The Ultimate Deer Processing Equipment Guide for Hunters and DIY Game Processors
We bring you our latest deer processing equipment guide that helps hunters and game processors like you to pick the right tools for field dressing, skinning, butchering and packaging meat for storage.
Our massive list contains a list of essential as well as optional tools you may need or find useful. You don’t need every single item to get started. Many hunters begin with the basics (knife, sharpener, saw, some wrap) and gradually add more specialized tools as they gain experience or want more convenience. You can even purchase Field Dressing / Butchering Kits from places like Amazon.
To keep things organized, we’ve grouped the tools by stage: field dressing, hanging/skinning, cutting/butchering, meat processing, and packaging/storage.
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Field Dressing Tools
Here are some tools to help you field dress your deer after the deer is down, to safely open the carcass, remove internal organs, and prepare the deer for transport.
While, some of these optional, having the right field dressing gear makes the process cleaner, faster, and helps preserve meat quality.
Sharp Hunting Knife
A sturdy, sharp knife is the most important tool for field dressing. It’s used to make all the necessary cuts, from opening the abdomen to cutting connective tissue, and a sharp blade makes the job safer and more efficient. Many hunters prefer a fixed-blade hunting knife for strength, though replaceable-blade knives (scalpel-like knives) are popular for their consistent sharpness.
Gut Hook (Hooked Blade)
A gut hook is a small, hooked blade (often on the back of a knife or a separate tool) used to unzip the deer’s hide without puncturing the entrails.
It makes the initial cut along the belly easier and cleaner by cutting under the skin and preventing accidental cuts to organs. This helps avoid a mess and meat contamination.
Butt-Out Anal Tool
A specialized gadget for removing the deer’s anal canal intact during field dressing (often known by the brand name “Butt Out”). This tool is inserted into the anus, twisted, and pulled out to snag and pull out the intestines a few inches so they can be tied off. It isolates and seals off the anal cavity which is a critical step to prevent fecal contamination of meat.
This makes this unpleasant task much easier for hunters, especially those new to field dressing.
Small Bone Saw or Field Saw
A compact saw (folding saw or specialized game saw) for cutting through bone or tough cartilage in the field.
It’s especially handy for splitting the pelvis or opening the ribcage if needed, or cutting through a deer’s brisket; having a dedicated bone saw ensures you don’t dull your knife on bone.
Some hunters carry a lightweight folding pruning saw or even use a sturdy knife to cut through joints as an alternative.
Rib Spreader (Chest Spreader)
A rib spreader is a small metal spreader that props open the ribcage during field dressing. It keeps the chest cavity open for easier reach when removing organs and assists in rapid cooling of the carcass by allowing airflow inside.
This tool frees up your hands and makes gutting, as well as cooling the meat, much easier.
Disposable Gloves
Lightweight latex or nitrile gloves (often carried in both wrist-length and shoulder-length form) to wear while gutting the deer.
Gloves keep your hands clean and provide a barrier against blood-borne pathogens or diseases that could be present in the animal. They also make cleanup easier—simply peel off and trash the messy gloves when you’re done, instead of scrubbing your hands for hours.
Paracord (25+ feet)
A length of strong parachute cord that serves many purposes during field dressing. You can use paracord to tie a deer’s legs apart to hold the carcass open if you’re working solo, improving access to the body cavity.
Paracord is also useful for hanging quarters or tying off organs (like tying the esophagus or anus after using the butt-out) and even for dragging or securing the deer to a pole or pack.
Game Bags
Durable, breathable cloth bags used to store meat in the field if you quarter the animal or need to pack it out. They keep dirt, debris, and insects off the venison while allowing airflow to cool the meat.
Game bags are especially important in warm weather or for backcountry hunts as you can put meat or organs like the heart/liver in these bags to transport them cleanly.
Ground Tarp or Disposable Sheet
A plastic sheet or small tarp to lay on the ground before you start field dressing. This provides a clean surface to place tools or even meat if you’re quartering, preventing dirt and leaves from sticking to your venison.
It also gives you a cleaner spot to kneel on, and when you’re done you can wrap up any waste in it for easy carry-out or disposal.
