what are you paying for processing?
 

last year i paid $45. per deer + hide. but some shops were charging $90.+ hide

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

My wife and I do ours ourselves. We've been told between $60-70 in this area.

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

me and my butcher uncle do mine up

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

You guys are gettin off cheap.I do my own but people here in illionois pay upwards of $90 to$200 or more.

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

Local it is $ 70-$90
SE Ohio I pay $40- $60

But more often than not I do it myself

Johnch

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

Depends what you get made. Before I started doing everything myself, just processed ran $60. Sausage/jerky/specialty cuts run up over $200 with a big deer.

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

65$ for the best cuts! If I had more time I'd do my own! Always wanted to try anyway!

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

50 when when the deer is taken in and up to 300 more depending on what its made into like all burger it cost 65 more for 60 lbs but if its half jerky for 60lbs its 125 more all jerky 300 more

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

50 dollars if we want steaks and the boned out meat, and they keep the hide, but i donate a lot of my deer now

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

Almost always butcher whitetail myself, but once I was going out of town and didn't have time and it cost me $75. When I am out west, a muley is $95.

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

Self Processing,brilliant idea!

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

My family processing it's own deer. To expensive to get alot of deer processed and have heard too many stories of people not getting the meat from their deer.

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

I always do my own but around steuben county IN 220-270

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

I urge you guys that are paying to have the deer cut and ground up to try it yourselves. It is not a hard process and you will have total control of what cuts you get and how the meat is handled.All you need to do the processing is avery sharp steakknife and a meat saw. Once you have the deercut up,the best way I have found to store the meat is really easy. Get a roll of heavy plastic wrap from a kitchen supply, not GLAD or Surann(SP?). Wrap your steaks as tight as youcan get them. Then Rewrapthem and tape them shut with Freezer Tape. You can easily storethe meat in the freezer till next season. I have deer in the freezer from 2002 that is just fine,ignore the 3-6 month Bull@#$% they put inmagazines and stuff.

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

Yep, if you can try to help a friend that does it and learn form them. I do my own and it takes about 1-2 hours from start to finish (wrapped and in freezer). I bought an nice grinder and that makes all the difference. It paid for itself after I did one elk...ONE.

around here (twin cities metro) you will pay around $90-100+ for just burger and steaks and you don't get your own meat. To me this is a big deal after seeing how some people handle their kill.

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

wow i'm finding out that i've got it made

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

Started doing my own last year , I'll never pay a processor's rates after that . It wasn't difficult since my wife and I don't need fancy cuts , and it's pretty satisfying too . This year I may pony up for a grinder and stuffing tubes and try sausage making and jerky .

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

I do my own. I like my meat clean, boneless, and the silvery skin covering muscle tissue removed. Alot of facilities don't seem to understand that. However, should I be so lucky as to get a buck, I'll donate the meat to Hunters Helping the Hungry. The meat must be processed by an establishment approved by the charity in Ohio. You do have to pay for the processing even though your donating the meat, but I'm O.K. with that.

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

I do it all myself, my own Jerky, sausage, salami, peparoni, beer sticks, plus all the cuts. I do a little procesing for a few of the older hunters here in town also. I get 60$ just to cut and wrap. A 150 lb deer into jerky...about 200$ i suppose.

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

If you plan to do it yourself, my advice would be don't go cheap on a grinder/stuffer. Also, get a few friends to help out. We use the assembly line technique...takes no time at all.

Not to plug a product or anything, but the Outdoor Edge knife set has helped me TONS. Something in there for every situation.

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

Back in June, Double Lung posted a great video on processing your own deer while hanging: http://fw.ky.gov/video/deerfield.wmv?lid=1038&NavPath=C151C158.

What was neat about the video was that the deer can be reduced from skinned carcass to meat ready to trim and package (or grind) in no time at all, while the skeleton is left hanging on the gambrel. And, it doesn't take expensive tools, although a quality grinder does make the job easier.

Cut any added beef suet or pork fat into smaller chunks and chill it (and the blades, if you care to) before mixing that fat with the burger meat to make a better burger product - otherwise, the fat tends to soften and smear.

In terms of packaging, wrapping the venison in saran wrap first before wrapping it with freezerpaper and tape really keeps the air out, practicallyeliminatingfreezer burn, even wayward packages that turn up in the chest freezer next season. Weaving a width of saran wrap between stacks of butterflied loin to make it easier to seperate out the steaks when thawing them out later (actually, we tend to wrap the thick cut loin medallions in bacon, season, and simply vacuum pack them; they make great thank-up gifts to landowners or neighbors!).

Good luck to all this Fall!

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

I usually pay around $60- $80.

