# Average amount of meat back for Doe sizes



## exide9922 (Aug 9, 2010)

Just curious on this here. Definitely don't think i was shorted or anything like that, not the intent of this question at all. So off of a large, mid size or small doe, how many pounds of meat would you consider the average to get back on each? normal cut, nothing special added like pork or getting summer sausage made. more curious of the size doe i'm taking I guess


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

friend of mine with just an average size doe two years ago was 33 lbs. And we trust the butcher completely.

Front legs, back legs, neck, loins, that is not a lot of weight once boned.


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## exide9922 (Aug 9, 2010)

Lundy said:


> friend of mine with just an average size doe two years ago was 33 lbs. And we trust the butcher completely.
> 
> Front legs, back legs, neck, loins, that is not a lot of weight once boned.



thanks for the response Lundy. So between my 13 year old and I we took 3 this year. I weighed the meat we got back and they were all between 38-42 pounds of meat each. the steaks and the neck roasts still have bone in though. but that cant weigh to much i'd think. i thought the deer were maybe a bit on the small side, but kinda sounds like that may be about right? I've taken larger does before but never really thought to weigh the meat. deer had plenty to eat in the area, lots of farms.


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## caseyroo (Jun 26, 2006)

My doe this year was 46 pounds back


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

exide9922 said:


> thanks for the response Lundy. So between my 13 year old and I we took 3 this year. I weighed the meat we got back and they were all between 38-42 pounds of meat each. the steaks and the neck roasts still have bone in though. but that cant weigh to much i'd think. i thought the deer were maybe a bit on the small side, but kinda sounds like that may be about right? I've taken larger does before but never really thought to weigh the meat. deer had plenty to eat in the area, lots of farms.


Sounds about right...got a 185 lb buck with the truck 4 yrs ago....no real damage to the meat.....rib thru the lung...got 60 lbs of meat from copes


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

Saugeye Tom said:


> Sounds about right...got a 185 lb buck with the truck 4 yrs ago....no real damage to the meat.....rib thru the lung...got 60 lbs of meat from copes


Yep...if you can get the total weight of the deer just take a 1/3 of that. That should be very close to the meat you should get back.


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

fastwater said:


> Yep...if you can get the total weight of the deer just take a 1/3 of that. That should be very close to the meat you should get back.


And 5500.00 dollars worth of repairs


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

Saugeye Tom said:


> And 5500.00 dollars worth of repairs


Lol!

When I was working I was shown an expense sheet for a deer kill in a park the city and state shared in.
Meat was processed and donated to a food bank.
Pounds of meat donated divided by total cost of tax $'s spent on kill was almost $13.00/lb. 
and that was getting the butchering done at a cut rate.

I'd hate to figure what some of my venison has cost me.


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

fastwater said:


> Lol!
> 
> When I was working I was shown an expense sheet for a deer kill in a park the city and state shared in.
> Meat was processed and donated to a food bank.
> Pounds of meat donated divided by total cost of tax $'s spent on kill was almost $13.00/lb.


13.....pretty cheap!!!...hunted deer are about 75 bucks a lb


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

Saugeye Tom said:


> 13.....pretty cheap!!!...hunted deer are about 75 bucks a lb


You bet! And that's usually not figuring time spent.


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## fishingful (Apr 5, 2004)

I got 70 or 75 lbs back for a doe years ago. Largest doe I have ever seen or shot. My first deer. We didn't weigh it but it was huge. Made a 6 point look small that was next to it.


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## ML1187 (Mar 13, 2012)

fastwater said:


> You bet! And that's usually not figuring time spent.


You know I've never thought about it like that ... man that's some expensive meat I've been eating !


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## Tom 513 (Nov 26, 2012)

Saugeye Tom said:


> 13.....pretty cheap!!!...hunted deer are about 75 bucks a lb


And deer hunted with a truck are roughly $100 a pound! lol. I used to have a great farm to hunt in Indiana, then the out of state tags went through the roof, after harvesting a very nice 12 pointer and having him mounted I decided I could buy a lot more steak which I like better than venison, now the only way I take a deer is on my own property, its not quit the adventure but makes more sense dollar wise.


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

ML1187 said:


> You know I've never thought about it like that ... man that's some expensive meat I've been eating !


