how much meat do you get from cow elk?
Elk
I just recently killed a large cow elk and received it from the butcher. I received 320lbs of meat. Granted the butcher said it was one of the biggest cows he's ever seen. But do you think 320lbs is correct? I didn't have to do anything to the elk in the field but gut it because i dragged it 500 yards with an atv and slid it off a ledge and into my truck bed. it would fit into the truck bed all the way so its head and neck hung over the tailgate.
That is pretty good if boned out.
That is about two times what I figured.
Scott
did u weigh it I bet he charged u for 320 lbs but I bet u got about 100 120 most bulls aren't even close to that and cows don't even come close to a mature bull . Congrats
320 lbs of meat? im willing to bet someone else brought in a cow elk and had it butchered, but never paid or picked it up and he "gave" it to you and you paid for both.
im pretty anal about the weights and I weight almost everything I butcher. im sure I have some notes in the basement but I know for a fact a large adult doe whitetail will yield roughly 40 lbs of useable meat.
that said it is very hard to say on your elk because they vary in size so much. in 08 I killed my 12th elk in a row and it was a cow, and of the previous cows and 9 bulls I killed this cow was almost the largest elk ive ever killed. only 2 bulls were larger than her. ill have to do some digging and see what I had but im guessing close to 200 lbs on a normal adult cow.
michael
The one I killed weighed 480 gutted, but with the processor I used, I think I got about 1,000 lb. of elk burger. Grrrrrrr !
I've never heard of a cow with that much meat after boning, trimming and wrapping. Lucky you- enjoy it all!
all the processors that I have seen charge by hanging weight, yield will be a lot less than this my guess is the 360 lbs was the four quarters of the cow which would be big
Wait a minute: are you sure you have that right? Did he actually say you got 320 lbs of meat, or you were charged based on 320 pounds "green weight"? Because most processors charge by green weight and 320 lbs sounds like 4 unboned quarters, two backstraps, and maybe some neck/rib meat.
I guarantee you didn't get 320 pounds of meat. But I kind of doubt that's what he tried to tell you too.
In order for you to have gotten 320lbs of meat back your cow would have weighed well north of 600lbs on the hoof, and that's assuming there was zero loss in the shoulder from the bullet. Typical yield of boned out meat is roughly 50%. You were charged for hanging weight.
25-30% of live weight for boned & wrapped if nothing wasted or lost
that cow was 1,000#
the cow probably weighed in the upper 500lb range after gutting. He charges .70 cents per pound so maybe he did charge me for the green weight. also I received all of the rib meat and neck meat. I'm pretty sure he did say 320lbs of meat total, but I could be wrong. Ill call tomorrow and ask.
Just enjoy the great meat!
Well....... I shot a bull in NM, boned it out hanging from a tree, and filled (two) 120 qt coolers to the brim. Barely enough room for 1 bag of cube ice sprinkled over each cooler of meat. We drove back to OR where I trimmed it at the processors myself and I took home 330#. I have never been close to that number before or since. I'd call BS on myself if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.
I'd believe that Bob, but for a cow?
I'd believe 320 for a big cow that was dropped off whole, gutted, hanging wt with hide and head...
Did you get the entire thing done into sausage and he counted fat added in or something?
Did you shoot it with Uranium buck shot?
It's common for butchers to charge hanging wt, that's why if you bring your animal in, you want to debone it or at least cut the hooves off.
Largest cow I have killed butcher hung bone in at 337 lob. Smallest was in around 275 or so. I usually take home around 300 lobs or so of packaged meat after adding some suet for hamburger meat. Seems to me you are in the ball park and that some folks are getting ripped off by their butchers big time.
God bless, Steve
I'd say 40-45% of live weight.
"Largest cow I have killed butcher hung bone in at 337 lob. Smallest was in around 275 or so. I usually take home around 300 lobs or so of packaged meat after adding some suet for hamburger meat. Seems to me you are in the ball park and that some folks are getting ripped off by their butchers big time."
Not sure that math adds up.
