Bambi Whacking 2023-2024

[outrider58]

About the same. We usually are pretty anal so we average a bit higher. Drop off had no rates. The pick up office had a few rates.
Anyway, we got 42lbs back. And they charged $589...the former seems quite low and the latter quite high.

The price does seem high. As for the meat percentage, again, I don't know dick-do about bear meat yield. wilcam47 would be a better judge.

 

[WHBD]

Seems a little high price, maybe...could be the cape job. As for the bear meat it depends if its a young bear it wont have as much as a mature bear. Trouble with bear is how much fat did it have. If its a lot fat then your weight vs meat is gonna be less. Just saying

just my experience.


Found this..

How Much Meat From a Deer, Bear, or Elk?

Dennis V. Gilmore Jr. https://thepredatorhunter.com/how-much-meat-from-a-deer-bear-or-elk/ How Much Meat From a Deer, Bear, or Elk? The Predator Hunter

thepredatorhunter.com

At the check out shed, the only applicable price shown was $200 to skin a bear if someone else is doing the taxidermy($175 if they are). I can't imagine that cutting the head off an already skinned bear and putting it in a grocery bag costs much.

And yes, she was a mature sow. DNR guestimated that she was in her late teens. Haven't gotten the age from the tooth back yet.

 

[wilcam47]

At the check out shed, the only applicable price shown was $200 to skin a bear if someone else is doing the taxidermy($175 if they are). I can't imagine that cutting the head off an already skinned bear and putting it in a grocery bag costs much.

And yes, she was a mature sow. DNR guestimated that she was in her late teens. Haven't gotten the age from the tooth back yet.

yeah, i agree, still seems a bit light on meat return. The other thing is they go by field dressed weight typically. The skin is really heavy, she prob had lots fat, skeletal structure is a bit different. Im not making excuses. But that makes it tough vs comparing it to deer.

 

[WHBD]

The only reference I have to go by is professionally butchered deer, which is close to 50% of field dress weight. That is usually bone free without much loss to bullet destruction.

On the other, it all depends on the butcher, and they should display or at least provide pricing on the rest.

Also, there was essentially no meat loss due to the shot. It was with a bow. The arrow penetrated the front of the rib cage, cut the arteries above the heart, went through one lung and nicked the other and stopped above the liver. Slightly quartering frontal shot at 5 yards from the ground. She went about 70 yards.

 

[WHBD]

Seems a little high price, maybe...could be the cape job. As for the bear meat it depends if its a young bear it wont have as much as a mature bear. Trouble with bear is how much fat did it have. If its a lot fat then your weight vs meat is gonna be less. Just saying

just my experience.


Found this..

How Much Meat From a Deer, Bear, or Elk?

Dennis V. Gilmore Jr. https://thepredatorhunter.com/how-much-meat-from-a-deer-bear-or-elk/ How Much Meat From a Deer, Bear, or Elk? The Predator Hunter

thepredatorhunter.com

Well, 33% does put it at a lower amount than our uneducated assumptions.

 

[WHBD]

yeah, i agree, still seems a bit light on meat return. The other thing is they go by field dressed weight typically. The skin is really heavy, she prob had lots fat, skeletal structure is a bit different. Im not making excuses. But that makes it tough vs comparing it to deer.

For sure. The 238 was the field dressed weight. And she def had fat on her. Yeah, clearly an apples and oranges situation.

 

[lazarus]

The only reference I have to go by is professionally butchered deer, which is close to 50% of field dress weight. That is usually bone free without much loss to bullet destruction.

On the other, it all depends on the butcher, and they should display or at least provide pricing on the rest.

I believe bear tends to come in slightly less if no meat loss. Bigger bones. Heavier hide.

I think you'd probably be looking at more like 40% of field dressed weight at best (assuming you didn't blow up a couple of shoulders or something).

Umm, and to the point brought up. If just straight meat and no bear lard back too, I could see being around the 20% range once it was all said and done. But that does seem low what you got and the price extremely high, unless that included caping and tanning the hide.

 

[RRomig]

Also, there was essentially no meat loss due to the shot. It was with a bow. The arrow penetrated the front of the rib cage, cut the arteries above the heart, went through one lung and nicked the other and stopped above the liver. Slightly quartering frontal shot at 5 yards from the ground. She went about 70 yards.

Interesting stuff. I agree that the weight seems low and price seems high. But what really got my attention, how did you manage to get a 5 yard bow shot on a bear on public land. That is very impressive.

 

[RRomig]

My dream rifle. I'd take one in .270 or .243

My FIL has one in 375 H&H. I haven’t seen it in forever but I was pretty sure Doco Overboard’s was a fine example.

 

[outrider58]

My FIL has one in 375 H&H. I haven’t seen it in forever but I was pretty sure Doco Overboard’s was a fine example.

I'd do a .270 or a .243.

