PA Girth Chart vs Live Weight Comparison

[wolc123]

1 hour ago, Steuben Jerry said:

I'm not sure the scale offers had anything to do with anyone being fixated on anything...

I started this thread about 3 weeks ago as kind of a joke post, but there's been some interesting replies. And some funny ones. What I don't get is the whole having to calculate thing. A deer weighs what it weighs. It just seems like a weird thing to measure, read the corresponding info and adjust for being in PA or NY, etc. just to get a weight. Why not just weigh it to determine the weight if the weight is what you're looking for? That scale in the pic in the OP was something like $20 on sale at Tractor Supply. It sits on the bench next to where we hang. Takes all of a minute to pop it on the scale. 

Is weight important to you ?  What percentage of a the weight of a fresh killed deer is made up of water ?   If I told you it was about 60 %, would it still be real important to you ?   Sometime, if you decide to let one hang a week or so and have a $20 scale handy, it would be interesting to weigh it again at the end of the week.    I checked the chest girth at the start of an 11 day hang and again after and the number did not change.    Volume, not weight is the important thing when you are looking to estimate how much meat is needed to last for a year.  Water contains no calories and can not sustain life by itself.   For this reason, weight means nothing to me.    

Edited December 11, 2018 by wolc123

[The_Real_TCIII]

Is weight important to you ?  What percentage of a the weight of a fresh killed deer is made up of water ?   If I told you it was about 60 %, would it still be real important to you ?   Sometime, if you decide to let one hang a week or so and have a $20 scale handy, it would be interesting to weigh it again at the end of the week.    I checked the chest girth at the start of an 11 day hang and again after and the number did not change.    Volume, not weight is the important thing when you are looking to estimate how much meat is needed to last for a year.  Water contains no calories and can not sustain life by itself.   For this reason, weight means nothing to me.    

My deer has been hanging since the 4th, I’ll get a weight in the morning and report to this thread. I need to break him down before the garbage men come


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[Steuben Jerry]

8 hours ago, wolc123 said:

Is weight important to you ?  What percentage of a the weight of a fresh killed deer is made up of water ?   If I told you it was about 60 %, would it still be real important to you ?   Sometime, if you decide to let one hang a week or so and have a $20 scale handy, it would be interesting to weigh it again at the end of the week.    I checked the chest girth at the start of an 11 day hang and again after and the number did not change.    Volume, not weight is the important thing when you are looking to estimate how much meat is needed to last for a year.  Water contains no calories and can not sustain life by itself.   For this reason, weight means nothing to me.    

Not really. We forget to weigh most of them. Usually the smallest and the biggest. And that's when we remember to do it. And when it comes to girth, well I don't like to brag...

 

[Five Seasons]

You betcha.  That is why I  am interesting in gathering more semi-meaningless data from folks with scales.   Did you ever measure any of your's ?  It would be interesting if we could find even a single case where the deer's dressed weight was lighter than predicted by the PA chest-girth chart.   As I have said repeatedly, I don't place a whole lot of value on a deer's dressed weight, since most of it constists of water which has zero nutritional value.  A few folks on here seem quite fixated on it however, even offering me a free scale a time or two.  "Volume" of venison is what is important to me.     

No dude I never measured mine because I own one of those pieces of technology dating back to the birth of our lord and savior, and like I said before I can honestly eyeball them within 10 pounds anyhow.


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[grampy]

11 hours ago, wolc123 said:

Is weight important to you ?  What percentage of a the weight of a fresh killed deer is made up of water ?   If I told you it was about 60 %, would it still be real important to you ?   Sometime, if you decide to let one hang a week or so and have a $20 scale handy, it would be interesting to weigh it again at the end of the week.    I checked the chest girth at the start of an 11 day hang and again after and the number did not change.    Volume, not weight is the important thing when you are looking to estimate how much meat is needed to last for a year.  Water contains no calories and can not sustain life by itself.   For this reason, weight means nothing to me.    

So how much will the deer weigh if you dehydrate it? And wouldn't the backstraps be kinda dry?

[dbHunterNY]

13 hours ago, Biz-R-OWorld said:

 

This is shocking (but not a lie).

 

108lbs dressed!!!!! Butcher and my Dad were floored, but this buck was clearly worn down from the Rut. Zero fat on him left. Weighed at butcher approximately 4 hours after death.

