Butcher cost opinions please

[Red Bullets]

I would like some opinions.

Scenario...
A person is donated a antelope carcass. Maybe 75 lbs of carcass. The hunter had the skinned carcass dropped off at a meat processor. The person receiving the meat was told 90 dollars cut and wrapped in butcher paper. Also given the option to get sausage made for an extra 2 dollars a pound.

The person receiving the meat agrees only to the cut and wrap because of the expense of 90 dollars.

Now the meat processor calls and say the meat is ready to pick up. The cost is 125 dollars just for the cut and wrap. When questioned why the 125 the processor says there is also a 25 dollar enviromental disposal fee and GST.

My question is..

1) Is it reasonable to be charged so much for one small carcass? On a 75 lb. carcass, of which 25 lbs. is bone, it is working out to more than a dollar a pound just to cut and wrap.

2) Is the processor double charging when he is charging 90 to cut and wrap and then charging 2 dollars a pound to make sausage. The meat made into sausage is not cut and wrapped.

I want people's opinions of hunters.. if they would agree to such costs? And having extra fees thrown on that were not mentioned when the arrangement to cut and wrap were made with the butcher.

I personally butcher my own so it seems pretty expensive. The one time, 6 or 7 years ago, I had an elk hung and cut and wrapped it cost 50 cents a lb.

[Kurt505]

My moose cost me $1280 two years ago at Gibsons meats near Dapp, 30lb cheese smokies, 30lbs garlic sausage, 15lbs jerky, the rest cut and wrapped with paper and plastic wrap, and that was only 3 quarters!

I bought a window mounted a/c unit for my meat shack, a grinder, a sausage stuffer, and a vacuum sealer and will never bring my meat to a butcher again.

[-JR-]

I do believe he should have been told of the extra cost. Did he bring it in with the the hide on. But yes he should of been told of total cost.
May be he should ask the butcher to pay him the $25.00 as he might want the bones for his dog.

[gs100bert]

1280 $ for 3 quarters makes 125 $ for a whole antelope seem cheap .
how ever suck up the cost this time let the butcher know how upset you are about the difference in price ,next time get it in writing and tell him you wont be dealing with him again .

[7mm12g22lr]

Yes they all know u want cheap and they never say upfront the disposal fee unless u ask for it.
..guess they want people to think it is worth it.
They all cost too much. For just cutting meat you should consider youtube as a source of information to do it yourself. Sausages I admit are better made by butchers but I am not a big fan of sausage anymore. Jerky is super expensive and after a few packs had enough. I don't foresee using a butcher again. Buy ingredients grind meat and make your own dehydrated jerky at home...and sausage u could but smoking them is a bigger chore if quantity is huge. Small batches are the key

[iliketrout]

Those costs sound reasonable to me, usually there is a minimum charge...i.e. where I go it's .99/lb cut and wrapped, minimum charge of $99.

2 bucks a pound extra for the smokies is actually quite reasonable as well.

Sucks about the disposal fee (i.e. you not knowing) but they all charge it. Now you know for next time.

I've done both my own processing and paying a butcher...for me it's worth a few extra bucks to have a butcher do it for me. To each their own.

[muzzy]

The antelope costs are reasonable,and $2.00 for sausage is really good .Many charge $4.00/lb for sausage
$1280 for 3/4 or a moose and some sausage man you got ripped off big time
My last two moose (whole animal) including $25 lbs sausage was in $450 range Had mine done in barrhead

[sns2]

Whatever they are charging nowadays it is way too much, but if people will pay, they will pay.

[mrbgamehunter]

Do your homework, shop around for a good butcher. The guy I use and have for a few years is .75 cents a pound cut and vacuum sealed. Everything. I get one pound pack of ground. for me to sit and vaccum seal my whole
Animal including 150 packs of ground. I found it worthwhile.

[Troutslayer444]

I bought all the supplies as well. Butchers are a rip off and it's hard to find a decent one these days. I guess it depends how much you hunt, but my family lives off wild meat. So it's cheaper to buy everything you need


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[amosfella]

Alberta Processors expects a big chunk of change to come and pick up the bones, inedible trimmings, etc... That $30 is just covering the costs of the pickup fee...

[Redfrog]

Use a butcher or do it yourself. Your choice. I've done both and been happy with both.

I had one bad experience with a butcher when a client had a mule deer processed. I thought the butcher overcharged X2 and when we went to pick up the meat I told him so. His explanation was "They are Americans, they can afford it" I explained that considering this was the first time I had used him, it was ironic that it would also be the last time. I also explained that i would tell anyone who would listen about the great work he did and the exorbitant price as well. He deducted 30 per cent from the bill. A lot of the extra charge was for sausage supplies, pork etc. Very inflated.

I enjoy cutting meat, but I've seen some carcasses that a pro butcher gets to deal with. I'd be refusing some and charging extra for others. Being accused of shorting a customer of a few pounds of venison or being blamed for meat that is barely edible because of poor hunter handling would be enough for me to not even bother.

Anytime I've dropped an animal in for processing, I've received an itemized work order with all prices on it.

I've also seen the minimum charge in place.

[coreya3212]

It's all in the wording and this tends to be a he said she said kind of arguement, but I'll play.
Customer- how much to cut and wrap this antelope?
Butcher- 90 dollars. 2 dollars a pound if you want sausage.
C- ok, just the cut and wrap please.
B- alrighty.

At pick up
B- here you go, that will be 125 plus gst.
C- here is 94.50. Thanks very much, I will never be back.

Tires are another one where taxes and fees and levies ( as if they are different) can cause issues, but as a customer when I ask how much my tires are gonna cost, don't give me a price on the tires because I am gonna take that as my cost and you should know better.
Have a great day everyone.

