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Aging and curing meat also fits into the butchery category. The other later stages of processing may be more properly titled “butchery” which includes cutting or otherwise working the meat into its final form in the kitchen, be it steaks, roasts, burger, sausage, et cetera. Depending on the size of the creature it can also include quartering the animal (removing front and hind legs and associated meat), gathering the rest of the meat and edible organs, and potentially removing the meat from the bones - all of which I cover in this article. The early stages of processing includes skinning or plucking the animal and gutting the animal. First, what does “process wild game” even mean? Processing is a broad term that refers to the act of breaking down a whole animal into useable bits.

So for the true beginners out there, I understand your trepidation. Animal anatomy, as it related to food consumption, was a complete mystery. I had never even cooked a whole chicken or turkey from the grocery store (and when one was cooked for me I ate only the breast meat). As such, I had relatively little experience handling meat - nevermind a whole animal - before I started hunting in my mid-20s. I embarked on a seven year journey through vegetarianism and veganism shortly after I started cooking for myself.

You can teach yourself to process wild game! So, for the new hunters and the do-it-yourselfers, I’ve compiled a compendium of videos and instructionals to help you break down whole animals in the field without an in-person mentor. It is not only possible to do, but a lot easier than you might think. Everything I know about animal processing I have taught myself through the use of mostly free and widely accessible resources. Three years into my hunting journey, I am by no means an expert in wild game processing or butchery - I still consider myself a novice - but I do have expertise in the art of being a self-taught hunter. It certainly was for me for most of my life. But for anyone who didn’t grow up around hunting, farming, or butcher shops, knowledge of how to turn a whole animal into an individual meal is usually missing. Fresh meat, field to table: this is the dream of meat lovers, hunters, and locavores alike.