KillDate

Deer processing in Kansas

A shorter, heavier season. Shops see a lot of out of state hunters who need the meat processed and shipped or frozen for a long drive home. Here is where to take it and what to have decided before you get there.

Processors taking deer in Kansas

No shops listed in Kansas yet. If you run one, add it and hunters will find you here.

Before you drop it off

  1. 1

    Field dress it immediately

    Body heat is what ruins venison. Get the organs out as soon as you can safely do it, and prop the cavity open so air moves through.

  2. 2

    Get it cool, and keep it cool

    Above about 40 degrees the clock is running hard. In warm weather a bag of ice in the cavity buys you hours. If the shop is more than a short drive away, ice it for the trip.

  3. 3

    Keep your tag with the animal

    Your processor needs the animal identified to you, and the state needs it tagged the way its own rules say. Both of those travel with the deer, not in your glovebox.

  4. 4

    Decide about the cape before you skin anything

    If there is any chance you want a shoulder mount, say so before a knife touches the hide. A cape cut wrong cannot be repaired, and this is the single most common regret at a deer counter.

  5. 5

    Call ahead during the opener

    The week of a firearms opener a shop can hit cooler capacity by mid morning. Five minutes on the phone beats two hours of driving with a deer in the truck.

Decide these in the truck

During the opener there is a line behind you. Every one of these takes ten seconds if you have thought about it and five minutes if you have not.

  • What goes to the grinder

    Most hunters grind the hindquarters and shoulders and keep the backstraps and tenderloins whole. That is the default for a reason.

  • What to blend the ground with

    Straight venison is very lean and crumbles in a pan. Beef fat is the usual answer, pork is the other, and bacon ends make the richest grind. Decide which, because it changes what your burgers do.

  • How much jerky and sausage

    Both are priced per pound on top of the base processing and both come out of the same meat that would have been hamburger. Twenty pounds of summer sausage is a real decision, not a free extra.

  • Cape, antlers, or neither

    European mount, skull cap, full cape for a taxidermist, or nothing. Have an answer.

Tagging, transport and CWD rules

Those are set by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, they change from year to year, and some of them vary by county. Check their current regulations before the season rather than trusting anything you read on a processor's website, including this one.

How much venison to expect

A 150 lb whitetail gives roughly 50 to 60 lb of boneless venison, about a third of live weight. The yield calculator takes a live or field dressed weight and works out the rest, including how much freezer space it needs.

Deer processing in Kansas, answered

How much does deer processing cost in Kansas?
Basic cut and wrap for a whole deer generally runs somewhere between 90 and 150 dollars, and shops price it either as a flat fee per animal or by the pound. Jerky, summer sausage, snack sticks and bratwurst are charged on top, per pound, and can easily double the bill. Ask for the price list before you commit to twenty pounds of snack sticks.
How long does deer processing take?
Two to four weeks is normal, and the firearms opener is the worst of it. A deer dropped off on opening weekend sits behind everything else that arrived that weekend. Outside the rush, a week to ten days is common.
How much meat comes off a deer?
A 150 lb whitetail gives roughly 50 to 60 lb of boneless venison. Where the shot landed matters more than anything else: a shoulder hit or a long tracking job in warm weather costs real pounds.
Do I need to field dress a deer before taking it to a processor?
Yes, and as soon as you safely can. Body heat is what spoils venison, so the organs need to come out and air needs to move through the cavity. In warm weather, ice the cavity for the drive.
Should I keep the cape for a mount?
Decide before anyone skins the animal and tell the processor at drop off. A cape cut the wrong way cannot be repaired, and it is the most common regret at a deer counter. If you are undecided, ask them to save it; you can always change your mind afterwards.
What do I need to bring with the deer?
Your tag, attached the way Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks requires, and your phone number so the shop can reach you. Everything else is decisions: how you want it ground, whether you want jerky or sausage, and what happens to the cape and antlers.