Texas Wild Game Processors Allowed Animals To Rot

[alsaqr]

It's good that Texas game wardens check on processing facilities.

"In nearly two months, the Texas Game Wardens have released information about finding spoiled deer carcasses at three processing facilities – two in North Texas and one in Poteet just south of San Antonio in Atascosa County, which a warden said is "very rare.

"Fifteen years on and I've never had anything like this," David Nieto, Texas Game Warden for the San Antonio district, said. "It's very rare for it to happen one time, but even more rare for it to happen two to three times as it has in the state.""

'It's very rare': Texas Game Wardens bust another facility for unfit deer meat. This time in Poteet. (msn.com)

Processors of of domestic animals require a license in Oklahoma. Processors of wild game and wild hogs are not required to be licensed in Oklahoma. We've had a problem with unscrupulous wild game processors in this area of Oklahoma.

A guy over by Rush Springs offered processing of wild game. He was a trucker who processed deer, elk and hogs. In about 2008 i gave a friend a fat wild sow that field dressed 212 pounds. He received the meat and complained of a "strong taste". Told my friend to bring some sausage. Stuff stank while frying; it was rotten. Perp kept the animal for 15 days and processed a rotten hog.

After allowing several elk to spoil and then processing same, multiple hunters sued the guy and someone kicked his rear; ending his career as a processor. .

 

[buck460XVR]

Last year at the end of gun deer season here in Wisconsin, my oldest son shot a nice fat doe. I helped dress her out, she was in great shape. We took her directly home and skun her out, then took her directly to the butcher. He grumbled because we had skun her as he liked to leave the carcasses outside in the cold till processed. We thought he would put her in the cooler and left. Two weeks later the butcher called and told my son that the deer was rotted and that she must have either been rotted when we took her in or severely sick. It was around 20 degrees the day she was shot. She dropped where she was shot. Field dressed immediately after shooting and then immediately taken to my garage where she was skun out. from the time she was in still breathing till she was dropped at the butcher was at most 4 hours, in below freezing temps. When this was told to the butcher he then claimed she must have been wounded or sick and her meat contaminated. But....for some reason he came up with some of his "own" venison to make up for it and didn't charge my son anything for processing.

 

[George P]

When I lived in NV, it was common that you didn't get the deer you shot back. You did get the amount of meat, just not from your deer.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

This is why I do my own. Its not that hard and if you look you'll usually find a way that can work for you.

Here, you usually don't get your own back. One buddy got three "hams" back last year and I know a deer doesn't have but two........

 

[buck460XVR]

This is why I do my own. Its not that hard and if you look you'll usually find a way that can work for you.

Here, you usually don't get your own back. One buddy got three "hams" back last year and I know a deer doesn't have but two........

 

[buck460XVR]

I do my own too. Have for over 40 years. My son didn't want to bother last year and since it was his deer, I just did what I could. This year he and his daughter both shot deer during the gun season. I and my wife butchered them both for him. Took one Sunday afternoon, and that included grinding the burger. Around here by the end of deer season you see deer stacked up like cordwood outside of little independent butchershops. Same with those part-timers than only do deer during deer season. Most of the time, it's cold enough here at that time of year that the deer don't spoil when kept outside. Still, stacked together and warm sunshine can't be good for the flavor, especially when you add blood and body fluids in the cavities fermenting, because they have no way to drain.....and then folks think it's just the natural "gamey" taste of venison. I have a feeling that the butcher last year put the skun doe outside but covered it with something like plastic or a tarp to keep critters off. This mixed with some sunshine probably led to the spoilage. Something happened that the butcher did not want to disclose. Give him credit for doing what he did to make it right, even if he wouldn't admit to being the blame.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

Yes, that is a lot of why I do my own. They go from standing to hanging in a fridge in under an hour. I know how they are treated. The risk of getting someone's nasty, gut shot, 1/2 rotten deer back instead of mine is not worth taking it to someone. AND, I get to pay them for that service also.

 

[LOLBELL]

This is why I do my own. Its not that hard and if you look you'll usually find a way that can work for you.

The problem this day and time most “hunters” don’t know how to field dress a deer much less process it. I have a good friend whose family have been operating a processing, taxidermy business for several years and do a very good job at both. They can do nothing about how you handle the animal before it gets to them but after they get it, it is treated with the utmost care. I have never heard any complaint with their work.
About 2-3 years ago the whole family came down with the flu and could not work. They had a lady come in for pick-ups but did not take in anymore while they were down. People would still come by and beg them to take their deer. The few that could were allowed to skin and put in the cooler and I mean FEW. The others left mad and more than a few threw the deer out on the side of the road as they were leaving instead of handling it them selves

 

[LOLBELL]

I don’t know why my part of the post was in the quote and I don’t know how much to fix it but you understand what I’m talking about

 

[Larry Ashcraft]

I don’t know why my part of the post was in the quote and I don’t know how much to fix it but you understand what I’m talking about

Fixed it.

 

[alsaqr]

My deer are taken to a licensed commercial processor where each deer is processed separately and meat ground and packaged separately.