Obviously you can cut your expenses down processing your own deer but however you figure it, the cost of deer per lb. is usually always more expensive than what you can buy beef for. But IMO, not always more healthy eating...and it's not nearly as fun shopping at Krogers versus going hunting.


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

fastwater said:


> Obviously you can cut your expenses down processing your own deer but however you figure it, the cost of deer per lb. is usually always more expensive than what you can buy beef for. But IMO, not always more healthy eating...and it's not nearly as fun shopping at Krogers versus going hunting.


When I have to shop....I pretend I'm hunting....


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

yeah I couldn't afford to hunt if I figured the cost per lb of the meat. I mostly hunt for pleasure and if I get a deer its a bonus.
sherman


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## M R DUCKS (Feb 20, 2010)

Saugeye Tom....yours was only about $917/lb....


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## Shad Rap (Nov 10, 2010)

Saugeye Tom said:


> And 5500.00 dollars worth of repairs


I would of let that deer rot...


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

Saugeye Tom said:


> When I have to shop....I pretend I'm hunting....


Yes...but the local Krogers management had me arrested for setting up a stand in the meat department. They all must belong to that PETA organization. Been barred from a couple places in my life but that was the 1st from Krogers.


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

fastwater said:


> Yes...but the local Krogers management had me arrested for setting up a stand in the meat department. They all must belong to that PETA organization. Been barred from a couple places in my life but that was the 1st from Krogers.


Lol. I use a ground blind


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

fastwater said:


> Yes...but the local Krogers management had me arrested for setting up a stand in the meat department. They all must belong to that PETA organization. Been barred from a couple places in my life but that was the 1st from Krogers.


I'm invisible like Burt from the sitcom SOAP


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

my son got a 70# doe and he got back 9 rolls of sausage and the tenderloins. that would not have been much of a return on his investment. just the processing was 119.00. 65.00 for doing the deer and 54.00 for the sausage.(he's going to let me have a couple of rolls of sausage) not to mention gas and camping fees the 1st weekend, then gas and a hotel the 2nd weekend. and I did have a great season hunting in the snow and spending time with my son. even though I didn't get anything.
sherman


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

fastwater said:


> You bet! And that's usually not figuring time spent.


Good point! My buddy got a weirdo forky buck last year that bodywise, looked to be at least 2 1/2, maybe 3 1/2 years old! He was big! My buddy was not exactly flush with money at the time, so he decided he'd process it himself. We Googled up a bunch of info and had at it. And we did a pretty good job. The one thing that impressed me was just getting the hide off the thing. It weighed a ton! No wonder that deer are able to survive the winter! 

And, if we were charging by the hour, God knows what the price per pound of that meat would have been!


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

buckeyebowman said:


> Good point! My buddy got a weirdo forky buck last year that bodywise, looked to be at least 2 1/2, maybe 3 1/2 years old! He was big! My buddy was not exactly flush with money at the time, so he decided he'd process it himself. We Googled up a bunch of info and had at it. And we did a pretty good job. The one thing that impressed me was just getting the hide off the thing. It weighed a ton! No wonder that deer are able to survive the winter!
> 
> And, if we were charging by the hour, God knows what the price per pound of that meat would have been!


You bet! I do all my own processing as well. It's time consuming but like hunting, just something I enjoy doing. And I know I pick the carcass a lot cleaner than having it done. But again, that's more time. 
If I figured everything in, time and all, to put a $ amount on it per oz. would be more like gold or silver than meat.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

yeah we as sportsmen would have to give up our passion for spending time alone out in the cold woods if we only hunted for meat. I would get a lot more meat if I hunted for squirrel and rabbits than I get from deer and I've been blessed with my deer hunting. I haven't got a deer the last 3 yrs I've hunted. but I started hunting deer back in 81 and got at least 1 deer every yr but 2 until the last 3 yrs. some yrs I got 2 and a few yrs I've gotten as many as 3. but that was back when I hunted bow and gun and muzzleloader seasons, and a few were taken on antlerless tags. but even with that the expence per lb with gun purchases, ammo, hunting clothing, boots, gas, camping fees, motel, and other expenses I still couldn't justify the cost of going hunting. and i'll keep hunting as long as I'm able and my son hunts with me deer or no deer.
sherman


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