Questions about processing, etc. after the kill

[ARperson]

Let me start by saying I'm so proud of my hubby. We finally got out hunting again this year (well, mostly just him, I'm pregnant so I stayed in the warmth this year) after a couple of unsuccessful years. He goes out about 7am just as it starts getting light. I figured he'd be coming back in around 10am and as I saw him walking the field around that time I figured he was justing doing some stalking as he made his way up to the house. Then I see him stop, wait, and then sit down for about 5 minutes. Now he's moving AWAY from the house. What! Poof! I see what looks like dust cloud from a vehicle near him (never put it together that he's shooting the muzzleloader since I never heard the shot). I think nothing of it and within a few minutes he's walking back up to the house. Darn, I think, nothing again this year.

Then he opens the door and asks, "wanna help me dress this thing?" I asked what he got. He replied, "Buck." How big, my next question. "Oh, a small one, not a very big rack. I thought when I first saw it that it was a doe," came his reply. My first thought was "crap, a button buck, I hope he's legal! Imagine my surprise when we get down (all the way to the end of the property line!) there and see this nice-size buck with a largish rack (6 or 8 pointer, do you count the little tines near the skull?) Anyhow we got him dressed (maybe 85-100lbs dressed) and cleaned out and taken to the processor.

This was hubby's first deer ever. And he got a good-sized buck. Yay! (No pics since we forgot to take the camera.) And he didn't think he could do it.

So here are my questions:
1. How much meat can we expect from a deer that size?
2. What kind of cuts does your processor offer?
3. How long after field dressing do you take the deer to the processor (Or if you do it yourself, how long do you wait to start processing)? Do you "age" it before you take it to the processor?

THanks.

Can't wait till next year when I can get back in the game.

 

[Larry Ashcraft]

1. Probably about 50% of the dressed weight.
2. We process our own.
3. Wild game does not benefit from aging, process right away (I just found this out myself).

 

[Lennyjoe]

About 50% like Larry said.

The cuts depend on what you request. Steaks, roast and cubes for shishkabobs or crock pot meat and burger.

We process our own and I usually do steaks, cubes and jerky cuts. I use the remains that don't fit the bill for summer sausage. Find a good place to get some sausage done. If you grind the remains for burger then go to the local market and get some beef soot to add to the burger for a bit of grease during cooking.

A word of caution when taking it to the processor. You are not guarenteed the exact meat from your deer especially if they process alot of deer.

As for question #3. We hang ours when the weather permits. It's easier to process the meat if it sits in a cooler overnight or in freezing temps. The thin layers of film and fat come off easier that way. If I was hunting down here in Arizona or in Georgia then I would process it right away. No cooler to hang in here.

Here's a couple of pics of how we do it.

Processing line. The hams are cut into round steaks and flanks are used for jerkey. Front shoulders and neck for cubed meat and sausage and backstraps the crem de le crem.

Pics of the meat in the cooler. I split the pelvis of the one on the left by accident so we had to hang her by the 165gr Sierra Gameking HPBT exit wound

 

[NRA4LIFE]

I've found that if you completely bone out the animal, on average, after cutting away the blood shot meat from the hit, and not eating any of the guts, it's more like about 40%, IMO. Now, it probably could be more, but I don't take the meat from between the ribs (mostly shot up anyway) and I'm not really that judicious around the rib cage and neck. If the deer was shot in the head and you took every possible molecule of meat off, then yes, it might be as high as 50%.

We begin the processing ASAP, first by skinning and then quartering. In the coolers immediately if necessary. Aging big game is not recommended unless it is skinned and can be hung and kept in a controlled temperature and humidity environment (i.e. meat locker). That is the ONLY way.

I make basically only 3 different cuts of meat, loin, roast and steak. I do not cut them into individual portions, either. For instance, the pieces of loin I package for freezing are in chunks that my wife and I would eat in a meal, the same with the roasts and steaks. The roast and steaks I cut off of the hind quarters only, and the loins and tenderloins get packaged for chops or medallions. Every other piece of meat, including the front quarters gets boned and ground for burger or packaged separately to make sausage later.

 

[fisherman66]

http://www.chefdepot.com/agingwildgame.htm

I've always butchered my own.

Contrary to what others say, I am starting to cut the portions down to individual meal (for 2) size. I need a food vac., as I often need to trim small freezer burns off.

Chicken Fry is our most often method of prep. Butterfly backstraps and tenders are just incredible (and we often celebrate those with non-hunters to spread the love.) Be sure and take those out before sending to the processors. I often use the shoulders for stew and ginding meat, and hams cut for roasts (cut into multiple per muscle.)

 

[fisherman66]

http://www.infoblvd.net/fxd/sportsmen/Whitetail-yield-chart.htm

Here's another with a weight chart.

