# Looking for some advice from people who hunt and/or kill stuff (mostly deer)



## disintegratus (Aug 21, 2012)

I have some questions for all you people who hunt stuff etc, as I've noticed there's a few of you here:

So my boyfriends landlord/housemate type person has decided he wants to get a deer (from a farm) and kill/dress/butcher it at home with our help (we're mostly in it for the free venison)
He's never done it before, and neither have either of us, so I'm basically wondering if the three of us being novices would be able to do a reasonable job of it. It SEEMS fairly straightforward, but what is the likelihood of us completely destroying it and rendering it inedible, and are there any tips you could throw our way?
Honestly, it'll probably end up either being mostly me and the boyfriend (I don't think the housemate/landlord person has a very strong stomach), or mostly me (sometimes my boyfriend's got a surprisingly weak stomach, but I won't stand to see the thing killed for no reason)

Also, can I feed the offal to my dogs/are there any parts I should avoid feeding to my dogs?
If it's okay to feed to them, how long would it take 3 large dogs to get through a deer's worth of offal? (This I ask because I'm fairly certain my sister would not be keen on a fridge full of deer guts)
Again, how long do you think it would take 3 large dogs to get through what's left of the carcass/would it stink up my yard?

Really, any advice (except "don't kill Bambi coz he's cute") is more than welcome.
I have an idea that this is going to go ahead with or without my input, I'd just like it to go as smoothly as possible. And no, I don't know why they wouldn't start with something more managable like a rabbit.
Thanks,
Shell


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## Jeannine (Aug 21, 2012)

i dont know about anything else but i do believe you cant feed 'offal' to your dogs, there is a risk of tape worm (think thats it) being passed on?


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## Raddy318 (Aug 21, 2012)

its not as easy as it looks. if you dont do it right it can end bad hahah


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## oOLaurenOo (Aug 21, 2012)

It is easy. First, dont feed the offal to your dogs. There is a worm that they can get that we (humans) can then catch. They will form cysts through your body (including your brain) and have to be surgically removed, really bad zoonosis there. Second, if you do it correctly there shouldnt be many off cuts, so it won't take your dogs long to get through them. lol. It's to hard to explain over the Internet, I would advise googling "how to break up a sheep carcass" exact same principle and you should be able to find some diagrams to show you exactly where to make your cuts. Just remember you need to hang it for a few days in a cool room before breaking it up. (skinned and gutted of course) Good luck with it!


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## Justdragons (Aug 21, 2012)

its farirly cheap to get done by a farmer if you know any that have a kill floor. my old boss used to buy full cows and lambs and get them chopped up and i dont think it cost much at all. There is a fair bit of blood and mess for my backyard?? Imagine if a kid kicked his ball over your fence and jumped to get it... bahahh the look would be priceless


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## Nephrurus (Aug 21, 2012)

Wraith81 said:


> its not as easy as it looks. if you dont do it right it can end bad hahah



Agreed! Get someone with a hoist, knives and know-how. You may even want a cool room to hang it for a few days as well. 
It's extremely easy to stuff it up and much harder than it looks (especially to do a good job).


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## Timmeh103 (Aug 21, 2012)

Firstly, this is a crazy thought, not only do you have to understand and know the location of all cuts of meat, but then the process and steps taken in removing the certain cuts. Let alone the storage of a whole deers worth, it can dress more than a 100kg of meat(if done professionally). 

Do I think it can be done by a novice, well no, not at all. It's not straight forward, not something that can be simply winged and see how it goes. In saying that I'm sure someone learnt this way at some stage. Also where do you plan to get said deer, do you live on a property, do you have deer roaming, or are you buying from a farm? If its wild then there is the risk of parasites within the offal and meat. It takes a trained eye to spot disease within meat, and should be tested. 

Are you aware of the processes needed to butcher a deer, well firstly you kill it, which is hard enough for some, then slit the throat(at this point I personally stab the heart also) then the beast needs to be strung up by the feet(I use a winch crane) then gutted(which will be like a bathtub full) head and hoves removed and skinned(this step too me years to learn) then the animal is quartered with a chainsaw and hung in a cold room for a few days for the meat to set. (fun part) then your up to the stage of butchering it, removing the various cuts which if not done properly you will end up with alot of mince 

So this is no novices task nor do I think a reasonable job can be done of it with out strick supervision and guidence of a trained profesional. 

