Bucher or do it yourself??

[BucktheBuck30-06]

Hey guess just wondering if anyone has gone to a bucher with their deer,I was wondering how much they charged and if you think you go all your meet.My one hunting buddy swears he will never go there again because he brought a huge doe there and didn't get as much meat as he thought there was to the deer!I personally I do it myself it's cheaper and i know were all my meat is and how it's being handled!!

[peas247]

i cut 2 up myself and take one to the butcher. our butcher is a good friend and has been doing deer for us for over 12 years now and were assured all our meat back is ours...he charges about $75 but i have him make me all my sausage and this year hopefully hes got the smoker up and running

[Geno C]

i never took a deer to the butcher... i do all my own

[First-light]

Used to do my own. I use a place up by me. Costs 55 bucks and never had a problem with the meat or amount coming back. I have to say I did enjoy when I had the time butchering the Deer myself.

[Deerthug]

Never unless they are family and you can trust them to give you all the meat back.

[noahmstone]

took one to a butcher because my father had to have back surgery and didnt feel up to teaching me and paid $60 and got someone else's burger instead of my sausage and didn't get much meat. my father taught me to do it myself and i seem to get more meat now and i know it is mine and that i am going to get what i want. best yet it is free.

[firehunter48]

i have NEVER taken a deer to the butcher. i was always told by friends who had it done by one that they never get all of their meat back and i always had the fear of not getting MY deer back. i can remember back for as long as i can, being out in my grandmothers garage or parents garage "trying" to help my father butcher the deer. I was taught at a very young age and have been teaching my son along the way as he grows up. Now that i am re-married and she has gotten into the sport, she is learning as well. For someone who is on a limited budget, its not worth spending the $$ to have someone else do it. It really is a simple process, just a little time consuming

[WNYBuckHunter]

I used to take mine to the butcher, but never felt that I was getting all of the meat back, or if it was even my deer I got. One year I shot a very large doe, and only received a small wine box of meat back. I had also asked that I get the hide back from the deer. They handed me a hide from a big pile of them they had. I looked at the guy and asked if this was the hide from my deer. I knew the answer, but he said it could be. I then asked him if it was the meat from my deer, he smiled and said it was. I didnt buy it. Starting last year, I started cutting up my own, and guess what? I got alot more meat off of the deer than what I would get back for a comparable deer sent to the butcher. Its alot less expensive o do it yourself also. Even if you buy your own grinder, etc, it will pay for itself rather quickly.

[Littlesunray]

the other night we went all over looking for a meat grinder cause I told hubby when we get a deer we are doing ours not the butcher,

[BucktheBuck30-06]

Yea i just gutted a doe today and then used the 3 wheeler to skin it Worked great!!Lots of meat it was faster and free!!!

[dave6x6]

I also do all my own meat.. Not gonna lie though, it's not my favorite part of hunting but i've seen others gut their deer and i really don't want any part of their hack-jobs. Can't get enough of the homemade jerky and have been experimenting with other things that some people feel only the butcher can do. Things like sausage, sticks, ect. Gotta try to get some advice on the process of putting the cheese in the hots and sticks and stuff..

[arrow nocker]

I took one to the butcher.Luckily it was a slow time for him.Begining of the season and i had the only one in.But when i went to pick it up his shop was full.So i don't know if it was all our deer or not in those bags.I do say i did a lott of meat back.Two big black trash bags full.Alott of meat.About the same amount i got of my buck from last year that i did myself.

I did my first one last year and its pretty easy.I wont be spending the money on a butcher for at least till im way to old to do it my self.Hopefully by then one of my boys is still around and in to hunting still.Then they can do it for me.

My uncles buddy has one of those comercial grade grinder with like a 2 hp motor on it.They do a whole deer into burger and it dumps right into buckets.Thats the way to go right there.

[Paula]

we do our own, its a pain but we save money and thats our whole point in hunting

[fasteddie]

I butcher my own and have for several years . A couple years ago I got lazy and took one to a guy that butchers during deer seasons and got ripped off . I had butchered a 6 point buck and got 51# of meat . I took a doe that was much larger to a butcher and got 33# ( including the weight of the box ) and it cost me $68 . .

The buck was a bow kill . The doe was BP and double lunged so there wasn't any waste to the meat .

[132 eight pointer]

I do my own butchering.I don't look forward to it but it saves me up to $150 if I kill two deer ( I would rather spend that money on new hunting equipment ). I also trim as much waste as possible before freezing and have no bone sawdust to contend with.

