Game butchering. UPDATE Only 1 Tenderloin

My brother brought in his buck to a butcher in the fraser valley area, it dressed in at 134lbs. We got it all in sausage and peperroni so the butcher had to add about 20-25lbs of pork. Total meat we were supposed to get back after de-boning was about 120lbs . When we got it back we weighed the pep and sausage and came to 108lbs. Even thou the butcher did a good job regarding the meat we were still dissapointed due to approx 12lbs missing....My brother paid for 120lbs of meat 2.25$ lb including added pork plus de-boning fee of 50$. Total was approx 320$.Yet another butcher lost some business this year. He probably took the best cuts of the deer.....
 
Last edited:
I had a butcher shop here in Sudbury "loose" most of the steaks from two deer a few years back. Laughed at me when I asked where the rest of the meat was and told me I didn't know what I was talking about. Not a single round steak, no sirloin tips. Lesson learned
 
horseman2 said:
I had a $20 bone disposal fee added to mine.
They do have a minimum so IIRC 50 . . . 70 . . . or 100 would have been $80.
He asked if I wanted the bones but failed to mention the fee if I did not take them.
Click to expand...

our local butcher CHARGES guys like me to pick up scraps to use for baiting.

I know the same butcher charges a fee for guys who drop off a animal to dispose of scraps and bones.

I figure MAKES $40 per deer on the bones and scraps. $20 for me to buy the scraps and $20 fee to the owner of the animal
 
dgradinaru said:
My brother brought in his buck to a butcher in the fraser valley area, it dressed in at 134lbs. We got it all in sausage and peperroni so the butcher had to add about 20-25lbs of pork. Total meat we were supposed to get back after de-boning was about 120lbs . When we got it back we weighed the pep and sausage and came to 108lbs. Even thou the butcher did a good job regarding the meat we were still dissapointed due to approx 12lbs missing....My brother paid for 120lbs of meat 2.25$ lb including added pork plus de-boning fee of 50$. Total was approx 320$.Yet another butcher lost some business this year. He probably took the best cuts of the deer.....
Click to expand...

wow.. $320??? That to me is out to lunch for a deer.
 
dgradinaru said:
My brother brought in his buck to a butcher in the fraser valley area, it dressed in at 134lbs. We got it all in sausage and peperroni so the butcher had to add about 20-25lbs of pork. Total meat we were supposed to get back after de-boning was about 120lbs . When we got it back we weighed the pep and sausage and came to 108lbs. Even thou the butcher did a good job regarding the meat we were still dissapointed due to approx 12lbs missing....My brother paid for 120lbs of meat 2.25$ lb including added pork plus de-boning fee of 50$. Total was approx 320$.Yet another butcher lost some business this year. He probably took the best cuts of the deer.....
Click to expand...

I just gotta go hmmmmmm on that one
the math alone makes no sense. 134lbs deer...... dressed (head, lower legs,hide off) hanging on the meat hook ?? and you figured 120lbs of cut meat? I guess my first question would be was it butchered bone in? as that's the only way that would make any sense. I've cut an wrapped my own, many many times and never managed to get only 14lbs of bones at the end of the process..... impossible I'd say and I'd question the whole story but I don't want to be a #### like that hehehehe

our little bull moose taken in a few weeks back was 275 lbs dress on the hook, of which we paid .75cent a pound based on that weight. Then we got 30lbs of the meat done in pepperoni (butcher adds pork to that) . total bill at the end, 285.00 all in and very pleased.
 
I'm guessing that butchering wild game is like being a gunsmith, customers are quiet when happy and scream bloody murder when they are not.
Which, I suppose...is why I very rarely utilize either. Despite having children who are quite apt at butchering...it's just simpler to do it myself.
 
I took in 2 cow elk to be butchered in the spring and it cost $600.00 cut and wrapped. The meat for sausage and jerky were in 2 seperate bags. Did the grinding myself for the sausage and cutting of the meat for jerky. picked it up and total weight was 205lb and 1 lions from each elk, each lion was 2.5lb. Butchering all my meat from now on.
 
