Casper meat processing

[FNG]

Just felt the need to vent to people. Me and a friend drove into Casper on the 18th to bowhunt lopes. My buddy shot a buck that probably will score 72-73 depending on shrinkage. Anyway we took his meat to dans meat in evansville. The skinner recomended a Exploding taxi guy to us, so we figured Ok well go look. Holly Crap this guys junk was so bad it made me want to laugh when I saw it. I am really P-ed off at that skinner for recommending that fella, went back to him and he said he was paying him to recommend people. Does that piss you guys off or just me...

 

[justinthedoc]

Thats why you go look at the work first brother, for that exact reason. Wonder if the owner knows if that guy is recommending that fella, seems like a liability to me but who knows.

 

[brushcreekoutfit]

Funny I dropped a buck on wednesday and I brought my meat to the same place, and the little troll looking fella hounded the crap out of me to get it mounted and bring to the guy you mentiond. Looked him up on the phone and definatly was like you said, so I have him frozen in the back of the pickup til my buddies done hunting this weekend and I will check some other local guys that I found. Oh, and yes it ticked me off too, am definatley suprised to see some one on here complaining about the same experience, hopefully the meat guy doesnt loose business cause of it.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

I do all my own meat. Many years ago I took a couple of antelope and a deer to a processor in Casper and was really unhappy when I got home with it. I took really particular care with my meat. I always skin and quarter everything to cool it down and trim off any bloody tissue from the bullet. The processor was a little ticked because I had already skinned it as he lost his skinning fee. The meat was terrible...strong and pretty bad. I even found hair in the ground stuff. Pretty obvious I didn't get my own meat back. Last time I had anything done at a place I don't know something about in advance!

 

[BobT]

I called a processor in Casper the other day and asked about just having meat frozen for the ride back home. I'm like you CC, I take very good field care of my meat and am very careful with it. Don't want to get one somebody hauled around in the back of a hot pickup all day. I bring the skulls and capes back home too. Got a pretty fair taxidermist here that will swap a European mount for a good cape. The place I called was Pat's processing, the gent I spoke with said they could handle freezing the meat for me with no problem.

Bob

 

[Fink]

I took my antelope to Pats processing last fall, and had him keep our meat in his walk in cooler for 4 days while we checked out the rest of the state. When we got back, he hooked us up with a bunch of dry ice, and cut off the horns for us.. I think the total came to about $75 for 2 coolers full of meat, 2 horns cut off, and probably close to 25 pounds of dry ice. Not bad, considering the premium on cooler space in mid September.

 

[mcseal2]

Even around home I like to quarter my game and freeze the quarters, then take them to the locker 3 months after the last deer season closes. That way I'm sure I get my own meat back. After seeing how some people treat their game I wouldn't have it any other way. On trips I use dry ice and big coolers or if I take my Polaris Ranger and trailer I haul a smaller deep freeze on the front of the trailer and use it as a cooler, keeping it plugged in when possible.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

I take a small 5 cu ft freezer with me and a small generator. Usually bone all the meat and freeze it for butchering when I get home.

 

[CJnWY]

The butcher I use in Casper debones the critter where it drops, loads it in my pack and carries it to the truck for me
The taxi knocks the horns off and sticks them in the flower pot by the front steps, not a great job but cheap!
Lucky for me I've been busted on every stalk so far this year

 

[justinthedoc]

Flower pot of horns huh, yeah i looked at that Exploding fellas (not to mention hes a A-hole) work on my way back from the circus that is now elk hunting. Yeah it is as you described, needs lots more practice or drugs. Funny how few people actually look at there mounts, a taxi here showed me what to look for and everyone of my old mounts are just generic jobs. On one deer the right eye is 1-2 in higher than the left. I process my own meat anymore, to many horror stories, and bad meat. Havent had a bad piece yet doing it myself.

 

[Sawfish]

I do all my own meat. Many years ago I took a couple of antelope and a deer to a processor in Casper and was really unhappy when I got home with it. I took really particular care with my meat. I always skin and quarter everything to cool it down and trim off any bloody tissue from the bullet. The processor was a little ticked because I had already skinned it as he lost his skinning fee. The meat was terrible...strong and pretty bad. I even found hair in the ground stuff. Pretty obvious I didn't get my own meat back. Last time I had anything done at a place I don't know something about in advance!

