How long does It take you to process an average weight adult deer? I'm talking about skinning them out and making your steaks and cutting your trimmings. Not processing your trimmings. One other question too. What's the formula a person uses on how much meat your suppose to get on your dressed out deer? My doe dressed out at 115lbs but I got a total of 55lbs of meat when I finished butchering her up this afternoon. That seems high to me. I might have to check the scale that I used to weigh her and see If It's on or not? The scale I used to weigh the meat alone Is on.
My wife and I did our own this year, and it took us about 5hrs with gringing the trimmings, and packageing everything. I don't remember exactly how much we got out of it for weight...but your 55lbs doesn't seem all that far off.
55 pounds on a 115 pound deer seems pretty high to me. She was in good shape! If I slow down and do a great job processing a deer, it would probably take me 3-4 hours or so. I have been quartering up my deer lately due to my busy schedule. I did however completely butcher up a couple of deer this year.
3 hours and usually around 35 pounds if I am in a hurry due to temps but if I have time I can get close to what you get if I am trying to get as much stew meat as possible because we dont grind our deer up. I get as much of the neck as I can for stew meat. I also cut out all of the rib meat for stew. I have friends who wont bother with anything but hind quarters and back strap. A waste if you ask me, but its their deer.
I am not sure about total time. I skin and quarter the day I kill the deer. I put the quarters, backstraps and other meat in a cooler with ice. Then, over a period of a few days, I will debone and clean up the meat we will eat, shrink wrap it and put it in the freezer. I suppose if I were to guesstimate actual time probably 6-7 hours but, since I stretch it over a few days I tend to take my time. 55lbs does seem like a lot to get off of a 115lb deer.
That is alot ... I got that from 2 deer ... one was a 1 1/2 year old doe and one was a 1 1/2 old buck .... one of the scales is off IMO, Bro As far as time to skin and butcher ... about 2 1/2 hours per deer with a helper for me ....
With the wife helping and nothing is froze. About 2.5 hrs. That is skinning, quartering and deboneing. Grinding and packing is more. When I grind I usually dont package it, we make sausage and jerkey out of it. I have procesed a pile of deer, and if you get 50% you are doing a good job. I have been around 20% with rifle shot up deer. That beeing said you wont get over 50% with out bone.
No bones were Included when I weighed the meat that I deboned for steaks and trimmings that I'll be bringing to my butcher to make whatever. The 100lb scale I used to weigh the meat with Is spot on, I checked that earlier this year with a 50lb sack. The 300lb scale that I used to weigh the whole deer with I've never checked but I figured It should be on being It's only 6 months old and has never weighed anything yet. I'll be checking that one today as well. The butchering part took me about 3 hours. I quartered everything and made steaks out of what was good cuts and deboned what was left for trimmings. Thanks for the replys everyone!!
55lbs of meat seems high on 115lb doe to me too. From the picture, the doe looks bigger to me Steve. Its been a while since I've done just 1 deer, so I don't know for sure. If I only have one, I just quarter it up and freeze it....and finish it later when I get some more. This year I had 4 quartered up in coolers that me and my son killed Thanksgiving week . I did them all at one time with my daughter helping - (she's my official grinder ). It took about 6hrs for us to debone all the meat, grind it, and package it. Then probably another hour to clean up all the coolers, cutting board, knives, grinder, sink, etc. I ground all of it except the loins and backstraps, and a few packs of stew meat. Skinning and quartering probably takes me 15mins per deer. I've probably quartered a couple hundred deer....gotten pretty fast at it. Sawzall...that is the ticket If I had to do one, start to finish...I'd say probably 2.5hrs or so.
Me too Mike!! Honestly before I shot It I figured It was a 130lb dressed doe or somewhere In there. I thought she was going to be the biggest doe I've ever taken. My biggest one prior to this Is 120lbs dressed. Another thing too, the lady friend that took the pictures didn't take them as I would've liked. I hate It when pictures don't get taken the way I want them, drives me nuts!! It really doesn't matter anyway with the weight of her, I was just real shocked I got as much meat as I did. That's a good thing though!!
Yes. More is better in that case. I agree that 55# from 115# FD weight seems high for bonless meat. The ruls of thumb for cattle and hogs was 50-60% of the dressed weight. But they leave a lot of bone in that you don't in deer. Enjoy!
Wow sounds like a real high amount on a 115lb deer. She either weighed more or your foot was on the scale lol. Good amount of meat either way. As far as butchering? Tough to say really. I do so much different stuff with the meat. I also do it in stages depending on time. Not sure when the last time I actually skinned, butchered and packaged one deer at the same time from start to finish. Actually I usually have a bunch of things going on with 2 or 3 different deer. If I had to guess on a basic butcher job on a single deer from skinning to freezer about 2.5 to 3 hours.
Depends on method If Im doing a rough cut with going on the grains and putting ribs in the crab trap about 2 hours...
Hopefully I can get set up with the proper equipment before next season. What I have to pay for processing would buy me some good equipment over a couple seasons.
I get between 35 to 40 % meat from the field dressed weight of the deer. Using the known ( 55 lbs.) 35% would mean the deer dressed weigh would be 157 lbs. 40% would equate to137.5 lbs. One known cause for dressed weight error is celebration induced alcohol intake. Congrats on the doe and happy new year!
Hunting , holidays, and other stuff. I've been checking in but not writing much. I hope you had a great Christmas and happy new year to you and yours as well!
Thanks much Todd!! I just checked the scale. I used some of my weight lifting weights (80lbs worth) and hung them on the scale. Came out right on. This doe had some fat on her but not very much, she should've had allot more. Maybe that's what's throwing everything off. I know for a fact I've never gotten this much meat off of a doe I've shot before and this doe Isn't the biggest dressed weight doe I've shot. I've shot 2 others that were 120lbs dressed. I'd almost bet that this doe was lacking enough fat that she should've been a 140lb or so doe or maybe even 150lbs. Her head Is absolutely huge, the pictures do her no justice In the least. I actually behaved that night after we found her. Surprising eh??
Generally I can have a deer skinned & "quartered" in 60-90 minutes. "Quartered" for me is backstraps removed, hindquarters deboned, front shoulders removed(bone in), and any other neck/rib meat I'm going to take. After that the rest of the trimming grinding and packing is done over the course of several evenings.
