Thread: Back leg butchery

I'll often just take the back legs and backstraps from the goats that I shoot (and occasionally deer). I've done enough animals to be reasonably good, but I'm slow! Any tips for taking back legs from an animal on the ground (rather than hanging) and keeping it clean of hair and debris. Video would be good if anyone has a link. Cheers.

You should be able to lift one leg while the whole animal is on its side skin on gut in.
Put you foot on the bottom leg to hold it to the ground, lift the other leg that's free, hold it up and cut from the inside (groin) find the ball joint, cut/seperate that and slice through to remove the leg.

You should be able to take the second leg once rolled over it's just a little more difficult.

Cut with knife pointing towards the skin, that way you cut the skin and avoiding cut as much hair, another one is make the use of gravity if your on a slope (works even better when gutting and animal)

Originally Posted by CBH Australia

You should be able to lift one leg while the whole animal is on its side skin on gut in.
Put you foot on the bottom leg to hold it to the ground, lift the other leg that's free, hold it up and cut from the inside (groin) find the ball joint, cut/seperate that and slice through to remove the leg.

You should be able to take the second leg once rolled over it's just a little more difficult.

Sounds like the skin stays on for leg removal with your method?

Originally Posted by 223nut

Cut with knife pointing towards the skin, that way you cut the skin and avoiding cut as much hair, another one is make the use of gravity if your on a slope (works even better when gutting and animal)

Cheers. Yep, make cuts from the inside out where possible.

Gut, hang from tree, skin. Tidiest.

Next tidiest is to gut, then skin on the ground and work on the inside of the skin.

Originally Posted by MB

Sounds like the skin stays on for leg removal with your method?

Yes, I take it you are just trying to take the legs quickly.
You can then hang a leg to skin it or place it on a tailgate or bench.
You could literally remove a leg under 30seconds with a little practice.
If you are going to hang it to skin it you break down the whole carcass if you can carry it or position it near the vehicle.
I'm far from the fastest but it's easy to remove a leg or 2 once you get the feel for disjointing the ballpoint.

look down at your crutch...you cut from beside your scroat NO NO NOT YOUR OWN ONE...THE DEER OR GOATS!!!!

ok will try that again...looking down at yourself to get visual idea,,,you cut from inside of crutch,like beside your nutsack and push leg outwards,like opening thighs,and the ball joint will soon become accesable,slip point of knife in to ball joint and sever wee tendon on ball then keep working your way against bonefron tail right aroundleaving all meat on leg..skin is on,and as was said cut from inside to out....it allows you to have leg able to lay on ground...you do similar to front leg,called a banjo... in at brisket and stay against ribs...right back to the back steak,then slice through skin from inside to out...again it allows you to lay leg on ground to cool...do this on both sides and only back steaks and inside eye fillets left to get...if you take back steaks out first its easier still.
agree with the 30 seconds per leg bit.... really easy to deal with one leg at a time,only need small loop of string to hang it up a tree.

Go hunting with @Dusty Fog and watch him whip the leg off a fallow deer with 4 swipes from his razor Sharp pocket knife. It's pretty impressive,he even told me to stand back before he started swinging the blade.

Gutless method.

Fully disassembled. I take the inside steaks too without gutting


Back steak removal


Legs hanging ready to skin and bone. Get them off like how MD explained.
I remove the legs with rump on - some people take the rumps off before removing the legs. A little bit of length in your knife makes all this easier (4-5"). Mercators are shit If need be you can bone the legs on the ground skinning and boning progressively so that there is always outside skin between the meat and the ground. Its not difficult and in the end you have all of the cuts to biff in your meat bag and a whole piece of back leg skin which you throw away and it whirls off like a frizby if you get your action right. .


The shoulders are easy peasy to deal with.

The whole drama takes under 30 minutes.

When its hot I often let the meat cool by doing this.

Basically what we do. Remove all 4 legs complete with skin. The fronts come off the same way as the rear . Much as MD describes but I would compare it more to removing your arm by starting at the armpit and slicing in from there into the joint. Not difficult to just follow around the joint and muscle groups on either front or back , once skin has been sliced through. Usually we take back straps last , find it easier to roll and hold animal with no legs getting in the way.
With practice can remove that lot from a goat in under ten minutes easy with a 3 inch blade.

Can someone explain how to get the back steak from the inside without gutting?

I've seen and tried various things at different times and usually skin an animal if I'm taking meat.

Usually if I'm whipping a leg off something its bait or dog food.

I've heard the term "Overland method" for doing Cattle in the field. I think that's possibly the same just grabbing the best bits of a cow that's been destroyed for some reason.

Just work one side of the animal lying down taking back steaks, front/hind legs off and hang in tree. Roll animal over and repeat. Then skin/bone meat hanging up. I don't believe you really have to gut an animal unless you have concerns on health for inspection or want access to heart/liver and loins.


On the meat eater series, they were boning out hind quarters and there was a white gland that they reckon can taint the meat if left on? Don't know the name of it but I was keeping an eye out for it the other day and found it I believe.

Also, the scent gland on hind leg (darker hair patch) should be avoided being touched with bare hands then touching meat. Hard mental note to not do, I find myself gravitating to grabbing it often.

Cheers for the replies. Maybe I came across a little more clueless than I actually am! It's just a question of speed. I do think hanging animals gives an advantage, not least because you're working upright instead of bent over or on your knees, but I can't get larger animals high enough off the ground. Yes to gutless method. Shoulders are easy. I can see the sense in leaving the skin on until back legs are removed. Again, if anyone has a video link, I'd love to see it.

Originally Posted by MB

Cheers for the replies. Maybe I came across a little more clueless than I actually am! It's just a question of speed. I do think hanging animals gives an advantage, not least because you're working upright instead of bent over or on your knees, but I can't get larger animals high enough off the ground. Yes to gutless method. Shoulders are easy. I can see the sense in leaving the skin on until back legs are removed. Again, if anyone has a video link, I'd love to see it.

Is that Tangihua mate?