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How much is too much $$ for processing? #5367854 10/19/14 12:49 PM
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Sparky45 Offline OP
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I have been taking my deer in and over the past decade, the prices for just processing, (no sausage or anything extra) have went from $45 up to $70

if you bring in an average doe, you will get about 35-45 lbs of meat if they do a good job cleaning it up.

I'm at the point of not taking mine in this year. One of the main reasons I have is I like that they hang in a cooler for a week before they start on them. I think that's important and I ask for mine to hang.

I think this year I'm going to quarter mine and ice them in a big cooler for a few days. I'm not saying what a processor does is not worth money, but for me, it's higher than I want to pay, if I have the time to do it myself.
another benefit is that I know I will be eating the deer I killed also

I've seen a guy complain that the amount of meat he got back didn't seem like enough so the processor ran to the back and brought out 2 more pounds of burger. Where did that come from? his magic stash or another guy's meat?


Last edited by Sparky45; 10/19/14 12:51 PM.

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Re: How much is too much $$ for processing? [Re: Sparky45] #5368139 10/19/14 04:24 PM
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I can see your points and can share your frustration, but.... what is your time worth?
Can you personally "process" a deer in an hour or two?

Re: How much is too much $$ for processing? [Re: Sparky45] #5368162 10/19/14 04:43 PM
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I have to look at it from the processor's point of view. It's a business he is running and for that $45-$75 seems pretty reasonable for a basic cut and wrap. I would say try to see it from that point of view and ask yourself what you would want to get paid if you had to maintain all of that equipment and do the processing and handle customers on a day to day basis. For all of that fuss, to me that fee seems pretty reasonable.

As for cleaning the game before taking it to the processor, you need to do that yourself anyways. People quarter and gut game and dont clean it and then they take it to a processor expecting them to do all that and get so much meat back. I don't think that really happens at the processor. I think they are in a hurry and just cut what they see as bloody or is dirty and just cut it off rather than clean it. They are in a hurry.

I do like your idea of keeping the meat in a cooler before taking it to be processed. I do that all the time anyway and have for years. I sometimes check my processor and bone out all my meat and trim it before taking it to him but usually I don't have that kind of time. Just too much to do and $75 is worth it for someone else to do it for me.


Last edited by Curtis; 10/19/14 04:45 PM.

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Re: How much is too much $$ for processing? [Re: Curtis] #5368182 10/19/14 04:53 PM
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cheers agree with Curtis. although come from generations of doing it them selves. theirs a lot of work involved in the process. do own processing here. pulling trigger is easy part. flag



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Re: How much is too much $$ for processing? [Re: Sparky45] #5368194 10/19/14 05:02 PM
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I have been processing my own deer for years. I just don't think it's that big of a deal to process a whitetail. I also process friends and relatives deer occasionally as a favor and do not charge them. I probably process 10 deer a year. Having said that I think 75 dollars is a very fair price if he is doing a good job. I would have to charge at least that if I was trying to do its as business.

Last edited by Erny; 10/19/14 05:06 PM.
Re: How much is too much $$ for processing? [Re: Sparky45] #5368201 10/19/14 05:08 PM
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$75.00 Sounds like a lot of money until you do 3-4 yourself at the first of the season. After that, it starts to sound pretty cheap. I wouldn't want to have to make a living doing it for $75.00 each.

Re: How much is too much $$ for processing? [Re: 1860.colt] #5368203 10/19/14 05:08 PM
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Originally Posted By: colt.45
cheers agree with Curtis. although come from generations of doing it them selves. theirs a lot of work involved in the process. do own processing here. pulling trigger is easy part. flag

re reading can't speak for how individual processors. do know the work involved. used ta cut meat in grochery store. & cleaning the machines at the end of every day. flag



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Re: How much is too much $$ for processing? [Re: therock] #5368261 10/19/14 05:47 PM
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Originally Posted By: therock
$75.00 Sounds like a lot of money until you do 3-4 yourself at the first of the season. After that, it starts to sound pretty cheap. I wouldn't want to have to make a living doing it for $75.00 each.



