Written By - Rancid Crabtree - 10/1/2007
Link to Original Article here

How much meat do you expect to get off your deer? It has been my experience that I get about 55 percent of the hanging dressed weight for a deer that is shot with the bow. That is to say a deer with no wasted meat due to the wound. A gun killed deer will yield less meat due to all the bullet damage. Here is what you can expect to get from your deer. Most folks are surprised at how much loss there is to the final weight of the meat you will yield. When I butcher deer for other folks, I record the weights of the things like the head, legs, hide, bone and trim. I show that to them these numbers when they pick up their meat ( I don't want folks thinking I am keeping their meat from them)
The worst case I have ever had was a gun shot fawn that was hit through the hind quarters. I returned that hunter 14 pounds of meat. Shot placement will dictate how much meat you can recover. I guess that is why I am more of a bow hunter than a gun hunter.

Live wgt..................Dressed Wgt..................Boneless meat

90#............................70....................................39
125#..........................99....................................57
150#.........................120...................................68
180#.........................143...................................79
210#.........................170...................................94
240#.........................195...................................108
290#.........................233...................................130



Boneless Hind
1) Eye of Round
2) Bottom Round
3) Top Sirloin
4) Top Round
5) Sirloin Tip
6) Tenderloins
7) Backstraps

Boneless Front
8 ) Neck
9) Shoulder
10) Top Blade
11) Mock Tender