifle he handed the Remington down to me.

I left the head in the field. In retrospect I wish that I had kept the head and cape.

Hi Oakie, the fillet knife is Rapala Marttiini - it was great for deboning and removing muscle fascia, tendons, and ligaments.

Moras are great all around knives that are very affordable and punch way above their weight with respect to quality. I prefer the carbon steel versions to the stainless as I find they sharpen easily and hold a wicked edge. I use 800 grit sand paper to strop the scandi edge back to hair popping sharp in short time. My only complaint is that if you put them on your belt that the plastic sheath makes noise when hit by a rifle stock or brush, for that reason I keep them in my pack.

To field dress and cape the deer we used a Havalon piranta and two moras. The Havalon was nice and cut like a laser but I prefer a knife with a guard and very firm grip a la Mora. We also used a Silky Gomboy 240 saw for the head, legs, and sternum.

The Victorinox butcher's knife was great for cubing meat for the meat grinder and steaking out the back straps and tenderloins. It's been a great kitchen knife too. I highly recommend it.

Great stuff