Cost of deer processing ...

Just about everyone Ive talked to uses someone different so I havent decided where I will take my first deer when I get one. However, Id like to have an idea where before then. Quality, cleanliness, word of mouth, getting your own deer, etc seem like all good things to ask about but what should I expect for pricing to avoid getting squeezed the first time around? I would expect a basic set of cuts and I can change it up next time around. Also, any preferred ones in Wetumpka area? Thanks

60 bucks or so

This^^^

PICKED my deer up sunday and it was 70 ..

I dropped one off a week ago and was told $75. I'm in Tuscaloosa. Thinking about investing in processing equipment next year and doing it myself. Starting to get steep.

I picked up a bow kill last week..$122 but he puts out damn good meat and I got some specialty stuff.He does Bacon burger that cost extra and I got $25 worth of smoked Jalapeno/cheese summer sausage that lasted about 3 days in my house.We love the stuff but its expensive.If I were to take one and have a basic process done I thinks he's around $65-$70

Quarter the deer up yourself, will save you usually 20.00 or more depending on the processor.

All of them are a little different in regards to procedures which effects pricing. Example - Some charge for deboning and others don't and charge higher overall prices to compensate.
Most have a price per pound depending on the end product. Get a price list before you drop it off.
The biggest factor in total cost will be what you get the meat made into too.

Great info, thanks. I have one place right down from club that got so-so reviews and one place real close that I havent heard good or bad.

I recommend processing it yourself, its not hard to do and you appreciate that much more.

Doenut, I'm not sure where you're hunting but you need to check out a processor in the Shorter area. I think the name was Shanna's. It was somewhere around Shorter or Tallassee. I never used them but several guys I know did and were very pleased.

As mentioned above, prices vary based on what you want. Basic cuts like roasts, cube steak, and ground meat are generally covered under the basic fee and prices go up from there. Stuff like jerky, sausage, and other specialties take more time to make so they cost a good bit more. You can easily go over $100 if you have stuff like summer sausage and jerky made. My advice, keep your back straps and loins whole. If you like country fried steak, get some cubed steak, and get everything else ground. Deer steaks and deer roasts are overrated if we're being honest. I eat 3-4 deer a year so I'm not knocking it, but if we're being honest, beef is much better when it comes to roasts and steaks. Beef has more fat which makes it much juicier and more tender. An over cooked deer roast or steak will be similar to trying to eat a Wolverine boot.

I hunt in Coosa county and live in Wetumpka so I will try close to there first. But thank you for the advice. I have two friends that process their own and one that makes his own sausage. Plan on getting with them and learning as much as I can. Ive got a jerky recipe that was good enough to use the whole deer for but not very practical.

A unskinned, ungutted buck that is made into small link smoked sausage can run over $200 with the addition of pork fat.

I got hit with sticker shock last year on the buck in my avatar. $203 for burger and bacon burger, tenderloins and backstrap whole. It was late, raining and we were headed back to Bham so I dropped him off whole. Never again for me. The price added up on the receipt but I just couldn't believe it. Charged $50 to skin/gut.

I'd take +\-$100 all day. I'd love to find these $60-$70 processors y'all speak of. Are y'all taking the deer whole? Gutted? Gutted and skinned out?

Ouch! I bet thats good eatin but it needs to be way than conecuh or kellys for that kind of scratch.

The one I have been taking to in Fairview requires you to gut it but thats it they skin and all. They do the rest for right around $65. They don't do any specialty like smoked sausage, summer, sausage, anything like that. You can get sausage, ground meat, steak cuts, jerky cuts, roast, etc though and price stays the same.

I'm considering taking to a place that does a little more specialty though. Don't mind paying a little more but I'm not paying $200 for a deer.

$50 to gut one does not surprise me. I've had several tell me that disposing of the guts and carcasses are one of their biggest issues. They can quickly fill up a dumpster in less than a week's time when they get busy. When your dumpster is full, you can't do much until it gets emptied. They charge those fees to encourage folks to gut them before they drop them off. I pay $60-70 (honesty don't remember) for one that has been gutted and has the hide left on. I am not getting any sausage or jerky for that price, just basic cuts and ground.

The one I use is $65. That's them gutting, skinning, and basic processing (burger, sausge, cube, roast, and leaving backstraps and tenderloins whole. Snack sticks and summer sausage will run the price up quick.

