Prices look on the conservative end as well. Some of the beef prices by me are way higher.

Kind of makes the costs of hunting a bit more reasonable.

Unless your me and I haven't tagged one in years and hunt the UP, 500 miles from home....$800-1000 each trip

Stay safe and harness up

 

I come up with....im buying beef at the store and paying crazy prices regardless because im not a very good deer hunter and usually don't kill anything. I suck!

 

Depends how you figure the price per pound. Typically when you buy a 1/4 or 1/2 beef, it’s all the same price per pound, so the good cuts cost the same as burger.

Venison is still pretty cheap if you cut your own, considering tag price. We eat mostly venison all year, but I do have my name on a 1/4 beef come April. We will supplement our venison with that. Pork is still pretty cheap too, if you buy direct from a farmer. I raise my own chickens, too. Probably not as cheap as the store, but I do know what they were fed.

 

 

How many lbs of meat is a 1/4 beef and how much per pound is it if you don't mind me asking.

 

Here I'm Indiana,a friend of mine bought a 1/4 a few months ago. The beef weighed around #1200 on the hoof. Total price, purchase + processing was right around $1000.

 

I hunt for the enjoyment. It's purely recreational, and yes it costs $$. I have no interest in that price stuff but that's just me.

 

Ground Round is now more expensive than 3.50 per lb
Remember when ground sirloin was that price now its creeping 7 buckos a lb
Roasts i have seen anywhere from 4.99- 7 bucks a lb.

I dont know what kind of cheapo steaks your finding at grocery stores for 4 bucks a lb they are all in double digit territory per lb.

 

So my figures are way low.

 

When you buy a beef a quarter or half at a time, your paying hang weight. So, $3.50 per lb hang weight. That’s hide, fat, meat and bone. If you weight your take home, it’s more like 6 to 8 dollars a lb. Definitely worth it for prime cuts and about even or slightly high for burger. Compared to venison, there is no comparison. I process my own. $20 a tag and time. Buy all my packaging in bulk so cost is minimal. I figure every deer saves me approximately $200 off my grocery bill.

 

Imagine the savings if you were buying the beef cut from the grocery store.
I would guess most do not almost completely replace beef with venison like my family does. They only extra cost is the bacon I grind in to some ground for grilling patties.

 

@Trap Star: Neighbor said it would be around $3.10/lb wrapped. Said a quarter is 600-700 lbs. He raises an Angus cross.

 

If that 3.10 isn't hanging weight and truly is the price per pound in your freezer, that's one hell of a good price. If figured that price would be in the 4.00+ range.

 

We eat mostly venison I also process my own so at 20 per tag it’s way less than beef for us . We also raise chickens for meat too I agree probably close to the same cost as buying at the store but I know what they ate and got to say way better than any chicken you’ll buy in a store

 

I do the same. I also don’t think venison and run of the mill beef are comparable. We really need to look at leaner meat options, and those aren’t cheap.

 

Lot of misinformation here. Hanging weight of beef is carcass only for starters. A heavy quarter would be 225lbs

 

indeed

 

Carcass meaning just gutted correct like carnivore said? Meat fat skin bones.

 

not in my experience, 7 decades

 

If you figured 5$ a pound finished cost to your freezer for a quarter of beef bought from a farmer you would be close. That's an average of all cuts, which is a decent deal these days.

 

No. Carcass. No skin or head

 

I don't think many hunters will get 130 lbs. of meat from 3 does.

L & O

 

40 percent yield on a 108 lb deer x 3.

 

With bloodshot etc I'd say more like 100lbs from 3 108lb does. Depending on how you butcher. If you keep rib meat and everything you may do better. I've raised cattle for slaughter, and it's the same, minus bloodshot. Bone in, boneless, how it's cut makes a difference on net yield into the freezer

 

.......... If you keep rib meat and everything you may do better. ...........

Only coyotes eat rib meat. Possums won't even eat it.

L & O

 

Haven't paid all that much attention at the grocery store, probably make me 🤮. Know don't get much for amount of $$$$.
But would say ground JUNK is much more then 3.50# no comparison to prime deer ground!
Back straps I would compare to any prime cut of beef (for me anyways) so say a ribeye for someone who would choose beef over venison.
9$/# is also MUCH cheaper than what a ribeye will go for (think)...

Leg steaks, which I get a lot of from deer (hind quarters) and some front quarters are again much more enjoyable then most all beef steaks. Maybe a Ribeye might beat em, sometimes.
Would most definitely say again, WAY more expensive then 4$/#.
Don't do roast or stew so can't speak for them.