Deer Drag (Harness or Sled):
A Deer Drag or Harness or Sled helps you haul deer out of the woods after field dressing. This could be as simple as a rope with a handle, a dragging harness that loops around the deer’s head or legs, or a dedicated game sled.
A drag harness (for example, a leg cuff that clamps onto the deer’s legs) lets you pull the deer with less strain, making the drag much easier on your back. This is especially useful for solo hunters or long distances. Sleds are great in snowy or rough terrain, allowing you to slide the deer instead of lifting it over obstacles.
Headlamp or Flashlight:
A reliable light source for gutting a deer in low light conditions (early morning, dusk, or night).
A bright headlamp is ideal because it keeps your hands free and directs light wherever you look. Good lighting is a safety necessity to avoid cutting yourself and to ensure you don’t accidentally puncture intestines or leave organs behind simply because you couldn’t see clearly.
Multi-Tool
A multi-tool (with pliers, screwdrivers, small saw, etc.) can be a handy addition to your field kit. It’s not used in every situation, but it can help with odd tasks like cutting tough tendons, tightening screws on your knife or gear, pulling out arrow broadheads, or even improvising repairs to straps and equipment.
Essentially, it’s a just-in-case tool that adds versatility without much weight.
Hanging and Skinning Tools (For Hoisting and Skinning the Deer)
Once you’ve transported the deer home or to camp, the next step is to hang it up for skinning and initial butchering. These tools help you securely lift the carcass and efficiently skin the deer while keeping the meat clean.
Gambrel (Hanging Spreader Bar)
A gambrel is a strong metal bar with hooks or loops at each end,. It is used to suspend a deer by its hind legs for skinning and butchering.
The gambrel keeps the legs spread apart and the carcass secure off the ground. Hanging a deer with a gambrel frees up both hands for the hunter and puts the animal at a comfortable working height, making it far easier to skin the hide off and break the deer down into sections.
Hoist or Pulley System
Rather than muscling a 150+ pound deer up onto a meat pole, a game hoist lets you raise and lower the carcass smoothly and single-handedly.
Many hunters use a gambrel with a block-and-tackle pulley or a crank winch; some hoists even attach to a vehicle hitch for an instant skinning station. This tool saves your back and allows even one person to hoist a deer to the proper height for processing.
Skinning Knife
A skinning knife is a sharp, maneuverable knife meant specifically for skinning hides. Skinning knives often have a wide blade with a swept point or are just your trusty hunting knife put to skinning duty.
The idea is to have a very sharp blade to neatly separate the hide from the meat without puncturing it.
A dedicated skinning knife (or even a razor blade/box-cutter with hooked blades) can make peeling the hide faster and minimize meat damage
Knife Sharpener (Honing Steel or Sharpener)
Skinning and cutting through tendons will quickly dull any knife, so periodically honing or sharpening the blade is critical for safety and ease.
You can use a honing rod (which realigns the blade edge) or a sharpening stone or electric sharpener for restoring sharpness.
Keeping a sharpener on hand ensures you maintain a razor sharp edge, because a sharp knife not only cuts better but also reduces the chance of slips and accidents that can occur with a dull blade
Meat Hooks (Gutting/Skinning Hooks)
Meat hooks are small stainless steel hooks you can hold in your hand (often with a handle) to grab and pull on meat or hide. For example, when skinning, a hook can give you a better grip on the slippery hide as you pull it down off the deer.
Meat hooks can also be used to lift or maneuver large pieces of meat during butchering so you don’t have to put your hand directly on a cut (maintaining cleanliness and safety).
Loppers or Game Shears
Sturdy long-handled loppers (essentially pruning shears), are an efficient alternative to bone saws for certain cuts. They can cut through bone and gristle which is useful during initial butchering. For example, you can snip off the deer’s lower legs (through the joint) or cut through ribs with minimal effort.
Bone Saw (Butcher’s Saw)
A bone saw is a heavy-duty meat saw or clean hacksaw used once the deer is hanging and you want cuts that go through bone.
While many hunters debone their deer completely (no saw needed), a bone saw is beneficial if you plan to cut through the spine, quarter the deer through bone, or make bone-in cuts like chops.
