We have very long seasons, an abundance of deer and very liberal bag limits. (36 per year) Taking 5 - 15 deer per year gets very expensive. I usually donate one or two to the F&H Feeding the Hungry. Butchers in our area charge about $65 per deer. I don't know about you guys, but as the other guy stated I seem to be getting less and less deer meat. Last year I took in a 100 lb doe and got about 35 lbs of meat. Two weeks later I took in a 180 lb buck and got 40 lbs of meat. The butcher also uses a bandsaw and cuts the hindquarters crossways (the easy short cut) and the bone marrow ruins the taste. The last one I had ground into sausage had small pieces of my powerbelt bullet in each package. This guy used to be the best around but higher volume has caused him to cut corners. It also seems that he's eating deer meat all year for free. I've invested about $500 in good equipment and can cut and vacuum package a deer in about 2 - 3 hours. I think anyone that takes more than 1 or 2 deer a year should try cutting their own deer. There are plenty of books and videos out there to help you. Check out the following sites:
www.lemproducts.com
www.basspro.com
www.cabelas.com
Between the three they have anything you may need to process your deer from start to finish. LEM Products even have videos on how to make your own sausage. After your first 4 or 5 deer it'll become second nature and will save you a lot of money. There's also a lot more satisfaction, when you sit down to the table, knowing that you did everything start to finish.