WEBSTER CITY, Iowa — With the end of deer season, several hunters and cooks gathered at the Briggs Woods Trail to learn about processing their own deer meat.

Hamilton County Conservation hosted a processing class at the Briggs Woods Trail, outside Webster City, to help inform new hunters and ensure no meat goes to waste.

John Laird, a naturalist with Hamilton County Conservation, says these classes are important to hunting culture.

“Being able to butcher an animal is kind of a lost skill that people don’t have anymore,” said Laird. “So, the idea is introducing people how to process their own deer instead of maybe having to go to the locker and pay an amount to have a process.”

The seminar covered a variety of processing techniques including cutting, grinding, and packaging. Demonstrations using special tools like jerky guns were also given and recipes were shared.

Laird himself didn’t learn how to process deer till later in his life but wanted to spread the knowledge to his friends and the community.

“I learned how to clean deer a few years ago as an adult, and I thought I had a learning curve, and I thought it’d be good for other people to learn that if they wanted to and share what I’ve learned with them,” said Laird.

Some might feel intimidated by the task of processing a deer, but Laird says even if you make a mistake, it’s no big deal.

“If you goof anything up on cutting a roast or a steak, just grind it up and, you know, make your burger out of it or make a jerky out of it,” said Laird. “It’s not that big a deal, so just do whatever you’re comfortable with.”

Laird says more and more people seem to take their deer to a meat locker or have friends or family that will process the deer for them, but doing this can save hunters money, ensure they get 100% of their deer, and bring some satisfaction.

“It gives you the same product, pretty much, this way,” said Laird. “It just gives you a more of a self-satisfaction that you’re able to be sustainable on your own and take care of yourself if you need to.”

This isn’t the only do-it-yourself class Hamilton County Conservation offers, throughout the year classes on a variety of topics such as bird feeders, nature photography, and derbies are offered.