Has my Butcher been robbing me?

[Moose63]

My hunting buddies and I got a moose this year. One of them (the old timer in our group 75+) thought we should butcher it ourselves. The rest of our group have never butchered and packaged an animal before. So the "group" decided to send it to the butcher. When we got our meat back, the old timer mentioned that he would get more meat back if he did it himself. Cost was $0.75/lb. For me it's the convenience factor. Heard stories about young animals getting swapped for older ones. The best cuts of meat going missing, etc..

Just wondering if any of you had problems using butchers?:twisted:

[moosinaround]

Nope, my meat cutter has been cutting for me for over 10 years!! I trust him completely! I do cut the odd deer up myself though, and have had good results, never as good as my butcher though! Moosin

[dino]

butchers dont steel game meat. They take the best cuts of beef if anything.

[hunter1993ap]

my dad was a butcher and the only problems he had was people who think they should get 150 pounds of boned out meat from a 2 point deer shot through the shoulder, and other things like that. he had a deer come in that the guy had shot 7 times. my dad skinned the deer and had the cape over the antlers and called the guy to come look at the deer. it was completely shot to $h!t and the guy argued that it was not his deer. my dad was tired of hearing this and showed him the head and he went quiet. my dad was very good at his job and never ever would he take any meat. i think its the people who bring game in who lack the knowledge as to how much meat they are going to get.

[CanuckShooter]

It happens sometimes, not all butchers are honest. I'd be wary of the ones that keep horses......

If you don't trust them, don't use them, it's just that easy. We have no problems with our regular meat cutter they rock!!

[bowhunterbruce]

our family started using my current butcher over 30 years ago and to this day he still is my go to guy on the bigger animals.i do my own deer now, yet still take my scraps to him for making pepperoni/hamberger.
when it come to getting your meat butchered ,its up to you to be knowledgeable as to what percentages of meat your going to get back after the process is done.a loss of 30 % do to bone ,is very common and more if there is more damage from shot placement etc.
pretty well every butcher that remains in business long term is going to be honest.its his livelyhood.
bhb

[Ddog]

butchers dont steel game meat. They take the best cuts of beef if anything.
wrong, some butchers have taken meat, i know this cause i have seen it first hand, taking the best cuts of beef they pay for would be losing money on their end.
if you think you are being duped by the butcher you chose then its a simple fix, find a new one.
or better yet, cut your own animal to see what the yield would actually be and then judge.
i cut my own animals and when friend comes over to lear how to cut an animal, they are surprised as hell to see the little amount you actually get off of an average sized deer.

[BillBraskii]

butchers dont steel game meat. They take the best cuts of beef if anything.

100% correct.
Why would a butcher want some hunk of dirty game meat that he has no idea how its been handled??

[savage99f]

Always take our game to the local butcher and have never had any problems or questions.Yes its expensive but well worth it to me and no mess at home :)He did mention it would be cheapter if we just brought our trim in,only thing he said was just remember what you cut up is what your eating.

[bosca]

My dad has also always been adamant about cutting our own meat. We probably take about 3 times as long as an experienced Butcher because we remove everything from the bone, peel and cut as much sinew as possible...ending up with roasts,stew meat and hamburger. Most butchers will not go to this much trouble as it would not practical or cost effective.I
I have had a few deer done by professionals when the old man is not involved in the hunt just because I know how much of a time commitment it is. I have found that the meat we cut ourselves tends to be less gamey and because it is double wrapped with bone out it lasts much longer in the freezer...I have found and eaten moose roasts that were 10 years in the freezer that looked and tasted like they were packaged the same year.

In my opinion, your butcher is most likely not cheating you but if you have the time and patience to learn the job... it is preferable to do it yourself.You will be happier with the result.

Incidentally...I still pan to use meat cutters...I am not as motivated as my dad.:-)

[west250]

It always seems like there should be more meat coming out of your animals, but if you take away the bone, shot bits, other nasties etc. you get what you get. We took animals to one butcher this year and he makes you take the waste and dispose of it which I think is a great idea. At that point if you're really wondering then you can weigh it all and measure against the numbers when the animal is brought in. I think it's worth it to take the animals in: I get the peace of mind that it's cooling properly, that it will be cut up expertly and wrapped well - plus all the tasty smoking, sausages, salamis etc!

