We have had a lot of people come to our place wanting chili meat or hamburger out of thier deer this year. We offer a lot more than what they are asking for, jerky, salami,sausage,brats,klobase or whatever you want. Is it because people pay so much for a lease and the expense of going down there that they can't afford to spend anything on processing. Just a question

Spanky

That could be part of it. Also, could be that like Lora and me, and we process our own, but most of what we give away to friends and family is hamburger and chili meat. We turn very little of our meat in to steaks and usually those are for our use. Another angle is a lot of folks like trying to make their own sausage, but don't have a way to grind that much meat. If they have you grind it, then they can run all kinds of experiments, or they may be taking it to another person to get the sausage made, or maybe a combination of all of those.

Hey CHC, Merry Christmas to you and Lora. Sorry I have been away so long, missed talking to ya'll.
I put this question out because I was wanting to know what all the hunters are thinking, after the trigger pull. Some people that come to our place after they kill a deer, don't know jack about what they want to do with thier deer, and just say whatever is the cheapest, do it. I know our product is VERY GOOD. Let's put it this way I won't feed it to you if I am not going to feed it to my kids, or wife. Kinda confused, is it us or just money.

Spanky

Spanky,
We process our own, but I think that there are a lot of folks that don't know what they want. I think this comes from not being a hunter for very long and not having eaten much venison. Money may play a small part in it, but I don't understand why folks choose to do "whatever" with their meat. My dad was a vo ag teacher and taught a meats lab in high school. Naturaly, I learned myself and therefore we do our own deer.
You have probably thought of this and may even do it, and that is to give a sample of you sausage to folks and let them try it. I have always heard that word of mouth is the best advertisment

Spanky I have noticed a trend among deer processors that is starting to irk me a little..Basic cut and wrap jobs have become a little expensive so Ive seen a high as 70 dollars...But what gets me if you have sausage or other stuff made its on top of that "basic price"..One guy on our lease spent 190 dollars on getting a deer processed..BUT i tend to lean toward the 2 places that have a basic cut and wrap price,or if you get sausages or the other stuff they charge per pound...not on top of the basic cut and wrap price...

We have one processor that I trust to process and ship meat for my hunters. They do a bit of everything I guess you would say. Since I get a lot of non-resident hunters they usually like to get pan sausage or some type of link sausage, chili meat, ground, and steaks. I haven't seen
much request for anything else.

Personally I'm a big fan of jalapeno & cheese sausage. That stuff is awesome!

I will learn to process my own by next season. I've seen it done enough. Just don't have the space or resources where I live. We hunt public land. I don't have a place to hang and skin my deer to quarter them out.

The price of processing has gone up, and I don't think it's justified. The crew at Syracuse in Keller probably makes about $10 per hour. The basic processing fee there is $70. That's outrageous. Two small bucks taken to two different processors this season, one in Alvord by the LBJ Grasslands and the other in Brownwood. Two SMALL deer processed backstraps/tenders whole, steaks from one ham and the rest hamburger ground...$65 for one and $75 for the other. That's just too high. I remember when it was $45-50 for basic processing only five years ago!

As for the "getting your own meat back"...they can all say it, but I don't buy it. The place in Alvord is small. I can't imagine that they get a ton of business over the stretch of a season. I shot my LBJ buck with a lead shotgun slug. I bit down on a piece of copper eating the last batch of stew I made with the hamburger. Enough said. Next season...processing my own. No question on who's deer I'm eating then.

i heard three different processors in the Ballinger area had visit from the game warden because of so many complaints. The warden would take a deer in to the processor and watch him work it up. the three were warned to start boneing out the whole deer or they would be fined for wasteing wildlife. I know I had to take a buck to him on opening week this year because the guy we always use was full up. the buck field dressed 150 lbs and when I went to pick up the meat i got 18 packages of meat total. it cost me 55 dollars i was so mad !!!!!! so choose ur processors carefully

What one considers ridiculous (Syracuse prices), I consider reasonable. Have you tried to make a living on $10/hr?

Took 2 deer to Syracuse this year. Take out the jerky($14/lb) and my bill was around $160 or $80/deer. This included many different cuts including round steaks, butterflied back straps, 4 different types of sausage cuts. I figure we got at least 60 lbs of meat back.... $3/lb for all that is a bargain in my mind.

In fact... you have me in the mood for some bratwurst..... Abby, let's go put those things on the grill!

Just my 2 cents.

