meat

[Douglas]

how many lbs of meat can you get from an average southern Whitetail and black bear?

 

[Stumpkiller]

Here's a "chart" that compares live weight (middle column) to the field dressed and boned-out results. If you're adding fat for ground meat you should end up with more total weight.

I don't know what an Average Southern Whitetail weighs, but in my region a 200 pounder (field dressed) is respectable and right around 165 # dressed is full grown and healthy. Averages out to maybe 180# dressed for an adult buck. I've taken does that go over 200 # dressed at check stations

Field Weight Live Weight Edible Lean Meat
36 49 23
39 53 24
42 56 26
45 60 28
49 65 30
53 69 31
57 74 34
62 79 36
67 85 38
72 91 41
77 97 44
83 104 47
90 111 50
97 119 53
104 127 57
112 136 63
120 145 65
129 156 69
139 166 74
149 178 79
160 191 85
172 204 90
184 218 97
198 234 103
212 250 110
228 267 118
244 286 126

Meat yield chart

:results: I had a friend who would hang a carcass and take his Rapala filet knife to it. When he was done it looked like a bleached skeleton that had been set on an ant hill. However, if you take it to a busy meat processor he's not going to be as thorough and will waste some of the meat.

 

[roundball]

I'd always used 1/3 of live weight as the rule of thumb.

I've deer hunted since the 60's but never personally weighed one and don't have any quick reference info to look at...so I just called our NC wildlife department, and after 15 minutes on the phone being switched from one person to another, I'm shocked to say that nobody there knew.

So knowing we humans sometimes over-estimate the weight of a deer, I'll be conservative and estimate as follows:
Average mature Doe = 125 lb (+/-)
Average mature Buck = 150 lb (+/-)

As an example, I'm a good size feller and it's all I can do to drag out a mature buck with one hand...and I doubt I could do it at all if he weighed as much as two 100lb bags of feed stacked on top of each other...not real scientific but hopefully realistic.

If I'm lucky, I'll get a fresh feel for draggin' some more out in not too many more weeks !

::

 

[Randal Zartman]

Wow Stumpy, in your region a 200 pounder (field dressed) is respectable, I gots to get me gone north this year. Actually I have an invite to hunt on a farm near Watertown this fall. Boy did I jump at that opportunity :winking:
Zman