Hope this helps, and if you do for some reason go through with it, pm me some photos please


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## thomasssss (Aug 21, 2012)

just curious how do you intend to kill the animal in melbourne ? from what i know you need more than 25acres to discharge a firearm so that kinda rules that out if you live in the suburbs


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## oOLaurenOo (Aug 21, 2012)

It's not rocket science. I was shown once and had no problems after that.


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## Radar (Aug 21, 2012)

Seriously, The best advice I can give you is if this is the first thing they have butchered, take it out bush along with everything you could need and do it there, not in your own back yard. Even with small animals, things get messy quickly. You should see the looks I get from my neighbors when I boil a set of tusks out, let alone gut a deer.


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## apprenticegnome (Aug 21, 2012)

I did one for the first time 2 weeks ago. If you check on you tube for "how to field dress a deer" you will find several american abotoir/butchers videos on there. Main key points are to bleed the animal as soon as possible and let the carcass cool likewise. depending on the deer you will most likely need very large eskys or styrofoam cooler boxes and several of them. We did a red deer and it took 5 large eskys and several plastic bags. We also took a large amount of esky ice blocks (I prefer them as they don't leave water in the bottom of the esky for the meat to sit in. We skinned, gutted and cut into seky sized portions on site then did the butchering back at home (4 hours drive away). We didn't worry about cutting rumps, sirloins etc. I took the hind warters and back straps, cut them into steaks and crumbed and seasoned. Any portions with fat throughout either got diced into stewing meat, kebabs or dog food. portions between ribs became dog food also. (These were just my personal preferences). I was told by the farmer to watch not to overcook the meat as it will become tough and that he prefers to do medium rare. The thin steaks crumbed came out real tender. A good thing I learnt from the you tube videos was to tie off the bum and the oesophagas so no contaminants enetered the body when gutting.

I did one for the first time 2 weeks ago. If you check on you tube for "how to field dress a deer" you will find several american abotoir/butchers videos on there. Main key points are to bleed the animal as soon as possible and let the carcass cool likewise. depending on the deer you will most likely need very large eskys or styrofoam cooler boxes and several of them. We did a red deer and it took 5 large eskys and several plastic bags. We also took a large amount of esky ice blocks (I prefer them as they don't leave water in the bottom of the esky for the meat to sit in. We skinned, gutted and cut into seky sized portions on site then did the butchering back at home (4 hours drive away). We didn't worry about cutting rumps, sirloins etc. I took the hind warters and back straps, cut them into steaks and crumbed and seasoned. Any portions with fat throughout either got diced into stewing meat, kebabs or dog food. portions between ribs became dog food also. (These were just my personal preferences). I was told by the farmer to watch not to overcook the meat as it will become tough and that he prefers to do medium rare. The thin steaks crumbed came out real tender. A good thing I learnt from the you tube videos was to tie off the bum and the oesophagas so no contaminants enetered the body when gutting.

- - - Updated - - -

Watch several of the you tube videos and look for consistency in the methods between them that way you can eliminate some of the lesser used. Good luck.


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## oOLaurenOo (Aug 21, 2012)

One other thing that's worth mentioning is if you are after quality meat you really need to kill the deer at the farm. Deer aren't like cattle or sheep and it will
most likely smash itself around during travel. Stress also effects meat quality. Perhaps you can organize with the farm to kill, prepare and hang the carcass somewhere near the farm, and then Esky it and cut it all up at your place?


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## wylie88 (Aug 21, 2012)

If you take the deer to an abattoir they will do all the dirty work for a small fee, as a few people have already said it can be difficult to do....I find slitting the throat the hardest, it requires a fair bit of effort to do and is not pleasant at all, it also has to be done as soon as you kill the animal. It is a hard and very messy job and I would advise you to watch a video online of what it involves so you are prepared.


