RE: Average cost of processing a deer?
 

Man! We must have a sweet deal in Sparta, GA. We pay $45 and all we do is gut them. They do a great job ,too.I usually have them half the loins, cut the roasts and do the rest in grind, but they'll do it any way you want. Sausage and fancy stuff is extra.

RE: Average cost of processing a deer?
 

I pay $55 bucks but my butcher does a great job. he will wrap the meat up in certain qty packages like 2lb grnd meat and 2 steaks per pack and he also will slice the meat into jerky strips for me so I just have to add the old family recipe and dehydrate. Also he is very clean. Nothing worse than cooking some meat up for someone to find a few deer hairs in the mix. that will turn them away from venison every time.

RE: Average cost of processing a deer?
 

We really have it made here in WV.They skin mine ,cut wrapped ,froze,tenderized........$35
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RE: Average cost of processing a deer?
 

Definitely cheaper in WV. I paid $35 at one place and $37.50 at another. If you want sausage its usually around $25 more. I just take the gutted dear in and they do the rest.

RE: Average cost of processing a deer?
 

We have a local processor that does our steers do our deer. They charge $65 per deer for the standard cuts, and then a little extra for any summersausage, brats, etc.

As far as after the kill prep, learn how to field dress it. You can find instructions on the net, buy a commercially available kit with instructions, or get a venison cookbook. Most will have instructions on field dressing, some even go into butchering.

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Live: Oregon, IL
Hunt: Knox County, IL

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RE: Average cost of processing a deer?
 

Around Carrollton GA, it is $45 dollars to process and $12 dollars extra to gut it. There is a higher package for like $10 more, but I didn't get it on the doe I killed last time cause I wanted more ground meat and sausage. it's a good deal

RE: Average cost of processing a deer?
 

Latch on to a friend that does it himself and learn. &quot;My Place&quot; does for about 3$<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

RE: Average cost of processing a deer?
 

I think hunters should learn how to do it themselves. I personally gain alot &quot;spiritually&quot; when I process all of my deer myself. Even my wife and kids occassionaly take part in the ritual. I feel that since the animal gave its life to me, I owe it to the animal to perform all of the steps (gut, skin, butcher, pack, etc) myself. I killed it...I should then be the one to fully process it.

Also, I can examine exactly what my shots did. I think it helps me learn to be a better shot. I can also make sure that I cut away the stuff that I shouldn't or don't want to eat. For example, I accidentally spilled some intestinal material when gutting one of the does I got this year. I knew exactly where this spot was and was able to remove it. Had I taken it to a butcher, he/she might not have taken as much care with the meat as I did.

Finally, I am absolutely assured that I'm getting all of MY DEER!!

Butchering a deer is not hard. It's just time consuming and a little messy. Many of the cuts that need to be made are self-evident due to the seperation of the muscles by a membrane. The best advice I can give here is, learn by doing it along side of someone who knows how. I think you'll be glad you did.

-Mike