Your First Time at a Deer Processor [Cost, Time, & Cuts]

If you have never been to a deer processor before, or shot a deer, the whole process can be a little intimidating. After you get your deer ready to go, how much is it going to cost, how long will it take, and what kind of cuts do you ask for? Especially if you have never met the actual processor before, I can see how this could give anyone a little anxiety. Don’t worry, though, it isn’t nearly as complicated as you may think.

Taking your deer to a processor is the culmination of a lot of hard preparation and hunting, so knowing what to expect is important. Take a few minutes to think about the cuts you want and what processor you are going to go to. The best time to research and pick a processor is before your hunt, not when you’ve loaded up your deer in the truck and have to go to the closest one. If you are reading this before the season, you are on the right track.

To help with your research to make a good choice, we’ll talk about general cost information, how long you should expect processing to take, and what cuts of meat you will get or should ask for. 

Processing Before The Processor

To most processors, you can absolutely take your entire deer to them and have them do the process from A to B, but you will pay for it. To get somewhat of a discount, you can gut your own deer, which isn’t so hard after you do it a few times. Your end product will also taste much better if you can remove the organs quicker. Doing that yourself could be the difference between the organs staying in the deer for half an hour, or 5 hours, and the difference in taste between those two deer is night and day I assure you. 

Although to get the best price out of a processor, you will want to bring your deer in already quartered up and in a cooler. This takes a little more time on your end, but this is a good skill to have and build as a hunter, and you will certainly be one of your processors favorite clients. 

If you aren’t sure how to gut or quarter a deer and get it all prepped in a cooler, check out this article I wrote called “DIY Deer Processing VS Using A Professional Processor” that goes into detail on the topic.

Meat Processing Cost

When you’re looking for a deer processor, one of the first things you’ll look for is how much they charge. If you have a few processors to choose from close to you, you’ll have an opportunity to price shop and decide which one fits your budget.

Within a 30-mile radius of my house, I can expect to pay anywhere from $60-125 for a basic processing job. If you want them to skin and gut it, you can expect to pay around $50-100 extra. It sounds like a lot, but consider that an average deer will yield around 50 pounds of meat. The cost per pound even after processing is looking much more favorable than buying steaks, or even ground beef from the grocery store nowadays.

I actually made a meat yield calculator just for this purpose that you can see right here. Just enter in the dress/gutted weight of your deer, and it will spit out how much edible meat you should expect to get. 

Different Types of Meat Processors 

Why the wide range of processing fees, though? Let me start by saying that, if I’m not processing a deer myself, I will only use a processor that’s been licensed by my state’s agriculture department. This means they’re regularly inspected to meet state standards. If they are state certified you can be assured that they’re a clean, sanitary operation. 

Around where I live there are two general types of processors: first is a family business; second is a brick and mortar deer processing company. Neither one is inherently better. If you have a choice, there are some things to consider when deciding between the two. Every factor you choose is important and will determine the cost.

First, the person running a family business on their own property probably has less overhead than a commercial establishment. They own their building and may have fewer or no employees, so their cost to process a deer is less than that of a commercial processor. Depending on the operation though, they may have less workload capacity and may be unable to do some specialty cuts.

For the commercial outfit, they’re likely paying rent or mortgage on a building and have a staff to support. Their cost to process a deer will be higher.  With the higher cost, you’ll see a wider offering of products, such as jerky, hot dogs, and snack sticks that a smaller processor can’t offer. Having a larger staff also means they can probably handle more deer and have a faster turnaround time. 

To make my choice ultra simplified, when I don’t want to or don’t have the time to butcher my own deer, deciding on where to take them is pretty easy. Whoever is on the way home from my hunting spot is where I take it. I’ll end up driving an hour and a half out of my way to save a few dollars if I get too picky. 

Meat Processing Time

You’ve waited all year for hunting season, found success on opening day, and you’re dropping off your deer at the processor while dreaming of a stocked freezer. How long will it take to get that meat back in your hands and in your cast iron skillet?

