live weight vs carcass?

[Guy Miner]

Any way of estimating the live weight of a deer from the carcass? I've never weighed a deer before, but did see a 120 pound carcass weighed the other day.

Field dressed, skinned, lower legs cut off and the head along with about 1/3 of the neck were all gone.

Any idea what the 120 pound carcass translates to for live weight?

Guy

 

[YoteSmoker]

Man that sounds like a heck of a deer...with what was left, I'd guess in the neighborhood of 180?

 

[DrMike]

I've always figured that hanging weight was 60% of live weight on most ungulates. That changes on bison as the bones, hide and head are so heavy. Something very similar holds for grizzlies. I would estimate live weight of the animal you saw at 200 pounds.

 

[Kodiak]

On a mature deer, the good Dr. is very close with the 60% guess!

 

[JD338]

Guy,

Live weight vs field dressed is about 20%.
Live weight vs meat is about 50%

Hope that helps.

JD338

 

[Elkman]

I found an article from Purdue University related to beef processing. The doctor stated that the finished to the customer, the amount of meat was approximately 40% of the animals live weight. I believe that as hunters we are not quite as skilled processors, as butchers. In addition the Dr. stated that during the hanging process (two weeks) that another 4 to 6% is lost. I have always used the 40% figure when estimating.
But of course the next question is how much does the animal weigh? . I believe that there are a lot more 140 lb. Mule Deer than there are 200 pounders, and that there are many more 500 lb elk than 650 lb elk. In my case many more 100lb. Blacktails than 150 lb. Blacktails. For the Blacktails, (apparently about the size of the SE Whitetail, it hardley seems worth the effort. However they taste really, really good.
Just my take on it.

 

[super-7]

Not too sure but 60-65% live weight sounds about right. I know on the farm in the ol days before digital scales , my ol man would measure the girth of a hog to estimate market weight.

 

[Guest]

We always figure, even with grinding the scraps and using everything you can use, from a 100-150lb white-tail, you're going to get about 1/3 of the live weight in meat. Reality is, it depends, as many folks cut bone-in, and others cut boneless. I've gone boneless for the last few years and liked it, so I'm likely to stay that way. I know from various deer I've weighed, I've ended up with about 36lbs of meat from a 98lb doe, and right at 33lbs of meat from a 101lb doe. I figure that had more to do with stomach contents and fat than anything else. I got about 47lbs of meat from the 150lb buck I shot. I could go on, but I think the point is clear.

As for "live weight" versus dressed weight versus carcass weight, I'd have to say we've always estimated guts at 1/3, skeleton and other non-edible tissue at 1/3, and that final 1/3 is edible meat. That's just my $.02, though.

 

[Oldtrader3]

The largest mule deer that I have ever killed weighed just at 275 lbs, field dressed with lower legs and skin still on after being bled and having trachea removed. This was a Rocky Mountain mule deer. Most mule deer bucks that I have killed were desert mule deer (identified by the tail) and dressed under 180 pounds.

The largest whitetail that I have killed was in Georgia. He dressed at 205, gutted, trachea removed and bled, skin on with lower legs removed. This deer was about 10 years old, according to the Biologist at the check station.

I have been killing deer for over 50 years and have no idea how many I have shot but those are the two largest deer.

 

[DrMike]

Bill is correct in contending that 40% is fairly accurate. I use the 60% figure for live weight versus carcass. When I process deer, I process it boneless and with all fat trimmed. Thus, I drop a good deal more meat when I'm finished. My last whitetail filled two small boxes when I was finished. There was about eighty pounds of meat, which fits for what I estimated the animal weighed on the hoof.

 

[nvbroncrider]

In the cattle industry this is how we figure things. I have seen enough carcass data to back it up too. Generally you will see 56-66% of an animals live weight make it to the rail or it's hanging weight. A good number to use for this is 60%. This is the animal dead bled skinned and gutted with its head removed. From this approxmately 50% of the hanging weight will make it into the box and out the door. Normally about 8 or 9 boxes or somewhere around 400-450 pounds. The steers we butcher run around 1200-1250 on the hoof and hang between 700-800 on the rail with 400-450 coming back to the locker.

 

[super-7]

So everyone pretty much concurs 60% or 2/3 live weight hanging carcass and 1/3 or 30 % goes in the freezer on average . Well we should stop calling our selves predators lol a few yotes can clean up a deer and get about 98% of it in the belly. And we figure we are at the top of the food chain. Lol