Here's a cow my wife shot about 6-7 weeks ago in 6A. The 4 quarters of her cow weighed 271 lbs. We got back 3 full boxes of meat and if I had to guess I would say they weighed about 150 lbs +/-. Not calling BS on your claim just showing a big cow that I know the weight of. This cow was long legged and was hanging out of the side of an 8' truck bed. Your cow is in a Tacoma bed which makes the head look huge.
Average boned out meat yield should be about 200# on a mature cow.
Wonder how a professional meat processor would weigh in on this? I'll bet they have the better knowledge of what a big mature cow elk and a big mature bull elk will yield as they will likely have seen hundreds compared to some other's few...
That must be a monster sized cow to get over 300 lbs of meat back from your processor. As a processor we do over 300 elk a year, we weigh all game with a certified scale, we weigh only the carcass after it has been skinned. Most cow elk weigh around 250 lbs. A large cow will weigh about 350 with one or two a year around 380. A large bull 6X6 will weigh around 400, the biggest we have ever processed was a little over 500 lbs. and it came from a game ranch. The average bull will be about 350 lbs. The bones on a cow will weigh around 75 lbs. with trimming, cleaning, blood shot, etc. you will yield close to 150 to 200 lbs. of edible meat.
My NM raghorn 5x5 gave us 170 lbs of boneless meat after I mixed in some suet for burger. We butchered it ourselves and weighed it as I put in the freezer. Just for comparison - but she does look pretty big in the back of that Tacoma! Pete
I've killed a fair number of cows, and I have found that young (1 1/2 to 2 1/2 year old) cows will yield about 120-140 pounds of boned out meat. A mature cow will yield 160-180 pounds of boned out meat. These were all Montana elk.
A carcas will yield roughly 30% boned out meat, so a 450 pound (on the hoof) cow elk would yield about 150 pounds of boneless meat.
You can do the math to determine what a cow would have to weigh in order to yield 300+ pounds of boneless.
"Largest cow I have killed butcher hung bone in at 337 lob. Smallest was in around 275 or so. I usually take home around 300 lobs or so of packaged meat after adding some suet for hamburger meat. Seems to me you are in the ball park and that some folks are getting ripped off by their butchers big time. God bless, Steve"
wait a minute. are you saying you typically get 300 lbs of meat off a cow? going by your weights given dressed weight should be 300. does your guy grind bone, fat and all?
michael
I shot a very large lead cow years back and got back 197 pounds of boned meat.
Most butchers charge you the going in weight not the going out processed weight.
Your Whole cow in that Tacoma bed prolly weighed in @ that 320lbs going in...
The math would be simple to do as how much a pound did he charge to process.
I always bone the meat off the animal in the field so I get pretty dang near what I take in back after processing cut-n-wrap....
My guy is .50 a pound on a bone off and cleaned meat when I take it in...
Good eats ya got there by the way---enjoy it all.
Good luck, Robb
My last two cows (which seemed pretty decent sized) yielded 100# of trimmed, lean, boned meat. And I picked the carcasses clean (no waste).
Go to the bottom and there is an average yield table.
This should give you a pretty good idea.
The last cow I shot I got 160 lbs of boned out meat in the field. And it was a pretty big cow. Weighed in the field before packing it out on 2 llamas.
Are you hunting in Jurassic Park? I would think 200# max.
I just got 232# of red-edible meat in the freezer off the Roosevelt 4x4 I shot last week. They are about 25% larger than a Yellowstone on average, or so the BC biologists say. Virtually no waste.
You should have had somewhere around 200# from the butcher, so just send me the extra 120# to have the correct amount in your freezer...
Amend should have been 200 instead of three hundred, typo. Hung weights were minus skin and head and legs cut off at knees. My butcher will not take with skin on. God bless, Steve
first off I'm not claiming anything just stating that my butcher said 320lbs, I'm not saying I shot a monster elk just wondering if that is correct for 320lbs. I did also cut from the knees down off before taking it out of the field.