I feel the need to explain my need to butcher myself.

Aside from expense issues (hunting is expensive enought), I really feel like I am in control of the food from hoof to plate. I don't trust processors (not that I had any bad experiences - I have actually had no experiences.) It's just as important as any other part of the hunting process to me.

 

[MNgoldenbear]

The percentage ranges sound about right. Yes, it definitely varies, depending on the location and effect of the hit, how picky you are about trimming, etc. If you take it to a processor, ask them (and ask other customers who've used them before) whether they really get your animal back to you or if it's just approximately the amount of meat that they think you'd have gotten. I've dealt with different processors, some doing it one way and some the other.

Our deer don't usually get aged much, and as noted, you need to keep the right temp and humidity to age rather than dry out or rot the meat. If it's cold enough (usually is around here), the deer just hang in a shed/garage for a few days until we have time to get together and skin and butcher. (Skin stays on until butchering to keep meat clean during transport -- it's cold enough to cool the meat quickly even with the skin on, with the body cavity open.)

Steaks/chops usually from tenderloins and loins. Sliced, marinated, skewered, and barbecued, these make great teriyaki! Some steaks and roasts from hams (round steak, etc.), but a lot of that is ground for burger. Jerky can be done from there too. Most of the rest is trimmed (get rid of ALL the fat -- it's pretty 'tallowy'. bleah.) and ground into burger or sausage. When doing either, we add some ground beef or pork trimmings to alter the taste/texture a bit, and it provides fat to keep the meat juicy.

Congratulations, and bon appetit!

 

[mete]

Aging - there are enzymes in the meat which break down tissues ,tenderizing it and making some flavor changes.This is to be done at 34-38Fwithout the hide. Above 40F the meat spoils . Dressing out the deer immediately is the most important step. I have always butchered the deer myself.If you take it to a good processer do it immediately so he can get into his cooler. Hopefully you'll get your deer back.If you do it yourself you can make whatever cuts you want.

 

[Kingcreek]

I also recomend do-it-yerself butchering if at all practical.
A larger deer will yield a higher percent of meat than a small one.
The vacume FoodSavers are great. I wore out my first basic model and replaced it with a gamesaver pro turbo. We butcher and process about 6 deer per year average. I have the luxury of a heated garage with floor drains, good lighting, large double laundry sink, and tables at the proper height and floor mats to save your back.

 

[Kcustom45]

Congrats on the fresh meat.

My wife was really on me this year to get a deer (which I did). I would agree with everyone else here about possessing your own if possible, but I don't because I don't know how.

Did you have a place in mind, because I know of a couple around central Indiana.

 

[ARperson]

Thanks for all the responses. The do-it-yourself isn't possible (or practical) right now.

We got our meat back and I figure we got anywhere from 40-50 pounds of meat back (don't know what the steak and tenderloins weigh in at, but we got 12 steaks and 14 tenderloins, plus 10lbs ground, and 4lbs jerky.

I'm pretty sure the processor we picked is good about keeping the deer and the order together. He's got a triplicate carbon page order form-one page is our receipt, one page is his record, and one page stays in the deer (literally). Also, the metal DNR tag was in the bin our meat was in. Once the deer is processed it's assigned a bin number where the meat is stored after processing and that bin number is written on his copy. When we come in to pick it up, he looks up the bin number and we get our meat.

Kcustom45, I would like to have the information on processors you offered up, if any of them are around Indy, southwest side, Mooresville, Martinsville, or Owen County (that's our hunting corridor ). We're pretty happy with what we got this year, but we don't know if somebody might be better. Just want to see what our options are. Thanks.

 

[Don Gwinn]

We butcher our own and cut steaks, roasts, stew meat and hamburger. We don't tend to make jerky or sausage much with venison.

We gather at my grandfather's house during the week of Thanksgiving and butcher deer. You'd better enjoy Thanksgiving in my family, because the next day you'll be working your butt off!

We found that the "processing plants" around here tended to give us terrible cuts full of bone with not much thought given to which cut ended up where. The year my parents opened a package of steak and found hair and leaves inside was the last straw.


By the way, my mom hunted when she was six months pregnant with me. But when I had a few seasons under my belt, she quit and has never been out after deer again. She says she went so dad would have someone to hunt with him, and now that's me.

 

[bearmgc]

I process my own right after the hunt. 40% of full weight is about right for me, as I do bone out mine. Its a good 6 hour long , and meat has to be kept cool as possible during process, so initial cut on tables in garage, then trimming and packing in the kitchen. Everything gets washed alot with cold water. I do basic steaks, chops, roasts, and stew meat. And a few packages of the trimmings get frozen for cookin for the dogs...they're pretty spoiled with deer, elk and antelope.