Weight of Game "Before" Processing

[Stevesdl]

I saw the excellent response regarding weight of meat after processing. I have only hunt big game back in the Adirondackmtns where one drags his gutted game back to the truck or home and then hangs the game for weight.

In Colorado and probably in many other places, the game, "especially Elk?", is gutted and quartered and brought back to camp, then brought to butcher. How does everyone weight their game before processing?

Thanks
Steve

 

[Elkman]

I have never taken an elk or deer for that matter, to the butcher, I am the shooter, packer, hanger, and butcher. I know that it is a common practice back east to take your animals to the butcher, but not so much in the west. Its also usually a exercise in frustration trying to drag an elk. Most often its easier to cut them up and pack them out especially when by your self. Why would you need to weigh it?

Rocky Mtn elk 450+ live weight
Roosevelt elk 550+ " "
Blacktail deer 95+ " "
Antelope 95+ " "
mule deer 120+ " "
Caribou 200+ " "
Whitetail deer never killed one?

 

[JD338]

Vets have long used a heart girth measurement to "estimate" the weight of live stock. If you do a search you should be able to find a chart which shows live weight and field dressed weight.

JD338

 

[1Shot]

On white tail deer it usually comes out to about 1/3 of the weight is removed in field dressing. To get a ball park figure of how much the deer weight was live add 1/3 of the field dress weight to the total. If the field dress deer weight is 100 pounds 1/3 would be 33 pounds so the deer probably was about 133 pounds live.

 

[maanbr1]

Here are some formulas that I have found to be pretty accurate:
http://www.askthemeatman.com/estimate_deer_weight.htm

 

[SJB358]

Great link, thanks for sharing it. Scotty

 

[Oldtrader3]

My personal experience with deer weights in the Rockies is: Mule Deer Bucks-live weight 160 to 350 pounds. Whitetail Bucks: Texas-150 to 180 pounds, Georgia-150 to 250 pounds, Maine 150 to 350 pounds, Wyoming-150 to 250 pounds. "Mule Deer" on the West Coast is a hybrid, black-tail-mule deer, decided by the location of the Cascade Crest not by biology.

 

[Al in SC]

Quote: "On white tail deer it usually comes out to about 1/3 of the weight is removed in field dressing".

1shot, If you loose 1/3 in field dressing and the field dressed deer weighed 100 lbs at camp it would have weighed 150 on the hoof.
1/3 of 150 pounds is 50 pounds. 150 minus 50 leaves 100.