Yep that's me. Feel sorry for the processors rolleyes . grin

Re: How much is too much $$ for processing? [Re: Curtis] #5368308 10/19/14 06:28 PM
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Originally Posted By: Curtis
....I do like your idea of keeping the meat in a cooler before taking it to be processed. I do that all the time anyway and have for years. I sometimes check my processor and bone out all my meat and trim it before taking it to him but usually I don't have that kind of time. Just too much to do and $75 is worth it for someone else to do it for me.


if I understand you correctly, you quarter, age and bone your own meat and then take it to be processed?
what is left to do besides some grinding maybe and wrapping?

It seems to me if you were doing all of that it would make sense to just finish it yourself.


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Re: How much is too much $$ for processing? [Re: therock] #5368315 10/19/14 06:32 PM
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Originally Posted By: therock
$75.00 Sounds like a lot of money until you do 3-4 yourself at the first of the season. After that, it starts to sound pretty cheap. I wouldn't want to have to make a living doing it for $75.00 each.


I am not begrudging anyone for charging what they want to for processing a deer. It is work and a lot of late hours to be kept. It's just for me and I speak only for me, since I have grinders for my sausage making and a vacuum sealer already and I only take usually 2 deer per year, I can just see doing it myself. I have my family and we all pitch in and work together on things like this.

maybe it's not worth it to other guys, I fully respect and understand that. Everyone is different.


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Re: How much is too much $$ for processing? [Re: Sparky45] #5368316 10/19/14 06:33 PM
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Let me say first the processors know what they are doing and have the equipment to do the job. They can do it much faster than I can simply because they do it for a living. Having said that...I gut ,skin, quarter and wash all my animals and am able to put the meat in a cooler. I am retired so I have the time and am not opposed to saving a dollar. I am not into making sausage or cutting steaks. I do keep the backstraps and grind some meat for hamburger but that's it.

Re: How much is too much $$ for processing? [Re: Sparky45] #5368324 10/19/14 06:38 PM
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It's all about the value you place on the service. I once paid about $140 for a deer that I took to a beef packing plant. That's a lot, but when I got it back, there was NO trimming left to be done. It was the cleanest meat I've ever gotten back. Not a bit of silverskin, etc, and the backstraps were already cut and tenderized. Well worth it IMHO.

These days, I do it myself. Gotta put the 3/4 horse grinder to work. whip


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Re: How much is too much $$ for processing? [Re: Sparky45] #5368353 10/19/14 07:04 PM
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Originally Posted By: Sparky45
Originally Posted By: Curtis
....I do like your idea of keeping the meat in a cooler before taking it to be processed. I do that all the time anyway and have for years. I sometimes check my processor and bone out all my meat and trim it before taking it to him but usually I don't have that kind of time. Just too much to do and $75 is worth it for someone else to do it for me.


if I understand you correctly, you quarter, age and bone your own meat and then take it to be processed?
what is left to do besides some grinding maybe and wrapping?

It seems to me if you were doing all of that it would make sense to just finish it yourself.


I don't always bone it out, just sometimes. Such as when I have a new processor to try out and I want to see how much I get back. I dont want to store a grinder and other equipment or take care of it. And the meat sitting in my ice chest isn't costing me any time or money while its there. I take the meat to the processor when I have more things to pick up in town and don't have to make a single trip for just that.


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Re: How much is too much $$ for processing? [Re: Sparky45] #5369157 10/20/14 03:50 AM
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I think 75 is too much.

I used to use a place in Austin, Smokey Denmark, which set the bar for processing. It used to be 45 bucks to process and that was usually cutting into steaks and vacuum packing it. They now charge by the pound for the finished product.

I recently payed 75 bucks to process a doe. I brought 3 quarters and straps and tenders in(front right leg was shattered by the bullet). I had it turned it into sausage... that cost me 4 bucks a pound. total of about 160 bucks for 25 pounds of Sausage. After it was done they mentioned that if I bring it in deboned and only got sausage it would save me the 75 bucks. This was just wrapped in butcher paper with weights on it. Where as Smokey Demark vaccum packed 4-6 links in each package with the date, animal, product and my name.

