Students Learn Techniques For Processing Game Meat
The nine participants in the recent Becoming an Outdoors Woman deer-butchering workshop were a little uneasy at first. They all had different levels of experience with hunting – some had never hunted and others had been hunting for several years but typically dopped off their animals at a meat processor.
“Once we start, they begin to inch in closer and closer,” said Kylie Kembel, FWP’s outdoor skills coordinator. “They want to see, touch and experience the process.”
The participants learned about skinning, quartering, meat care, deboning, meat cutting/processing and packaging. They were able to feel how a hide pulls off and how joints can be broken down into more manageable pieces. At one point, each participant was given some pieces to separate and trim on their own.
“At that point, no one was squeamish, and everyone wanted to get hands-on experience, Kembel said. “This is what makes BOW great, we try with every class to get participants hands-on time with the activity.”
The five-hour course was taught by avid hunter and FWP fisheries biologist Katie Vivian. While the workshop has been offered through other groups for several years, this was the first time that it was included in FWP’s BOW program.
A recent study by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on hunters and anglers showed that 22 percent of hunters across the nation are women. BOW strives to help women break through barriers and access outdoor recreation.
For more information about upcoming workshops, go to fwp.mt.gov/education/becoming- an-outdoors-woman.
