Dear Editor:

I would like to put in a good word for our Clermont County Libraries and to advise our hunters and farm life about butchering.

I have helped and butchered as far back as I can remember (probably 70 years) of chickens, pigs and all wild life that we could. I have no desire to butcher a cow but the book shows you how.

I needed to build some bluebird boxes and was at the Miami Township Library and at checking out this book I asked the lady there if had any books on deer butchering. On the computer she says they have two but at another branch and could have them there in couple days. One of the books is The Ultimate Guide To Butchering Deer. It starts at the beginning of mankind to modern day. Tells you where to shoot, field dressing, all the way to putting it into your freezer. I read it twice from page to page. Excellent book on butchering deer.

The other book was The Complete Book Of Butchering. This one goes from farm animals to wildlife. Everything, even opossum (yuk) and coon. Likewise I read it twice, except for the coon and Opossum. Once was enough for them. Clear that up a bit, anything that eats meat has a strong taste to it. Ate plenty as a young lad but no more (yuk). These books covers every step with pictures from skinning to freezer. Even how to build a smoke house and smoke them. Both books have some recipes at the end.

I differ on the rear legs. For me once you take the sirloin out, there is 3 different cuts of meat with natural separation. There is the top round and the bottom round and the eye of the round. Almost separate them with your thumbs. Either for roast or slice them into steaks, cut back to the fat cluster and remove it as one piece, there is a lymph node there and you don’t eat that. The rest is the heel of the round and it is a little tougher piece of meat so I grind that.

Every hunter and farm boy (I’m both) should read these books and process your own game. That way you know what you are eating because you clean it up as you process it.

Enjoy reading these books and have the knowledge of doing your own butchering.

If you don’t like this type of books ask your librarian for whatever you enjoy reading or doing, your library is a world of knowledge, use them. That is one tax dollar I like to pay.

Charles Pratt
Milford