Butchering a Heifer , any extra advice ?

[id450]

Knowing I’m a hunter and have been processing my own game harvest for years A friend of mine asked me to assist him in processing a heifer of his. She’s the same size or smaller than a young elk .He’s never done one . Kind of an urban farmer I guess ?
I plan to treat it like an elk and work on the ground with the gutless method to remove the quarters, tenderloin, BS , neck meat , brisket, tongue and heart.

The exception I’ll have apart from the field is a hack saw and saws all on standby to remove the ribs as a whole unit and cut below the shank joints. Of course cooling a proper meat handling will be priority 1 .

A few questions / clarification

- I have a tractor available to hang but don’t see a need . Any reason to hang other than getting off ground ?

A lot of the you tube crowd likes to bleed the animal, any good reason ? I’ve never done so on a game animal.

- I plan to dispatch the animal with a 38 while it’s calm and eating . It’s very tame. ( Less room for error than a 22lr ?)

- is there a need to age a beef cow before processing ? , I’ve read 3-5 days of little fat and 5-7 if fat is thicker.

Thank you


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[Legend]

I have used a 22 to the brain and cut the throat with a very sharp knife while they stand there brain dead. I would then use the tractor to gut her. From there you can use a saw or sawsal to cut straight down the spine making 2 halves....T bone steaks.

 

[Broomd]

I have used a 22 to the brain and cut the throat with a very sharp knife while they stand there brain dead. I would then use the tractor to gut her. From there you can use a saw or sawsal to cut straight down the spine making 2 halves....T bone steaks.

Yep, same here. The loader is ideal for handling beef.
We typically have the butcher come out, we'll lift and load the carcass for him and he'll then hang for ten days in the locker.

We only butcher our bulls and steers, but the meat from a small heifer should be excellent if she was fed well.

 

[Travis Hobbs]

Bro- your crazy if you don’t use the tractor if it’s available you can keep things so much cleaner. There is a reason commercial operations do everything hanging and not on the ground

 

[Wvroach]

Use the loader bucket if available, bleed her out and gut her. Assuming you don't have a walk in freezer and the temps aren't exactly freezing any longer, you want the meat to cool as quick as possible.

If you don't bleed her the veins and meat will retain much of the blood and the taste will be a lot stronger, should be really good meat if she's young and fed well.

Been awhile since I've done a beef, but i butcher hogs bi monthly and while it's a different beast no way would I not use the tractor on them.

How are you planning on processing the rest of it? What cuts is he expecting to get? Get yourself a good game plan before you start the process. It is easier to figure this out before she is laying on the ground.

Have all of your equipment prepped and be prepared to spend the day.

When I butcher by myself from start to finish including grinding, bagging, vacuum sealing etc.. on average a 400lb pig takes me 12-14 hours from pen to freezer, just keep that in mind as a reference.

 

[Deerfield]

Have done quite a few of them. Shoot to stun (22 is plenty and personally I would prefer it over something larger), cut throat immediately and get chains around the back legs to pick up with loader to hang to bleed out.

We then lay it back down on ground (belly up) and start skinning it. Skin down legs and skin down as far as you can toward the back. Go ahead and split the belly and chest at this point as well, much easier without pressure on it.

Then pick it back up and skin down the back and gut it. If using a loader please be careful, cattle aren’t light and things can happen in the blink of an eye (busted hydraulic lines, somebody bumps a lever, etc. Block the cylinders if possible.

Once cleaned go ahead and split and quarter. I like to age beef. A week at the least, two is better.

 

[def90]

Always age if you can, you will get more tender cuts.

 

[Fordguy]

A .22 should be fine for your needs. The only time I've used anything larger than a 22 to put one down was when my grandpa had an aggressive beefalo cow and we couldn't get close safely. For those unfamiliar, they're a 3/8 bison, 5/8 beef cattle cross. Every so often you get one that ends up with a little too much fight and not enough flight.

 

[id450]

I copy use a 22, and age for a week or so. I do have a plan and logistics in place from shooting to wrapping paper . I’m luckily a planner by nature, hence the question and help I’m seeking from you all to make sure I’m not missing something .

2 questions for my own education. I’ve never Once bleed a game animal, any reason to do this on a cow vs and elk or is it just kinda what you do ? I realize it may help with taste in theory but I’ve never noticed this on deer , elk, pigs, antelope.

2nd question. Other being off the ground, what am I picking up meat wise by hanging and gutting ? I’m thinking I’ll loose some meat by not splitting the carcass? . Btw thank you for the detailed instructions.


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[WTFJohn]

I copy use a 22, and age for a week or so. I do have a plan and logistics in place from shooting to wrapping paper . I’m luckily a planner by nature, hence the question and help I’m seeking from you all to make sure I’m not missing something .