I use a number of butchers and I trust all of them.

[CanuckShooter]

Our meat cutter has no motivation to steal meat from us, we've told him he can have some if he wants. They treat us well, we reciprocate, simple really.

[Steeleco]

I know the last few butchers I used before I started to do my own. were hunters themselves. No need to take mine or anyone else's game, besides I'm guessing they are often given meat from hunters as a form of a tip?

Many a cutter if not all have been accused of stealing or blending meat when making sausage, it's not a trade I'd choose.

And like Ddog suggests, until you've done a few yourself, you really don't understand how little you seem to get compared the size of the whole animal.

[Steeleco]

Due to the Marc's advertising rules, we're free to talk about butchers, just not by name.

[Deer_Slayer]

I never thought that the butcher took any of my game meat but I have to say, that I took my deer this year to a lower mainland butcher and I am really shocked at the poor quality. My steaks are as if Fred Flintstone hacked them up with a stone axe. Roasts and burger are fine but I was so looking forward to my venison steaks and they are just brutal chunks of meat and bone...yuk.

[pnbrock]

why would butchers steal stinky mulie when he is also cutting prime rib.seems clear to me!

[trevstar33]

I cut meat for years for one of our large food chains and also use to cut game on the side. I found most hunters would always pay the bill and offer me a few cuts, it was a nice touch kinda like a tip. I use a butcher when I can't do it myself, he allways gives back the scraps, I guess you could re-weigh it and then you'll know.

If you can't trust your Butcher, Barber or Lawyer who can you trust.:mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen:

[weatherby_man]

You will get more butchering yourself. Butchers do a great job and I will still use them in a pinch but they are processing a LOT of meat during hunting season and they don't take the time that I do personally to get every last scrap of meat (no bone in) and large bones intact (for the dog). I also like making the cuts the way I want them.

[pappy]

Since I can't say the name theres a butcher place just past Lake Cowichan that is in Honeymoon bay (right on the road around the lake) that I had problems with. I was going to pick up my deer and passed a mini van when I pulled in to the little store/butcher place the mini van pulled in. A short fat lady jumped out and ran inside and started yelling at the employee, she told him that I was driving wrecklessly and had endagered her. It was her husband working there so he proceeded to gather up my meat and I paid for it, when I got home I found he had thrown dirt in with my jerky. I'm very disappointed that Frie$en's Me@t's has empolyee's like this (thats not how they spell there name so I didn't mention the same company, just a similar name) This happened quite a few years ago, I told everyone I could about this unprofessional place of business and I haven't dealt with them since. That is the only butcher that I have ever had trouble with, all other butchers have been very good.

[deer nut]

Dishonest meat-cutters don't stay in business long. I've never had problems, though it always amazes me how a big animal can be transformed into a few boxes of meat....

[Darksith]

lots of butchers will let someone sample a sausage or something like that from someone elses animal, but thats about it. And there have been instances that I know of where someone has gotten say 3 quarters of their moose, and 1 quarter of someone elses simply due to some minimum wage employee mixing up a batch or something. It happens, its human error and its impossible to eliminate. Meat cutters are a career, meat wrappers and other help are just some joe blow who needed a job. It will happen, but if you notice how your butcher accepts your animal (tags each quarter, shows care etc etc) then you will have a decent idea of whether that butcher gives 2 ships or not about you and your animal.

[Phreddy]

Unfortunately there don't seem to be any game butchers in the Princeton area. The one guy I used that was an excellent butcher got shut down because he didn't have a stainless steel table. Locals loved the way the guy treated his work and his prices were well in line. Closest I know of now is in Merritt and he's usually full early in the season due to the lack of competition. I guess it's time to start learning how to do it myself.

[pricedo]

My butcher sends horses to the fall fair every year.

Sure hope that isn't some "Olde Paint" that's all cut up & wrapped in my freezer now! ;)

[Caveman]

Dishonest meat-cutters don't stay in business long. I've never had problems, though it always amazes me how a big animal can be transformed into a few boxes of meat....

