saw for deer butchering?

[maple]

Many of you, as I recall, are advocates of boneless butchering of deer when doing it yourself. I've heard all the arguements of tastier, cheaper, smaller. Been there, done that. BUT. I like my meat with bones in. Nothin' beats a marinated loin chop, with rib, on the barbie. No tiny medallions for me thanks.

So. My question is, does a meat saw do the trick for cutting thigh and back bones? Could I saw right down the middle of the spine with it and cut off the individual chops? Would a hack saw with coarse blade work just as well? Or, am I wasting my time even thinking about it?

Maple

[pdislow]

hey! i use a carpenter's hand saw that has ..i think...12 teeth per inch... anyway it is a regular hand saw with the most teeth available at lowes' or home depot. i find that using the part of the saw closest to the handle helps me cut straighter down the spine. philip

[stump]

Maple, another option that works well on deer (moose also) is to use a reciprocating saw. It takes only seconds to cut down the spine and it's easy to stay straight down the middle. Blades are cheap, there's no oil or residue from the saw to taint the meat, and you can use a cordless saw if you don't have power at your hunt camp.

[striper]

Maple: Alabama deer are smaller than your deer, but I have had very good luck using a hacksaw with a coarse blade.I believe it would be a lot better than a carpenter's saw. Since I haven't tried the carpenters saw, I might be wrong. Striper

[A.W]

I've used the hacksaw with good results. A Newfie buddy of mine has used a couple of hatchets back to back.

[Guest]

works fine for me
wabi

[Mighty Mooser]

Reciprocating saw. Much faster and easier on yourself!!!!

[raspberry patch]

Being new to deer hunting, I have no experience with deer butchering. But from my (and mainly my wife's experience) working on cadavers, bandsaws and hacksaw work great. (A surgical bonesaw is a basic blade in stainless steel ... the material is selected for sterilization).

My wife would also suggest the Lee Valley Japanese plywood saw as well.

[Armadias]

Hey Maple;
Thereis a large spam outlet at the corner of Bank street and riverside drive.
That is where i bought my saw for cutting up deer.
it cuts through any bone.

[Tom]

Maple any bone saw will work. I have even used those folding brush saws (but they are a pain to try to clean after ). My brother picked up a nice bone saw (cheap) from the local Home Hardware Store. If I remember corectly, they even had meat blades for hacksaws (stainless steal) to help keep costs down.

Hope this helps.

[TB]

Just one caution ALL spinal cord and brain material could be a potential for CWD or BSE. Cutting through the spine either crossways or splitting the spine WILL contaminate the meat with cord material. In Ontario we don't presently have the problem but it could come. In other areas of the country and our friends to the south they have to be concerned with the problem because the infection could be there in its early stages without outward symptoms.

[LeGrand]

Maple, I used a meat saw on my first moose a few years ago, and we quartered the moose properly and with ease. Cut down the backbone all the way right down the middle.