Huntalot

If all they want is hamburger then it is probably cause that is all the family will eat. Hard to make a meal for the kids with jalepeno cheese summer sausage. That's what some of my friends do, just have the whole deer ground up and then never have to buy beef at the store for a year. I like some of everything personally.

What some consider reasonable, I consider overpriced. What does me ever having to make a living on $10 an hour have to do with anything??? You directed that at a guy that hunts public land because I can't afford a lease. My point was how many deer can a person process in an hour? Four...five...six, all for that same $10/hour. I would like to hear from a processor why the average price to have a deer processed in 2005 was about $50 and today it's about $70. I paid $45 in Seymour, Texas back in 2000 to have a bigger deer done. Did not mean to single Syracuse out. I've had a couple of deer done there. Had them process a 200+ lb sow hog for me a few years ago. It was great...the meat was rancid when I got it back. I probably got parts of some dude's hog from south Texas that he carried around in the bed of the truck for three days with a melted bag of ice in the cavity.

I take care of my game before I get it to the processor. No excuse in getting back bad meat. I even had the taxidermist that works by Syracuse ask me for my cape from a small buck I took in a few years ago. I wasn't planning on using it, so I traded it for a skull cap mount/plaque. When the guy opened the walk-in cooler, it was appalled to see how some of the deer looked. Some of them looked like they had been dragged around behind a four-wheeler!

One of the things you have to take in mind, is that not all shops will process wild game. Ton of rules and regulations around it... good example you can not process domestic beef and deer with the same equipment.... Personally I process my own deer, after all Dad was a butcher and I was taught how to do it right. Procces fees have gone up, in some areas I agree, it is way out of sight. Guess it all boils down to a personal choice.......

Spanky to answer you question though, I love summer sausage, jerky and breakfast sausage out of my deer meat. I will give up a few staeks in order to boost up the amount of other varieties.... just mt 02 worth

from ennis, where are you located. i have 2 guys there that do mine

Out of all the deer I have taken, only one ever went to a proceser. I requested my backstaps and tenders left whole and un frozen. So that I could do what I wanted with them. I got them back and unwrapped the tenders. They had been blown to *%$#. I shot this deer through the neck. That caused enough mistrust for me to never return to any of them.

Hey Spanky-Personally I grind a lot of my deer b/c we don't buy ground beef anymore. I've replaced ground beef with grind in everything like sloppy joes, spagetti sauce, s.o.s., etc. I will still get the occational bag of fajita and jalapano chese links but for the most part, it's backstrap, tenders, and the rest goes into the grinder.

I have taken hogs to kelbys in wink. You just have to do that. Best saugage ever!!!

Spanky,
i'll go back to your original question. I personally try and get a varity of things. This year so far I have got 3 deer and taken them to two differnt procesors, next deer goes to yet another procesor. The reason I drive all over texas to all these differnt guys I cause i like each one's ways of doing differnt things. Honestly I have never got ground venison yet, always getting sausages, and jerky and chop steaks and hams.

Salami sounds great. I might need to find a elase near you. =-)

I bet they are flabergasted perhaps when they get there. Maybe some samples of beef based versions of your sausage or whatnot to try would help sell more. One procesor has a couple examples of differnt versions of orders and estimated prices.

For instance..

Full deer 125 pound gutted weight.

Bacon Wraped Backstrap steaks.

Rear Hams turned into Fajitas

Ribs and shoulders ground into
50% pan sausage
50% dry sausage
==============================
$180 total.

Or make up "Package deals" for them. Also I notice that a lot of MEN dont cook, or arent cooks. For instance the guys I hunt with all have been hunting 15-20 more years then me, yet they are the "Grind it and bill me" crowd you speak of. Their wives have taken over this year and requested that I take the deer to the procesors. So far I have done the "Ordering" for 3 differnt guys out there with only the best results.

I think perhaps you need to spell it out for them or offer some package deals.

And your prices 65-75 to cut up a deer seems like the norm, with all your extras, well EXTRA..

I always have my deer done at the same place. Honestly, I don't buy beef. We use venison in it's place for everything we cook. I just ge the basic cut and wrap. I burned myself out on breakfast sausage years ago, same with summer sausage. I used to love to sit and eat summer sausage in the deer stand, but found with the stick size, I could not eat it all before I felt it was not safe to eat. If I got what I wanted, summer sausage, link, and tried a little breakfast sausage again, my bill would be way over $100. It's just too high to go that route. Then there is that whole issue Saltfork mentioned. When I first started using my processor he was small. He "gauranteed" you got your meat snd only your meat. He takes in so many deer now I don't see any way for that to still be the case. It would slow things down too much. I intend to invest in a good grinder and do my own before too long.
My .02

I think the general consensus is that you don't get your own deer back, how bout it spanky care to elaborate?