Exactly!! If you ask your meat cutter the yield you should expect, you can pretty much know what you'll get. I asked this year due to questions raised in an earlier thread. You should receive about 60% of the quartered weight, as the weight of bone removed and waste trimmings will take that up. If you are still skeptical ask for the trimmings. Weigh them together, but be prepared to find a new meat cutter as this will demonstrate your distrust

Word of mouth is how these guys get a lot of their business from you and I. They can't afford to cheat you as it may be very costly in the end

[Mik]

I like this thread, and I do believe that butchers short change customers, and as some of you stated, why would the butchers want some stinky mule deer meat, well its plain and simple, cause its wild game, and most butchers dont get out to hunt! It is also my belief, that people make sausage out of stinky meat and not cuts, therefore some samples also go missing.

Does meat get mixed up, sure thing, cause hired help doesn't always pay attention, , one deer after another, after a moose, after an elk;

That is why I process all my own game.

[quadrakid]

I,ve never had any serious problem with a butcher.I urge everyone to try your hand at butchering your own deer. You don,t need any special tools,just sharp knives and freezer paper.You can take the time to cut out all fat and sinew etc. You will also realize just how much meat is actually on a deer. Its not hard to do,watch a few videos and read a book.

[Barracuda]

a butcher no matter how bad they are will stay in bussiness if they want to simply because people dont know any better and they dont want to butcher so they take what they can get.
Some are good some are questionable just like any other trade, unless its a health issue they wont get shut down and thier will always bee guys walking in in desperate need of a butcher

butchering your own gives you a pretty good idea as to what you should get back .
The other part is some guys will bring in some pretty rank stuff that been sitting in a camp rotting for a week covered in fly larve and stuff cause they were to stupid to take care of thier meat and they expect the butcher to scavange every last bit.

you want good meat then do it yourself .

[bc mike]

If in doubt then ask to help out on your butcher day. Get wrapping and see what kind of quality you get back. It doesn't take much of your time.

[huntwriter]

What most hunters don't realize is that a carcass only yields about 55% to 60% edible meat. On the hoof with skin and not gutted the edible yield is only 40% to 45%. The rest of the carcass is guts, skin, bones, fat, grizzle, tendons, blue skin, blood shot meat, glads and assorted inedibles. There really is much less meat on an animal then many assume by looking at the whole critter. If the critter you take to the butcher is covered in dirt, blood and shit, as often happens, then you will get even less meat back.

If you don't trust a meat cutter to the job right there is an easy solution. Get off your butt and learn how to cut your own game animal up. There are plenty of good books and videos on the market covering that subject. ;)

[deer nut]

I've butchered quite a few of my own animals (or at least cut them up & p[ackaged them!). Still don't know all the proper cuts after all these years, but it's not all taht difficult - just time consuming and my butcher definitely does a nicer job. I've found a great butcher (advertising!) here on the island who makes great sausage for a reasonable price so try to use him for at least some of my meat every year.

[Benthos]

4 years ago i took a moose in to the local butcher and swear i got screwed on the meat i got back. since then i've been butchering my own, and am way happier. takes time, but well worth it and i know from field to table where it has been.

[woodsman]

A few points I want to make. Any good butcher knows what meat is good and has been treated properly and which meat tough or is sh*t etc. I am sure there are some butchers who may skim some good meat and may or may not replace it with some other crappy stuff, but for the most part I believe most are honest people. Its no different than any other profession in life. There are some bad ones but most are good.

Second point, when taking meat to a butcher, remove the ribs and ONLY take in your quarters. The ribs weigh a lot and yield little meat. That meat is ground into burger or stew or ??. You can easily do that yourself! Ribs off a large moose or any other animal at .75 cents a pound adds up. Anyone can cut the meat from the ribs so save yourself some bucks.

Bottom line, I have seen some animals that were hanging that were so dirty, green looking and just gross that I wouldn't want one ounce of in my freezer. Proper cleaning and care can increase your return from your butcher. Closely examine your meat when you are cleaning it. Remove all blood shot areas and anything that looks or may end up going bad. Make sure your meat is clean ( don't be afraid to wash it with water and then dry it off) and remove the ribs. If you still think you are getting ripped off, just change your butcher...but remember most are honest and see so much meat they don't need to rip you off.

ps, I am not a butcher...but wish I knew how to do it myself.