[solon]

have always done it myself - the guys i hunt with we do it together - take our time and trim it real good - wrap it well and we always know what we have - plus it's more time to tell stories, etc

[BucktheBuck30-06]

Good storys guys thanks for the input,I see more storys of people getting ripped off than anything i never went to the bucher with my deer anyway i was just seeing if it was a god choice,and cleary thats a no.I gut mine in the feild and skin it the next day!!I have never tryed the sausage thing but the way i look at it the bucher can do i can to might take some learning but hey i like to learn!!!~Good Hunting Luck 2 All~

[gfdeputy2]

brought my first one to a butcher & was not happy we do our own now

cheaper & I enjoy it I think it is all part of the hunt & for some reason it makes the Veni taste much better

when you feel you have done everything from scouting to eating it

[WNYBuckHunter]

the other night we went all over looking for a meat grinder cause I told hubby when we get a deer we are doing ours not the butcher,

Look at Northern Tool. I just saw a 1/2 horse on there for $110

[Rev Ev]

growing up we processed our own, but I really don't have the inclination to do it myself now, so I take it to the processor, never had a problem.

[finfeathr]

OK, heres my take..

If you know what you are doing, do it yourself. If you don't, then take it to someone who does. I own Fins to Feathers Taxidermy on Long Island, and process about 200 deer a year for hunters. I have heard all the horror stories over the last 30 years about not getting all the meat back, etc...let me point out a few things:

It's a deer, NOT a steer! Most hunters think that if they shot a 100 lb deer, they should get several boxes of meat back. This is simply not the case. Once the hide, head, and feet come off, you lose alot of weight. Add the fact that most 100 lb. deer are no where near 100 lbs anywhere except the proud hunters perception. Most guys inflate the size of the critter.

Next, you have to take into account how much damage is done on that particular deer. Each animal is different, and gunshot/arrow wounds can have a drastic effect on large areas of edible meat. Blood is a natural laxative, and you don't want meat saturated with it. It isn't very appetising to look at, and it isn't healthy to ingest. Just because there is a small entry or exit wound doesn't mean there isn't extensive damage once the skin comes off.

I get my boxes from a meat packer, so they are the same size the butcher shop gets. Most deer fit comfortably in one box, unless it is a real bruiser.

I cannot speak of the practises of the butchers you guys are using, but I can tell you what I do for identification:

Upon arrival, each customer is giver a reciept with a #. A waterproof tag with corresponding # is attached to the deer's hind leg. This tag [and leg] stays with the deer for the entire process. The shank is the last cut on each deer, and at that point, the tag is cut from the hoof and placed in the tray with all the cuts to be wrapped. When all meat is wrapped and boxed, the numbered tag and usually the DEC tag is placed in the box, the # written on the outside of the box, and the customer notified.

It takes me about 1 hour to skin, butcher, and wrap a deer working alone. During rifle season, I have a crew helping to cut and wrap, but I still skin EVERY DEER, so that I am in total control of every deer and customer's requests, i.e. saving horns, hide, feet, etc...

One of the biggest problems with butchers is chopmeat...there is simply not enough scrap to on an individual deer to warrant cleaning the machine, so most guys make a big hopper full at the end of the day, and divvy it up amongst everybody. I do not even offer chopmeat on my butchering for this reason. It isn't right or sanitary to mix several deer together and then dole it out as "your" deer. When done correctly, there shouldn't be very many edible scraps to make chopmeat from. I make alot of stew, and hunters can always get a small grinder from Cabelas to make thier own if they wish.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the same thing goes for sausage, pepperoni, bologna, and all that gimmicky stuff some guys offer. I will tell you right now that it's all a mix of many different animals, not just yours. I even know of one unscrupulous processor who accepts deer as part of the venison donation program, and uses much of it to make sausage,chopmeat, etc, and swaps it out to customers.

So in summation, there are alot of bozo's out there, but there are some guys who actually care and realize that the game you take is important to you. It requires alot of time, patience,money,and hard work to obtain, and should be treated with respect.

Be careful out there, and have a good season!

Rich

Fins to Feathers Taxidermy

P.S. If you do it yourself and want to mount the head, leave the skin and head in one long piece, and let your taxidermist cut it where he wants, and don't make any cuts in the skin from the brisket foerward!

[gundeck]

Did two last night. Lots of sausage, etc in the freezer today. One smaller deer and one very large doe. We got just under a hundred pounds of meat (yes, we weigh it all) when all was said and done. We were very happy with that.

Edited October 18, 2011 by gundeck

[Littlesunray]

Look at Northern Tool. I just saw a 1/2 horse on there for $110

well for going to be starting out we ended up buying a RealTree Outfitters #8 meat grinder 3/4 hp maybe when we get some extra money we will buy another meat grinder to use also, my poor freezer is screaming out it wants some more deer meat in the freezer lol.

[bushnell]

Butchering my own deer is something that I want to get into. I have never butchered my own deer. I have taken all mine to a butcher. So when it comes time to learn I will come to this site for answers and tips.

[phade]

I prefer to do it myself; however, time dictates when I have to send it to a processor - usually always send 1 a season to them.

In most cases, that's Sunday nights on a given weekend if I am not on vacation that Monday. Especially early in the season where I can't let it hang for long. Later in the year, not a big deal because I can hang it and process Monday evening.

I passed up some does Sunday night because of that (I'll burn a vacation day for a shooter buck...plenty of doe chances during the season).

Strong preference for doing it myself, though.