Roe deer opportunity

[AI Maxi]

Hi,
I have been asked to shoot the Roe deer on a permission I have, as this is my first experience I am looking for advice on requirements such as best practice on any courses and home butchery + equipment.
All the meat will be used at home thank you.

 

[VSS]

Basic equipment is all that's required to get you started.
Somewhere to keep carcass cool (eg, old drinks fridge or converted upright domestic fridge, or just a cool outbuilding in winter).
Victorinox 5" flexible boning knife.
Somewhere suitable to hang carcass to skin.
Somewhere to do your butchering (kitchen table + cutting board).
Freezer bags.
Sharpie pen.
And of course, a freezer to store your venison.

You can invest in lots more kit as and when your interest develops.

Plenty of good venison butchery tutorials on YouTube. Scott Rea has done lots.
Charlie Blance did a good one recently that was posted on here. I'd definitely recommend giving it a watch (although it was a red she was butchering, not a roe).

Thread 'Butchering a deer at home beginner friendly video'

Apr 12, 2025

Hi folks, little butchering video some might find interesting or usefull.

• treestand
• Replies: 13
• Forum: Carcass Prep, Butchery & Recipes

• 

 

[Mike1979]

What Tim (VSS) said

Dont set your expectations high as the guys who do the vids make it look easy and you will make a bit of a hash of the first few...part of the learning process Practice makes perfect so take your time...tatty looking venison still tastes lovely

 

[AI Maxi]

Basic equipment is all that's required to get you started.
Somewhere to keep carcass cool (eg, old drinks fridge or converted upright domestic fridge, or just a cool outbuilding in winter).
Victorinox 5" flexible boning knife.
Somewhere suitable to hang carcass to skin.
Somewhere to do your butchering (kitchen table + cutting board).
Freezer bags.
Sharpie pen.
And of course, a freezer to store your venison.

You can invest in lots more kit as and when your interest develops.

Plenty of good venison butchery tutorials on YouTube. Scott Rea has done lots.
Charlie Blance did a good one recently that was posted on here. I'd definitely recommend giving it a watch (although it was a red she was butchering, not a roe).

Thread 'Butchering a deer at home beginner friendly video'

Apr 12, 2025

Hi folks, little butchering video some might find interesting or usefull.

• treestand
• Replies: 13
• Forum: Carcass Prep, Butchery & Recipes

• 

Thank you for the advice, knife and sharpie ordered.
I have a suitable fridge and freezer in the garage where my wood pigeon and rabbits go

 

[GWP]

As VSS says just basic kit will get you going if you can skin and butcher a rabbit you can do a deer its just bigger a mincer will get you a lot more usable meat as in burgers or spagboll etc

 

[AI Maxi]

What Tim (VSS) said

Dont set your expectations high as the guys who do the vids make it look easy and you will make a bit of a hash of the first few...part of the learning process Practice makes perfect so take your time...tatty looking venison still tastes lovely

Thank you, I will lower my expectations, so similar to my first rabbit and pigeon, experience is the key, I am looking forward to cooking and eating some Roe venison.

 

[VSS]

As VSS says just basic kit will get you going if you can skin and butcher a rabbit you can do a deer its just bigger a mincer will get you a lot more usable meat as in burgers or spagboll etc

Definitely a mincer is the next thing that the OP should add to his wish list

 

[AI Maxi]

As VSS says just basic kit will get you going if you can skin and butcher a rabbit you can do a deer its just bigger a mincer will get you a lot more usable meat as in burgers or spagboll etc

Brilliant, I suspect I will have plenty for mince until I become a little more efficient, can you recommend a decent mince machine for home use, thank you

 

[GWP]

Its the old addage buy once cry once Lidle or Aldi will have a cheap but usable one but buffalo come up on here as good kit have a search in the food section someone will recomend a good one

 

[GWP]

Check out butchers sundries they a few machines of various capabilities also Weshenfelder

 

[AI Maxi]

Check out butchers sundries they a few machines of various capabilities also Weshenfelder

Thank you

 

[Cyres]

Do you have a local butcher if so ask him how much he will charge you to butcher it. The lamb we got last week was £20 to butcher.
My butcher would mince the front end me for a swap for the liver.
If he does mince it ask him to add some beef fat.
D

 

[VSS]

If he does mince it ask him to add some beef fat.

How could you suggest such a thing!?
That's borderline criminal!!!

 

[Tim.243]

Brilliant, I suspect I will have plenty for mince until I become a little more efficient, can you recommend a decent mince machine for home use, thank you

You will get some hair with the skinning process, not on the loins but a good chance on the legs.
What I have found works is to take the legs off and put them back in the chiller for a while to use an old saying "hazel off"

This dries out the freshly skinned meat and makes taking the hairs off a lot easier, when you come to cut up a haunch
you will see the lines (like a road map) to follow. With Reds/Fallow being bigger but they are all the same so once you make a cut you can run your thumb along you start cut and separate the meat quite easy. Not all of it but it will peel away quite well.

 

[Camelfarm]

A Mora roeing knife (got mine from Monarch) is a useful addition and very cheap - makes the cuts for skinning a lot less likely to damage meat.

Mora "Roeing/Bleeding" Knife - Monarch Country Products

This handy little knife has a blunt or ball end which is perfect when used for “legging” or skinning up […]

www.monarchcountryproducts.co.uk

 

[AI Maxi]

You will get some hair with the skinning process, not on the loins but a good chance on the legs.
What I have found works is to take the legs off and put them back in the chiller for a while to use an old saying "hazel off"

This dries out the freshly skinned meat and makes taking the hairs off a lot easier, when you come to cut up a haunch
you will see the lines (like a road map) to follow. With Reds/Fallow being bigger but they are all the same so once you make a cut you can run your thumb along you start cut and separate the meat quite easy. Not all of it but it will peel away quite well.

Thank you

 

[AI Maxi]

A Mora roeing knife (got mine from Monarch) is a useful addition and very cheap - makes the cuts for skinning a lot less likely to damage meat.

Mora "Roeing/Bleeding" Knife - Monarch Country Products

This handy little knife has a blunt or ball end which is perfect when used for “legging” or skinning up […]

www.monarchcountryproducts.co.uk

I will take a look thank you

 

[AI Maxi]

Hi,
I have been asked to shoot the Roe deer on a permission I have, as this is my first experience I am looking for advice on requirements such as best practice on any courses and home butchery + equipment.
All the meat will be used at home thank you.

Thank you to all whom gave help and advice, I have opened my account with this lad.

 

[Mike1979]

Nice animal

 

[Zephyrjim]

Nice one to get you started. Not long till you have some tasty venison cooked up
As others have said you can get started on the butchery with a few simple bits then grow as youneed. The first couple I did i just chopped the 'mince pile' finely with a knife. I've since moved up a notch and got my wife's mums old hand mincer. It's surprisingly quick once it's setup and more than sufficient for what I do with roe. I did cheat on a big fallow and my mate minced it in exchange for a bottle of red