What can you expect?

[Rancid Crabtree]

How much meat do you expect to get off your deer? It has been my experience that I get about 55% of the hanging dressed weight for a deer that is shot with the bow. That is to say a deer with no wasted meat due to the wound. A gun killed deer will yield less meat due to all the bullet damage. Here is what you can expect to get from your deer. Most folks are surprised at how much loss there is to the final weight of the meat you will yield. When I butcher deer for other folks, I record the weights of the things like the head, legs, hide, bone and trim. I show that to them these numbers when they pick up their meat ( I don't want folks thinking I am keeping their meat from them)
The worst case I have ever had was a gun shot fawn that was hit through the hind quarters. I returned that hunter 14 pounds of meat. Shot placement will dictate how much meat you can recover. I guess that is why I am more of a bow hunter than a gun hunter.

Live wgt..................Dressed Wgt..................Boneless meat

90#............................70....................................39
125#..........................99....................................57
150#.........................120...................................68
180#.........................143...................................79
210#.........................170...................................94
240#.........................195...................................108
290#.........................233...................................130



Boneless Hind
1) Eye of Round
2) Bottom Round
3) Top Sirloin
4) Top Round
5) Sirloin Tip
6) Tenderloins
7) Backstraps

Boneless Front
8) Neck
9) Shoulder
10) Top Blade
11) Mock Tender

After you have gone through so much work to bring home some fresh venison, you will want to make sure it will taste good even after it sits in your freezer for several months. It's true that no meat is ever improved by freezing but you can make the best of it by protecting your venison from the effects of freezer burn. I prefer a vacuum sealer but not everybody has one.

If you wrap your meat in butcher/freezer paper, it won't last long before freezer burn sets in. You need to use a heavy plastic wrap first. Wrap your meat in layers and press out as much air as you can. Start with a single layer of plastic wrap. Place the meat on the wrap and roll it up tightly. This will still leave the ends exposed it it is a large cut.



Next, wrap the meat in another layer of plastic wrap but this time, turn the meat and wrap in the other direction. Fold over the plastic wrap to protect the previously exposed ends.



While wrapping, squeeze out as much air as you can. You do not want a layer of air next to the meat. The plastic wrap should be in contact with the meat.



Now that you have two layers of plastic wrap over the meat. Wrap the meat again in a good quality freezer paper that has a plastic coating on one side. Use enough so that when you are finished, you will have two layers of paper over the plastic wrap.



While rolling/wrapping, make sure to tuck in and fold the ends to make a good seal. Again, make sure to squeeze out as much air as possible. Seal the paper with tape, Identify the cuts and the date and this meat should last six months in your freezer.

I have come across a lost package or two in the bottom of my freezer that were a year old and they were just as good as the day I wrapped them.