It has a coarse blade designed for bone that won’t clog or dull immediately. A quality bone saw makes it easier to take off the head or split the ribcage and pelvis if you didn’t already do that in the field. It’s a must-have if you want bone-in rib racks or shoulder roasts
Gambrel Game Hoist (Hitch Mount or Tripod)
In addition to tree-hanging, some hunters use portable systems like a hitch-mounted hoist (attaches to a vehicle’s trailer hitch) or a free-standing tripod to hang a deer.
These systems often include a gambrel and winch and they’re useful if you don’t have a strong tree limb or ceiling beam available. For example, a hitch hoist lets you skin and quarter the deer right at your truck.
They are optional but handy tool for hunters who need a mobile or improvised skinning station.
Bucket or Tub
It’s practical to have a large bucket, tub, or heavy-duty garbage bag at the hanging station to hold the hide, lower legs, and any trimmings or discarded bits as you skin and butcher.
Having a container nearby helps keep your work area clean by catching these waste parts, and makes disposal easier when you’re done.
Cutting and Butchering Tools
Once the deer is skinned and hanging or on a table, these tools help you butcher the animal into roasts, steaks, and other cuts. This category includes the knives and equipment for deboning and cutting meat, as well as a proper workspace to do the job efficiently.
Boning Knife
A boning knife is a thin, flexible knife used to trim meat off the bone. Boning knives (like the popular 5–6 inch curved blades) let you work along bones and joints to harvest all the meat with minimal waste. They are great for separating muscle groups, removing backstrap, and slicing off silver skin.
Using a proper boning or fillet knife makes it easier to get clean cuts and maximize the yield from your deer, compared to using a larger, rigid knife for everything.
Butcher Knife (Cimeter or Breaking Knife)
A butcher knife is a large, stiff-bladed knife used for breaking down big sections into smaller cuts.
After you’ve removed major pieces (like hindquarters, shoulders), a butcher knife helps slice steaks, roasts, and trim with smooth strokes. Its larger blade is excellent for slicing through big cuts of meat in one pass.
Once the fine work is done with the boning knife, a butcher’s knife lets you portion out steaks and roasts neatly.
Fillet or Trimming Knife
A fillet or trimming knife is a long, very thin knife (often 6–9 inches) and is helpful for delicate trimming.
Fillet knives are used to shave off connective tissue, fat, and silver skin from your cuts to improve meat quality. They are also perfect for butterflying cuts or slicing jerky strips.
TIP: A flexible fillet knife is ideal for removing backstrap and tenderloins cleanly because it bends along the contour of the spine/ribs.
Meat Cleaver or Hatchet
A meat cleaver or hatchet can chop through bone if needed. Not everyone will use a cleaver on deer, but it can be handy for severing ribs, neck bones, or any small bone pieces with a quick chop.
A light hand axe or meat cleaver is an old-school tool for butchering that provides the brute force to go through bone in one swing (for example, splitting a backbone into sections) – useful if you don’t have a saw or just prefer this method.
Butchering Table
A clean, stable table at a comfortable height on which to butcher the deer. Many people use a plastic folding table or a dedicated butcher block. The key is to have enough space to lay out large quarters and cut them.
A good tip for comfort: you can extend the legs of a folding table (e.g., using PVC pipe extenders) to make it counter-height, which saves your back since you’ll be standing and cutting for hours.
A spacious work surface also helps keep things organized (separating cuts vs. trimmings) and sanitary.
Large Cutting Boards
Oversized plastic cutting boards are essential to protect your table (and your knife edges) while cutting meat. It’s best to have a couple of large, food-safe plastic boards because they are easy to sanitize and won’t absorb meat juices. You might use one for initial breakdown of big pieces and others for finer slicing.
Having multiple boards or one huge board ensures you can keep cutting without constantly moving meat around, and it helps maintain a clean workstation by containing the mess.
Meat Lugs, Tubs, and Bins
These are big food-grade plastic containers to hold meat as you butcher. As you remove cuts from the carcass, you can toss them into separate lugs – for example, one tub for steaks/roasts, one for trim meat (to grind), one for scrap/fat. Meat lugs are extremely helpful for sorting and mixing; they’re sturdy, easy to clean, and often can hold 20+ pounds of meat.
