Question about deer processing

We took a deer to a known processing shop in Winona MN last Saturday but when we picked it up, they only gave us a small box of meat? We shot the deer about 3pm. on Saturday 11/5 and took it immediately to their shop. Got there about 6:30 p.m. that same afternoon. Deer weighted 130 lbs. but the box of meat we received was less then 20 lbs.

When I asked where all the venison was, they claimed that all the rounds were green and spoiled. They wanted to know if we had hung it for a few days!! But we had just shot the deer that afternoon!!!! So I ended up paying $99 for the processing and only got a small amount.

When I protested they just gave me blank stares. Seems to me that I was ripped off. Seems to me that something is fishy.

Buzz

I have seen bruised meat (green meat) on a deer that must have been hit by a car at one point.

Had that happen to a buddy once but they found 6 inches of aluminum arrow stuck in the hind quarter.

I can see your point and not knowing a portion was bad might cause a knee jerk reaction from me too. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, I would prefer that they did what they did rather than return bad meat back to me.

Quote:

---

We took a deer to a known processing shop in Winona MN last Saturday but when we picked it up, they only gave us a small box of meat? We shot the deer about 3pm. on Saturday 11/5 and took it immediately to their shop. Got there about 6:30 p.m. that same afternoon. Deer weighted 130 lbs. but the box of meat we received was less then 20 lbs.

When I asked where all the venison was, they claimed that all the rounds were green and spoiled. They wanted to know if we had hung it for a few days!! But we had just shot the deer that afternoon!!!! So I ended up paying $99 for the processing and only got a small amount.

When I protested they just gave me blank stares. Seems to me that I was ripped off. Seems to me that something is fishy.

Buzz

---

A 130# deer, you are starting with 42.9# of meat as it is. If a 1/4 or shoulder is shot. That’s about 1/2 the weight.

FWIW, process your own deer. Processors rip you off.

http://www.butcher-packer.com/index.php?main_page=document_general_info&cPath=36&products_id=331

I hear you about not getting spoiled meat back. But I’m still a little baffled how it could have spoiled in the less then 3 hours it took from dropping it and bringing it to the processor. Seems to me that it was either not properly cared for by them or the tags got switched.

Like it had been mentioned, it probably had an injury, it didn’t spoil in 3 hrs, it was already bad

Did you split the pelvis and leave it open between the time ya shot it till they got it? Was there any other deer stacked on top of yours? or anything , coats,bags ect that woulda kept the hinds from cooling quickly? These are some of the things that cause the thicker portions to spoil. Did you find the deer right after ya shot it? Leaving them overnight to “stiffen up” can also be a reason the hinds spoiled. Quick cool down is important!!!!

All things are possible, but I’ll give you two reasons why you got that amount back.
First, a deer at 130 lbs. (i’ll assume thats your best guess at live weight? or is that field dressed?) will yield about as much clean meat as they gave you. My friends fiance shot a doe last night with about the same weight and after we cleaned her, we yielded 23 pounds. Unfortunately, a LOT of the weight on deer is guts, fur, and bones.
Also, and this is the reason I butcher my own, meat shops are in a hurry now and cutting quickly means taking off more than necessary in spots. This will leave you with less because it does add up.
Spoilage is an issue, and can happen in hours, especially with this warm weekend. Just because it is November does not mean spoilage won’t occur. I’ve learned these things the hard way, and have taught myself to care for my own meat for those reasons.

Here is my best recollection, my son’s first shot hit it’s spine (3:30pm). Then it kept moving and went down a steep hill using it’s front legs. We went down after it and made a kill shot and dressed it out(cutting the pelvic bone). Then we took it out using a snowmobile trail that ran through the valley. Took until 4:42 p.m. to get it to the truck. Then we drove from Minneiska to Winona. Deer was in back of truck, not covered. When we got to the shop they weighed it (130 lbs)and gave us the head.

Hard to say what happens in those butcher shops. What pisses me off is that its seems from what I’ve been told is all the the deer get cut and grouped together when it comes to making sausage and jerky. So chances are you aren’t getting your own deer meat back/put into the food you ordered anyways.

regardless of what happened, they should have at least called you to let you know what the deal was…

Quote:

---

Hard to say what happens in those butcher shops. What pisses me off is that its seems from what I’ve been told is all the the deer get cut and grouped together when it comes to making sausage and jerky. So chances are you aren’t getting your own deer meat back/put into the food you ordered anyways.

---

Before I started processing all my own, we encountered this a couple of times with different butchers. To the credit of a butcher in Plain, WI. – He called me the next day and asked if I could stop in. My buck had been shot with steel shot (assuming a bored duck hunter) and was not fit to eat. When I arrived, it was still hanging in the cooler with the hide stripped, and a bag taped around its head. Clearly my deer, and it was ruined.
With a couple other, I was shocked at how little I got back also. Especially when it was an abnormally big deer. After opening my eyes to the process, I saw carcasses with a lot of meat that was not trimmed off. I understand they can’t make money when they spend too much time trimming for a few more pounds of meat. But that was my frustration that pushed me to doing all my own – along with the cost of making by-products.
I trim all the tallow and tendons out and also include “quality” cuts of meat for making jerky and sausage. The guy that had done my sausage was up front with me that I was making others very happy in my donation of good meat. He suggested that I sealed and froze my meat and bring it in after “season” usually end of January. By doing a run of my own meat, I lost about 4# that was left in the tubes for stuffing casings and what not. But at least I got to eat the meat that I prepared, and not the random trimmings with whatever still attached to it.

Wade’s assesment of #’s of meat to dressed weight is pretty close. I average about 45 to almost 50% when doing it myself and provided I didn’t blow up anything of value

For the sausage, we also cut up our own deer, freeze it, then bring it in around February.

kinda why we cut up our own also. i then weigh the trimmings before i bring it in to have that processed. its tough to find a butcher shop that will do ONLY your meat!