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

ours was $75 to skin and cut up if u wanted anything else it was extra at the local shop last year but i have always butchered my own deer now the shop closed and there is currently no one to butcher deer in the area if i wasnt huntin i would make a killin butcherin deer for other people cause it is so easy if u have the equipment

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

I really try and make the time to do it myself. My buddy just took a doe in and was charged $70 total. And that's only to grind up the whole thing into burger. But also includes skinning and all of that.

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

If you don't do it yourself and you have the time I urge you to do it yourself. It is just another part of the hunt. You prep for the coming season, you wake up at 4:30 am to get out in a stand, after you harvest the deer the next step in the hunt is to butcher and process the deer yourself. Or that is the way that I have always looked at it. When you eat it you know that you did every bit of the work.

I taught myself how to do it and have gotten very proficient and good at it and have taught my hunting buddy how to do it. Before that he was paying over $100 forprocessing and meat that he thought was his.

Cameron

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

I do my own, but my brother owns a meat shop in Dixon Mo and Im sure he is charging $65 at his place.

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

Depends on what you have done, you get jerky, it's gonna be at least 150, just processed, 65 and steaks, roasts and ground I'm thinking it was about $115??? I'm not sure, it's a necessity so I don't fret over the cost, we go to a local Amishman, of course, he died over the summer, so his son is now running it, but I am sure nothing will change much.

My hubby processes some of it on his own, just depends on the size of the deer and the available time on his hands.

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

Sweet site! I was lucky enough to be able to process deer with a butcher for the last two seasons. He charges $50, all ground $65. The $65 is boned out also. Jerky extra $5 per pound. On my own I have done about six deer total.Just the same as gutting your first deer, take your time, and it gets easier the next. Best of luck to you bow hunters. Going to get one next summer so I can practice for next season. Buddy says its the way to go.Will nottake abadshot, so next year.

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

$65 for straight cuts + $15 skinning if you don't do it yourself. Start throwing in sausage, sticks, jerky, etc and the price goes up. I paid $150 for the doe I shot on opening day. Ended up with about 10 rolls of sausage, 5 lbs of sticks, 6 lbs of jerky, and the rest into steaks, chops, roasts, and ground.

My next one is going to be done myself. I would've done this one on my own but it was hot out and I didn't have the time. Such is life.

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

i pay up to 250 if i want alot of jerky but around a 100 or so if you just want steaks and boned out meat

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

Nothing, we do our own.

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

I process my own as well. I figure our family harvest around 7 deer per year, so it's saves a descent amount of money.

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

I pay around $2.40 / lb. for my venison sausage, patties, etc. The jerky is $39.00 for a box of 50. I have contemplated doing all of this myself, as I love to cook, plus some canning from my garden. I find it hard to stop going to the place that does the processing as my family have gone to them since the early 70’s and we shop at their store throughout the year, and know the owners and staff quite well.

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

I have a 2.5hp grinder/stuffer..but saw an awesome blade cutter with a grinder on it as well for only $200 (my grinder alone was over $100). I'm thinking about picking one up soon, thus selling or keeping my grinder for backup. Decisions...

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

We just took hubby's deer in last weekend and to get the basic package, steaks, ground, roast, it would've been $55. We ended up getting our hide back ($10), 10 lbs jerky, 10 lbs jalepeno slim jims, and roast and burger with the rest and it will only be $110 total.

Hubby woulda cut it up himself, except it was soooo hot last weekend, couldn't take the chance.

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

This year,I started doing my own. The flavor is SO much better. No gamey taste at all. My mouth's watering as I sit here thinking about those yummy steaks. I shot my doe the day after the season opened and I couldn't get it checked in and taken care of until the following day. When I got her home, a friend helped me skin and quarter her. Then, I deboned the meat and wrapped and labeled as I went. As soon as I had a piece wrapped, it went into the deep freeze. I wrapped BIG pieces. I didn't cut it up further because it was getting hot. Plus, cutting even slices is much easier when the meat is partially frozen. I once had it worked out to about 30 cents a pound, or so, if you do the processing yourself.

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

I agree completely. Three years ago I paid $90 for basic processing, no extras and decided that would be the last time I would pay to have someone cut up my deer. The last two seasons I've done my own and while it takes a bit of time (I'm not that good at it yet), I find the meat to be less gamey flavored because I take the time to get all talo and silver skin off. My wife agrees too - she coulnd't believe the difference in flavor of the last few deer I've done compared to the venison we've had from the processor.

Although my initial invesment was about $80 - includes a decent knife set, tape, freezer paper, grinder - it was paid for after the first deer. I also find it a very rewarding part of the hunt. Only drawback is I tend to start hunting hard later in the season to wait for the cold weather in order to hang the deer a day or two before butchering. Worth the effort. If you don't think you can butcher your own deer, think again, it's not that hard, just time consuming.

RE: what are you paying for processing?
 

I used to pay $50 for adecent job but my processor movedso I have been doing it myself for the last few years and I am alot happier with the results.