For Goodness Sake, Pay The Man

[HavocLover]

Y’all are talking like processors are Fortune 500 companies. They’re all mom and pop outfits… having a “database” isn’t realistic. You can’t sit there at the door and screen every single customer and make sure they aren’t on the “naughty list.” You’d either be taking precious time away from yourself while you could be doing something more productive, or worse, be creating a whole other job and adding another employee… just cause a few slackers left them holding the bill?

Also, making everyone pay up front would likely run off more customers than the non paying ones that you’re trying to compensate for by implementing that policy.

While I don’t agree with it whatsoever… I’d venture to say the processors likely aren’t super hard up about the non-payers. I bet they still make a good bit of that back with non-hunters.

In addition to all of that… there’s not a business in this world where you don’t have to eat some capital somewhere along the lines… no different here.

 

[specialk]

most processors get rid of left over meat not picked up on time....it happens but its not a problem.....

 

[deers2ward]

Bottom line is these folks have no business hunting. Sounds like they should be at work instead and/or learning how to do simple math and balance a checkbook.

 

[tcward]

Asking for payment up front is not "punishing the honest folks".

I pay up front every time I order something off the internet. I never felt like I was being punished.

I would pay up front if they would let me..or at least half.

 

[JB0704]

Also, making everyone pay up front would likely run off more customers than the non paying ones that you’re trying to compensate for by implementing that policy.

Folks ain't GON process they own deer these days. Just start accepting credit cars (up the fee 5% to accommodate the card fee) and you won't lose out on the folks who don't carry cash.

I've been saying for a while that processors should start doubling their fees. It won't hurt business more than it helps (customers you lose will be offset by revenue gains). I run into more and more hunters who have no clue how to gut or skin their deer. Many (not all) of these folks are in it to kill something, and they pay the processor because it feels wrong to cut off "them horns" and toss the rest in a ditch. They prefer to throw it out as freezer burnt two or three years later. The guys who leave it at the processor are the same.......they just wanted to kill sumpin and it felt wrong to let it rot.

And, I am absolutely fascinated that folks will pay somebody else to gut their deer.

 

[lancek742]

The 3 processors that I use all have a list of people wanting unclaimed meat. 2 of them will give you 5 days to contact them after you have been notified it is ready to either make arrangements or pick it up. Day 6 it goes up for sale. Talking to a couple of them and the ones that get left the most are the ones that get 10 pounds of this and 10 pounds of that and this specialty etc... Now a deer that would be 80 or 90 dollars is in the 200 dollar range and gets left.

 

[ucfireman]

I have bought a few from processors in the past. I enjoy being in the woods "hunting" but I'm really more just deer watching. I like deer meat, eat about 1 every 2 years. I will go to a processor and get my name on the list and when someone drops one off for "feed the hungry" or doe cull or whatever he calls and asks how I want it.
Works for me. He is smart enough to not take a deer that smells or appears to not have been gutted or handled properly.
He makes summer sausage out of those dropped off donated deer too.
He said that the hunters for the hungry program only has so much money to pay processors for donated deer. And he meets and exceeds those "quotas" quickly.

 

[outdoorman]

If I was a processor I would create a database of names with unpaid balances and collect for any unpaid fees the next year before he could drop another one off. If you run off a customer who refuses to pay you did not lose much anyway.

Sounds like a great idea!
If this was a shared database among the processors in the state, the deadbeats could be listed and next time a processor could know before accepting their business.

 

[outdoorman]

Folks ain't GON process they own deer these days. Just start accepting credit cars (up the fee 5% to accommodate the card fee) and you won't lose out on the folks who don't carry cash.

I've been saying for a while that processors should start doubling their fees. It won't hurt business more than it helps (customers you lose will be offset by revenue gains). I run into more and more hunters who have no clue how to gut or skin their deer. Many (not all) of these folks are in it to kill something, and they pay the processor because it feels wrong to cut off "them horns" and toss the rest in a ditch. They prefer to throw it out as freezer burnt two or three years later. The guys who leave it at the processor are the same.......they just wanted to kill sumpin and it felt wrong to let it rot.

And, I am absolutely fascinated that folks will pay somebody else to gut their deer.

Well, I'm a late-comer to hunting and am doing it alone because I don't know anyone that hunts.
I'm pretty passionate about hunting and spend hours every week reading and on the internet to learn; I've been at it the last few seasons and
have the feeling I'm going to get one this year.
Even having watched videos, I'm unsure about field dressing it correctly as I don't want to bust the bladder or the guts.
As much as I want to do it all myself, I will probably take it to the processor just so I won't ruin it.
Someday, I hope to get skilled enough to field dress and eventually process my own meat.

 

[ucfireman]

Well, I'm a late-comer to hunting and am doing it alone because I don't know anyone that hunts.
I'm pretty passionate about hunting and spend hours every week reading and on the internet to learn; I've been at it the last few seasons and
have the feeling I'm going to get one this year.
Even having watched videos, I'm unsure about field dressing it correctly as I don't want to bust the bladder or the guts.
As much as I want to do it all myself, I will probably take it to the processor just so I won't ruin it.
Someday, I hope to get skilled enough to field dress and eventually process my own meat.

Field dressing isn't that hard, Just go slow and not too deep. If you bust the bladder, just wash it out good. There is a membrane in the chest cavity that "protects" the meat.
As far as processing, tons of videos out there. Nothing wrong with going to a processor though. If you do it yourself, again just go slow. One quarter at a time. Work cold if possible, things get sticky. You really cant mess anything up. It may not be beautiful but it will be edible. Don't worry too much about what cut is what. If its a chunk of meat its a roast or cut steaks out of it. If its pieces, its stew meat or soup. Loins are steaks. Buy a cheap grinder and grind whatever you don't know what it is. Try to get the fat off, its not good.
Enjoy. If not take to a processor.

 

[johnpoulan83]

My processor sells the abandoned meat.
I don’t know if it’s legal, but I don’t blame him.

I was wondering if it was legal too. I have been told that it’s illegal to sell deer meat. We’ll at the processor I go to he has a freezer right when you walk in and sells everything with prices inside too. Anything from regular burger to jerky sticks, summer sausage you name it he sells it. I always wondered how that worked

 

[ucfireman]

I was wondering if it was legal too. I have been told that it’s illegal to sell deer meat. We’ll at the processor I go to he has a freezer right when you walk in and sells everything with prices inside too. Anything from regular burger to jerky sticks, summer sausage you name it he sells it. I always wondered how that worked

I don't know about that stuff but "selling" deer that were not picked up is illegal.
What you are paying for when you "buy" a deer from a processor is the processing fee.
A lot of folks "donate" a deer for for the locals or hungry. I'm usually hungry.
The processor I use also takes " Trimmings" (belly meat, rib meat etc) and makes summer sausage and sells it. I don't know if its "legal" but its good.