In depth tutorial on removing lower leg (butcher joint?) on Elk/Deer?

[shmcleod]

Howdy-

I've been an elk / deer hunter for about 15 years now, and killed my share over the years. However, I STILL get lost (and dull a lot of blades) trying to find the hind quarter, lower leg joint BELOW the knee. I have heard it called the "butcher's joint" but I am not sure if that is correct.

I have found two videos on it, one by Randy Newberg and one by Clff Gray. But, they aren't that helpful. In Randy's video all of the hide has been removed, so it is unclear to me if he is cutting at the knee or below it, and Cliff Gray's video is a YouTube "short," so it is too fast paced and has text all over the screen.

DOES ANYONE KNOW OF A GOOD TUTORIAL TO TEACH THIS SO I CAN STOP FLOUNDERING AROUND EVERYTIME? Could be a video, could be book, could be a blog post, whatever.

THANKS!

 

[wytx]

Randy's vid is great, shows what you need to do. Just skin the leg down then get to cutting.

 

[Steve O]

Remi Warren has some good breakdown videos on YouTube

 

[huntcookwrite]

Randy’s is good, but I can see what you mean if you don’t know where to make the cut. Imagine if it were your own knee — you’re starting just below the kneecap/patella and working through those tendons until you can easily bend the joint down. Then you can work around the sides and back — after a bit, you can nearly just snap it off.

 

[Poser]

IMO, it helps to identify the individual muscle groups: hamstring, various quads etc. If you can see how the muscles are laid out and understand how the anatomy works together, its easier to not get lost in there. As @huntcookwrite mentioned above, visualize your leg muscles and knee and hip connective tissues and apply that to the elk leg. I think people tend to get lost in there because all they see is a singular leg vs. recognizes the various muscle groups. I've long maintained that we should be referring to eating various cuts as the identified muscle groups: hamstring, vastus medialis, tricep etc vs. sirloin, bottom round, top round etc. "bottom round" is a large area involving several different specific muscles where seeing these individual muscles for their specific tasks helps you to understand butchering as well as cooking.

 

[N.ID7803]

You might check out Stuck n The Rut's videos on YouTube. I believe they have a video of them doing the gutless method on a mule deer.

 

[Ucsdryder]

It’s not hard once you find the spot. Feel for the crease with your thumb nail. When you find it, that’s not the one. It’s about 1” lower and harder to feel. But it’s there. Score it with a knife all the way around. A deer you can then just pop it, but an elk you need to get in and cut it. If I remember I’ll do a video and post it up.

 

[wapitibob]

I cut at the end of the femur, shank hangs loose.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

 

[fmyth]

Skip to 1:28. Great demonstration of cutting through the knee joint.

 

[Erict]

I know you mentioned the Cliff Grey short and I think it couldn't be easier:

 

[shmcleod]

Skip to 1:28. Great demonstration of cutting through the knee joint.

THANK YOU!

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[Dougfir]

Helpful thread! I usually just try to do it last, so my knife doesn’t get dull before other cuts..

 

[shmcleod]

I think some people misinterpreted my question. I'm talking about field dressing, and cutting off the lower leg. All of the butchering videos have the lower leg already cut off. That's not an issue for me.

I'm talking about the small joint beneath the knee that you really can't even see, and you would never know is there. In most Midwest and East coast deer hunting, this is probably not an issue because A) whitetails are light, and B) people are not hunting in the backcountry. But when you have to hike in Elk out three miles, you want to get rid of all that extra weight. So you cut off the lower leg. You can do that right at the knee, but you jeopardize your hand hold of the hamstring tendon, so it's better to cut the little stealthy ninja joint below the knee. It's hard to find.

The cliff gray video shows it, there's just no explanation on how to find it accurately every time, and because it's a YouTube short, there's text all over the screen that makes it hard to even see the animal

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[shmcleod]

I know you mentioned the Cliff Grey short and I think it couldn't be easier:

I hadn't seen this one! I watched a different one. This is excellent! Thank you so much

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[shmcleod]

But I will say, once again the text on the screen is killing me. Why can't we just watch the video without words blocking the very thing we're trying to see

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[Marbles]

Those joints are about lateral pressure. Pushing to the side will help open the joint space and it is weakest that way, especially once the lateral ligaments are cut.

There are 3 places you can cut, the high one will not leave the hamstring intact.

This is really the dears ankle. You will be able to feel a bump on each side. Just below this bump is the spot to cut. If you push the leg to the side, once you cut the ligaments the joint space will open up. If it doesn't, adjusted your cut about an 8th of an inch and try again.

You are looking to cut between 7 and 8. If you cut between 7 and 6 you run the risk of 6 becoming detached. Skinning the area makes things easier to find.


The anatomy is similar on pigs and other domestics, so videos on those will also help. The Bearded Butcher on YouTube helped me when I first started slaughtering. Unfortunately, without a leg in front of me, it is hard for me to break the process down well.

 

[wapitibob]

The cliff gray video shows it, there's just no explanation on how to find it accurately every time, and because it's a YouTube short, there's text all over the screen that makes it hard to even see the animal

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Cut the lower leg off at the femur, in the field. There is no reason what so ever to mess around with the lower joint like cliff grey is doing in that video unless you want bone in shanks.

 

[shmcleod]

This is great! Thank you!

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