Hunter Teaches Others How To Fillet A Deer

Hunter Teaches Others How To Fillet A Deer FARM HOME recreation 29-1-28 Filleting a deer carcass right in the woods is the safest and easiest way to process a carcass, says Rich Richert, a New York hunter who's been cleaning deer that way for years. He's put together a DVD (or video) showing how to "bone out" a deer at the kill site without field dressing it. Richert's methods are a way to avoid exposure to CWD or Chronic Wasting Disease, which afflicts deer and elk, similar to the way mad cow disease attacks cattle. The disease is found in the nerves, spinal cord and lymph nodes, as well as the brain and several other organs. Concern is high among deer hunters in areas where it has been identified, as well as in neighboring states. To deal with the problem and the concern, Richert developed his preventative methods of processing. "We teach hunters how to process deer easier while avoiding the parts of the body that carry the disease," says Richert, who has 30 years of experience as a meat cutter. In the video he demonstrates removing all lymph nodes, while leaving all connecting bones attached. He uses a five-in. filleting knife to debone the muscles in a time-saving process for either home or field processing. To fillet a deer, he peels back the skin and removes the meat without puncturing the body cavity. The entire process takes only half an hour and is his personal favorite. "You need to check with your state's regulations to see if it is allowed," advises Richert. "I bone my deer out on site and walk out of the woods with a bucket of meat and my tag." He suggests chilling the meat in the coldest part of the refrigerator for two to three weeks before packaging it for the freezer. Key points he makes in the video related to C.W.D are to avoid cutting into bone or spinal cord and to find and remove all lymph nodes. With his techniques, there are only a few lymph nodes of concern, and he carefully identifies them for the viewer. If the head is to be saved or if it needs to be turned in for C.W.D testing, Richert suggests using a separate knife and soaking it in a 50 percent bleach/water solution for an hour afterwards. The video sells for $29.95, while the DVD goes for $41.03. Shipping and handling is $5.95. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Rick Richert Productions, P.O. Box 517, West Seneca, N.Y. 14224 (ph 716 675-3991 or 866 830-0610; website: www. CWDsaferway. com).

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