Keep in mind this cow was also taken on the legendary valles caldera national preserve in NM that has the best elk herd in the United States haha or so they say
That cow would have to weigh around #600lbs on the hoof in order to get close to 320lbs of meat. 3yrs ago I head shot a large cow packed it out on 3 horses up in Colo, and all it yielded cut up boneless was#187lbs.
187# is about right for a good-sized cow, wrapped and frozen, after all the trimming.
Cooper, how many packages did you get from the butcher? Burger should be in one-pound packages, and you can figure an average of the other stuff by weighing a few. That should solve the mystery.
200 lbs would be a big cow, My average is around 140 to 160 on a average mature cow. I will be less than half of the starting weight when packaged.
i got back 148# from the one I killed this year. And she was a very good size.
The Alaska hunting regs has a animal weight chart and for animals of the deer family they beleive you get around 34% boned-out meat.
You should have used our butcher, you would have gotten maybe 120# meat. Sucks being a NR.
I killed a young bull this year in MT, hanging weight of entire elk minus guts was 386 lbs.
With a 25% suet mix in all my burger, I took home 200lbs of boneless, wrapped meat.
He was talking about hanging wt no doubt.
My cow this year was a BIG girl. Prob 3 or 4 yr old mature elk. I had 40 lb of sausage made with a 50/50 mix of pork added so that's 20 lb pork in my totals. I received a total of 193 lb of packaged boneless meat. So to answer you question "does it sound right?" No. But I guess it's possible if you factor in suet for burger and pork added to sausage if you had a lot made. Not to mention added weight from taking in the whole animal not just quarters and meat you removed yourself in the field. Either way, congrats and enjoy.
All my animals require backpack out, so are deboned & gutless method. So there may be a little extra loss rather than hauling the entire carcass to the butcher.
HUGE cow daughter got 175lb of wrapped meat back from my butcher, who I trust to give me all of the meat back, yet not grind up all the tendons and white/silver connective tissue. That is with 5% suet added to the burger.
Buddy received 150lb for smaller cow.
3 mature bulls from NM me, my dad & partner received 215, 220 & 225 lb back.
No way you received 320lb of meat back in your freezer from a cow. If you did, it included extra (like nearly double) meat from another animal(s).
This year 2 cows one 198lb's 180lb's of wrapped meat
Got this one in SW NM. She was a big cow and I got a hair over 200lb back after ten pounds of fat was added. The processor is very good and waste very little meat.
Not used to pack out just to skin. Died in a power line clearing and was able to get it in a JD gator whole.
Excellent rule of thumb for any animal is 25 live weight, always works out. Take out fat added, bones.
150 pounds boneless nothing added
Carl amazing how many times I hear of huge weights back, like the 350 bull I just saw..........
real tape and real scales deflate things!
So many guys here in Ohio talk about the huge doe with 150 pounds of meat. Impossible!
OMW to WY for cow bison!!!!!!!!!!
I hear you may get up to 2,100 pounds of wrapped meat from a cow bison ;o) LOL
Good luck Don!
Nice. Sounds like some good eating for you. Enjoy all that meat. I typically get 150-180 lbs from cow elk. But looks like a big ole cow you shot!!
One year I got 315 lbs from a bull. think it was this bull if I remember correctly.
Ermine,
Congratulations on a fine archery Bull!
LaGriz
You may have got 320 pounds of meat back, but it wasn't all from that cow. -The 25% weight rule seems to be about right.
The correct answer is "Never enough".
I'd be using that butcher again. Sounds like you got it all back!
Weighed the off hip rears on several old large cow elk in recent years. 55-60 pounds with hide off and bone in. Figure 10 pound for the bone and you are left with less than 50 to work with. If you get 225 pounds of actual meat back you have done very well.
337 4/8 bull hams were 85.
I think most vastly overestimate the amound of meat on deer and elk.
The farther you pack them, the more it weighed.
Years ago I weighed the rear of a Roosevelt cow, about 5 years old. They were together and the pelvic was still there. 155 pounds. Packed out about 1/3 mile and it about killed me.