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## disintegratus (Aug 22, 2012)

Thank you very much everyone for your advice. So far, I have managed to convince them that killing a deer in a suburban backyard is a ridiculous idea... so they're going with a goat instead. I think they should probably start small, like a couple of rabbits or something, but they won't have a bar of it, and at least a goat is more like stock, probably won't throw itself around so much during transport. Also, significantly less mess to deal with. I assume the basic principles are the same in terms of slaughter/dressing, I have watched a few videos of field-dressing deer, so while it's no substitute for having someone who knows what they're doing there, at least it's a start. 

Not that they've said as much, but I think part of the reason they've opted to go for a goat instead is because if they back out and can't kill it, a goat is a much more managable animal to keep on a suburban block.


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## Daryl_H (Aug 22, 2012)

disintegratus said:


> Thank you very much everyone for your advice. So far, I have managed to convince them that killing a deer in a suburban backyard is a ridiculous idea... so they're going with a goat instead. I think they should probably start small, like a couple of rabbits or something, but they won't have a bar of it, and at least a goat is more like stock, probably won't throw itself around so much during transport. Also, significantly less mess to deal with. I assume the basic principles are the same in terms of slaughter/dressing, I have watched a few videos of field-dressing deer, so while it's no substitute for having someone who knows what they're doing there, at least it's a start.
> 
> Not that they've said as much, but I think part of the reason they've opted to go for a goat instead is because if they back out and can't kill it, a goat is a much more managable animal to keep on a suburban block.




as an ex butcher i would suggest not buying the cheapest old goat you can find buy one thats about 15 monts old and female it will give better meat and yeld.
also its not something for a weak heart. you have to be prepared to do what needs to be done in the worst case senairo
ie say you dont knok it properly ive seen animals wake up from a stun half way through a bleed out and try to run away. not trying to put you of the idea just warn you that you need to take this seriously as to end the pain as quick as possible. if ou are realy serious about doing this pm me and ill send you my phone number and get your b/f to call me and pick my brain 
Cheers Daryl


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## disintegratus (Aug 22, 2012)

Thanks Daryl, much the offer is much appreciated, I will PM you shortly when I'm off my phone (my phone doesn't like PMs apparently). Apparently he's getting a milking goat, and going to keep it for a few weeks before doing the deed.
I have said that I would like to be there, because to be honest, I don't trust either of them to not panic and leave the poor bloody thing flailing, whereas I know damn well that I'll do what needs to be done if I need to. 
That said, I have a feeling that he's going to get a milking goat, keep it for a couple of weeks, wuss out when push comes to shove, and end up with a new pet goat
Honestly, either way doesn't faze me, the only part that bothers me is if they start the job and don't finish it.


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## Magpie (Aug 22, 2012)

How are you going to transport the goat? You can't just stick them in the car.
It's not hard to do a rough job but it is very hard to do a professional job of butchering a carcass. The killing / gutting / skinning is the easy bit.
Have you ever bought a side of lamb? An awful lot of it is chops - very hard to make without a bone saw. Easiest way to do it is to make 3 or 4 roasts out of each side and use the rest as dog meat. Goat roast is quite diferent to lamb roast though, I'm not a big fan myself.
If it's just the killing / gutting process they want, I'd suggest a small pig would be a better option. Then either portion it and roast or do a whole pig. Rabbits are also good as you can cook them whole.
The offal is fine (not the guts though) as dog food if you cook it first. Can smell during cooking though.


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## thomasssss (Aug 22, 2012)

disintegratus said:


> Thanks Daryl, much the offer is much appreciated, I will PM you shortly when I'm off my phone (my phone doesn't like PMs apparently). Apparently he's getting a milking goat, and going to keep it for a few weeks before doing the deed.
> I have said that I would like to be there, because to be honest, I don't trust either of them to not panic and leave the poor bloody thing flailing, whereas I know damn well that I'll do what needs to be done if I need to.
> That said, I have a feeling that he's going to get a milking goat, keep it for a couple of weeks, wuss out when push comes to shove, and end up with a new pet goat
> Honestly, either way doesn't faze me, the only part that bothers me is if they start the job and don't finish it.


you havent mentioned how your intending on actually killing the animal? like i said earlier if your in suburbs of melbourne than that rules a fire arm out , legally anyway , that only really leaves you with a knife , are you guys prepared to kill a goat with a knife , pretty gory rambo kinda stuff so just be ready , youve already said they both have weak stomachs , ive got a reasonably good stomach when it comes to things like this , but killing a live goat with a knife , just the thought of it makes me cringe ,


