GRIZZLYMAN

A question from some of you that process your own meat; as a percentage of live weight, how much meat do you end up with?

I usually have about 25% when I'm through, but I cut off all of the fat, tendons, etc...

Of those who send your deer to a processor, how much meat do you end up with?

Mastevt

I don't have a scale to weigh a field dressed deer. but I would imagine that 25% number would be pretty close. We pick thru and get as much as we can, and process all our own.

Sphinx

Last year I killed a doe that weighed 124lbs, and after it was processed I got back roughly 35-40lbs of meat. So I would guess 25-35%. Obvisouly every deer can be different depending on where the shot was.

tj_cubin

we have never weighed our meat, whether a processor did it, or we butchered it ourselves.

my dad took a deer or two to the one processor a couple years ago. Everyone said this doe was about 140lbs, the processor says "no way, 100-110lbs", when my dad went to get the meat the guy said (of course) that he was right on the money with the weight. The packages of meat were a little small. The guy under weighs all his deer and doesnt give his customers all the meat. This happened to him twice, and i think he ripped off a relative as well.

Needless to say we don't take deer there anymore. we do it in the garage, we control the amount of meat, weigh it ourselves. Never have weighed the butchered meat though.

sandilands

I shot a decent sized doe this year that I weighed. Field dressed she was 128lbs....... yeild was 73lbs. I scrape out the meat b/w the ribs and get most off the neck too.

Champlain Islander

I get 23% to 28% based on hanging weight. I tend to be pretty picky and don't use the scrap meat. Steaks, stew and some burger. I usually get a little more when I have it processed since they aren't so picky and grind up everything for the burger.

KBacon

Alot of people think that alot more meat comes off of a deer than actually does...

Also most fail to account for the amount of meat lost due to the wound... if you shoot a deer in the shoulder and the slug passes through andhits theopposite shoulder.. then you won't get much if any usable meat off of those shoulders.. soo all you have left is the backstraps, hind quarters, and inside tenders. Not to mention if you shot the deer several times.. maybe striking the hind quarters ect... blood shot meat is not edible.

GRIZZLYMAN

Yeah, unfortunately you can't always pick theperfect angle for the shot. I shot a buck on Saturday that was angling away, and ended up having to shoot high to get a good heart lung shot. Messed up part of the backstrap, and I probably lost 2-3 pounds there.

sandilands

Whats wrong w/blood shot meat? Cut out the hole and the damaged meat...... the meat w/red slime(for lack of a better word) is trauma. Clean as best you can under cold water and grind it. True it is a little more gamey but it's edible for the most part unless its full of shrapnel.