 

 

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we're both technically eastern NY. we've gotten a lot of 2.5 year old bucks with respectable antlers taken mid season that weigh around 120 or a touch more. others with lesser antlers seem to weigh more. i thinks it just the fact it's still a fairly young deer that only has so much energy put into growing. plus the buck as you said probably ran some fat off. i was honestly going to guess around 140lbs though.

[The_Real_TCIII]

11 hours ago, The_Real_TCIII said:

My deer has been hanging since the 4th, I’ll get a weight in the morning and report to this thread. I need to break him down before the garbage men come


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Didnt do it, I was in a panic to get him broken down before the garbage pick up

[moog5050]

12 hours ago, wolc123 said:

Is weight important to you ?  What percentage of a the weight of a fresh killed deer is made up of water ?   If I told you it was about 60 %, would it still be real important to you ?   Sometime, if you decide to let one hang a week or so and have a $20 scale handy, it would be interesting to weigh it again at the end of the week.    I checked the chest girth at the start of an 11 day hang and again after and the number did not change.    Volume, not weight is the important thing when you are looking to estimate how much meat is needed to last for a year.  Water contains no calories and can not sustain life by itself.   For this reason, weight means nothing to me.    

And butchers and grocery stores have been selling meat by the lb forever.  Who knew they were wrong all along.  Pretty sure dehydrated meat loses volume.  Jerky sure looks smaller after the dehydrating process.

[The_Real_TCIII]

I weighed 214lbs before I ate these backstraps, 214.35 after


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[BizCT]

we're both technically eastern NY. we've gotten a lot of 2.5 year old bucks with respectable antlers taken mid season that weigh around 120 or a touch more. others with lesser antlers seem to weigh more. i thinks it just the fact it's still a fairly young deer that only has so much energy put into growing. plus the buck as you said probably ran some fat off. i was honestly going to guess around 140lbs though.

Yea definitely a 2.5 y/o


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[WNYBuckHunter]

2 hours ago, moog5050 said:

And butchers and grocery stores have been selling meat by the lb forever.  Who knew they were wrong all along.  Pretty sure dehydrated meat loses volume.  Jerky sure looks smaller after the dehydrating process.

Stop speaking rocket science to him, he cant understand it.

[WNYBuckHunter]

I have to say, this is quite possibly the most humorous thread Ive ever seen on here.

[BizCT]

And butchers and grocery stores have been selling meat by the lb forever.  Who knew they were wrong all along.  Pretty sure dehydrated meat loses volume.  Jerky sure looks smaller after the dehydrating process.

There’s an idiot who works the seafood dept at a grocery store near me. I have approx 70% chance of tricking him into cutting the heads off fish before weighing them for price.


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[Robhuntandfish]

3 hours ago, The_Real_TCIII said:

I weighed 214lbs before I ate these backstraps, 214.35 after


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but chances are you had a drink which adds weight to the meat which is worthless.  And i am guessing you were drinking cause otherwise this whole thread makes no sense. 

[dbHunterNY]

4 hours ago, Robhuntandfish said:

but chances are you had a drink which adds weight to the meat which is worthless.  And i am guessing you were drinking cause otherwise this whole thread makes no sense. 

horsesh*% beer is nutritious. i say add that too. at least up to 216+. who has just one with a meal.

[dbHunterNY]

7 hours ago, The_Real_TCIII said:

Didnt do it, I was in a panic to get him broken down before the garbage pick up

wolc just dropped to his knees prayed for your forgiveness and accepted sacrifice on behalf of your sin. therefore, good Lord will probably have at least 4 button bucks relocate far from his hunting grounds before next fall. i hope your happy.

[Jdubs]

20 hours ago, wolc123 said:

Is weight important to you ?  What percentage of a the weight of a fresh killed deer is made up of water ?   If I told you it was about 60 %, would it still be real important to you ?   Sometime, if you decide to let one hang a week or so and have a $20 scale handy, it would be interesting to weigh it again at the end of the week.    I checked the chest girth at the start of an 11 day hang and again after and the number did not change.    Volume, not weight is the important thing when you are looking to estimate how much meat is needed to last for a year.  Water contains no calories and can not sustain life by itself.   For this reason, weight means nothing to me.    

For a guy who only cares about counting ziploc bags, you sure do go on and on about this whole girth/weight nonsense.  Sounds like you routinely take your cooked meat back to the grocery store and demand a refund on the amount you were overcharged per lb of uncooked meat?  