2 questions for my own education. I’ve never Once bleed a game animal, any reason to do this on a cow vs and elk or is it just kinda what you do ? I realize it may help with taste in theory but I’ve never noticed this on deer , elk, pigs, antelope.

2nd question. Other being off the ground, what am I picking up meat wise by hanging and gutting ? I’m thinking I’ll loose some meat by not splitting the carcass? . Btw thank you for the detailed instructions.


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When you shoot a game animal in the boiler room, they bleed out into the chest cavity. When you head shoot livestock, you still need to hang and bleed To get the same effect.

Hanging the meat up will allow you to be more deliberate with your cuts and with dismantling the animal. You’ll save meat and time on the back end.

 

[jolemons]

Knowing I’m a hunter and have been processing my own game harvest for years A friend of mine asked me to assist him in processing a heifer of his. She’s the same size or smaller than a young elk .He’s never done one . Kind of an urban farmer I guess ?
I plan to treat it like an elk and work on the ground with the gutless method to remove the quarters, tenderloin, BS , neck meat , brisket, tongue and heart.

The exception I’ll have apart from the field is a hack saw and saws all on standby to remove the ribs as a whole unit and cut below the shank joints. Of course cooling a proper meat handling will be priority 1 .

A few questions / clarification

- I have a tractor available to hang but don’t see a need . Any reason to hang other than getting off ground ?

A lot of the you tube crowd likes to bleed the animal, any good reason ? I’ve never done so on a game animal.

- I plan to dispatch the animal with a 38 while it’s calm and eating . It’s very tame. ( Less room for error than a 22lr ?)

- is there a need to age a beef cow before processing ? , I’ve read 3-5 days of little fat and 5-7 if fat is thicker.

Thank you


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Ok. College education in meat science, have worked at numerous processing plants and have slaughtered many things.

Hanging - sanitation and ergonomics, I'd strongly recommend

Bleeding - will not affect taste, blood isn't in meat, contrary to popular belief. Blood is a growth medium for bacteria, so it's a food safety procedure

Killing - 22lr sometimes doesn't get good penetration, but for a small heifer it should work. 22 mag is excellent. Your 38 will be fine. Be familiar with brain placement, it's not between the eyes.

Aging - hanging while muscle is attached to bone will keep muscle fibers from contracting and increase tenderness. Research shows that aging 14-21 days is optimum. Any longer and the effects would be difficult to sense without lab equipment.

Note - as another poster said, I'd recommend gutting and hanging before processing for numerous reasons. I do gutless is the field with game also, but at home butchery isn't the place for it.

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[Schism]

Ok. College education in meat science, have worked at numerous processing plants and have slaughtered many things.

Hanging - sanitation and ergonomics, I'd strongly recommend

Bleeding - will not affect taste, blood isn't in meat, contrary to popular belief. Blood is a growth medium for bacteria, so it's a food safety procedure

Killing - 22lr sometimes doesn't get good penetration, but for a small heifer it should work. 22 mag is excellent. Your 38 will be fine. Be familiar with brain placement, it's not between the eyes.

Aging - hanging while muscle is attached to bone will keep muscle fibers from contracting and increase tenderness. Research shows that aging 14-21 days is optimum. Any longer and the effects would be difficult to sense without lab equipment.

Note - as another poster said, I'd recommend gutting and hanging before processing for numerous reasons. I do gutless is the field with game also, but at home butchery isn't the place for it.

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This^^^

My grandfather and father owned a butcher shop for decades. I've been around for 1000+ cattle being slaughtered. I can't add but a couple small tidbits to what @jolemons said above.

We always used a 22 mag for cattle and a 30-30 for bulls. Know where the brain is located and where to aim depending on head position. ie head up looking down her nose at you vs nose down. My family never liked feeding the animal at time of slaughter because the cattle often kept their head in the bunk or bucket and didn't provide a good, still shot.

Using a reciprocating saw to split the halves will save lots of time and energy. I've done enough with a hand powered meat saw to never forget a reciprocating saw again.

Use disposable painters drop cloths to place any skinned meat on like when loading in the bed of a pickup to transport to a cooler to hang. Cover the meat to keep flies off until it's hung in a cooler.

 

[jolemons]

Ok. College education in meat science, have worked at numerous processing plants and have slaughtered many things.

Hanging - sanitation and ergonomics, I'd strongly recommend

Bleeding - will not affect taste, blood isn't in meat, contrary to popular belief. Blood is a growth medium for bacteria, so it's a food safety procedure

Killing - 22lr sometimes doesn't get good penetration, but for a small heifer it should work. 22 mag is excellent. Your 38 will be fine. Be familiar with brain placement, it's not between the eyes.