The answer is: it depends! If you’re bringing in a deer on the opening weekend of rifle season in my state, you’ve killed one of about 14,000 (reported) deer that were harvested in those two days. For ease of calculation, if everyone took their deer to a processor that would be over 300 deer at each state processor. Obviously, those volumes will vary based on location, but it gives you an idea of what those folks are dealing with.

The actual amount of time depends on the amount of deer brought in at or around the same time yours is. On a typical weekend in the fall or winter, I would expect it to take about a week to get your deer processed and ready for pickup. On an opening weekend (archery or rifle), you can expect that timeline to double.

To remove some mystery from the situation, ask the processor when you drop off your deer how long they expect it to take. You’ll get an answer, but it will probably come with a huff and puff, and that wide-eyed “oh man” look. You can also put your astute observation skills to work: if there are a dozen other deer being dropped off at the same time as yours, you’re probably going to be on the longer end of that timeline.

Desired Cuts of Meat

Now it’s time to get down to the meat of the conversation: what cuts do you want? After you pick up your venison, what do you want to cook and eat? This is the really exciting part! You’ve prepared, planned, spent hours in the woods, dragged an animal out of those woods, and now it’s time to collect your hard-earned reward on your dinner plate.

Deciding what cuts you want from your processor should have some thought behind it. What cuts of beef do you like to cook with? Is there something you’ve been wanting to try to make? Venison translates well into a lot of other red meat recipes if you treat it properly (and I don’t mean wrap everything in bacon), so don’t be afraid to try it as the protein in a favorite dish. 

Processors are going to start with a basic package that includes backstraps, either whole or sliced, tenderloins, and ground meat. This gives you the most popular steak cuts and a whole bunch of ground meat for burgers, pasta dishes, meatloaf, chili, or any other ground meat dish you can think of. Just remember that venison doesn’t stick together by itself if you grind it, so processors have to add beef or pork fat to it.

From there, most processors will have an “a la carte” style sheet. You can choose and specify other types of cuts, such as roasts, boneless steaks, stew meat, or grind everything, all for an additional price. If you’re comfortable asking and you want to try something different, they may be able to separate a neck roast, leave the flanks for fajitas, or bone out a ham for you to smoke.

Most processors will also have an option for making some kind of sausage, either ground or cased. Breakfast sausage is a popular choice, but many will offer smoked sausage, summer sausage, hot dogs, or other processed products. Keep in mind that sausage will likely require some kind of outside fat, such as beef or pork, to be added.

Whichever cuts you come away with, I’d encourage you to immerse yourself in the cooking experience with venison. Properly trimming and preparing your cuts of meat will yield a better tasting final product, one that your family and friends will be eager to eat again. I’ve had several people say they only knew venison as a gamey, tough meat. As the chef, you have the ability to change that perception. 

Parting Thoughts

There’s a certain sense of accomplishment and security that comes with opening up your freezer to a pile of paper-wrapped venison. It’s a visual representation of the effort it takes to plan and execute a hunt. You’ll remember the dark early mornings, the cold late nights, and the times you came home empty handed and questioning your life choices. 

Finally cashing in and dropping a deer off at the processor is the last big step in the hunting process. Knowing ahead of time where you’re dropping off your deer and what cuts of meat you’re going to end up with will save you some panicked decision-making and will help make the most rewarding part of a hunt even better. Just remember that there are no wrong answers with hunting, so don’t be too worried about the choices you make when you get to the processor. If you don’t like what you get, get something different next time, or try making it on your own.

Thank you for reading my article! I hope you enjoyed it, and if you have any questions or feedback, please send me an email at Patrick.Long@omegaoutdoors.net. If you want to learn more about me or Omega Outdoors, visit my About Page. Otherwise, I hope you have a great day, and check out some of my other articles while you’re here!