When I was a young man, I went Deer hunting with some friends once. When I shot my first and only Deer, I was required to drink the animals warm blood. It was right around the time of the Movie Red Dawn and drinking the blood of your first kill was all the rage. The blood was hot and think with a real strong minerally taste. While I have never gone hunting since then, I had a standing agreement with my hunting friends that I would butcher their kills with the understanding that I would get the scraps after the Primals were removed. I would keep the organ meats, intestines (sausage casings), shanks, scraps and the occasional Saddle. Does anybody know how much a full Deer Saddle is worth? A lot more than you would guess. I would make my own Deer sausages, blood sausages, chilli and stews from the scraps. Osso Bucco was made from the shanks and grilled lollipop chops from Saddle. Over the years I've butchered over 100 Deer. So, yes, I can and did make the kill once.
Years later I worked in a gourmet butcher shop. While I've seen cattle, pigs, sheep, and lambs killed, I've never had to clean one. However, I've put many a carcass through the band saw. In addition, I've slaughtered way too many chickens and my share of ducks.
I'm glad to say that I've not had to butcher and animal in over ten years. I still enjoy making my own sausages, cured meats and cheeses.