Aging - hanging while muscle is attached to bone will keep muscle fibers from contracting and increase tenderness. Research shows that aging 14-21 days is optimum. Any longer and the effects would be difficult to sense without lab equipment.

Note - as another poster said, I'd recommend gutting and hanging before processing for numerous reasons. I do gutless is the field with game also, but at home butchery isn't the place for it.

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Side note on bleeding or exsanguination- it's also done for per the humane meat slaughter act. In a plant, blood loss is the actual cause of death. The animal is knocked unconscious first and then bled to kill them and also for the bacterial growth reason i mentioned.

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[Wvroach]

Ok. College education in meat science, have worked at numerous processing plants and have slaughtered many things.

Hanging - sanitation and ergonomics, I'd strongly recommend

Bleeding - will not affect taste, blood isn't in meat, contrary to popular belief. Blood is a growth medium for bacteria, so it's a food safety procedure

Killing - 22lr sometimes doesn't get good penetration, but for a small heifer it should work. 22 mag is excellent. Your 38 will be fine. Be familiar with brain placement, it's not between the eyes.

Aging - hanging while muscle is attached to bone will keep muscle fibers from contracting and increase tenderness. Research shows that aging 14-21 days is optimum. Any longer and the effects would be difficult to sense without lab equipment.

Note - as another poster said, I'd recommend gutting and hanging before processing for numerous reasons. I do gutless is the field with game also, but at home butchery isn't the place for it.

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I agree with everything except not affecting taste, while the blood isn't within the "meat" it certainly is in the veins and arteries within and throws the taste off for sure. It'll also look bruised and be noticeably stronger.

 

[Rich M]

I've done 2.

Shot 700 pound young bull thru head w 357 mag and incapacitated it but it didn't die. Bled it.

Shot 400 pound heffer thru head w 3006. Same thing, down but not out. Bled it.

Shot em both between eyes. From the back, at base of spine is where a guy told me to shoot if you want it dead right now.

I like hoisting critters and did the bull that way - gutted him. Heffer was done off tailgate of truck.


I like the lack of blood in the processed meat and packaging, would do the frontal shot and bleed em.

Get a good grinder, range cows are tough.

 

[Rich M]

I copy use a 22, and age for a week or so. I do have a plan and logistics in place from shooting to wrapping paper . I’m luckily a planner by nature, hence the question and help I’m seeking from you all to make sure I’m not missing something .

2 questions for my own education. I’ve never Once bleed a game animal, any reason to do this on a cow vs and elk or is it just kinda what you do ? I realize it may help with taste in theory but I’ve never noticed this on deer , elk, pigs, antelope.

2nd question. Other being off the ground, what am I picking up meat wise by hanging and gutting ? I’m thinking I’ll loose some meat by not splitting the carcass? . Btw thank you for the detailed instructions.


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We usually shot the deer elk whatever thru the chest and it bleeds to death. Same thing.

There's a lot of ways to remove the meat, we bone it in the field - same w cow. Whatever makes you happiest.

 

[KChunter71]

yummy

 

[silasbowhunter]

Knowing I’m a hunter and have been processing my own game harvest for years A friend of mine asked me to assist him in processing a heifer of his. She’s the same size or smaller than a young elk .He’s never done one . Kind of an urban farmer I guess ?
I plan to treat it like an elk and work on the ground with the gutless method to remove the quarters, tenderloin, BS , neck meat , brisket, tongue and heart.

The exception I’ll have apart from the field is a hack saw and saws all on standby to remove the ribs as a whole unit and cut below the shank joints. Of course cooling a proper meat handling will be priority 1 .

A few questions / clarification

- I have a tractor available to hang but don’t see a need . Any reason to hang other than getting off ground ?

A lot of the you tube crowd likes to bleed the animal, any good reason ? I’ve never done so on a game animal.

- I plan to dispatch the animal with a 38 while it’s calm and eating . It’s very tame. ( Less room for error than a 22lr ?)

- is there a need to age a beef cow before processing ? , I’ve read 3-5 days of little fat and 5-7 if fat is thicker.

Thank you


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My first piece of advice would be to continue to feeding that heifer..
Hang it.
Gut it and skin it and run cold water through/over it.
Halve the beef while she’s hanging. Makes it superbly easier.
Watch some YouTube videos on how to separate the halves. Makes it really easy! Goodluck


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[String&stick]

Is there a reason you want to kill and butcher her now vs waiting until she's quite a bit larger and finished out?

 

[id450]

Is there a reason you want to kill and butcher her now vs waiting until she's finished out and quite a bit larger and finished out?

Yeah, she was born worth or at some point suffered displacement or some malformation of the hip. The cows just getting to big to live comfortably trying to get up and walk . Buddy says it’s time to end it for her before it gets worse.


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