[bubba350]

my cutter keeps all the waste and shows it to you. they even offer it to you if you want it. if you find a good cutter stick with them!

[Moose63]

A few points I want to make. Any good butcher knows what meat is good and has been treated properly and which meat tough or is sh*t etc. I am sure there are some butchers who may skim some good meat and may or may not replace it with some other crappy stuff, but for the most part I believe most are honest people. Its no different than any other profession in life. There are some bad ones but most are good.

Second point, when taking meat to a butcher, remove the ribs and ONLY take in your quarters. The ribs weigh a lot and yield little meat. That meat is ground into burger or stew or ??. You can easily do that yourself! Ribs off a large moose or any other animal at .75 cents a pound adds up. Anyone can cut the meat from the ribs so save yourself some bucks.

Bottom line, I have seen some animals that were hanging that were so dirty, green looking and just gross that I wouldn't want one ounce of in my freezer. Proper cleaning and care can increase your return from your butcher. Closely examine your meat when you are cleaning it. Remove all blood shot areas and anything that looks or may end up going bad. Make sure your meat is clean ( don't be afraid to wash it with water and then dry it off) and remove the ribs. If you still think you are getting ripped off, just change your butcher...but remember most are honest and see so much meat they don't need to rip you off.

ps, I am not a butcher...but wish I knew how to do it myself.

Thanks for the tip on the ribs!

[matt420]

i do all my meat myself cuz i dont trust butchers, i know of some in my town that take meat and just replace it with beef, and i know of some in my town that mix your meat with other peoples meat, i dont want this so do it myself to be safe and then i know what happends to my meat

[dabber]

A few points I want to make. Any good butcher knows what meat is good and has been treated properly and which meat tough or is sh*t etc. I am sure there are some butchers who may skim some good meat and may or may not replace it with some other crappy stuff, but for the most part I believe most are honest people. Its no different than any other profession in life. There are some bad ones but most are good.

Second point, when taking meat to a butcher, remove the ribs and ONLY take in your quarters. The ribs weigh a lot and yield little meat. That meat is ground into burger or stew or ??. You can easily do that yourself! Ribs off a large moose or any other animal at .75 cents a pound adds up. Anyone can cut the meat from the ribs so save yourself some bucks.

Bottom line, I have seen some animals that were hanging that were so dirty, green looking and just gross that I wouldn't want one ounce of in my freezer. Proper cleaning and care can increase your return from your butcher. Closely examine your meat when you are cleaning it. Remove all blood shot areas and anything that looks or may end up going bad. Make sure your meat is clean ( don't be afraid to wash it with water and then dry it off) and remove the ribs. If you still think you are getting ripped off, just change your butcher...but remember most are honest and see so much meat they don't need to rip you off.

ps, I am not a butcher...but wish I knew how to do it myself.
well said, if you don't take the time to care for your animal why should they, so if you have hair and the rest of the forest in with your meat it's not the butchers fault. Alot of good butchers wont take game if it is dirty.

[budismyhorse]

I don't think it's an honesty issue here more like the fact they are "hair straight back" busy during this season and just hack up your deer without taking the necessary time it takes to get the most out if an animal. I've butchered my own stuff all my life and so has my family and anything we get back from butchers is always light ( the few times we have handed something off).

I don't blame them! I have all day to cut up a moose..... They probably do 4 a day...... They don't have time to labour over your stuff.

The old guy in the OP's story was right..... But your butcher isn't "ripping you off"

[ryanb]

It typically takes me 7-8 hours to completely process a deer. Not including any burger/sausage/jerky etc. The fact that a butcher is going to charge me 150-200 bucks for what takes me 8 hours sure makes it tempting to pay someone to do it for me. On the other hand, I am paying a "professional" 150-200 bucks for something that SHOULD take 7-8 hours...Either they are taking shortcuts, or you are getting what you are paying for.

