Wild Venison Market

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Although I absolutely get where you're coming from in your first sentence, I don't necessarily agree with the second one!

In my experience the consumers I work with are quite happy to try different cuts, from different species, specifically in order to compare and contrast. They will even quiz me as to why venison from different animals tastes different.

Of course the same might never be true for the general consumer, but overall I thik it is a much more complex market than we perhaps think at first glance.

General consumers buying from a butcher or other primary outlet, yes I agree, but catering trade customer are a different matter

 

[willie_gunn]

General consumers buying from a butcher or other primary outlet, yes I agree, but catering trade customer are a different matter

Absolutely.

But the wild venison market is always going to struggle when it comes to dealing with the catering trade, much as it does with the supermarkets. They always want consistency, which is why farmed venison holds the whip hand.

 

[VSS]

. I also blame the game dealers for not being harder on it and rejecting them and telling people to go away and get training and take some pride in what they do.

Yes, they should reject anything of poor quality, and pay a lot more for the rest. But they won't. By acting as a "disposal service" for the poorer carcasses they've got the perfect excuse to pin their prices to the lowest level.
And on the occasions that you do get a dealer paying more for better quality carcasses you get stalkers whinging about being pushed into taking "unethical" headshots in order to satisfy the dealers requirements.
I tell you one thing: if I was a game dealer I'd want head shot deer only, end of.

 

[Pete6.5]

Perhaps it comes down to two very distinctive scenarios:

1. The professional stalker who is governed by cull targets and would rather be out with the lamp than demonstrating his surgeon-like lardering skills.

2. The amateur stalker who simply doesn’t have the time to practice their lardering technique as they don’t shoot enough and what facilities they do have are less than conducive to the desired outcome when a beast or two do find their way to the shed or garage hanging bar.

K

A professional stalker should benefit from quantity, quality and experience which all come with time in the job there is no short cuts. With all this comes the reward of a better reputation, more ground and being able to demand a fair price for their carcasses. This is not just in stalking but all professions and there is definitely room for different levels of stalking (eg one for the pot people) but as soon as you take money for a product we should all be expected to meet a high standard.

I better shut up before I upset some people

 

[VSS]

Absolutely.

But the wild venison market is always going to struggle when it comes to dealing with the catering trade, much as it does with the supermarkets. They always want consistency, which is why farmed venison holds the whip hand.

If it's really top end catering they'll trade on the seasonality and variety aspect. It's the mainstream catering market that we struggle to provide for.

 

[deerstalker.308]

At a price that makes it worth knocking them over?

What price would be the threshold. Mine aren’t paying top whack but they have always been consistent, prompt payers (within the same week) and for that I am happy. I’m getting £1.50/kg for chest shot reds. It’s not great but it’s certainly enough to cover costs and provide beer tokens.

 

[hunta]

Many stalkers don't butcher their own carcasses. If they did there would be more understanding of the damage that is being done by certain shot placement and bullets.

 

[Klenchblaize]

Many stalkers don't butcher their own carcasses. If they did there would be more understanding of the damage that is being done by certain shot placement and bullets.

Yes, but in reality unless you’re confident in taking a high neck/head shot the DMQ Best Practice promoted chest shot is never without potential to cause undesirable trauma.

The point in observing this is to question if the desire by game dealers and processors for more presentable carcasses would result in stalkers feeling pressurised into taking shots they otherwise would never have contemplated.

K

 

[bogtrotter]

Sadly not happening up here north of the border

Simpsons Game, Hubertus Game ,are taking ok.

 

[Heym SR20]

Contaminating a carcass with a known toxin and then expect the retail trade to view it as a high quality product.

Contractors are paid by number of deer culled - no incentive for good carcass.

An over arching contract between one of the largest land owners and one of the biggest game dealers at a set price per kg - which is set based on lowest common denominator and acts as a base market price.

And loss of export markets, in particular mainland Europe - or if they still have a wholesale business then huge amount of additional paperwork involved.

 

[hunta]

Yes, but in reality unless you’re confident in taking a high neck/head shot the DMQ Best Practice promoted chest shot is never without potential to cause undesirable trauma.

