How to: Prepare venison hindquarters to carry as a backpack

I've always just chopped them off the body and carried them balanced over my shoulders with the legs sticking out in front and one or two hands keeping them under control. After many years of hunting, someone showed me how to make pack straps out of the skin up the back and carry it like a pack with both hands free. Having just learned, I'm the right person to show you how to.

First take the backsteaks.
http://i812.photobucket.com/albums/z...at/HQBPK1s.jpg


Keep a long strip of skin, right up to the neck. It has to be long enough. If too short, you will not be able to thread yourself into the straps.
http://i812.photobucket.com/albums/z...at/HQBPK2s.jpg


This is a tongue to tail job so I've taken the antlers to go into a bone broth. You can see the two straps here.
http://i812.photobucket.com/albums/z...at/HQBPK3s.jpg


Cut right around the anus, freeing it up so it can be pulled out from the inside.
http://i812.photobucket.com/albums/z...at/HQBPK4s.jpg


Gut the animal by carefully slitting from pelvis to brisket.
http://i812.photobucket.com/albums/z...at/HQBPK5s.jpg


Pull the gut contents towards the head and gently but firmly draw the rectum out without spilling too many pellets.
At this stage you can get out the eye fillets.
http://i812.photobucket.com/albums/z...at/HQBPK6s.jpg


Detach the pelvis from the rest of the body by cutting through between the bone bits on each side (transverse processes) and then through the vertebral disc (This is a ligament joining one vertebra to the next. It's at the widest bulgy points. The narrow waisted parts are bone.)
http://i812.photobucket.com/albums/z...at/HQBPK7s.jpg


Hold both legs firmly and give it a twist to break the pelvis clear.
http://i812.photobucket.com/albums/z...at/HQBPK8s.jpg


Take off the hocks, again cutting in at a bulgy point and breaking the joint across your knee or somesuch.
http://i812.photobucket.com/albums/z...at/HQBPK9s.jpg


These are the straps. Cut a 10cm slit in each, the same distance along the strap.
http://i812.photobucket.com/albums/z...t/HQBPK10s.jpg


Cut a slit through the skin behind the achilles tendon and thread the strap through the hole.
http://i812.photobucket.com/albums/z...t/HQBPK11s.jpg


It's a bit hard to show this in a photo but you now thread the slit in the strap back down over the hock and pull it tight. This loop knot holds it tight and it won't come off.
http://i812.photobucket.com/albums/z.../HQBPK11as.jpg


Here's what you're trying to make.. The legs will go down each side of your back to your waist.
http://i812.photobucket.com/albums/z...t/HQBPK13s.jpg


If one strap is too long you can put in a twist or two round the hock.
http://i812.photobucket.com/albums/z...t/HQBPK12s.jpg


The load sits nicely on the hunter's back. You can just see the yellow cloth pikau underneath. This has the backsteaks, boned out front legs, antlers, tongue, kidneys, heart and a bit of liver inside (did I miss anything ?)
http://i812.photobucket.com/albums/z...HQBPK14eds.jpg
Thanks to the hunter who took this pic.

Apologies for double posting.
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Bloody awesome set of pics, well done.

Great write up mate, I do mine similar but without taking the pelvis bones.....all meat. Pop hips out then bone out leaving the skin attached.

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Originally Posted by Gibo

Great write up mate, I do mine similar but without taking the pelvis bones.....all meat. Pop hips out then bone out leaving the skin attached.

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Good pic,s .

I do the same not the best pic but you can see the skin still joining the back legs 1 leg sits across your chest & other across your back then poke a back leg through the hock snug & hands free saves extra weight & gutting them.
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Yip

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You fullas and your big deer.... Empty it out and throw the whole thing over your shoulder, not much bigger than the missus's purse the whitetail :thumbsup: plenty of bones for the dog

Good explanation and pics :thumbsup:

Although with a pussy face like that how the hell do you get on with the girls :P ;)


Nowadays I tend to take a young fella with me.

No wastage then as Ive found they love carrying the whole lot too.

That way the most I have to carry is his rifle :)

Cheers
Pete

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Originally Posted by P38

Although with a pussy face like that how the hell do you get on with the girls :P ;)

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Pete, Pete, Pete, it is because of his nocturnal activities with the girls that he has the permanent imprint on his mush.

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Originally Posted by Rushy

Pete, Pete, Pete, it is because of his nocturnal activities with the girls that he has the permanent imprint on his mush.

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I can see what your saying now @Rushy

Just noticed the continuous wear line in the fur from nose to ears

Guess the girls like it on top.;)

Lucky, lucky, lucky. ;)

Cheers
Pete

using the good old mercator as well :thumbsup:

I tried out the pelvis-less method gibo and boreaxa showed, on some goats last night. Thanks for your pics - learned some more seeing that. I've also heard of people skinning the deer and leaving front legs, back legs and backsteaks sticking to the skin ! That could keep it clean and tidy but might be more suited to rolling the whole lot up and sticking in a pack ?

It's certainly quicker, not having to do the anus, gut removal and spine detachment. It's very much like simply cutting off the leg without skinning it, but you have two attached. I'm not sure how it would go, carrying a big deer legs for a distance, flopping round your neck. (We had plenty of space in our packs this time so just proceeded to skin these ones out afterwards and carried the meat with bones in the time honoured pillowcase.)

The two on the right are hind legs and on the left is front legs.
http://i812.photobucket.com/albums/z.../bklgjoind.jpg

No flopping around your neck here...
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Originally Posted by Gibo

No flopping around your neck here...
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Ink instead of pussy.

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Originally Posted by tetawa

Ink instead of pussy.

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Its blaze camo face paint :ORLY: and he doesn't like cats :D

Thanks for the pic Looks Comfy

Just a wee touchup with some scratch removal Software and we''ll See the pretty boy again .-. ☺