Seriously, this has to be the biggest troll thread of all time! 

[wolc123]

5 minutes ago, Jdubs said:

For a guy who only cares about counting ziploc bags, you sure do go on and on about this whole girth/weight nonsense.  Sounds like you routinely take your cooked meat back to the grocery store and demand a refund on the amount you were overcharged per lb of uncooked meat?  

Seriously, this has to be the biggest troll thread of all time! 

Fortunately I have done well enough hunting (and fishing) that trips to the store for meat have not been necessary.  How's your season going ?

[Jdubs]

11 minutes ago, wolc123 said:

Fortunately I have done well enough hunting (and fishing) that trips to the store for meat have not been necessary.  How's your season going ?

My hunting season has been terrible, actually.  Zero pounds, inches or ziplocs of venison so far.  But God hates a quitter!  I'll keep hunting with the xbow until the season ends.  Pray for me wolc.

The good news is that I still know how to weigh meat with a scale.  This dry-aged porterhouse weighed 30 oz. before being cooked to a perfect medium rare temp (as measured by a meat thermometer).  Yum!

[wolc123]

2 hours ago, Jdubs said:

My hunting season has been terrible, actually.  Zero pounds, inches or ziplocs of venison so far.  But God hates a quitter!  I'll keep hunting with the xbow until the season ends.  Pray for me wolc.

The good news is that I still know how to weigh meat with a scale.  This dry-aged porterhouse weighed 30 oz. before being cooked to a perfect medium rare temp (as measured by a meat thermometer).  Yum!

It is not over until it's over, so keep at it.  I will send one up for you (a prayer that is), to get it done with you crossbow.  I am tempted to break mine out again this weekend, since missing a doe with my ML up in the mountains last weekend.  The Good Lord must have had a different end in mind for that big doe, putting a branch in just the right place to deflect my bullet up and over her back.   Our own venison supply is secure, but I would like to get another for my brother-in law, who raises beef cattle and makes the best jerky from half ground venison and half ground beef.

I don't mind a good steak on occasion, but I know that venison is a lot better for my heart.  Also, it is hard to imagine the flavor or texture of any beef topping that of medium-rare, milk-fed, button-buck backstrap.  Don't be afraid to take one of those.  They say they are the "dumbest deer in the woods".   I don't know about that, but I do know that they are the tastiest.  To be fair, I have not tried a doe fawn yet but a buddy gave us one this year so I will finally get to try that after the bb is gone.  We usually eat them in order of arrival, but I will save some of the bb roasts for "special occasions".

  The doe fawn was a lot smaller.  I did not get a chest-girth on her but it looked like she made about 25 pounds of de-boned meat vs around 50 pounds from the bb.  She was killed with a rifle bullet through the heart, so there was not a lot of bloodied-up meat to trim away, but there was none of that on the crossbow-killed bb.   That is another big advantage of using the crossbow instead of the ML, you don't end up with bloodied-up meat to trim away.       

     

Edited December 12, 2018 by wolc123

[Steuben Jerry]

37 minutes ago, wolc123 said:

To be fair, I have not tried a doe fawn yet 

Wolc, try the doe! It'll be great. Give just a few of those bb's a pass!

[wolc123]

8 minutes ago, Steuben Jerry said:

Wolc, try the doe! It'll be great. Give just a few of those bb's a pass!

I am thinking she will taste identical to a bb.  It is all about what they eat and milk makes them taste best.   I know of a great former President who took up raising cattle after his retirement from public service.  He dominated the beef competition in the US, in the early 60's, by finishing his Angus beefers on Holstein milk.

[Five Seasons]

My hunting season has been terrible, actually.  Zero pounds, inches or ziplocs of venison so far.  But God hates a quitter!  I'll keep hunting with the xbow until the season ends.  Pray for me wolc.
The good news is that I still know how to weigh meat with a scale.  This dry-aged porterhouse weighed 30 oz. before being cooked to a perfect medium rare temp (as measured by a meat thermometer).  Yum!

How dare you use a scientific instrument to measure how done your steak is. Don’t you own the PA cooking meat color chart?


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[Chef]

Guys, guys, guys. We all know what really happened. Jesus came to Wolc in his sleep at night and whispered in his ear how much meat he will get off the deer he just shot...
End of story


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[Steuben Jerry]

Wolc, these are probably really tender. On a chart too.