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## disintegratus (Aug 22, 2012)

thomasssss said:


> you havent mentioned how your intending on actually killing the animal? like i said earlier if your in suburbs of melbourne than that rules a fire arm out , legally anyway , that only really leaves you with a knife , are you guys prepared to kill a goat with a knife , pretty gory rambo kinda stuff so just be ready , youve already said they both have weak stomachs , ive got a reasonably good stomach when it comes to things like this , but killing a live goat with a knife , just the thought of it makes me cringe ,


I'd assume it'll be knocked on the head then bled out, at least that's the impression I've been given. Although your post made me visualise all three of us done up in camo and face paint, jumping out of the bushes screaming at this poor unsuspecting goat with massive knives. Made me chuckle.
As I said though, Worst comes to worst, if they start it and can't do it, I'll finish it. Neither of them will ever hear the end of having to get a girl to finish their dirty work, but I'll do it if I need to.
I haven't had a chance to ask my boyfriend if either of them have access to all the necessary tools, but considering neither of them have ever done this, I'd say they don't. The housemate is Indian, I think he's more after chunks of meat he can stew/make curries etc out of, not so much after chops, so roast style parts should be fine.

Also Magpie, I have ready access to a horse float, that'll do Good to know about the offal. Depending on how much of it there is, we may just dump the offal and the dogs can have the carcass when we're done.


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## thomasssss (Aug 22, 2012)

disintegratus said:


> I'd assume it'll be knocked on the head then bled out, at least that's the impression I've been given. Although your post made me visualise all three of us done up in camo and face paint, jumping out of the bushes screaming at this poor unsuspecting goat with massive knives. Made me chuckle.
> As I said though, Worst comes to worst, if they start it and can't do it, I'll finish it. Neither of them will ever hear the end of having to get a girl to finish their dirty work, but I'll do it if I need to.
> I haven't had a chance to ask my boyfriend if either of them have access to all the necessary tools, but considering neither of them have ever done this, I'd say they don't. The housemate is Indian, I think he's more after chunks of meat he can stew/make curries etc out of, not so much after chops, so roast style parts should be fine.
> 
> Also Magpie, I have ready access to a horse float, that'll do Good to know about the offal. Depending on how much of it there is, we may just dump the offal and the dogs can have the carcass when we're done.


better make it a good knock to kill a goat properly , what daryl said can happen and you dont want a goat running around trying to escape whilst blood spurts from it throat 

maybe see if the owner of whatever farm you get it from has a gun , and if he does id get him to give it a nice clean shot before you leave 

what you gonna hit it with anyways a sledge hammer ?


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## disintegratus (Aug 22, 2012)

Well the boyfriend was under the impression a ball-peen hammer would be sufficient, but to be honest, I was actually leaning towards something sledgehammerish, I'd rather go overkill than not enough force. 
I really don't want to deal with dying goat running around bleeding everywhere.


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## thomasssss (Aug 22, 2012)

i dont think a little hammer is going to crush a goats skull , just piss it off and hurt it , it will probs still be conscious after that if it isnt placed in the right spot , i dont want to sound rude but i really think you should see if the owner of the farm will shoot it for you , chances are he has a gun to put down any injured animals , its just alot more humane if done properly with a gun than trying to kill it will a ball-peen hammer and getting it wrong and only leaving it superficially wounded


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## disintegratus (Aug 22, 2012)

You're not sounding rude at all, as I said, ANY advice is more than welcome
I will definitely suggest this to them, and then I wouldn't need to bring the horse float, it would fit in the tray of my ute.


