uncle matt

I can tell you nothing about the hand because fortunately it isn't my hand!

countertop

As others have pointed out on other threads, I think the idea of carrying a whole deer - not gutted - to the butcher is a southern thing. I don't get it. Its sort of strange in that is warmer in the south, and so you'd think they would be more worreid about spoilage, etc.

KCbuckeye22

It depends on what you have done. $50 was the price i use to pay in Ohio. I hear its $70 now. Sausage was like $8 per 3lbs. I paid $75 in Missouri three years ago. I to have gone to butching it myself, much cheaper and I dont have my meat stacked up for two weeks on the ground.

As for gutting the deer, do it yourself. I try to get the guts out as soon as possible. I wouldnt want to be "that guy" who doesn't gut the deer. If you dont know how its quite simple, I'm sure someone here could point you to a video or book or something.

noidurism

IMO-they are all rip offs. it is so easy to gut,skin,&cut up a deer it isn't funny. it just takes a little time(6-12hrs. for me depending on how big the deer is & what kind of cuts i want and everything is deboned). i could be a little wrong on this-but for paying for 2-4 deer to be processed you could have all the equipment you would need. but to each their own

early in

I was curious WHY you used that?

Our local guys get around $80-$90. They must be gutted. No money up front, I know them.

Champlain Islander

I do my own killing, gutting, skinning, processing and burger/ sausage grinding. I do know of a local butcher who will skin, process and grind the deer and vacuum seal all of the cuts for 80 dollars. I never heard of a person bringing a non field dressed deer to a butcher.

Pygmy

Most processors here in NY wouldn't accept a deer that is not properly field dressed..

I took some (dressed, skinned and quartered) antelope to a processor in Casper, Wyoming this fall.. They had a sign on the wall that read...

All animals must be properly field dressed... Bunghole removal fee...$20.00....

luckydux

Not sure where the "rumor" came from that southerners don't field dress but i never heard or seen anyone take a non dressed deer to the butcher around these parts...just to clarify

WrackMaster

In S.C. most people take their deer to the processor undressed. Being a WI. guy, I always dress mine where they fall. I took one to a S.C. processor once and he was actually a little ticked that I had dressed it.

They charge roughly $75 per deer and I think $10 to dress.

countertop

I hunt with guys from NC, VA, SC, GA and Texas. None of them know each other otherwise. None of them field dress deer

Now, that may be an odd outlier of a sampling, but combined with the fact that all the butchers around here (in Virginia) include a price for gutting the deer and these are all good 'ol boys who've killed hundreds of deer since they were teens, I sort of assume it's a southern thing.

I should add though, they don't all take them to the butcher. A couple of them butcher their own deer (guys in NC and GA I hunt with). They tos undressed deer on their pick up, and wait to get back to the garage and guy and butcher the deer at the same time.