I'm crossing fingers I'll kill another tomorrow. I've got room and bubb and I are going to eat 3 this year no doubt about it. Muscle food and she loves it as much as myself. When ma left she started eating the burger.. Unaware too her... "dad these tacos, nachos are SO good"... "Dad these burgers are the best"... Ma wasn't a fan of the burger.... Bubbs IS so that's that much more burger we're flying through.

 

I'm going to have to weigh all the meat I get back from my butcher sometime. Average doe is 115-123#s or so. I usually get 4 plastic grocery bags stuffed to the max.. My 210# buck I got 8 bags!!

 

Yield from a field dressed deer is typically around 50% of dressed weight. So 120lb doe you can expect around 60lbs of meat assuming little or no meat loss from damage, spoilage, etc. if you are very diligent about using every scrap of meat off the bone.

I figure after yesterdays doe i will have put about 150lbs of venison in the freezer this year. After I did my fuzzy math it would take approx. 4 deer and me butchering them all myself for me to get a freezer full cheaper than buying a quarter cow (not prepackaged beef).

If you are comparing to prepackaged beef at the local grocery store, and assuming you are rolling no incidental costs into the price of venison other than tags (ie: ammo, gas, new camo, new gun, broadhead, food plot seed, etc.) then the price per lb of venison is much more attractive than the $3.50+ per lb of retail beef. Of course many of us (including myself) spend hundreds and sometimes thousands in a calendar year on hunting pursuits so by the time you factor in all your incidentals into the cost per pound in all but the most conservative estimates you probably would have saved money buying a quarter cow instead.

But where’s the fun in that? We hunt and spend money hunting because it’s our passion. I try not to compare bills to the grocery store too much.

 

I'm talking meat only not everything else involved lol.
However personally I know I'm on top. I've had 2 bows my whole life, fuel isn't a factor as I can walk to or drive 8 minutes to my hunting property. I can butcher myself so tags really are all I have into it other than when I gun hunt which I've had the same box of ammo for 3 years now. Only takes one to make sure the scope is on and one to kill the deer.

 

The Beef prices quoted to me this year for a whole cow was 3.30 per lb + 1.00 per pound processing. Thats live weight. I passed this year and headed to the woods and shot 2 bucks and 2 does.

Figured when i want beef, i can pickup some beef cheaper than 4.30 per lb. Rest of year, offset with venison (which we prefer anyway being leaner)

 

We get 1/4 side of beef which is about 200-225 lb of meat. Cut and vacuum sealed. Between $750-$850 otd...so about $3.75 lb...burger,t-bones, roasts etc...way better than store crap...the crazy thing is the butcher prices for cutting the beef is reasonable but dèer processing are way higher.

 

This has been my experience

 

Backstraps are way under priced That’s filet mignon right there so at least 20 bucks a pound.

 

If you really want to up the cost savings compare it to oragnic and or grass finished beef. I mean deer are not feed lot snd only eat corn if shot in areas with corn fields in the area. Living the natural life= organic and more omega3s than feed lot/corn fed cattle. Health benefits right there.

 

The whole subject is very complex. I can make a case that you can go buy a $ 100 12ga single shot and a box of 5 buckshot, wear whatever clothes you have around the house, hunt public land on 11/15 and fill a couple tags, process it yourself and it's pretty reasonable meat. Or, like most of us it's probably $20 lb if you count time off work etc

 

Even for the big spenders, at least it's a hobby that gives SOMETHING back. What if our passion was golf? Can't eat birdies. That kind of birdies at least.

 

I got 62 package of meat from my buck processed packs one pound charges 120 so I figure cheap meat since I just hunt by my house only have to bug license will never have to buy anything for hunting not evan shells got ten for deers and ten for turkeys ii don’t think I will be able to hunt many more so 60 packs at least 120 to 150 meals for total cost with licens 140 dollersless than dollar meal

 

Several years ago a young neighbor lady took me up on my offer to teach her how to butcher a deer.

She had a small doe that had been roadkilled with a broken neck.

We got it hung and skinned - then I started showing her how to take the backstraps, then taking front shoulders off - and let her go to work.

I swear this girl did a job army ants would be proud of.

Guestimate - a 110 lbs doe yeilded a good 40 lbs (two 3 1/2 gallon buckets) of cleaned meat - and nearly that in "other".

Tenacious kid...