If you're new to deer processing, you can expect to find two primary backstraps when butchering your whitetail. It helps greatly to have a second person stand on the belly side of the hanging carcass and simply hold it firmly.

What are Backstraps on a deer?

The backstraps are two large muscles that follow most mammals' spines alongside the vertical spinous processes (the bone “fins” that stick up off the spine) and sit on top of the rib cage. They run forward from the pelvic bone all the way up into the neck.

How many tenderloins does a deer have?

The backstrap (also known as the loin) runs outside the ribs near the backbone along the length of the spine. It's loonnnnggg. The deer tenderloin (also knows as the inner loin or under loin) runs inside the back near the gut. There are two tenderloins per deer and they are very small compared to the backstrap.