Buellhunter

I grew up in the meat business and have probably cut up about 10,000 deer.
Anywhere from 30-50% is about right. Depends on the shot. Depends on how much fat is on the deer.
A hit in the shoulder will take out some good meat as it will be all bloody and nasty.
A gut shot will usually ruin the tenderloins
It also depends on whether the butcher is doing it all boneless or just cutting it up on a saw. Bones weigh a lot!
You get the point.

You will normally get more meat from a bow kill than a gun kill due to the lower "shock" of the arrow vs a slug or bullet.

outdoorslover

Tht's about right I think. Although this year I had a doe that was 90 field dressed and we got over 50 pounds from it. Last year I got a deer that was like 50 pounds more than that and I got about that much still. I guess it just depends.

MEhuntalot

Hey thanks fellas, I was just looking for some general feedback (which I got...thanks!) I pay a lot of money to my butcher and I just wanted to check on this...

In my opinion he does a great job, there is never any bone, hair, or any other foreign objects; the meat lasts for a long time in the freezer (good packaging), and you can specify exactly what you want...steak thickness, prioritize cuts of meat, etc.

Thanks again for the feedback, davidmil thats a sweet little chart!

davidmil

If I were ever to take a deer to a processor the first thing I'd do would be to take out the back straps myself so he wouldn't be tempted to slice off a couple inches for himself. You know with all the deer they do they can slice an inch here, and inch there and no one is the wise. Too good a cut to trust to others.[&:]

badshotbob

I've found that since I started doing my own deer a year ago (about five deer now, so I'm still green at butchering), I get less meat than taking it to the processor. One reason is because I get smaller roasts, less burger, and ultimately "cleaner" meat, and everything is boneless. My burger contains probably less than 2% tendon, talow, or silver skin. This makes the meat taste better and keeps the rest of my family liking deer meat, which feeds us through most of the year. Yes, I waste some meat, but the meat I put in the freezer is free of sliver skin, talow, or anything that produces a gamey flavor.