 

[Mike3888]

West Virginia muzzleloader opener.

 

[ChrisD]

West Virginia muzzleloader opener.

Congrats! what county in WV you hunting?

 

[foxtrapper]

For sure. The 238 was the field dressed weight. And she def had fat on her. Yeah, clearly an apples and oranges situation.

I had a VA bear come in last week. The guy said it was estimated 200 field dressed before skinning by his guide. The hide felt like it weighed 100 pounds. I could not pick it up and the guy even had trouble picking it up. I'm going to say that by experience this bear was NOT 200 dressed. She had thick fat all over the skin, and her head alone measured 14" long. I don't know why the guide or whoever said 200! My estimate is more like 350 dressed. 6 foot nose to base of tail and wide. He just wants the hide tanned, no head or feet, as he can't afford that. He helped flesh it too as would have taken me forever with all that fat. Even fleshed, I swear the hide was still 40 pounds. At least I could move it. He is going to get the claws from the feet and clean the skull, though the head was damaged. It would have been amazing if he had wanted a full mount!

 

[tallen702]

I was, unfortunately, not at home this evening. That said, there are about 5-6 does that show up like clockwork around 5PM each day to browse on the corn/soy mix I've been throwing out there each day by the pint-glass full. I'm in PA all week for work, unfortunately, but will be coming back on Friday morning. I'll be sitting in my blind by 5PM on Friday with my crossbow in my lap. No bucks, but the freezer is empty, so a doe'll do.

 

[wilcam47]

I had a VA bear come in last week. The guy said it was estimated 200 field dressed before skinning by his guide. The hide felt like it weighed 100 pounds. I could not pick it up and the guy even had trouble picking it up. I'm going to say that by experience this bear was NOT 200 dressed. She had thick fat all over the skin, and her head alone measured 14" long. I don't know why the guide or whoever said 200! My estimate is more like 350 dressed. 6 foot nose to base of tail and wide. He just wants the hide tanned, no head or feet, as he can't afford that. He helped flesh it too as would have taken me forever with all that fat. Even fleshed, I swear the hide was still 40 pounds. At least I could move it. He is going to get the claws from the feet and clean the skull, though the head was damaged. It would have been amazing if he had wanted a full mount!

They are difficult to judge weight

 

[Mike3888]

Congrats! what county in WV you hunting?

Those were in Hardy County.

 

[BigCountry14]

About the same. We usually are pretty anal so we average a bit higher. Drop off had no rates. The pick up office had a few rates.
Anyway, we got 42lbs back. And they charged $589...the former seems quite low and the latter quite high.

Wow! My PA bull elk was under $600 to butcher (back in 18 though). And I got close to 300lbs of meat back. Live weight was estimated at close to 800lbs. The cape and rack was probably 100lbs easy.

 

[WHBD]

I believe bear tends to come in slightly less if no meat loss. Bigger bones. Heavier hide.

I think you'd probably be looking at more like 40% of field dressed weight at best (assuming you didn't blow up a couple of shoulders or something).

Umm, and to the point brought up. If just straight meat and no bear lard back too, I could see being around the 20% range once it was all said and done. But that does seem low what you got and the price extremely high, unless that included caping and tanning the hide.

Yeah, we asked for fat as well for us to render down, but got none. Yeah, no fleshing or tanning of the hide. Just skinning.

 

[WHBD]

Interesting stuff. I agree that the weight seems low and price seems high. But what really got my attention, how did you manage to get a 5 yard bow shot on a bear on public land. That is very impressive.

Last day of the season so we were all sitting on the areas we had seen the most sign. I left my saddle in my truck as I wanted to be as mobile as possible. I actually like sitting on the ground. My friends tell me I've watched too much of The Hunting Public and Whitetail Adrenaline, haha. I was in a fairly thickly grown, small clearing. Heard a stick break as she entered and she was on a path that would take her past me at about a yard; I didn't want her that close. Tried a grunt, a 'meh' and a lip squeak to stop her at 10 yards but she kept strolling.

 

[WHBD]

I had a VA bear come in last week. The guy said it was estimated 200 field dressed before skinning by his guide. The hide felt like it weighed 100 pounds. I could not pick it up and the guy even had trouble picking it up. I'm going to say that by experience this bear was NOT 200 dressed. She had thick fat all over the skin, and her head alone measured 14" long. I don't know why the guide or whoever said 200! My estimate is more like 350 dressed. 6 foot nose to base of tail and wide. He just wants the hide tanned, no head or feet, as he can't afford that. He helped flesh it too as would have taken me forever with all that fat. Even fleshed, I swear the hide was still 40 pounds. At least I could move it. He is going to get the claws from the feet and clean the skull, though the head was damaged. It would have been amazing if he had wanted a full mount!

Sounds bigger than ours. Part of the check in process in MD is taking it to the DNR check station where they weighed it(among other things). Hence the weight we have.