Tips for boning out meat

[cjl2010]

Any tips for boning out elk meat? We always quarter both elk and deer but Ive never boned out anything. Do you just hack the meat off and try to figure out the puzzle later? Does each quarter get its own game bag to keep the meat organized? Do you pop the quarters off and the bone them on the ground or do you bone it while its still connected to the animal? Whats your method? Any tips are appreciated.

[DesertBull]

If you have netflix there is an episode of meateater that shows how to take apart an animal and all the different cuts.

[HuntHarder]

I usually quarter, pack off the hill and then de-bone the meat in camp or at home. I think it is best to de-bone at home to cut down on the amount of dirt or hair that gets mixed in. I guess it is kind of hard to explain thru typing, but I look for the muscle seperations and try to get all the way down to the bone. I then, carve around the bone and the meet on rear quarters usually comes off in 1-3 major chunks. The front quarters are a little trickier and require more effort to get the meat off the scapula. It is similar to skinning the animal to remove the meat from the scapula. I grind up 80 % of all my meat personally. The only steaks I make are back straps and tender loins. I make as many roasts as I feel at the time and the rest goes into the grind pile.

 

I have de-boned an animal with the quarters still attached, but I think it greatly increases the odds of getting hair and dirt all in meat. On javelina I will use this method because they are so small and I can usually hang them from a tree nearby and the meat stays pretty clean.

[cjl2010]

I guess Im trying to lighten the pack out a little so I was hoping to learn some tricks on deboning in the field.

[Jazz]

I usually quarter, pack off the hill and then de-bone the meat in camp or at home. I think it is best to de-bone at home to cut down on the amount of dirt or hair that gets mixed in. I guess it is kind of hard to explain thru typing, but I look for the muscle seperations and try to get all the way down to the bone. I then, carve around the bone and the meet on rear quarters usually comes off in 1-3 major chunks. The front quarters are a little trickier and require more effort to get the meat off the scapula. It is similar to skinning the animal to remove the meat from the scapula. I grind up 80 % of all my meat personally. The only steaks I make are back straps and tender loins. I make as many roasts as I feel at the time and the rest goes into the grind pile.

 

I have de-boned an animal with the quarters still attached, but I think it greatly increases the odds of getting hair and dirt all in meat. On javelina I will use this method because they are so small and I can usually hang them from a tree nearby and the meat stays pretty clean.

 

For deer we gut them, throw them in the truck and take them apart at camp. Nothing really gets wasted.

Elk we quarter and get everything we can, and skin them at camp- debone at home. I don't know how long it would take me to debone an elk in the field- and as stated above, keeping everything clean out in the middle of nowhere is quite a chore. It took at least a full day to debone/wrap a cow elk.

 

With deboning, the meat is in layers. Do 1 leg (find the youtube of your choice to guide you) and you'll find it comes off one layer at a time. It used to be a huge mystery to us to process at home, but after the first deer it's self explanatory. We must have watched 4 or 5 videos to prep for it.

[Jazz]

I guess Im trying to lighten the pack out a little so I was hoping to learn some tricks on deboning in the field.

 

And what a chore that would be- but I did come across this video earlier. I think it's one of the better ones:

[cjl2010]

Since I grind just about everything except straps and tenderloins why cant I just chunk it all off the bone on a tyvek sheet and go straight into a game bag with it?

[Jazz]

Since I grind just about everything except straps and tenderloins why cant I just chunk it all off the bone on a tyvek sheet and go straight into a game bag with it?

 

You absolutely can. If you're going to just grind it up, that's the easiest scenario.

[cjl2010]

I imagine you could leave a few roasts in tact but since its all getting ground I can save some weight. Elk bones are heavy after a few miles!!

[cjl2010]

Jazz, that video you posted made it look fairly simple. I imagine with another guy helping and holding the bone for you it would go quite a bit quicker

[trphyhntr]

Kill it near a road.

[Guest akaspecials]

My four tips for deboning in the field in order of importance:

1. Use a sharp knife. If someone is with me, they are sharpening a knife while I cut. As soon as that knife dulls, we switch off and they start sharpening again. If I’m alone, I sharpen the knife for every 5 minutes or so of deboning. You are more likely to cut yourself with a dull knife and the process is much slower and not as neat.
2. Have multiple game bags. For deer I use 4 pillow cases. One is for the front quarters, one for the rear quarters, one for the prime cuts, and one for stew meat/scraps. For elk, I use larger game bags, but pretty much the same principle. When I get home, it’s pretty easy to tell what is what as long as I take off whole muscle groups and don’t just hack.
3. Hang the whole animal or the quarter and then work with the meat suspended to get it off the bone. This isn’t always possible, but I make every effort to find a good tree to hang it from. This keeps the dirt off. The meat goes straight into the game bag and is never set on the ground or anything that isn’t clean after the hide is removed. It can helpful to learn how to make improvised pulley systems in the field. This will save your back as you try to suspend the game. Also, make sure your rope and tree limb are strong enough. I've seen fully skinned animals come crashing down and get covered in dirt and leaves. Not fun to clean up.
4. Make clean cuts with clean knives and clean hands. The less crap you introduce to the meat, the better. I typically have to rinse my hands and knife 4 times when gutting a deer; 8 when doing an elk. A 32 ounce water bottle is more than sufficient to keep your hands and knife clean if used sparingly. (Also, take a lot of care when gutting to avoid messes.) Since you’re in the field without water, it’s a lot easier to take time to prevent a mess instead of trying to clean it up.

Hope that helps some.

[Jazz]

Jazz, that video you posted made it look fairly simple. I imagine with another guy helping and holding the bone for you it would go quite a bit quicker

 

It does. Or holding a light- or even starting a fire. As luck would have it, most of my knife activities occur after the sun sets.

[pwrguy]

I have had to do this a number of times. When you take an animal and you are a mile or more from a road there is no point in hauling out bone unless you have a need for it. Lot's of game bags is a must. Like others have said pillow cases work great. In my opinion multiple small bags are easier to cool and easier to handle. When you are taking the animal apart you can hang bags you are finished with in the shade while continuing to work. I have no secret tips on the cut's of meat. The larger you can cut the pieces the less waste and trim you will have.

[ctafoya]

I bring a shower curtain. Put the quarters on it and go to work. Shower curtain is light weight and cheap enough to throw out when you get home. I just keep backstrsps and tenderloin separate.