Using tubs keeps your workspace organized and prevents cross-contamination (you won’t accidentally knock a finished steak onto the floor). Many also come with lids, so you can cover meat to keep it clean or even stack bins in a fridge or cooler if you’re taking breaks
Trays and Pans
Shallow food-service trays or large roasting pans are useful for holding or transporting cuts. For instance, after cutting steaks, you might lay them on a tray to carry into the kitchen or to rinse.
Trays are also handy for catching juices or carrying a batch of meat from the cutting table to the wrapping station without dripping on the floor. They aren’t strictly necessary, but they add convenience and help keep things tidy.
Cut-Resistant Gloves (Safety Gloves)
A pair of cut-resistant gloves (often made of Kevlar or chainmail-style mesh) can be worn on your off-hand (the one not holding the knife) to protect against accidental nicks. They’re optional, but many home butchers like the added safety, especially when breaking down bones or when others (helpers) who are less experienced are helping cut. These gloves can prevent a trip to the ER by stopping a slip of the knife from slicing your fingers.
Digital Scale
A kitchen scale or digital scale is very useful for processing. For example, if you add pork fat to ground venison, you can weigh meat to fat precisely (many add about 10–20% fat).
Scales also help in packaging consistent portions (weighing out 1-pound packs of burger or stew meat).
Hanging scales can weigh the whole deer or quarters out of curiosity or to measure yield. A scale also ensures accuracy and can help you follow recipe ratios (like for sausage seasoning by weight).
Game Meat Scissors/Shears
Heavy-duty kitchen shears can assist with butchering chores like snipping off bits of sinew, trimming fat, or cutting through thin bones/cartilage. They work well for tasks such as trimming rib meat or opening packages of supplies.
Some processing kits include game shears for things like cutting through poultry bones or small game – for deer, their use is limited but can be helpful for fine trimming work.
Meat Grinding and Processing Equipment
After cutting the prime cuts, you’ll likely have a lot of trim meat that can be ground or made into sausage, plus you might want to create specialty products like jerky. The following tools help turn venison scraps into ground meat, sausage, and other processed forms, greatly expanding how you can use your deer.
Meat Grinder
An electric meat grinder is one of the most important investments for home processing. A grinder allows you to turn venison trimmings into ground meat for hamburgers, chili, sausages, etc. efficiently.
When looking to purchase a meat grinder, look for one with metal gears and sufficient power to handle deer meat. Cheaper grinders with plastic parts may wear out quickly under heavy use.
A good grinder comes with different size plates (for coarse or fine grind) and often pays for itself by letting you utilize all your meat.
Many hunters start with a KitchenAid grinder attachment as a beginner option, but serious processors usually upgrade to a dedicated grinder for speed and durability.
Meat Grinder Attachments
If you have a grinder, there are many attachments that can extend its usefulness – for example, some grinders can drive a meat slicer attachment, a mixer attachment, or even a bone saw attachment. Also, stuffing tubes for sausage are common attachments.
Sausage Stuffer
A sausage stuffer is a device (manual or attachment) that presses seasoned ground meat into casings to make sausages. While you can use a grinder with stuffing attachments, a dedicated stuffer makes the job easier and produces more consistent sausages.
Stuffers come in vertical canister styles (hand-crank piston pushes meat into the casing) and can typically hold a certain weight (5 lb, 15 lb, etc.) at a time. This tool is essential if you plan to make your own bratwursts, links, or snack sticks, and it greatly speeds up the process with less air in the casings compared to jury-rigging a grinder to stuff.
Meat Mixer
A meat mixer is a bucket-like device with paddles (hand-cranked or attachable to a grinder motor) for mixing ground meat with seasoning, fat, or cure. When making sausage or jerky, thoroughly mixing spices and any added fat/cure into the meat is important for flavor and binding. You can certainly mix by hand, but it gets very cold and tiresome.
A 20-pound meat mixer lets you crank to churn the meat until it’s uniform, which is especially useful for large batches of sausage and ensures even distribution of ingredients. This can improve the texture of your sausage and save your hands from freezing.