$55 if you roll em off the tailgate at Rubo's in Fort Gaines GA. That's where I take all of mine obviously. That's for tenderloins and back straps whole, and then half hamburger and half cube steak. Will change it up and do some in breakfast sausage or cut up some stew meat for an extra $5. $35 for that basic cut if you bring the deer to them in a cooler. Took two to them last year, had to buy a deep freezer. He gets everything off of them for sure. Took my last deer to Jimmy's in midland city because I had heard the sausage was good...it was, but I told them tenderloins and back straps whole, cube everything you can, and make sausage out of the rest...ended up with 11 lbs of cube steak and SEVENTY TWO lbs of smoked sausage...and a bill of $367.

The one I use is $60 for a deer gutted and skin on. Summer sausage and jerky is extra cost based on pound per raw meat weight. The normal $60 cut is roast or steaks/ cube steaks, Burger or sausage your choice , and you can get whole, sliced, butterfly cut backstrap or have raw jerky slices cut. I make my own jerky so I normally get a hind quarter sliced for jerky and we like the deer steaks better then beef steaks so I get a bunch of those out of my deer. Also if you quarter and bring the deer to him to process the deer he charges me $30-$40 per deer. He also has the policy of if he wouldn't serve it on his table you don't get the meat. Example of that I destroyed both front shoulders of a deer last year and both shoulder had bone chips and was bloody so it went to the trash pile and I paid half price processing since I only got half the meat from that deer. I will also add he only cuts one deer at a time and you get your deer back and I have never found any hair in my meat. He does charge $35 to gut one.

I live in Tuscaloosa, and the guy I use is the man! I normally just get everything cubed and what's left made into burger. Costs about $70....but the amount of meat is what's surprising. Two big boxes full of vacuum sealed meat every time, even off a doe. I've used other people before and paid over $100 not knowing any better, and got half the meat...just got to find a good one and stick with him! And that's him doing all the work.

Florence area $50 and up

Edmonsons between calera and alabaster is right around $60 you gut it and get the basic cuts of meat.

Reed's?

One I've used charges $20 to skin and gut, then charges around $40 to $50 depending on the size. Snack stick will increase the total by $80 for 25 lbs. Breakfast sausage is no extra charge up to 15 lbs, then it adds something like 65 cents a pound. Everything comes back vacuum sealed and clean. I just had a buck processed and had 35 extra pounds of breakfast sausage plus had him skin and gut the deer and the whole thing was under $100.

It is so expensive around here that if you kill very many deer at all, it is cheaper to just buy the equipment yourself. We do our own. It is not hard and you KNOW how the meat was handled!!

No he uses a guy close to the house. I use reeds and it's $55 or $60 I think if gutted. They all add up if you get specialty meats like jerky and sausage.

10-4. I saw where Reed's does the jalapeño and cheese summer sausage and thought it might have been them. I carried my hog to Reed's. Smoked and sliced one of the hams, sliced the pork chops and the rest of it in sausage and it was $63 for a 140 pound hog. I thought that was very reasonable.

+1 if you'll watch BPS for their sales & get their .75 HP grinder, it'll pay for itself after only 2-3 deer...

Definitely worth doing it yourself. You just need to have the time to do it but the reward is you control the quality of your product. The videos out there explain it and demonstrate well. I use a cheap Walmart grinder, dehydrator, vacuum sealer & mixing tubs. I order kits from Cabelas or LEM to make sausage, jerky, & summer sausage. Order high temperature cheese from LEM and you'll make jalapeño & cheese summer sausage as good as a processor for less money. If you're going to do it a lot buy a better grinder. I pick up a pork tenderloin from Costco to use for mixing to make deer sausage or beef to make deer burger. Most of the kits come with casings which are simple to use. Or don't use the casings & make sausage patties. You'll make mistakes but learn quickly and you know you did it yourself.

There sausage is really good to me. I'm not a big fan of store bought since it's so greasy but with a wild pig you have to add grease to the pan and it is really good.

If your wife or significant other has a kitchen aide mixer, there is a grinder attachment you can buy pretty cheap that you can use to make burger. It isn't as good as the cabelas grinders but it will do if you are on a budget. Plus you can buy it as a gift for her. Kills two birds with one stone if you are short on cash or space.

