Local Butchers Not Taking Game Animals

[crschralping]

I've been told Kelso's and possibly Silvana are not taking game animals. Just wanted to give everyone a heads up just in case that's where you usually go. I'm scrambling to find an alternative.

Kelso's said they would take boned out meet and grind for burger or sausage but no whole animals.

[jackelope]

Why not?

[jackelope]

I'm sure there's probably someone closer, but the Golden Steer in Bellevue does a great job. I've used them before as have a few of my buddies.

[crschralping]

Kelso's said they were both too busy with beef 

[Mfowl]

I just dropped off a load at Fischer's in Issaquah for pep, jerky and ground. They didn't seem like they had much yet.

[jason stevens]

Cut it yourself its easy

[chukar58]

Purchase a meat grinder and a boning knife and learn how to do it yourself.  It's not that hard and does not take that much time.   

[PolarBear]

I take my beef to Herritage in Rochester.  He no longer has room or time to do wild game since he became USDA Certified.  He said that there are a bunch of butchers that are getting away from processing whole game.

[Michelle_Nelson]

I just picked up our beef from Littlerock Meats over in Winlock.  Exit 68 off I5.  I know he is still taking in Wild Game  Toured the facility while I was there.  Mike and Goldie own the place, nice people.

http://www.littlerockmeats.com/_index.php

[PolarBear]

Michelle, have you tried Tracy at Herriatage?  He is practically in your back yard.  He has done our beef for 18 years or so and we have always been pleased with his work.  Now that he is USDA Certified, he is pretty anal about cleanliness.  I'm sending a beef to him week after next.

[aorams]

In Seattle, Better Meats at 3 NW and NW 81ish, did an outstanding job for me... but they do charge 1.50/lb

[mulehunter]

Purchase a meat grinder and a boning knife and learn how to do it yourself.  It's not that hard and does not take that much time.   

Cut it yourself its easy

    

[mlovely83]

To those who actually live off their game meat. If your butcher shop also sells wild game I would make sure to get hanging weight and ask to save all of the carcass to make sure the meat you get back weighs out. If getting burger done remember they add beef fat to it.

Several years ago I had local butcher shop in McKenna process my mule deer buck. Hanging weight they said it was 139LBS and I got 42LBS of meat back. They held firm and forced me to pay the 139LBS weight.

Afterwards I got WDFW and the USDA evolved. My cases of meat was from 3 different deer plus fat from a cow. USDA went in and pulled license to sell wild game in house.

I didn't get anything for my efforts except a hard lesson. My brother an I now process all our own game.

[WSU]

Michelle, have you tried Tracy at Herriatage?  He is practically in your back yard.  He has done our beef for 18 years or so and we have always been pleased with his work.  Now that he is USDA Certified, he is pretty anal about cleanliness.  I'm sending a beef to him week after next.

I've had a beef and hog done by Heritage and was very pleased both times.  Also, I know a young guy who worked at Heritage who is starting his own business.  He is out towards Rochester also.  Shoot me a PM if interested.  He did the elk I killed this year for $100. 

[Special T]

Del Fox Custom Meats

848 N Sunrise Blvd, Bldg C

Camano Is., WA 98292

(360) 926-8369

They did my elk before i started doing my own. not too far from silvna

[C-Money]

Add some pork shoulder, cut your steaks and roasts....good to go! Just make sure you clean it up well, no hair!! Very easy and  rewarding.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-Pro-Grinder/714623.uts

[madmack76]

Littlerock meats did an awesome job with my deer and a couple years ago with my elk really nice group of people.

[dewandgin]

LittleRock meats did my moose and two elk so far for me and has done my hamburger for a few years and I am very happy with the results and the meat.

[gunboats]

Golden Steer does an awesome job for my family.

[Buzz2401]

Once you start doing your own butchering I think most will never go back.  The quality you get is just so much better doing it yourself.  I have many first hand horror stories from Stewarts and Mt. View in pierce county and after a decade or so of shoddy work I decided enough was enough and bought one of those Cabelas grinders 7-8 years ago. Couldn't be happier and now it costs $30-40 to butcher our elk instead of $200-300.

[Jingles]

Purchase a meat grinder and a boning knife and learn how to do it yourself.  It's not that hard and does not take that much time.

 

To those that do get the boning knife and do it yourself  Yes the first couple of times you might not get everything right and make a mess but have yo gotten everything right the first time you did everything in life. Biggest advantage is you know at the start you're gonna get ALL your meat. None of this take in 150 pounds and only get 85 pounds back

[Easy-E]

Several years ago in Tri-Cities, I couldn't bear paying the price of having my deer processed: $1.69/lb, $169 minimum, when I just wanted it ground into burger. I started taking my game to the local hispanic meat shops, the carnicerias. But this year, no carniceria would take it. They all said that now they can only do USDA inspected meat. I went back to the $169 minimum guy, and he said as long he didn't have to handle the carcass he would grind up whatever I brought him for $0.69 lb., and that he would do it immediately in less than 20 minutes. So I boned out the meat, put it my cooler, and took it in. Walked out 20 minutes later with all of it ground and packaged. Worked great, but I am seriously considering investing in a grinder for next year.