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## thomasssss (Aug 22, 2012)

and its alot quicker for the animal , i dont want to imagine how things could end up trying to kill a goat with a small hammer , even a big one , what if it just deflects of the side of the skull and does a number of their face but nothing to do any internal damage , then you've got to try again , and its probably not going to let you near it buy this stage , then theirs the option of a knife , either a big knife and try to stab it in the heart , although i wouldnt know where to aim to be sure of a hit , or slit its throat i guess , both are going to be a bloody mess by the end of it 

or a shot to the side of the head with a large calibre rifle , and its all over for the goat and you dont have to feel bad like you may of if things had gone pear shaped with the hammer


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## Wrightpython (Aug 22, 2012)

We just use knives for sheep and goats. Drop animal on its side placing your left foot behind its neck if you right handed bend its head back around your ankle and with a sharp knife in right hand slice across throat making sure to cut right down to spine snd threw spinal cord this kills them very fast and bleeds them out at the same time. Its the way all abbotoirs in aus use to do it before electric shock stunning.


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## Blake182 (Aug 22, 2012)

I would go to a butcher and ask "how much a kilo for you"s to butcher it up" with that it should cover the cost to get it killed and u will need to let it hang for a day or two so when you cut it look not every where.
i would let the pro do it


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## PMyers (Aug 22, 2012)

I hope you like the idea of a permanent pet goat...


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## Daryl_H (Aug 22, 2012)

i would also do some research i suggest watching a acb show called (catch it kill it cook it) they did an ep that covered sheep, and explained alot of stuff regarding health issues and safty like did you know youll have to cut the anus out and not touch any of the meat while you do it as to not contanamate the meat all things you shoul know b4 starting.... i think this will be a intersting thread lol


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## oOLaurenOo (Aug 22, 2012)

Ok... So meat wise you have chosen the worst possible goat... a milking goat is like a milking cow, SIGNIFICANTLY less meat on it. Also, smashing its head with a hammer will be sooooo much harder then it sounds and will most likely just severly injure and frighten the animal. You should do as Wrightpython said and just use a knife, it is the most humane way. Google some videos of it being done, or it would be better if you could just get someone who knows what they are doing to help you. If you stuff up the rest of the job then you will just get a lot of weird looking cuts and wasted meat, if you stuff up the killing you put an animal through pain, terror and suffering that it shouldn't have to go through. Going off what you have said so far... I am thinking you are going to have a permanent pet goat. lol


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## buffcoat (Aug 23, 2012)

I can skin and "gut" a deer using a penknife. You actually don't want to use a blade much larger than that to feild dress an animal. Its quite simple actually.

Using a hammer is not the most humane way to kill something. If you are not hunting the animal, a well placed .22 will do nicely.

Maybe we do things differently here in the states, but I know the only thing we don't usually save from the innards is the intestines and urinary trac. Heart, lungs and liver can be eaten (I don't but I do save mine for others who do). 

I didn't read all the posts so I hope Im not offending anyone or repeating anything already said previous.

Btw, a quad (4 wheeled atv) does a fantastic job of skinning an animal 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using Tapatalk 2


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## wylie88 (Aug 23, 2012)

it is very important that you stun the animal properly before you kill it....it isnt illigal to slaughter it in your yard but you risk jail time and hefty fines if you dont stun it appropriatly and humanly first. if you hold a cattle prod to the back of the head it will render it unconsious for a very short period or a bullet to the head is instant...dont knock it on the head, i used to hunt goats and trust me when i say they have very thick skulls.....hitting it with a hammer wont knock it out just severly injure it. Also try to get a boer goat, they are a meat goat.sorry about any typos i m using my phone.


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## wokka (Aug 23, 2012)

If you can field shoot the deer and bleed it there will be far less stress on the deer, and the meat will be of better quality. Handling deer is not like handling sheep or goats as they are "wild" animals and so dont travel well on the back of a ute. Dressing a deer is the same as dressing a sheep, except there is far less fat. Fallow are about the same size and Red or Rusa about double the size. If you dont want to waste meat I would paddock shoot, bleed and skin the animal and get the local butcher, or farmer to hang it in his coolroom before cuting it up for you.
My experience comes from farming 1000s of deer and exporting processed meat from Australia.


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## Squirtle (Aug 25, 2012)

Why not just go to safeway?


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## blackthorn (Aug 25, 2012)

I'd eventually like to raise and butcher my own meat from various animals. Anyone know if a butcher will show you how to do it a few times so you can learn to do it yourself? I've only done a duck so far and that's about all I plan to do until I get more land, but I still need to learn how to cut poultry into portions/cuts rather than leaving it whole like we did with the first one.


