Filling the Freezer on Purpose: Why Winter Is Our Season for Venison
Affordable Tags, Real Returns
One of the most overlooked aspects of late-season whitetail hunting is just how affordable it can be.
Right now, Michigan antlerless deer tags are only
$5.00. That small investment can translate into a freezer full of clean, wild protein if you’re willing to do the work yourself.
For families already focused on food security, homesteading, or intentional living, it’s hard to beat that return.
How Much Meat Does a Michigan Doe Provide?
A typical adult Michigan doe will yield approximately:
🦌 Live weight: 120–160 lbs
🔪 Hanging weight: 60–90 lbs
📦 Boneless meat yield: ~35–55 lbs of finished venison
That includes:
Backstraps
Tenderloins
Roasts
Steaks
Trim for burger, sausage, or jerky
Every deer is different, but even on the conservative end, that’s a substantial amount of high-quality meat from a single harvest.
What Does That Cost Per Pound?
Let’s do some simple math.
$5.00 antlerless tag
Skip the processor by doing it yourself
Yield: 35–55 lbs of meat
That works out to roughly:
$0.09–$0.14 per pound for wild, organic, free-range protein.
Even if you factor in:
Ammunition
Fuel
Gear you already own and use for multiple seasons
…the cost per pound is still dramatically lower than store-bought beef, which often ranges $6–$12 per pound (or more) for comparable cuts.
This is one of the most cost-effective ways to fill the freezer if you’re willing to learn the skills.
Skip the Processor, Keep the Value
Processing your own deer is where the real value shows up.
By handling:
Field dressing
Quartering
Boning
Packaging
…you retain:
More meat
More control over cuts
More knowledge and confidence
And you avoid processing fees that can quickly exceed the cost of the tag itself.
Just like raising rabbits, doing the work yourself builds skill—and keeps money in your pocket.
Learn the Skills: Processing at Home
If processing your own deer feels intimidating, it doesn’t have to be.
I’ve put together step-by-step videos that walk through the entire process at home, using simple tools and realistic setups:
Field dressing in the woods
Quartering a deer efficiently
Breaking down cuts at home
Packaging and freezing for long-term storage
👉 [At-Home Quartering & Processing Video]
Equipment That Makes It Easier
You don’t need a commercial butcher shop to process a deer at home.
A simple setup goes a long way:
If you’re new to this, I also have videos covering an easier way to remove your deer from the woods.
👉 [How to remove your deer from the woods]
An Opportunity Worth Taking
Between affordable antlerless tags, generous meat yields, and the ability to process at home, late-season deer hunting represents a terrific opportunity for families looking to live more intentionally.
It’s not about trophies—it’s about:
Filling the freezer
Learning skills
Using winter wisely
Sustaining a lifestyle that values effort over convenience
That mindset fits right alongside rabbitry, gardening, and beekeeping—each season doing what it does best. For more instructional videos, check out [Bobby’s Bucks YouTube Channel]