I've said it before, if I could find a reliable butcher, that really put the time and care that I expect into the work they do for me, I would gladly pay 2-3 times the going rate. Sadly, I've given up trying to find a good butcher.

[tomahawk]

People are people regardless of butchers, mechanics, lawyers, politicians or janitors etc etc, most are honest and a few are not.

[coach]

Excellent post, woodsman. Very sound advice.

[elkdom]

for several years all the moose, elk and deer I took in to my Butcher were GENETIC FREAKS ! I never received a package of tenderloin back for several years,,,,

I changed butchers and MIRACULOUSLY all the moose,elk and deer I take to him DO have tenderloins, which are returned to me in neat little packages,,,,,,,,

WHOO'D- AHH-THUNK ?????:?

[emerson]

The only way to clearly see how much the bones and trimmings weigh is to do some of your own butchering. Lots of people whine about mechanics too, but don't understand all that is involved in the job. I got 20 lbs of meat off half a 2 point muley this fall. I am neither a butcher nor a mechanic, but I pull my own wrenches and butcher my own meat. These jobs aren't rocket science, it just takes an amateur like me a lot longer, especially at the beginning.

[Singleshotneeded]

I'm pretty certain the butcher that used to be on Benvoulin in Kelowna stole deer meat from his customer's deer.
I used him once, and I got more meat back from a fork butchered by $%R%^r Meats on the Westside than I got from
a significantly larger four point that I had brought to A-1, I think it was called. Single shot, right behind the shoulder
on both animals, same .270 firing the same 150 grain Nosler Partitions and the ranges were within ten yards of each other.
Maybe his habits had something to do with his not being there anymore? :-)

[hunter1947]

Over the years I always said to myself and my hunting partners are we getting all our meat back from the butcher ??? when you take in a 150 pound animal that is prepped and ready to cut I pick up 4 small box's of meat for the freezer if a person figures out what they loose in bone and scraps to me it works out that I did get all my meat back.

I took my elk in this year it was 425 ready to butcher was not shot up I shot him facing me in the chest I got back 5 boxes of boned out meat and two boxes of scrap meat in ten pound bags total of 7 bags.

The boxes where 24x20x10 inches the weight was around 40 pounds a box add the 5 boxes together I had 160 pounds of meat then add the 7 ten pound bags of meat the total meat back was 230 was smack on if you take off 40% for bone and a few pounds of waisted fat and meat ,as far as a person getting there own meat back you will never know unless you do the cutting yourself..

[arcadia]

I though I was getting ripped off too. I butchered one myself. It was a 2 point muley. I wasted no meat. It weighed 47 lbs deboned. Not a lot of meat there. It was a head shot too. Surprised the heck out of me. The old hunter who helped me keeps immaculate records. The average 2 point is between 47-51 lbs boned out. That's it. He usually butchers 11 animals a year. (Wife, 2 grown sons, hunting partners etc)So he knows what to expect.

[Pioneerman]

Some people do steal and some are in the meat cutting industry. For someone to say why would they take stinky game meat compared to beef? It is the same reason we also take moose, deer or elk from the bush instead of buying beef, it is better. We used to get our game processed by a place in Vic for years and we always wondered why we have one animal that was so tough and so tender from package to package. Then we took in a big bull one year that I shot in the head and dropped him line a stone, and we felt we were shorted meat because we did not get much back. I asked the butcher about why it seemed less than expected, he told me that I lost the whole front 1/4 on one side and part of the other side because I shot it in the shoulder and did not cool it down fast enough. We got into a argument because I took a head shot, and killed it, then he tried to tell me it went bad because I did not cool it down fast enough. Well I shot it early afternoon and we have it in pieces and skinned by dinner and the 1/4 's stayed laying on the racks of our atv's over night in -20 so that was a lie too. We stopped using them and they were the very best there.

I also took my elk to a butcher that I thought I knew and trusted and then had a thank you from one of his friends who said my elk was the best meat he ever had. The butcher took a whole box of steaks and roast home and had his friends come to dinner. His friend thought I gave it to him, but that was not the case.

I would say most butchers are honest, but they are human too and not all are . so stick with one to feel is on the up and up.