 

[JDeere]

I process, debone and use the food saver with mine. Saves me a 30 buck processing fee. After the season is over I then take it to my local that grinds it up with tallow or makes sausage. I have been to the market during the season and it's a mad house. If they messed orders up I can guarantee the meat market would not survive.

 

[Captcurt]

My wife made me process my own when the butcher that we used started charging $100. I can legally take 6 here and drive 20 miles for several more in Missouri. We bought a grinder and a vacuum sealer and never looked back.

 

[rbernie]

I normally processed my own, but I took the last two deer that I harvested to Kuby's in north Dallas. I certainly was led to believe that I got back the meat from the quarters / straps that I dropped off.

https://kubys.com/wild-game-processing/

 

[Ohen Cepel]

Where I am there is NO limit. Not that I'm killing them like the hammer of God. Family only wants so many and they are hard to get after the open week or so with a bow.

Not lecturing anyone but doing it yourself is not that hard and you know how it was all done and it is yours. More pride in that along with safety. Don't care if they are licensed or not. Nothing interacts with mine aside from me. Low risk of cross contamination and I know when it was done.

Great skill to learn, saves you $$, and you know its all yours. No one has ever said my deer was "gamey" as it wasn't allowed to rot before processing, nor did I drive it around on the hood of my truck for a day to show it off. It may be tough compared to pen kept beef, but not gamey (rotten).

Really, to those who haven't done it. Please think about it. I think you'll be happy with the results, can save some $$ and have more pride in it all.

 

[MacAR]

Its stories like this that make me proud I do my own. I skin and quarter outside, then haul the quarters in and do the cutting up and packing in the kitchen. Wife is a big help with that. We'll do 3 a year, a young one for frying meat, and then two big old ones for hamburger, which we eat lots of.

The local processor charges $100 and up for cleaning and packing, and wants them gutted. I don't gut deer, therefore I do my own. Its hard work, to be sure. Takes us all day from the time I touch a knife to the last package going in the freezer. But it's well worth it to us.

Mac

 

[Howland937]

My family used to always do our own, back when there were my dad, me and a brother, my uncle and his son, another uncle, and 2 close family friends.
We'd let them hang if it was cool enough, but not freezing cold. Skinning frozen deer sucks.
All the deer would be skinned and quartered as they were harvested, minus some loins, then frozen. Usually the first Saturday of the new year, we'd all get together in dad's barn or my uncle's garage and process all the deer. Everyone who hunted got an equal share whether they tagged out or not.

A few years ago, I took a deer to a family friend who had a big walk-in fridge. He charged me $40 to do my deer and did a great job. Then I felt bad for not doing it myself, so I did the last 3 or 4 I shot.

Lots of complaints around here about processors claiming ruined meat, and people paying $100 and getting 15lbs of burger and half a loin. Or getting back meat that was already freezer burnt.

 

[entropy]

When I lived in NV, it was common that you didn't get the deer you shot back. You did get the amount of meat, just not from your deer.

Which is why I always processed my own after that happened with my first deer. Now I'd have my son come over and help me. I taught him how to process deer, and he works at a small processing shop now.

 

[daniel craig]

With the prices going up $5-$10 every year and the number of butchers decreasing I might be forced to do my own next season.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

I do the gutless method, freeze the lions when I work it up, hang the quarters, in game bags, in a slightly modified fridge I have and then come back to work them up a few days later. Lots of debate about how long to let it hang but I go 3-5 days. Lets my schedule be a bit flexible and I may only do 1/2 of it at a time if I like.

I used to do it all that evening when I got one. Lot of work to do at one time from taking it to freezing it! Not suggested nor best for the game as I think it makes it tougher.

This way, it is getting cool quicker than if I gutted it and took it to a processor. I have them hanging, skinless, in under an hour. Couldn't get it to a process that quick here.

 

[horsemen61]

Yeah I don’t understand why you would send your game to be processed for me it’s a point of pride to say yeah that jerky/summer sausage/snack sticks backstrap I did that!

 

[jmorris]

Perp kept the animal for 15 days and processed a rotten hog.

I don’t know what would be worse cooking rotten hog or processing a rotten one.

I normally processed my own, but I took the last two deer that I harvested to Kuby's in north Dallas. I certainly was led to believe that I got back the meat from the quarters / straps that I dropped off.

https://kubys.com/wild-game-processing/

Good stuff if you don’t mind the cost.

 

[bigmike45]

I work for a very large commercial meat processor and have done so for over 15 years, so I know what to look for when I take my game to a processor. I ask for written documentation, records of temp for the coolers/freezers, records of receipt of carcasses and how long held before processing. It may seem like a lot, but I am feeding my family with what I harvest and I want the best for them. I've been in some really questionable places and walked out and gone somewhere else. The one I currently use I have used for 8 seasons now and he does a great job.

 

[rbernie]

Good stuff if you don’t mind the cost.

It was a splurge, but I wanted to try their venison brats.

 

[daniel craig]

Yeah I don’t understand why you would send your game to be processed for me it’s a point of pride to say yeah that jerky/summer sausage/snack sticks backstrap I did that!

Because back when it was only 60 or so dollars and we had a small hometown processor guaranteed you got your own dear back…You could drop deer off and go back out out hunting in less than 30 minutes and get it back by the end of the day or the next day.