Butcher Bozeman

[406flyfish]

Having a real hard time finding a butcher around the Bozeman area. Most places won’t take quartered game or are completely full. Any recommendations ?


Thanks

 

[Geewhiz]

I know its not what you want to hear but if you cut it up yourself into a clean and trimmed product and then bring it to them to process I bet you will have better luck finding someone to take it.

I very much dislike butchering meat too, but that's what I have been having to do.

 

[hunterjmj]

The money you'd save doing it yourself you could buy a grinder and other processing stuffs.

 

[william schmaltz]

I grew up in a butcher shop. We only took deboned (ready to grind) wild game meat. People wouldn't pay what we would've charged to put up with the hassel of cleaning it. Our experience from the few times we took in whole wild game animals was when you need to throw half of it away because they don't know a thing about field care they want to argue with you because they're not getting back as much meat as they expected. Not worth it. A good butcher is plenty busy and doesn't have time to debone game meat, and maybe ask why if they do.

 

[406flyfish]

I’m 100% buying equipment for next year. Just really pressed for time right now with work and a newborn.

 

[hunterjmj]

If I still lived there I'd help you but I'm 3 hours away.
You should be good for a bit hanging it in your garage. It's been cold enough.

 

[butcherboy]

I agree with you William. This is my 31st year as a processor. My third year since we quit processing wild game. I don’t miss it one bit. Out of the 600-800 we would process in about 3 months about 3/4 of them would be disgusting, filthy, soured and who knows what else. We placed a sign on our door that we aren’t processing wild game and the first thing our message on the phone says is that we are not processing wild game. We still get msgs like “ I thought that didn’t apply to me?” , “you’ve processed meat for me before “ , “what am I supposed to do with my elk/deer now” , “will you at least skin it for me if I drop it off?” , “you shouldn’t process domestic animals so you can process my wild game”. I will still grind or make any specialty sausage or jerky out of wild game for people. Anyhow, off topic of the original post and I can’t help you out except to say it’s better for you in the long run to just process it yourself. Even if you don’t like to do it. It will only be a few times a year maybe.

 

[Mt Al]

I feel you OP, been having that challenge for years around here. Barely got one into Happles a few years ago, have sometimes had better luck late season. Lot's of game shot opening weekend due to the snow this year.

I've been cutting/wrapping my own steaks, jerky and stew meat for a few years. I save all the trimming, make sure it's very clean and sometimes have luck asking for burger to be made. If I can't get that done, have an employee who will do it, but then I have to buy dinner/hang out. Time for me to get equipment for burger and sausage, just the way it is here unless you get lucky or you're in early opening weekend.

A good friend of mine quit the wild game business and is strictly sheep/goat/cattle and never wants to go back to wild game for all the reasons stated above.

 

[Texasbuckeye]

When i hunted in MT two
Years ago we used a place along the way between livingston and bozeman, i believe ir was called yellowstone wild game processing. They took elk for my brother and myself the first week if november, even did a rush job on my brothers meat.

They did a great job, highly recommend. Cant imagine they are full but maybe the labor “shortage” has hit them??

 

[2ski]

Yellowstone, which is at the trail creek exit has done deer for me and did an antelope in 2020 for me. I have no complaints. Matt's in Livingston is another option. If I still lived in Bozeman I would say you could bring it over and use my stuff. But I love in Butte now. And I heard the Western Meat Block here in Butte is now boned out only.

 

[fatlander]

Yellowstone is top notch. The quality, service, and price is the best I’ve ever experienced. Buzz and his wife are as good of people as you’ll ever meet.


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[tntrker]

Yellowstone done an excellent job on my elk..

 

[el_jefe_pescado]

There’s a rumor that Matt’s is not taking anymore critters at the moment. You might give Pioneer Meats in Big Timber a call. I’ve heard good things from that outfit.


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[406flyfish]

I’ve heard great things about Yellowstone and Pioneer. Unfortunately, both are not accepting game at this time.

 

[406flyfish]

I did find a butcher locally who’s accepting game so I’m going give him a try.

 

[2ski]

I saw a place in Belgrade I hadn't seen before or paid attention to. Behind where the flower shop used to be in belgrade. Not sure the road. But we saw deer hanging outside when we passed by Wednesday. Looks like from Google maps it's whalen's

 

[406flyfish]

That’s where I dropped off my meat. They seem to be rather new, but haven’t heard anything negative yet.