How Much Meat is on One Deer?

One of the most common misconceptions about hunting is that it is shooting animals just for the fun of it. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, many if not most of our hunters do so for the mental and physical health benefits of hunting. Plus, one of the best advantages of hunting whitetail deer in Austin, TX is how much meat your hunt will yield!

Hunters have a very deep respect for the animals that they hunt. In fact, you must really get to know an animal in order to be able to successfully hunt it. Hunters also appreciate the food that these animals provide for their families. This leads us to our next questions, how much food do they provide? How much meat is on one deer?

Venison is one of the most popular wild game meats on the planet, but very seldom can you run to the store to pick some up. That’s one reason why deer hunting is so popular. It’s your meat! How much meat is in a deer, though? Whitetail deer can be pretty large, even up to 180 pounds for males and well over 100 to 125 pounds for females. That’s not all meat, of course. Mature whitetail deer can be heavy, but much of their weight is distributed in non-meat areas. For instance, a mature buck who weighs more than 160 pounds only has about nine percent meat. That’s still a lot of meat!

Using a simple guide as a quick example, a 180-pound buck would have 16 pounds of hide, 21 pounds of bones, and nine pounds of blood. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to estimate the live weight of a deer if it has been field-dressed because the weight of a deer’s innards varies depending on its health and diet.

Let’s say you visit Stone Creek Ranch and harvest a mature buck, one who weighs 165 pounds field-dressed. Using the above equation, we could estimate its carcass will weigh 124 pounds. Further breaking it down, it will ideally yield 83.08 pounds of boneless meat. The deer’s realistic meat yield is about 58.15 pounds. Because waste can vary between deer to deer, we suggest using the “realistic” figure as a gauge. In the above example, the buck’s realistic meat yield would range from 58 to 68 pounds.

This 10-pound difference doesn’t seem like much when dealing with a large deer with dozens upon dozens of pounds of meat, but it’s much more noticeable when the deer is a fawn or yearling. A doe with a field-weight of 125 pounds could realistically yield about 44 pounds of venison. It’s easy to look at this and be disappointed that so much of the deer’s weight isn’t meat, but keep in mind how much venison is actually in 44 pounds. You’ll be eating venison for a year, so you better get a pretty sized deep freezer!

Deer Hunting in Austin, TX Made Easy

Stone Creek Ranch makes it simple and fun to start hunting! We offer world-class whitetail and exotic hunting, with experiences available year-round. We offer nearly twenty different species to choose from, including Whitetail deer. With us, you have both rifle and bowhunting opportunities. This isn’t just a place to hunt. When you book a hunting package with us, there are some very exciting features and amenities included. One-on-one guide service is only a part of it; we’ll also help you clean and package the deer meat! The trophy fee for your whitetail deer, lodging, chef prepared meals, and complete trophy care is included in our packages as well.

When you hunt with us, you’ll only need to bring a few things. This includes coolers for meat transportation if you wish to take meat home with you. And clearly, there will be a lot of meat to take home!