Processing a (road kill) Deer

 Apparently people are having difficulty finding someone to process their kill.

https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/pennsylvania-hunters-struggling-find-deer-processors/

That seems wrong.

In PA... Those animals should stay cold in the winter... Although... Doesn't look like freezing cold up there right now...

Maybe a pictorial post on how to process would be of some help?

 

I found this doe along the road side last week... Poor thing had a busted pelvis...

 

I salvage as much as I can... The cats help:

 

Observe the buckets and cooler... They contain rainwater.... The animal gets parted out into these... and what water remains is used to clean off the tailgate.

 

Here the animal lies on top of hide before I start removing parts...
 

2 legs removed...

 

2 Legs in cooler with rainwater.

Removed the other 2 legs...

Cut through ribs with a cross-cut saw... No special tools are required...

And the two pieces of the spine (where the tenderloin lives) plus the neck.

I prefer to freeze the largest pieces I can... Further processing can be done as necessary, later.

And hang the hide to dry.

 

4 legs...

And rib cages in one bag, neck and 2 pieces of spine in their own bags.

I used to put the entire carcass in the freezer unwrapped... I like eating deer meat, it won't get freezer burned even when left completely unwrapped... Unfortunately, it will freeze together...

 If you want to pry the frozen pieces apart with a pry bar.... wrapping is unnecessary... Personally, I got tired of doing that.... the pieces will freeze to the freezer shelf as well.

Now... A lot of hunters remove the tenderloin first... and sadly... they may even discard the entire deer afterwards...

I think that cutting the spine crosswise (tenderloin intact) for chops is a superiour cut of meat... And those people discarding the deer? Should be arrested. Lot of hungry people out there...

I hope this helps.

80 Degrees! Some February Colour

 Gorgeous here! Sorry about the ice and snow over the rest of the country...

Little gopher tortoise out and about in our beautiful February weather...

Lunch and Dinner, a couple of gobblers here for just a short time.

Some of my hellebore...

Daffodil

Carolina jessemine

Camellias are still blooming... 

Spirea

Redbud

Pear blossoms 

Cherry Laurel

Frost Flowers!

Ribbon candy....

 While a number of plants at my house form ice chrystals, verbesina virginica is always spectacular!

Happy 2022!

 Gorgeous here still... When winter temps are in the 80's, what's not to like!

I couldn't help myself... dug out the camera and took these pictures.

Gulf fritillary and Eastern towhee

And cat waiting in food prep area for more preps...

Ok, you expect camellias and hellebore in January...

But... what about showy crotalaria, ruellia elegans, and tibouchina still hanging in there in select sheltered locations?

Some collards... Just in time for a Southern tradition...

canola in bloom

Flowers on the strawberries!

Bridal veil

White salvia coccinea

smilax berries...

mullien

burdock

 

rudbeckia triloba

April (Early Spring Again)

 

Hummingbirds started showing up Easter Sunday... Besides the coral honeysuckle, they are also visiting  salvia lyrata and canada columbine. Unfortunately, no camera at ready when seeing those visits.

Cherokee rose, Georgia state flower... I grew from a cutting...

Black Locust flowers (Robinia sp.) Brought suckering root stock plants out from a garden in town... original tree is long gone... people don't like colonizers... me? I need the fence posts... 

Nicotina

Snowball bush

Spring pea blossoms

Poppies have begun!

Magenta Spreen (Lamb's Quarter)

Flowers on the culinary sage.

Varmint control

Lots of iris!