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## Leeloofluff (Aug 25, 2012)

I thought slaughtering animals on your won premises was illegal too, especially in suburbia and not a farm.... 
I have been through many survival courses where we hunted and killed deer, wild pigs and chickens. Its alot of work, and needs to be done quickly and efficiently. We were on huge properties and military bases for about nine days at a time, with no other food. We ate what we could find, and i still felt bad about it. 
I guess what im getting at is dont let the animal suffer, if it means oaying abit more to have it humanely slaughtered and prepared, id say do it. We used rifles, bows and traps, but i cant see them being any use in suburbia...


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## chilli-mudcrab (Aug 25, 2012)

thomasssss said:


> just curious how do you intend to kill the animal in melbourne ? from what i know you need more than 25acres to discharge a firearm so that kinda rules that out if you live in the suburbs



I dont think their shooting in melbourne suburbs. But difficult job for novice find someone the experience


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## Sinners121 (Aug 25, 2012)

its not that hard to butcher an animal an hour watching on the net and you can do it. though if you want to use it then i suggest killing it and butchering it on the farm. Much cleaner and easier and it wouldn't surprise me if you could get a farm owner to shoot one for you. 
i wouldn't use blunt force trauma as a killing method go for a sharp knife if its going to be a goat, or a gun if its going to be a deer. 
i would suggest going to a gun club and asking to accompany a rabbit shooter getting some practice on skinning and cleaning, its also good meat as well.


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## Darlyn (Aug 25, 2012)

Do these blokes want to do this to save money? For the thrill? or are they just idiots?


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## disintegratus (Aug 25, 2012)

Darlyn, it's a little bit of A, but mostly C.

So we went and picked up the goat, after telling him that a milking goat would not be as good, I was told he'd already paid for it and that's what he was stuck with. It's kind of cute, even though she makes noises ALL THE TIME. So far there has been no talk of killing it, and to be honest I don't think it's going to happen. I'll definitely update if that's going to change, but thank you everyone for your very helpful advice and lack of attacking me, it's highly appreciated.


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## Darlyn (Aug 26, 2012)

Watch the goat, it will eat everything.


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## Wrightpython (Aug 26, 2012)

Goat cheese is always welcome if you cant kill it and if he is doing it to save money how much did he pay for a milk goat with no meat on it. Literally you will get about 10kg worth of meat as opposed to 25 kg carcass of a boer goat. Add the fact that to get enough meat of a milk goat it will have to be a few years old not an ideal candidate for the tooth since lamb is under a year old


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## disintegratus (Aug 26, 2012)

I've got no idea how much he paid for it, but it's already 4 years old. To be honest, I think he got a bit gyped, as far as I know, he did specifically go looking for a goat to slaughter. Anyway, they are milking it and presumably using the milk, so at least he's getting something out of it.
I will keep an eye on it eating everything, I'd actually like a pet goat myself, I'd mostly like a lawnmower that doesn't turn the yard into a mudbowl like my sister's mmini-pig does. Speaking of, now there's an animal I'd like to slaughter. Bloody thing drives me mental.


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## thomasssss (Aug 26, 2012)

chilli-mudcrab said:


> I dont think their shooting in melbourne suburbs.


umm thats what i was saying , im not sure of the actual minimum of land required for it to be used for shooting because the property i shoot at is slightly over 300 acres for one and just over 1000 for the other so more than enough land for it to be legal 

disintegratus , i had a funny feeling you might end up with a new pet , do watch it with chewing things though , my parents had one when i was younger , my dad ended up getting rid of it because it kept tearing clothes of the line and chewing them up into tiny bits , also got addicted to that morning glory stuff with the purple flowers , apparently if they eat enough of it , it can act as a hallucinogenic


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## Radar (Aug 26, 2012)

For a bit of perspective on the hammer thing - I was present at a slaughterhouse where a full blown 9 pound sledgehammer was used to stun cattle before being decapitated and bled out. From standing position over the crush, if the bloke got a solid hit on the little curl of hair on the forehead, it would do the job. I did once witness a rather annoyed bull with a sore head bust free of the race and trample the hammer wielder before goring the blademan. If you do end up killing this thing, do it with a bullet or a bolt gun - don't bleed it in your backyard.


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