It is almost worth it to drive an hour out of my way to still have it done in Austin vs Dallas.

my .02

Re: How much is too much $$ for processing? [Re: Sparky45] #5371979 10/21/14 08:15 PM
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I say spend a little cash on some equipment, meat grinder knives etc and do it yourself.

Re: How much is too much $$ for processing? [Re: yeahbuddy] #5372081 10/21/14 08:53 PM
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Originally Posted By: yeahbuddy
I say spend a little cash on some equipment, meat grinder knives etc and do it yourself.


This.



Re: How much is too much $$ for processing? [Re: Sparky45] #5372085 10/21/14 08:57 PM
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What are you getting for $75?

I don't know a single person who walks out of a processor for that cost granted most have sausage made.

I say if your getting 45 lbs of meat back from 1 texas doe then they are mixing something else into the deer or your getting some meat from other people. Hunted a lot of years in the hilcountry and an average doe would weigh anything from 60-75 lbs dressed. Take off the hide head and bones and yeah you don't get that much meat.

For one doe I can make short work of processing, once you get it skinned and quartered your most of the way there anyhow, just makes sense to me. Plus I only eat my deer which are cleanly shot gutted skinned in a timely manner kept cool trimmed well etc.


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Re: How much is too much $$ for processing? [Re: Sparky45] #5372154 10/21/14 09:27 PM
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If you are just grinding most of it I would purchase a grinder and DIY. Would probably save you lots of money and the more you do it the faster you get. Myself and my huntin buddy process all the deer at our camp and do it pretty dang quick. But that took some time just repetitively doing it.

Re: How much is too much $$ for processing? [Re: Sparky45] #5372173 10/21/14 09:38 PM
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Every area of the country is different. In my location in VA it's $75 to butcher a deer. That includes it deboned, fat trimmed and sealed in vacuum bags. That's worth $75 to me.. plus for an extra fee they will do sausage, jerky, etc.

Re: How much is too much $$ for processing? [Re: Sparky45] #5372222 10/21/14 10:04 PM
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Originally Posted By: Sparky45

I've seen a guy complain that the amount of meat he got back didn't seem like enough so the processor ran to the back and brought out 2 more pounds of burger. Where did that come from? his magic stash or another guy's meat?



Not saying it was his meat but MOST processors get deer in every year that people don't want to pay for processing or the fee to donate to hunters for the hungry so the processor goes ahead and grinds it up or makes it into sausage for samples since they can't sell it. I doubt the processor stole it from someone else to give it to the guy.



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My opinion is go with the fatties!
Re: How much is too much $$ for processing? [Re: Sparky45] #5373816 10/22/14 04:44 PM
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$50 per deer here in Longview, but the deer has to be quartered and on ice. That includes debone, back straps tenderized, and everything else ground up into chili meat. Not to bad.

Re: How much is too much $$ for processing? [Re: Sparky45] #5374167 10/22/14 07:51 PM
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Find yourself an old fridge at garage sales, CL, Or Other social media sights. One can be had for around 100 bucks. Buy a grinder and do it yourself. If you take all the racks out of fridge except leave the top one and move it to the top you should be able to hang a quartered deer. bone and separate the muscles removing all silver skin. This will produce more steaks anyway. Grind what little you have left. With practice you should be able to get pretty quick. For $75 a deer you would have saved the cost of the refer and grinder with 2 deer (If you buy a hand grinder)


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Re: How much is too much $$ for processing? [Re: Sparky45] #5375615 10/23/14 03:30 PM
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I just dropped of heavy body cull buck at the processor I go to. I got 10# summer sausage, 10# jalapeno Cheese Summer Sausage, 10# snack stick and the rest ground with beef fat. Cost 100 bucks. Well worth it not to have to do all the work.

Re: How much is too much $$ for processing? [Re: Sparky45] #5383066 10/27/14 11:02 PM
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I pay 60.00 for a basic cut and wrap or a old deer ground into deerburger. It's well worth it to me.

Re: How much is too much $$ for processing? [Re: Sparky45] #5383635 10/28/14 02:48 AM
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100 bucks, 80 at drop off 20 on pick up!
Ground, sausage , tenderloin, butterflied blackstrap , roast!


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