[chargerman69]

I took my 2006 pink mountain buffalo to a butcher in ednerview and half the meat wasw AMAZING the other half was tough and grissel and garbage. the cuts were also poorly done, one steak in the package might be good and the other would be an inch thick on one end and 1/4" on the other... needless to say this wasnt the first time it happened there either. now i take it to my father inlaw, hes a butcher out of the kootenays and he does a good job for me, and pretty well everybody I talk to.

[kendoo]

I'm not a butcher but cut my own for about 10 years now. What I do is cut the ribs off in the field if I,m camped in the bush & try to process & wrap 0r bag it. If on a day hunt & bring the animal home then as soon as possable proccess the ribs. A good meat grinder with a tenderizer attachment for making cutlets takes care of all the tougher cuts. The only meat I cut for steaks (butterfly) are back staps & tender loins. Half dozen roasts cut & tied with string, stew meat, keep few lbs for sausage. About 5 hours for wife & I for a moose or elk. It don,t take long to pay for grinder & attach. Cabelas units are super.

[Philcott]

All I can say is if you want to know for sure do it yourself. If you have any commonsense it is a pretty simple thing to do. Yes, it takes time but I spend more time putting my hunting gear away after a week long hunt than I have ever taken cutting up the meat. Trust me, you will learn as you go. Separate the muscles off the bone. Look at what is on the table and decide what to do. Some muscles will look like a roast, guess what it's a roast. Some roasts can be cut up (across the grain) into steaks, smaller pieces cubed into stew and the rest into burger.

I also take about 5 hours to do a deer trimming off bits of fat, sinew and such.

A tip for getting rid of your scrapps. I put an add on www.usedvictoria.com and had folks lining up at my door for bones and trim to feed their dogs. Gone in a day.

Once you have done a couple deer it won't seem too intimidating. I too like to know the meats path from the field to table.

[emerson]

I though I was getting ripped off too. I butchered one myself. It was a 2 point muley. I wasted no meat. It weighed 47 lbs deboned. Not a lot of meat there. It was a head shot too. Surprised the heck out of me. The old hunter who helped me keeps immaculate records. The average 2 point is between 47-51 lbs boned out. That's it. He usually butchers 11 animals a year. (Wife, 2 grown sons, hunting partners etc)So he knows what to expect.
This is my experience exactly.

[matt420]

. I got 20 lbs of meat off half a 2 point muley this fall. I am neither a butcher nor a mechanic, but I pull my own wrenches and butcher my own meat. These jobs aren't rocket science, it just takes an amateur like me a lot longer, especially at the beginning.

you only got 20 pounds off a 2 point muley? was he a very very small in the body, im no butcher either but i easily got 20pounds of shank meat off my spike this year, on top of that all all the other roasts and steaks i made from him

[huntinnut]

My family has always cut up our own animals, and I learned from my grandparents and my dad. Over the years i've watched, and helped friends and neighbours cut up their game, and watched a couple butchers as well. The major difference i've seen in how much meat a guy gets in the end is how close you can get to the sinew and other trim with your knife. A few guys i've watched and helped leave alot of good meat on a piece of waste. This can really add up after a while.

[30-2 Buck]

I had a similar experience a few years back, the meat had sharp ends of bone sticking out of nearly every cut, not to name names but this came from east of the road from Mission to Abbottsford.

[Peace Country]

As a meat cutter for over 25 years I have worked in retail and wholesale where wild game meat was processed. I have never in my 25 years seen an owner small or big steal meat from a customer animal wild game or domestic. They can have all the prime meat products for wholesale prices that most people will never see it makes no sense as to why your meat shop would steal your shot up deer. Then it is drug through the grass, dirt, sand, river water, I can see why he would want that prime meat!!!
Under ideal conditions where an animal is slaughtered and shot in the head, bled properly and completely within 1-2 minutes your carcass waste for beef will be over 30%. Now add in an animal shot in the shoulder through a couple ribs and out the opposite shoulder you will be well over 50% waste if you trim up the blood that is in between all the seams from the shock of the impact of the bullet.
Now de-bone that deer and you have throw out another 15-17% waste trim, not much left over.