Here is a price list from Buck and Nannies in Calera. I think it is from last year.

That place in Calera seems high......$4 to cut the horns off? really?

Richey's in Greensboro always charged me like $60-65 for processing (cubed, ground, and loins/backstrap whole), and that included gutting (we didn't field dress them b/c they're literally a mile from the club) and caping out my buck.

Dang man that's the highest Ive heard yet. Especially the charge for gutting. Most places Ive seen charge $15-$20 for gutting. I even let one guy in Cottondale process one for me last year that didn't even charge for it.

Gomer, have you been satisfied with Richys or do you use him because of location? I notice he gets a lot of business when I have passed by there.

I used Richy's for 7-8 yrs, and some of the guys I was hunting with have used him a lot longer than that. Only reason I no longer use him is that I'm not hunting in Greensboro anymore (or even anywhere near). They still use him and if I were closer I would too. The proximity to the club was just an added bonus, but I'd have used him even if he hadn't been so close.

Never had a bad experience with them.

Here's Richey's price list....there have been several deer that they didn't charge me the cleaning fee even though I never cleaned one myself.

It was a +/- 200lb deer. $50 to skin/gut, $5 to cut the head off and then charged by the pound for burger ($1.99) and bacon burger ($2.39). Ended up with about 65lbs of meat with the straps and loins but it was still way more than I wanted to pay. I like these places that charge you by the deer better (for the basic cuts) than the by the pound. Seems like I need to find one of those that does good work.

hey bud, sent u a PM, re: sausage patty making

Well that is a big deer so I guess I can see it running up a bill but still surprised he charged you that much to gut it. 65lbs of meat is a nice kill.

I quarter mine before it goes ...the first one I dropped off this year I got burger, country sausage, cubed steak it was 69.00. The last one I just dropped off was quartered as well..it will cost me 134.00. With that one I got bacon burger,country sausage,snack sticks,and cubed steak. The snack sticks are 15.00 a pound so that runs the price up quick

Just all depends on if you skin and gut it before taking to them and what you have made out of it and how big the deer is. Anywhere from $60-$200

When you guys are quartering deer before taking to processor, do you also skin it? Sorry if that is a dumb question but...

Yes...I skin mine and quarter it up (no need to gut it if you're going to quarter it and put in a cooler). I take it to my processor and it costs $.85/lb to get basic products made (cubed steak, burger, salisbury steak, smoked (ground) sausage, breakfast sausage, etc.); specialty meats (kielbasa, summer sausage, etc.) cost much more...The doe I killed in bow season cost me $44 and that includes the additional beef/pork fat they added to my burger

Got it. Sent u pm with info.

Ive been doing my own and prob wont ever pay to have another one done. The guy I've been using has gone up to $65. I just ain't gonna pay that much.

Also, making jerky, sausage, summer sausage, bacon burger, etc really isn't hard at all. Any good sporting goods store sells sausage kits with the casing and all the spices. Stuff them and smoke them.

I'm going to make a jerky board soon also so I can get those uniform, thin cuts of meat.

I took my daughter's spike to grants last week. I'll pick it up sometime this weekend. It was $65 for basic ground, cube steak, and leave loins and backstrap whole. I didn't gut or skin it before dropping it off. First time I've ever used a processor. I'll try to post some feedback when I pick it up.

i take mine to D&S off highway 14 east of 231. you aint gonna find a cleaner place and he turns out all the meat there is on a deer .

I used Lynn's in Holt for about 7 years now... I dropped off 3 deer the other morning and it was $200 for all 3. 2 does and a 200 lbs buck. I got burger , cube steak, and made some sausage.

Great info in this thread, thanks for the input. I have been told to use Heavys in Titus. I'll check them out.

Yes I skin mine when before I quarter them ...and I gut them when I quarter as well so that I can remove the inner loins

I have used Heavy for years with very good results. He is on Holman cemetery road. The only thing is that he charges a fixed price for a deer no matter the size. Good deal if you just shoot big body deer. When hunting up there I always judge deer by how many paper bags of meat I think it will yeild. I Try not to shot anything less than a 3 bagger. The last time I was up there a couple years back I think it was $75 for a standard cut.