Pounds for a Processed Deer

I have always processed all of my own deer from the shot to gutting, skinning, de-boning, cutting steaks and making jerky, bologna, brats and summer sausages. So I know the exact weight I get out of each deer.

I was reading an article in Outdoor Life and they said the average deer yielded 36 pounds of meat from the butcher to the hunter. This blew my mind as a very small number. Not sure if their deer are that small or if they keep hunters meat for themselves. This was based in a western state, I believe Arizona as the article was mainly about elk hunting and processing.

I know total pounds from the processor would depend on variables such as, how much fat they add to burger and other products added to bologna and sausages, but how many pounds does some one who takes their deer to a processer usually get? Try to specify deer size and pounds returned.

 

I dropped off a 130# field dressed deer at the butcher and he returned 60# of meat to me.

 

150lb buck at my processer usually yeilds about 45lbs of burger with fat added. A 90 pound doe usually yeilds about 30lbs of burger with fat added. All of my deer are just ground up, I only save the loins and backstraps the rest is ground up. we go thru about 6 deer a year at my house family of 3. We do not buy beef at all, maybe a steak ever now and then but never any ground

 

i wieghed the meat from 10 adult does.
without cutting out the rib meat, i averaged 36 lb per deer.
i did not weigh the hanging carcass but am guessing 110-130lbs

 

Here is a good chart to follow. It may not be exact, but it is at least a pretty good rough estimate.

Whitetail Venison Yield Chart for Whitetail Deer

 

I typically have about 35-40 lbs off of a typical doe in Arkansas. Its been a while since I killed a buck.

 

The last two bucks I have killed averaged around 85 lbs of meat (nothing added) after processing. One dressed at 213. I didn't get a weight on the other but I would estimate around 185-190.

 

Where you hunt will greatly affect the average processed meat you will get. I'm guessing I typically get 60-70 lbs off a mature buck where I hunt, but a few hours south they probably only get about 2/3rds that much because their deer are way smaller in size. I think the rule is something like 40% of the live weight.

 

Thanks for all the replies guys. I just thought that estimate seemed low in the article and your replies sort of verify that. I have always generally planned on 40 to 45% of the live weight in finished trim meat.

 

Holy crap. I'd find a new processor, or start doing it myself. You should get more than that without anything being added

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I agree. I just got 34.4 pounds of burger no fat added off of a 90 pound button buck. Some butchers I hear of adding 20+% fat.

 

Generally the yield is about 40% the live weight.

 

This year I took 2 yearling bucks to the processor (est 130-140# live weight each), and we got about 110-120# back. We don't add any fat to the ground...

 

40% of live weight is good rule of thumb

 

thats the average from 5 or 6 processors in my area

 

I would say the 40% rule is right if someone does a really good job. There is one butcher in my area that gets you that or better consistently. My buck I shot last year we got 108 lb of meat of meat back hand he weight 195 after field dressing and caped. We figure he was 250-270 on the hoof which would come right to 40%. We have done this with several deer and that is about the going rate from that butcher. The rest we have gotten 30% if we are lucky. I'm not good at it and get frustrated and bored easily so I'll get about 30% as well.