I have had the same experience more than once, and have come to the same conclusion as Colorado Cowboy. DIY. Many game processors operate on the communal theory. If they estimate that you brought in 75 pounds of boneless meat, you will get back 75 pounds of boneless meat. Who's meat it might be is anybody's guess. Chances are very slim that you will get back "your" meat, unless you know the processor. One of the better taxidermists in Casper advised me against using some of the processors there for just that reason. I have a couple of the new generation ice chests that will hold ice for an extended period. I use block ice (crushed is useless for long term), and stack my boned bagged meat on the blocks of ice.

When using dry ice for transport, I made a plywood shelf for each ice chest that fits on the inside lip in the ice chests. Cut a few 1.5" holes with a holesaw, sand, and finish with 2-4 coats of polyurethane. After I pack the meat. I put in the shelf, and put dry ice on the shelf (wrapped in newspaper). I have hauled meat from Colorado (850 miles), and Wyoming (1,200) miles using both methods without any meat spoilage, and without having to add any extra dry ice. Sometimes, I do have to drain and add a couple of extra blocks if I am using the "wet" method.

 

[Drhorsepower]

I had a great experience with pierce custom meats. They didn't process my meat, hang only, super nice owner and a great little business they have, one thing I really liked was they used a pressure washer to get most of the hair off of the carcass, I thought that was clever

 

[Murdy]

I have had the same experience more than once, and have come to the same conclusion as Colorado Cowboy. DIY. Many game processors operate on the communal theory. If they estimate that you brought in 75 pounds of boneless meat, you will get back 75 pounds of boneless meat. Who's meat it might be is anybody's guess. Chances are very slim that you will get back "your" meat, unless you know the processor.

I worked in the meat industry a few years for small local shops (Wisconsin). We did some venison processing and sausage making. If a guy is just cutting and wrapping an animal, there is really no reason that you shouldn't get your own meat back -- you get a carcass, break it down, and wrap it. It's no harder to keep meat separted than mix it together for cutting and wrapping. The problem comes in when equipment is involved. Commercial meat processing equipment is not made to do small batches. It's too time consuming to do ten 30lb. batches of summer sausage instead of one 300lb. batch. Also, even if you did grind separately, breaking down the equipment and cleaning it in between small batches would take a lot more time. I note CC said he found the hair in ground meat. It could have been his meat, just picked up hair from the equipment after 10 other batches were ground before it (but, as you suspect, a bunch of meat could have got ground together, which is probably more likely -- either way,not very appetizing).

 

[bigshot]

I had a great experience with pierce custom meats. They didn't process my meat, hang only, super nice owner and a great little business they have, one thing I really liked was they used a pressure washer to get most of the hair off of the carcass, I thought that was clever

Hey Doc,
JFI, Pierce went out of business and is now called Yellowstone, I asked them about freezing my meat and cutting into quarters, they said sure it will be the same cost as butchering the meat ($75) plus $10 for skinning and $25 for caping. Needless to say I paid $240 after it was all said and done for two goats. It cost so much I decided not to fill my second doe tag. That included twenty lbs of Sausage's (Beer stix and Cheese and Jalapeno, yum yum ), and dry ice for the trip home. They did do an awesome job of packing and sealing the meat in my ice chest. I'm very happy with the work just a little pricey!!

 

[Drhorsepower]

Well that's too bad, the owner was really nice. It sounds like they still do nice work but a little steep on prices.

 

[b_a_n_k_dollarsi]

Next time (or anytime) in Casper I would recommend going to Pat's. Just was part of a group that took 3 antelope and a goat there in mid-Sept. Found John to be very accomodating, easy to work with and extremely quick on turning around game before we left town to head back east. If anyone needs more specifics PM me and I can pass it along.

 

[247Buckfever]

Just got back from my hunt, used Pearce butchering on the west side of town for both our goats and they did a great job. They even stayed 20 mins late one night so i could drop off my goat. I would recommend them.

JH

 

[Drhorsepower]

Big shot said pierce went out of business. Interesting.

 

[bigshot]

Big shot said pierce went out of business. Interesting.

Yep, they are now called Yellowstone.

 

[247Buckfever]

Correct, the sign said "yellowstone," sorry for the confusion. I believe the Pearce family runs it.