Field Dressed is body cavity cleaned out (no heart, lungs, intestines, etc..)

Hanging Weight is the field dressed deer minus the head, feet and hide.

Factors Affecting Carcass Weight & How Much Meat You Get

How fat was the deer?
Fatter deer yield heavier carcasses but most of the fat is trimmed off during processing.

How many times was the deer shot?
More holes, more damage, more loss of meat due to trimming.

Where was the deer shot?
Rump or loin shots destroy a lot of edible meat and ruin entire muscles.

Where is the bullet exit hole?
Where the bullet exits the deer always destroys muscle tissue.

Broken and Shattered Bones
You lose large amounts of meat due to bone splinters in hind leg and shoulders.

Was the carcass hot or cold?
As deer chill, they lose moisture & their weight decreases.

How far is neck skinned down on cape mount?
Large bucks have large amounts of lean meat in neck, you must cape down to top of head to obtain most meat possible.