Food Dehydrator
A dehydrator is used to make venison jerky or dried snack sticks. It’s basically an appliance with multiple racks and a low heat source plus fan to dry out thin strips of seasoned meat at a controlled temperature. If you slice muscle meat for jerky or use a jerky gun to make formed strips from ground meat, a dehydrator will dry them evenly without cooking. This food dehydrator from Magic Mill is the right size for most and works well.
While you can also dry jerky in an oven, a dehydrator is more efficient and doesn’t tie up your oven for hours. For anyone who loves making their own jerky (a very popular use of deer meat), this tool is invaluable.
Meat Slicer
An electric deli-style slicer can be used for cutting uniformly thin slices of meat. This is particularly handy if you want to slice partially frozen venison for jerky (to get consistent thickness) or to cut steaks and roasts into even slices (like for sandwich meat or stir-fry).
A deli slicer is great for making even cuts for jerky slices.
It’s a more specialized tool, but if you process multiple deer a year or like deli-thin cuts, a slicer ensures precision that’s hard to do by hand.
Jerky Gun
If you prefer ground meat jerky (like Slim Jim style sticks or flat strips), a jerky gun is the tool for the job. It looks like a caulking gun: you load it with seasoned ground venison and extrude strips or tubes onto your dehydrator trays.
The jerky gun allows you to create consistent-shaped jerky from ground meat (which some find easier to chew and prepare than whole muscle jerky). It’s not necessary if you only do whole muscle jerky, but it’s a fun tool to expand your jerky-making options.
Meat Tenderizer
A tenderizing tool helps break down tough muscle fibers in cuts like leg steaks. This could be a manual meat cuber (which looks like a roller with blades or a hand-crank machine you feed steaks through to cut tiny slices into them, turning them into cube steak), or as simple as a mallet with a textured side for pounding.
Tenderizing tools are great if you plan to make country-fried venison steak or want to soften up cuts from older or tougher deer. They improve texture by cutting connective tissues, making for a more tender bite.
Marinade Injector
A syringe-like injector for injecting brine or marinades into meat. If you want to do things like corned venison (injecting curing brine) or speed up marinade penetration in large roasts, this tool can pump seasoned liquid directly into the meat.
It’s a niche tool but can be beneficial for ensuring flavor and moisture throughout thicker cuts, or for preparing hams and cured meats from venison.
Smoker
A smoker is used to cook and flavor meats with wood smoke at low temperatures – useful if you want to smoke your own venison sausages, jerky, or roasts.
While smoking is more of a cooking/preserving step than butchering, many DIY processors eventually get a smoker to make things like smoked summer sausage, venison bacon, or smoked jerky. It can be as simple as a bullet smoker, an electric smoker unit, or a pellet grill. Smoked venison products have fantastic flavor and a smoker allows you to create these at home rather than relying on a commercial processor.
Pressure Canner
A specialized canner (pressure cooker designed for canning jars) that lets you preserve venison in jars. Canning venison involves packing jars with cubed meat and processing them at high pressure/temperature to make them shelf stable.
This is another advanced step beyond butchering, but if you want venison that doesn’t require freezer storage, pressure canning is the way.
Canned venison comes out very tender and is great for quick meals (like stew). A pressure canner is a worthwhile tool for hunters who want to preserve meat long-term without a freezer, or make ready-to-eat meals in jars.
Meat Band Saw
An electric band saw, like a small version of what professional butchers use, for sawing through bone and frozen meat with precision.
This is a high-end piece of equipment for the home processor who wants to efficiently cut bone-in steaks or split carcasses quickly. A meat band saw lets you do things like cut perfect bone-in chops or T-bone steaks from a deer (if you left the spine in) and can speed up processing if you handle a lot of deer.
However, it’s a fairly large investment and not necessary for most DIY hunters who are content with boneless cuts – it’s an optional upgrade for those making their garage into a true mini-butcher shop.
Packaging and Storage Supplies
After all that hard work cutting and processing, properly packaging your venison is crucial to keep it in prime condition until you cook it. This section lists the tools and materials that help you wrap, seal, label, and store your deer meat for the long term.
Vacuum Sealer
A countertop vacuum sealing machine removes air and seals meat inside plastic bags. This is one of the best ways to prevent freezer burn and extend the storage life of your venison. By vacuum-packing, you eliminate air pockets around the meat, which preserves flavor and texture for a year or more in the freezer.