The point in observing this is to question if the desire by game dealers and processors for more presentable carcasses would result in stalkers feeling pressurised into taking shots they otherwise would never have contemplated.

K

I do butcher the vast majority of my deer so I prefer to stalk into ranges that allow me to take head/neck shots. However about 50% of the time I do target the heart/lung area. The bullets I use are generally heavy(ish) for calibre and designed for controlled expansion, so meat damage is at an acceptable level. My issue is with the use of light, high velocity, thin jacketed bullets.

 

[Apthorpe]

None of the above.
Farming evolved for a reason. It's convenient, consistent and economically viable. Hunter-gathering isn't. Humans worked this out 8,000 years ago, and still some of us struggle with the concept, even though everyone here acts that way with their own consumption.

 

[Jagdmatch]

Perhaps it comes down to two very distinctive scenarios:

1. The professional stalker who is governed by cull targets and would rather be out with the lamp than demonstrating his surgeon-like lardering skills.

2. The amateur stalker who simply doesn’t have the time to practice their lardering technique as they don’t shoot enough and what facilities they do have are less than conducive to the desired outcome when a beast or two do find their way to the shed or garage hanging bar.

K

I do see your point here but We have a small and thriving market for the fallow we shoot. What I find difficult to accept is the acceptance of dealers importing large quantities of venison and then being a subject matter expert at BDS online discussion.
I have been doing this for 25 years now. I am horrified by the places I dropped off carcasses at in the past. Chillers with an inch of blood on the floor, no process for dealing with the product.
I fully understand the requirement for commercial success but I do not need that now. My partners and I love supplying good quality meat and it’s pretty much all we eat as well. Roe and sika for us, fallow to the customer. We will never get rich on the profit but it keeps us in gloves, chopping boards and stalking kit.

 

[Klenchblaize]

I am horrified by the places I dropped off carcasses at in the past. Chillers with an inch of blood on the floor, no process for dealing with the product.

Sadly I recognise this.

K

 

[Corvid8x57]

For what it is worth, my view is that most consumers will want a predictable, processed product. I shot a number of roe at the end of the first lockdown & as pubs & restaurants were not buying, I agreed with the local game dealer that he would turn them all into burgers, sausages & fillets (kept those!). I gave about half the sausages & burgers away to colleagues and friends. All of them have either asked for more or told me that they have subsequently bought venison.

 

[johndeere]

edit

 

[Dave_45]

Game dealer in Inveraray stopped taking carcasses

 

[Bugsy]

Game dealer in Inveraray stopped taking carcasses

As I found out when I took it upon myself to deliver 3 sika stags , upon arrival there was a notice on the door informing everybody he wasn’t taking any more because he was at capacity 140 mile round trip , a quick call and he appeared down and explained his predicament , felt sorry for the guy , but being a good guy and dealing with him for a year he took them so all ended well .

 

[Hayduke]

The AGHEs can act as a cartel to control price and keep it depressed. They have little incentive to increase prices post covid, demand is probably static at best across most of the UK (people trimming household budgets due to interest rate rises and volatility, too many gone veggie, families eating out less etc).

At the same time dealers demand what it is shot with and how it is shot. This consistency/quality of carcass often results in dealers pushing us to head shoot - heard it many times.

There are ways to break out of this BS and still achieve good cull targets, but you have to work at it. A bigger chiller, an extra freezer or two, a bit of creativity.

And if I roll over a gang of big old reds in an outing there’s still the option of the dealer, or into the meat grinder, or the dogs eat well!

 

[Hayduke]

I do see your point here but We have a small and thriving market for the fallow we shoot. What I find difficult to accept is the acceptance of dealers importing large quantities of venison and then being a subject matter expert at BDS online discussion.
I have been doing this for 25 years now. I am horrified by the places I dropped off carcasses at in the past. Chillers with an inch of blood on the floor, no process for dealing with the product.
I fully understand the requirement for commercial success but I do not need that now. My partners and I love supplying good quality meat and it’s pretty much all we eat as well. Roe and sika for us, fallow to the customer. We will never get rich on the profit but it keeps us in gloves, chopping boards and stalking kit.

Agree, some of them are absolute middens.