Around here, spanky, it's about what droptine43 said - they don't know much about venison. They've had a bad exprience with it once or something of that nature and have not really had a good venison steak.

Well...just because they can shoot it don't mean they can cook it. Heck most folks around here eat out anyway, so most don't even know how to boil water. I'd say exposure to venison has always been ground and they've yet to expand their borders.

I'll tell you all what I think about the whole "I am not getting my deer back" issue.

First and foremost, you guys who are only concerned with the
extra $20 you might be spending getting your deer procesed, you my friends are the ones who need to worry. If your paying someone $50 to cut and wrap your deer I would believe you are the ones most in jepordy of getting back random deer. Hudsons in Austin guerentees you get your deer back and I believe them, they also charge a premium for thier services as they should. Johney G's assures you that you get your deer back as well, they are also not cheap.

I know for a FACT that some of the cheaper procesors, especally one off of 183 in Cedar park does NOT, he is one of your $50 cut, grind and wrap kinda guys and just looking at his setup makes asking if your getting your deer back a forgon conclusion.

You all need to ASK you procesor, ask to see the freezer, as to see the cut room, ask to hang out for 15 minutes and watch the guy proces deer. If you get a NO for any reason leave.

The Sportsmans Memory Shop in Grapeland did all our deer this year and they had a pretty good special going.....10 pounds of breakfast sausage, 10 pounds of summer sausage, and 10 pounds of smoked link sausage plus round steaks, butterflied backstraps and the rest in hamburger for $110. You could add jalapenos and cheese for $2 per pound more to the sausage if you wanted. I've got a freezer full of everything I wanted for $125. I've tried it all so far and it's all awesome. I paid $169 last year and couldn't get summer sausage or anything with jap/cheese. They take 1 week to 10 days to have your stuff done and expect you to come and get it within a week from the time they call you so that you don't take up their freezer space. Me and my guys are VERY happy this year. 1/2 the price of Kubys!!

We are a customer proccessor, we only do between 75-100 per yr. We are not in it to get rich, we do it because, for one we like doing it and for 2 it's a little extra money. As I said we do custom work, you can walk in to my place anytime look in my freezers and see boned meat in bags with peoples names on them, that yes came from thier deer and thiers alone. We do not mix any deer, period. I have worked for bigger proccessors and yes I have seen it done, but I will not and have not done it.
As far as the increased price, everything has gone up fuel, electricity, price of pork,seasoning and shipping cost. That's why you see the increase of basic services. We have had a customer ask, what can I do to lower my cost. Basically, the less work the proccessor has to do the less it will cost you. If you skin, and bone your deer we only charge you per pound what you would like done with it. I'm sure that if you could do this it would save you the basic fee, and lower it by as much as 50.00-60.00 dollars.
I would welcome any of you to my place, take a look as to what we do, judge for yourself. The only thing we can sell is our reputation, for putting out quality products, and being honest to our customers, we don't advertise so we depend on word of mouth, to secure new business. If you are concerned that you might not be getting from your proccessor what you want or what you brought in, go visit him and ask the same questions everyone has posted here.

Spanky

Spanky - you said it right bud...higher fuel costs, pork prices, seasonings, etc. Do I process my own deer, sure when I can get to grind my burger, sausage and chili, otherwise, I bring it in to a processor. Have tried 3 and one to stay away from is Midway in Katy. No, nothing wrong with them, just unbelievably high. Their jerky I have doubts with with it comes out all uniformly shaped...not like jerky should be.

To save a little money folks, bone what you can out and even purchase the pork trimmings early in the season so that you price will be lower.


On the elk I shot a week ago, I took out the backstraps (each were 5 ft long), the tenders, the ribs and saved a hindquarter for steaks (gave one away). The rest I boned out for jalapeno summer sausage, Slim Jim's and smoked jalapeno sausage to the processor. The remaining trimmings off the hindquarters and a front shoulder approx. 50lbs, will go home with me to make Italian and German link sausage, chili and ground meat. I have my own commercial grinder...you can invest in one from BPS or Cabela's and in the long run save quite a bit of money, but you'll still have to cut, wrap and label yourself. So it really boils down to what do you have the time for and how much are you willing to spend? It kinda weighs out the same in the long run give a take a bit.

Chris

Chris, I'm sure the pride of doing it yourself has to be worth a little bit also. Have you had any of those backstrap steaks yet??