Actual Weight of Meat - Can we be honest?

[jt13]

Heaviest cow elk ever killed in my state was 684 lbs, number two was 667 lbs. They've weighed every harvest at a check station for the last 40 years or so

 

[Dinkshooter]

I got my cow elk back from processor today.
285 lbs of processed meat to include 80 lbs of burger. Large cow.

You got ripped. Or you got someone else elk as well I suppose. Winning!

 

[cgasner1]

You got ripped. Or you got someone else elk as well I suppose. Winning!

Someone is gonna be pist when they don’t get all their meat

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

You got ripped. Or you got someone else elk as well I suppose. Winning!

There are legitimately huge individual animals, but I wonder if occasionally folks don’t pick up their meat and processors don’t pawn it off on folks and act like they just shot huge animals. Who doesn’t want to think they shot a massive elk.

 

[cgasner1]

Last time I took my stuff to a cut shop we did the math on it and it came out to like 25 bucks a pound I called them and asked if they missed anything guy said no and got all sorts of pissy with me. Later that year I found a tag from a kid in the next town over he gave me that kids antelope

 

[Bowhuntrben]

Shot our biggest bodied whitetail that we've actually weighed this year. This link I've posted previously was spot-on with our field dressed vs. meat findings. The chart seems pretty accurate in the comparisons I've done on the upper end of the scale.

Deer Weight Chart

www.pgc.pa.gov

 

[Tomahawk]

This thread has some really great information. Here are the weights of my 2023 Montana 5x5 bull, this bull was carefully quartered and weighed so these should be fairly accurate. Quarters were hide off and lower leg removed at the knee. The last three bulls I've weighed each had 39 pound front quarters (with brisket) and none exceeded 62 pound hind quarters. Skull still had the lower jaw on.

 

[Schism]

I shot an average sized cow elk this fall. Due to time constraints I took all four bone-in quarters to a processor. Total weight was 131# of bone in quarters. Unfortunately I did not weigh the back straps, loins and trimmings that I kept and processed at home. I can update this post if/when I get a total weight of processed meat.

 

[sclancy27]

The largest elk (body) I have ever personally packed was a buddies 5x5 on opening day of archery, 2017. Rear quarters were 72 and 73 lbs, fronts combined were 90 lbs, backstraps/loins/neck bag was 60 lbs, and the cleaned skull and antlers was 25 lbs. All quarters were bone in, hide off. I don't know how much he ended up netting, but we packed 320 lbs of bone in elk out of that hell hole. Why bone in? Of the 50+ animals I have packed out on my back in the last 9 years, I have boned out not a one. Cuz I am stupid.

 

[wolfpup]

2023 - All boneless and completely trimmed
Cow Elk - 100 pounds - lost estimated 15 points to broadhead carnage on hind quarter
3 doe antelope - 16 pounds (real old and looked like she was deteriorating), 18 pounds (young), and 23 pounds (beautiful)
Mule Deer Doe - 35 pounds

I must trim with my eyes closed compared to some of your numbers! My personal estimates when I am getting ready for the seasons are :
Doe Antelope - 15 - 25
Buck Antelope - 20 - 40
Doe Deer - 35 - 50
Buck Deer - 50 - 70
Cow Elk - 100 - 140
Bull Elk - 120 - 200

 

[seeth07]

2023 - All boneless and completely trimmed
Cow Elk - 100 pounds - lost estimated 15 points to broadhead carnage on hind quarter
3 doe antelope - 16 pounds (real old and looked like she was deteriorating), 18 pounds (young), and 23 pounds (beautiful)
Mule Deer Doe - 35 pounds

I must trim with my eyes closed compared to some of your numbers! My personal estimates when I am getting ready for the seasons are :
Doe Antelope - 15 - 25
Buck Antelope - 20 - 40
Doe Deer - 35 - 50
Buck Deer - 50 - 70
Cow Elk - 100 - 140
Bull Elk - 120 - 200

I trimmed pretty heavily this year compared to normal and it was 53#trim to 460# start. So about 11.5%. I normally trim much less and keep more fat on/take less meat but in the spirit of being quicker and knowing that I was turning it into dog food, I felt good with that. Based on some of your numbers maybe you aren't taking it all out of the field or maybe you do trim too much fat? Do you take the skirt steak and entire flanks? Those pieces are quite a bit of meat on an elk, less so on a deer but still a few pounds. How about all of the meat between the ribs? How about the neck meat all the way up to the back of the skull? The neck meat on male specimens can account for a huge percentage of the meat haul. On my AK elk for example, the massive thick neck is what really stood out to me about its overall ridiculous size. I didn't weight them specifically but the meat bag that had all the neck meat in it was a plump full load - so probably 70-80#.

 

[NEWHunter]

There are legitimately huge individual animals, but I wonder if occasionally folks don’t pick up their meat and processors don’t pawn it off on folks and act like they just shot huge animals. Who doesn’t want to think they shot a massive elk.

Wait, what? Welcome to HT?

 

[np307]

Stepped on the scale while holding all the bone-in meat from the doe I shot today. Weighed in at 38.8 lbs and the doe was what I would call average sized for around here.

 

[Raisin Bran]

Shot an average 5 by bull Elk this year. Skinned & quartered with all possible meat weighed a total of 183 lbs. The head with hide & antlers came in at 58 lbs. Total hauled out weight is 241 lbs.

 

[TOGIE]

anyone wanna guess what my total one trip backpack weight was on my mini forky shot last night?

i emptied the water bladder and had the gun strapped to my pack. no extra food left, about 15 oz of gatorade zero left in a gatorade bottle, and some extra outer layer down bottoms and coat.

 

[Caseknife]

anyone wanna guess what my total one trip backpack weight was on my mini forky shot last night?

i emptied the water bladder and had the gun strapped to my pack. no extra food left, about 15 oz of gatorade zero left in a gatorade bottle, and some extra outer layer down bottoms and coat.

View attachment 303251

Depending how much you boned out, but if it was minimal boning, would make a WAG of 92# total pack weight with rifle included.......

 

[TOGIE]

Depending how much you boned out, but if it was minimal boning, would make a WAG of 92# total pack weight with rifle included.......

i'm not a deboner.

so, pro boner?

...

 

[Caseknife]

i'm not a deboner.

so, pro boner?

...

You skinned it didn't you? That might make my estimate a bit low if you didn't

 

[TOGIE]

You skinned it didn't you? That might make my estimate a bit low if you didn't

skinning?



Edit: it was quartered and skinned

 

[TOGIE]

Depending how much you boned out, but if it was minimal boning, would make a WAG of 92# total pack weight with rifle included.......

73 lbs

Smallest deer I’ve ever shot/field processed.

I was in disbelief when I pulled the first quarter off.

If you threw this on the table in front of me without telling me what it was I’d say it was a doe pronghorn.