Many hunters invest in a FoodSaver or similar vacuum sealer – it’s especially useful for odd-shaped cuts or long-term storage.
Plastic Wrap and Freezer Paper
The classic method for packaging game is to first wrap cuts tightly in plastic wrap (or freezer-grade cling film) and then wrap them again in freezer paper (wax or plastic-coated butcher paper). Double-wrapping like this creates a moisture barrier and keeps air off the meat. Freezer paper is thick and protects the meat from light and air; you seal it with freezer tape. This method is time-tested and economical – many hunters still prefer it over vacuum sealing, and properly wrapped venison can last a year or more in the freezer without issues.
Don’t forget a dispenser and freezer tape to make handling the paper easier.
Freezer Bags (Zip-top bags)
Heavy-duty freezer-grade zipper bags (e.g., quart or gallon size) can be used for ground meat or stew chunks. If using freezer bags, it helps to squeeze as much air out as possible before sealing. Some people double-bag or wrap meat in plastic wrap then bag it. Freezer bags are convenient and cheap, though not quite as air-tight as vacuum sealing or paper wrapping for very long storage. They’re fine for meat you plan to use within several months.
Bags are also great for marinating meat or storing smaller offcuts, organs, etc., in the freezer.
Ground Meat Bags and Sealer
These are poly tubes (usually 1 or 2 lb capacity) designed specifically for ground meat, along with a little funnel/sealer tool. You stuff the ground venison into the tube bag and then either tape or use a metal clip (hog ring) to seal the end.
Ground meat bags are inexpensive and efficient – they often cost less than vacuum bags and stack neatly in the freezer. They also can be labeled easily. Many grinders have an adapter to hold these bags while filling.
If you plan to grind a lot of burger, these bags are a great way to package it in uniform portions.
Masking Tape & Permanent Marker (Labels)
It’s important to label all your packages with contents and date. A roll of freezer tape or masking tape and a Sharpie marker let you mark packages (e.g., “Venison Backstrap 10/2025” or “Ground Venison 1 lb – 10/2025”). This way, you know what cut it is and how old it is in the freezer.
Some hunters use pre-printed labels or label makers, but a simple marker works fine. Good labeling helps you rotate stock (eat older meat first) and ensures nothing gets lost in the freezer unknown.
Extra Freezer or Cooler
While not a packaging material per se, it’s worth mentioning storage capacity. Processing a whole deer yields a lot of meat, so having enough freezer space is essential.
Many hunters keep a dedicated chest freezer for game meat. Alternatively, a large cooler can be used initially to age or hold meat on ice before final butchering. For example, a 55–70 quart cooler can fit a quartered deer; keeping the meat on ice for a few days can age it and improve tenderness (be sure to drain water and keep it dry).
If you do a cooler-aging method, a drainage setup (like a raised rack or inserting a PVC pipe to channel fluids to the drain) helps keep the meat from sitting in water.
Storage Bins or Boxes
Once your meat is all packaged, having sturdy boxes or plastic bins to organize the packages in your freezer can be helpful.
This is more about convenience – for instance, paper bags or plastic crates can group packets by type (all ground in one, roasts in another) and prevent the avalanche of frozen packs when you open the freezer. It also prevents packages from getting hidden at the bottom. This way, you maintain that “ultimate organization” of your hard-earned venison cache.
Cleaning Supplies
Finally, a clean processing environment is critical. Keep a bucket of sanitizing solution (like diluted bleach water) or food-safe sanitizer on hand, paper towels or clean rags, and trash bags for waste.
Wiping down knives, boards, and tables periodically will prevent bacteria spread. While not a “tool” in the cutting sense, these supplies ensure your meat is handled safely and your workspace isn’t a mess. A clean workstation produces cleaner meat with less chance of spoilage.
Final thoughts
As you can see, processing your own deer can involve quite an array of tools and gadgets.
While it might seem like a long list, you don’t need every single item to get started. Many hunters begin with the basics (knife, sharpener, saw, some wrap) and gradually add more specialized tools as they gain experience or want to do more (sausage making, etc.)