45ACPKING said:
I just gotta go hmmmmmm on that one
the math alone makes no sense. 134lbs deer...... dressed (head, lower legs,hide off) hanging on the meat hook ?? and you figured 120lbs of cut meat? I guess my first question would be was it butchered bone in? as that's the only way that would make any sense. I've cut an wrapped my own, many many times and never managed to get only 14lbs of bones at the end of the process..... impossible I'd say and I'd question the whole story but I don't want to be a #### like that hehehehe

our little bull moose taken in a few weeks back was 275 lbs dress on the hook, of which we paid .75cent a pound based on that weight. Then we got 30lbs of the meat done in pepperoni (butcher adds pork to that) . total bill at the end, 285.00 all in and very pleased.
Click to expand...

All the deer is sausage and pepperoni. I figured around 100 lbs once boned then the added pork of about 20 lbs. Total of 120lbs X 2.25 lbs + de boning fee of 50$. Total was 320$.
 
what we do is: shoot the standing venison in the head, gut it on the spot, spread the ribs and cool it as quick as possible, (snow/wind) spread the ribs with the rib spreader tool, tag it, load it up and run it home to hang and if possible a hose down with the ice cold water with the garden hose and then hung in the attached garage like lickety spilt. Jr with his skinner knife skin's it in a few mins while the rest of us puts the chit away. We then bring out the whoppen it up booze jugs and enjoy an evening of tails and happiness and someone slices off a chunk of meat for super thin slice and quick fry for a full feed supper. Thin sliced, in the cast iron pan, butter for lube, salt & pepper for flavour. Next day, we butcher first thing in the morning, grind burger meat, cube meat for custom sausage, vac pak meat chunks for jerky and git-r-dun quick!
 
dgradinaru said:
My brother brought in his buck to a butcher in the fraser valley area, it dressed in at 134lbs. We got it all in sausage and peperroni so the butcher had to add about 20-25lbs of pork. Total meat we were supposed to get back after de-boning was about 120lbs . When we got it back we weighed the pep and sausage and came to 108lbs. Even thou the butcher did a good job regarding the meat we were still dissapointed due to approx 12lbs missing....My brother paid for 120lbs of meat 2.25$ lb including added pork plus de-boning fee of 50$. Total was approx 320$.Yet another butcher lost some business this year. He probably took the best cuts of the deer.....
Click to expand...
The 108lbs you got back sounds pretty close.The 120 pounds your brother paid for included the pork.You are going to have moisture loss during the smoking and cooking.
 
Last edited:
dgradinaru said:
My brother brought in his buck to a butcher in the fraser valley area, it dressed in at 134lbs. We got it all in sausage and peperroni so the butcher had to add about 20-25lbs of pork. Total meat we were supposed to get back after de-boning was about 120lbs . When we got it back we weighed the pep and sausage and came to 108lbs. Even thou the butcher did a good job regarding the meat we were still dissapointed due to approx 12lbs missing....My brother paid for 120lbs of meat 2.25$ lb including added pork plus de-boning fee of 50$. Total was approx 320$.Yet another butcher lost some business this year. He probably took the best cuts of the deer.....
Click to expand...

I can't imagine why anyone would have beautiful venison ruined by turning it into sausage and pepperoni, never mind paying for the privilege.
 
dgradinaru said:
My brother brought in his buck to a butcher in the fraser valley area, it dressed in at 134lbs. We got it all in sausage and peperroni so the butcher had to add about 20-25lbs of pork. Total meat we were supposed to get back after de-boning was about 120lbs . When we got it back we weighed the pep and sausage and came to 108lbs. Even thou the butcher did a good job regarding the meat we were still dissapointed due to approx 12lbs missing....My brother paid for 120lbs of meat 2.25$ lb including added pork plus de-boning fee of 50$. Total was approx 320$.Yet another butcher lost some business this year. He probably took the best cuts of the deer.....
Click to expand...

Where did you come up with the 120lbs of meat number?

The 108lbs you got back sounds pretty close.The 120 pounds your brother paid for included the pork.You are going to have moisture loss during the smoking and cooking.
Click to expand...

