Sources and factors
Every number in the calculator traces to something below. Where sources disagree we show the spread, and we say which sources we read directly.
Factors in use
| Species | Field-dressed, as % of live | Hanging, as % of field-dressed | Boneless meat, as % of field-dressed | How sure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitetail deer | 75% to 82% (78%) | 75% to 88% (82%) | 38% to 55% (48%) | Best supported. Based on a measured state sample plus several published conversion rules. |
| Mule deer | 70% to 78% (74%) | 75% to 88% (82%) | 42% to 56% (48%) | Good. Based on a University of Wyoming carcass study as reported by state agencies. |
| Elk | 66% to 76% (70%) | 78% to 90% (85%) | 38% to 52% (45%) | Moderate. Studies define "field dressed" differently, which widens the range. |
| Moose | 60% to 72% (66%) | 78% to 90% (85%) | 42% to 56% (50%) | Low. One state agency example plus secondary sources; treat the range as wide. |
| Black bear | 60% to 85% (70%) | 78% to 90% (85%) | 40% to 58% (52%) | Low. Sources disagree a lot on bear dressing percentage, and fat varies by season. |
Definitions: field-dressed (FD) = organs out, hide, head and legs on; hanging = skinned, head and lower legs off. When you enter one weight and we estimate another, uncertainties from each factor are combined in a way that is wider than any single factor but narrower than stacking every worst case.
Where the sources disagree
- Boneless share. Ohio measured 48.5% of field-dressed weight (S1). The NDA says about 48% (S2). A 1968 Penn State figure works out near 35% (S5). Pages that quote "43% of live weight" imply about 55% of field-dressed weight, which is the generous end. Our whitetail range is 38% to 55%, with 48% typical.
- Field-dressed share of live. 75% to 82% for whitetail depending on age (S9), 70.4% for mule deer (S4), and about 70% for elk. These likely use different definitions of "field-dressed."
- Hanging versus field-dressed. Penn State's carcass figure is about 75% of field-dressed (S5). Mule deer head and skin weights (S4) suggest a smaller drop. We could not find a clean measured study of this step. It is our softest factor, and the reason for the wide hanging range.
- Bear and moose. Alaska examples (S6) imply about 60% of live weight when dressed, while a Pennsylvania conversion (S7) implies about 85% for bear. We use wide ranges.
- Bone-in. No source found. We assume somewhere between none of the bone kept and all of it (using Penn State's 67% boneless-of-carcass, S5). This is an assumption.
- Ground-heavy. No source found for a yield difference, so the total is not adjusted.
Source list
- S1. Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife. "Venison Meat Yield" (2017 measurement of 115 deer, field-dressed weight vs. boneless venison). https://dam.assets.ohio.gov/image/upload/ohiodnr.gov/documents/wildlife/wild-ohio-harvest-community/Venison%20Yield.pdf
Measured whitetail average: 107.56 lb field-dressed gave 52.19 lb of venison (48.52%). Bucks 129.69 lb gave 62.51 lb (48.20%); antlerless 92.27 lb gave 45.05 lb (48.83%). Anchors the typical boneless share of field-dressed weight (48%). Read in full. - S2. National Deer Association. "How Much Venison Can You Expect From Your Deer?" https://deerassociation.com/how-much-venison-can-you-expect-from-your-deer/
Rule of thumb of about 48% of field-dressed weight as boneless venison; about 60% when measured on a skinned, headless carcass; list of what changes yield (shot placement, trauma, butchering skill). Read in full. - S3. Wyoming Game and Fish Department. "How much meat can I get from a deer?" https://wgfd.wyo.gov/how-much-meat-can-i-get-deer
Mule deer buck live weight 150 to 250 lb, dressed 120 to 190 lb; a forkhorn or doe may give no more than 50 lb boned; shot placement, dirt and drying, and skinning timing all cost meat. Gives no percentage factors. Read in full. - S4. University of Wyoming. "The Mule Deer Carcass" and "The Elk Carcass" (carcass studies). https://www.backcountrychronicles.com/mule-deer-pack-out-weight/
NOT read directly (the original publications could not be opened). Figures are as reported by secondary pages: mule deer field-dressed about 70.4% of live weight; boneless about 48% of field-dressed weight; example mule deer bucks from 102 lb field-dressed (49 lb boneless) to 207 lb (99 lb); does 85 to 130 lb (41 to 62 lb). Elk about 70% field-dressed of live weight, boneless about 30% of live weight, 88 to 270 lb boneless. The link is the secondary page that tabulated the mule deer numbers. - S5. Penn State Department of Animal Science and Pennsylvania Game Commission (1968), as cited by Dan Schmidt in Deer & Deer Hunting, "How Much Meat is On 1 Deer?" https://www.deeranddeerhunting.com/content/blogs/dan-schmidt-deer-blog-whitetail-wisdom/how-much-meat-is-on-1-deer
Carcass = field-dressed weight divided by 1.331 (about 75%); ideal boneless = 67% of carcass; realistic boneless = 70% of that (about 35% of field-dressed weight). Also the 1.28 field-dressed-to-live multiplier (about 78%). The 1968 study itself was NOT read; this is the magazine author's description of it. It is the low outlier that sets the bottom of our range and the 67% ceiling for bone-in. - S6. Alaska Department of Fish and Game, hunting information pages and regulations ("Maximum weights of some Alaska species"). https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=blackbearhunting.main
Black bear: 350 lb live dresses about 210 lb and yields about 120 lb of meat. Moose: 1,600 lb live dresses about 950 lb and yields about 500 lb of meat. Seen through search-result text; the agency PDFs could not be opened for a direct read. Alaska's "dress out" is likely a skinned weight, which is one reason our bear and moose ranges are wide. - S7. Pennsylvania Game Commission bear conversion (dressed weight x 1.18 = live weight). https://forums.bowsite.com/tf/bgforums/thread.cfm?threadid=351632&forum=6
Implies a bear field-dressed at roughly 85% of live weight, the top of our bear range. Reported on a hunting forum, NOT verified on an agency page. Treat as unconfirmed. - S8. Outdoor Life. "Is Your Wild-Game Processor Shorting You on Venison?" https://www.outdoorlife.com/hunting/how-much-venison-from-deer/
Repeats the NDA 48% rule and the Ohio study; adds field care and processing method as yield factors. Read in full. Used as a cross-check only. - S9. Field-dressed share of live weight by age: 75% (fawns, does, yearling bucks), 80% (2.5 to 3.5 year bucks), 82% (mature bucks); commonly quoted 78% overall. https://huntfishsport.com/tools/game-weight-calculator/whitetail-deer
Sets the whitetail 75% to 82% range around a 78% typical value. The original study behind these percentages was NOT located. The page linked is a calculator site that repeats them; we use only the numbers, not its text or code.
Honest limits
Several of the primary studies (University of Wyoming, Penn State 1968, Alaska agency PDFs) could not be opened directly, and we say so on each. The tests in the project check that the calculator reproduces the figures quoted in the sources, but several factors were chosen to fit those same figures, so that is a consistency check, not an independent validation. If you can point us to a better measured study, please use the contact page.