[newguy]

Originally Posted by Troutslayer444

I bought all the supplies as well. Butchers are a rip off and it's hard to find a decent one these days. I guess it depends how much you hunt, but my family lives off wild meat. So it's cheaper to buy everything you need


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I'm fortunate to have a good friend who's a butcher. $1/lb is a good deal for many people he tells me. That "enviro charge is something I haven't heard before. He charges extra for skinning and if you won't take the hide there is a disposal fee.

Butchers are not a rip off... They provide a service many people have no idea how to do. Do some "rip off" customers, sure. They can't be all painted with the same brush.

[tchardy1972]

A butcher is a skilled tradesman. Most trades charge at least $80 per hour for one man and no equipment. Mechanics charge $125 per hour for shop rate or more and welders are the same. So if it takes over an hour to cut and wrap a deer or antelope plus the time it takes to clean up plus supplies, to me butchers are cheap. They have to keep the lights on as well.

When's the last time any of you have been to a dentist? Now there is a rip off.

[kujoseto]

I use a great butcher. He's honest and does great work. With that said, the cost to grind it myself as opposed to get someone even with a good price is causing me to look into doing it myself. I'll still drop some off for him to make sausage though.

[Opa]

We take ours to a Hute colony. Great work, good prices, you get all of your meat back, AND you are best off to have a DD to get you home. They dispose of the bones and bloodshot meat for no charge, unless you want them for coyote bait. We used to do the butchering ourselves, but age has bitten all of us in the arse, so we sold our equipment and, while it is more costly, they do a hell of a job. Hung, cut, ground to our spec, wrapped, and frozen. The ladies will not let you load it out for the trip home, they insist on doing it. Last year - $.85/lb + beer that we shared with the bosses. Don't know what cost will be this year.

[hawk-i]

My moose this year cost me .60/lbs for cutting and wrapping, plus 2.00/lb for sausage.

550 lbs @ .60 = 330.00
50 lbs sausage=100.00

total = 430.00

[Jay Kyle]

Years ago I organized a group of Hunters and engaged SAIT to teach a "Meat Cutting for Hunters" one day course. We brought in about 15 hunters for the day, SAIT provided lambs and we learned how to cut up the lamb as if they were deer, made sausage, and learned a bit of food safety. The Chef was himself a hunter. It was a great experience and what we learned also legitimized our cutting with our wives 'cause we were trained!

I'd recommend this course anytime just need someone to pull it together!

Jay

[Troutslayer444]

True, I shouldn't judge, all the butchers around where I live are a rip off. I was charged $3/lb for a moose two years ago and the butcher made 90% of it into hamburger. Said I would like as many steaks & roast as possible, then rest into hamburger. I'm pretty sure there's more than 5 roasts and 20 steaks on a moose. But I just bought all the stuff, because it is cheaper when the butchers you go to charge 3/lb to make even hamburger. I see now that there seems to be decent prices out there. I still think, if you have the room, time, and initial start up costs, go that route. There's nothing more fun than cutting up meat and drinkin beer!!


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[tchardy1972]

It's no quicker to make hamburger than to cut a steak. There is alot more work deboning which is hard on knives. Spend hundreds or thousands to get the animal but $90 is too much to have it processed. This is why most butchers dislike hunters.

[ocelotrugby]

Do it yourself. easy lots of videos on youtube. I disliked a butchers process of keeping bones and fat in the packages and have never went back. I still get sausage made but that is all.

[Nyksta]

Originally Posted by tchardy1972

It's no quicker to make hamburger than to cut a steak. There is alot more work deboning which is hard on knives. Spend hundreds or thousands to get the animal but $90 is too much to have it processed. This is why most butchers dislike hunters.

This guy said it was donated meat, so he had to pay butcher fees. Pretty rough go for someone not used to the process... To have a surprise $25 dollar charge and then add GST on top of all that when you didnt think that was coming... it adds up... should almost just buy ground beef from the store for $4 a pound when it is all done with.

[wildwoods]

Probably lesson learned the hard way I guess. I would mention it but not worth a fight. I've spent $25 on a lot worse...

[Smokinyotes]

I had a front qtr from my big bull moose made into garlic sausage, pepperoni and jerky in 2014. The butcher charged me $780. Prices are starting to get ridiculous.

[Dewey Cox]

So you got all the meat from an antelope for $125?
Sounds reasonable to me.
The people who don't think someone's time to cut, wrap, and dispose of an antelope is worth $125 aren't anyone you'd want to do any kind of business with.
You can suck out your septic tank a lot cheaper if you buy the equipment too, but nobody chooses that option.

[coreya3212]

Originally Posted by Dewey Cox

So you got all the meat from an antelope for $125?
Sounds reasonable to me.
The people who don't think someone's time to cut, wrap, and dispose of an antelope is worth $125 aren't anyone you'd want to do any kind of business with.
You can suck out your septic tank a lot cheaper if you buy the equipment too, but nobody chooses that option.

Is 125 a good deal after you are told 90? You should read the thread again so you understand.

[Dewey Cox]

$90 to cut and wrap.
That's what I read.
Good lord, nobody on here is happy with a butcher unless he's paying you to cut up your animal.


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[Nyksta]

Originally Posted by coreya3212

Is 125 a good deal after you are told 90? You should read the thread again so you understand.

Ill take the next antelope carcass if this experience was too much for the guy to handle... ill even pay the hunter the $40 he paid for the tag... i wonder if this customer considered the wonderful situation he found himself in...

[coreya3212]

Originally Posted by Dewey Cox

$90 to cut and wrap.
That's what I read.
Good lord, nobody on here is happy with a butcher unless he's paying you to cut up your animal.


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Again, the issue isn't that any more than 90 isn't a good deal or a fair price, it's that the vendor quoted 90 but then charged 125. That's the issue. Do you understand?