I'm inclined to agree. Even fresh sausage will lose a bit of moisture between de-boned meat stage and wrapped up in the cooler stage. I don't think anything nefarious went on with your meat at all.
 
tokguy said:
I'm guessing that butchering wild game is like being a gunsmith, customers are quiet when happy and scream bloody murder when they are not.
Which, I suppose...is why I very rarely utilize either. Despite having children who are quite apt at butchering...it's just simpler to do it myself.
Click to expand...

On other similarity seems to be that many think butchers should work for very little compensation.
 
We butcher ourselves as well. I invested in a quality meat grinder/sausage stuffer too. It is not a difficult process. We hang the deer after field dressing; remove the hide and head then simply remove all the meat from the bones. We do not cut any bones (heard a rumour it adds to the gamey-ness of the meat). Anyway this allows us full control of the quality of the meat being packed; removal of fat and silver skin etc.
Save your money and butcher yourself.
 
I posted this in an earlier thread this season but will post it again.
I shot 2 blacktail bucks back in October.

deer 1 : field dressed, legs , hide and head on = 162 lbs
skinned, legged and beheaded = 126lbs on the hook

deer 2 : field dress, legs, hide, head on = 148 lbs
skinned, legged and beheaded = 113 lbs on the hook

cut and wrapped , no sausage or ground , we got all that bulk bagged for sausage making at end of season ;)
total on my scale, 107lbs all in, which I'm very happy with
having butchered many blacktail deer in the past myself, it's just about right I'd say
 
45ACPKING said:
I posted this in an earlier thread this season but will post it again.
I shot 2 blacktail bucks back in October.

deer 1 : field dressed, legs , hide and head on = 162 lbs
skinned, legged and beheaded = 126lbs on the hook

deer 2 : field dress, legs, hide, head on = 148 lbs
skinned, legged and beheaded = 113 lbs on the hook

cut and wrapped , no sausage or ground , we got all that bulk bagged for sausage making at end of season ;)
total on my scale, 107lbs all in, which I'm very happy with
having butchered many blacktail deer in the past myself, it's just about right I'd say
Click to expand...

Useful info! Makes me feel better about what I got back from the butcher. In the right neck of the woods, as it were. Cheers.
 
dgradinaru said:
All the deer is sausage and pepperoni. I figured around 100 lbs once boned then the added pork of about 20 lbs. Total of 120lbs X 2.25 lbs + de boning fee of 50$. Total was 320$.
Click to expand...

our guy told me that everything doubles in weight, except the salami, it triples. Say for example, recently I took in 104 lbs of clean bagged frozen venison. I can't find my slip at the moment, but we got back over 200 lbs of finished product. In the batch was 2 long salami (cut into about 5 inch pc's, 2 batches of the awesome pepperettes with cheese, smokies with cheese, coarse kubasaw garlic rings, 15 one lb packs of hamburger and breakfast sausages. All vac-packed for $500.
 
PEKS said:
I have the Game Saver model, works so good. You will love the Food Saver, vacuum pack air tight, no freezer burn..
Click to expand...

Got a nice buck with the bow last week Friday and butchered it myself.

The food saver works exactly as advertised. It is a great asset when butchering your own game and a LOT faster than wrapping it with butcher paper. Put me down as a fan.

Not sure what I'm going to do with a spare roll of butcher paper though;) Maybe use it to pattern my shotguns.
 
two-dogs said:
our guy told me that everything doubles in weight, except the salami, it triples. Say for example, recently I took in 104 lbs of clean bagged frozen venison. I can't find my slip at the moment, but we got back over 200 lbs of finished product. In the batch was 2 long salami (cut into about 5 inch pc's, 2 batches of the awesome pepperettes with cheese, smokies with cheese, coarse kubasaw garlic rings, 15 one lb packs of hamburger and breakfast sausages. All vac-packed for $500.
Click to expand...

That is nuts.... Accepted level of pork fat in sausage and pepperettes is about 20-25%..... They just need to fat it up enough to get it in the casing, not dilute it..

That being said, if you are happy then all good... But when l butcher an average n size deer here myself and bring in about 45 pounds of boneless meat after taking my roasts and steaks I get about 55 - 60 pounds of sausage back and it costs me about $120
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom