Once you have tagged the deer, the next step is to field dress it. There is no need to cut the throat to bleed it, as the heart has stopped beating, and blood is not flowing anymore. Remove the internal organs. Don't forget to remove the large intestine and anus. Leaving them in place may contaminate the tenderloins and may promote spoilage in the surrounding tissues. You may wish to split the pelvic bone if needed to facilitate removal of these tissues. The hind legs will generally cool out better if you do split the pelvic bone, but you also expose some of the leg muscle to contamination, which we will have to trim away. Rinse out the body cavity with drinking water to remove any blood or other contamination. Use only drinking water, not water from a creek, river, or mud puddle. If it is a warm day or if it will be a while before you can bring the deer in for processing, you need to use several bags of ice to begin cooling down the deer. Place one bag between the hind legs and a couple in the body cavity. If it is a big buck, you may need to lay bags of ice under the front shoulder and neck as well as on top of the shoulders and neck. There is a lot of body-temperature muscle that needs to be cooled down to preserve the quality of the meat and the hide if you are intending to have it mounted by a taxidermist. Thorough cooling is crucial for keeping your deer in top condition for processing into our delicious meat products.

Removing the hide from the carcass prior to transporting the carcass to be processed, increases the likelihood of contamination of the meat. We must trim all of this contamination from the carcass prior to processing it. This trimming reduces the amount of meat that you will receive in the form of delicious steaks, roasts and sausage. It takes at least twice as long for us to trim a carcass than it does for us to skin the carcass in the controlled environment of our facility. All of the tissue that we would have to trim from a previously skinned carcass is that much less yield of meat that the customer will get in the form of steaks, roasts, and sausages. Because it takes longer for us to process and because the yield of meat is less is why we do not accept deer that have been fully or partially skinned.

That depends on the time of year and how successful your fellow hunters have been. We skin and cut your venison shortly after we receive it. The trimmings for sausage may be frozen to be processed later. As we make sausages and get the variety of products needed to fill your order packaged, you will be notified to pickup your venison.

When you bring a deer to us for processing, we use the states' confirmation number from your tag and our ticket number as your identification number. All of the cuts of meat from your deer are packaged, boxed, and identified with that ticket number. You definitely receive your own cuts of meat back when you pick up your order.

We are currently using a texting system to contact you that your meat is ready for pick up. If you do not have texting capabilities please let us know when you drop off your meat so that we know to call you instead of texting. Once you have been notified, we ask that you pick up your deer in a timely manner. Usually within a week if possible.

What you are having made out of your venison and how many different types of products that you select may affect how long it might take before your order is ready. Some sausages take longer to make. The demand for some sausages is greater than others. Our processing schedule is adjusted accordingly. As a result, we may have some orders ready for pickup before others. If you wish to pick your meat at the same time that your buddy picks his up, just let us know about that preference, when you drop your deer or meat off with us.

If you are unable to get your deer in the cooler before we close for the evening Friday- Sunday first season or Thursday-Sunday second season please make sure it is properly cooled out. If it is a buck, bags of ice should also be placed under and on top of the shoulders and neck, especially if you intend to have it mounted by a taxidermist. These steps are crucial as there are a lot of warm muscle that needs to be cooled down to properly to preserve the meat and hide. Then you can bring your deer to us when we open the next day.

No we do not. We do not have the staff or facilities to accept boneless meat during the Firearm Seasons. If you have boneless meat we will start accepting it again midweek after these busy Firearm Seasons. Please freeze the meat in food grade packaging like Ziploc bags clearly labeled with your name, date and confirmation number. No meat brought in trash bags will be accepted. Please DO NOT grind it! Chunk meat only!

There will absolutely be NO pick up of meat during these weekends. We do not have the staffing to accommodate order pick ups during the Firearm Deer Seasons.

We are happy to accept boneless meat that you or someone else has processed. Please make sure that your meat is clean and free of contamination. Hair, blood clots, bullet, broadhead or bone fragments, particles of food or feces, leaves, weed seeds, are all considered as contamination. Please do not pre-grind the meat. No ground meat will be accepted. We also suggest that you take a moment to look through your boneless meat prior to packaging in a well lit area. You will often find contamination that you were not aware of prior to checking the meat over. Any contamination consisting of fecal or digestive material must be trimmed from the meat. Hair can be either trimmed or rinsed away. Meat must be packaged in food grade packaging. Most customers bring in boneless meat frozen. You may bring the meat to us fresh on the day or the day after it is cut if that is more convenient. Proper handling, packaging and refrigeration/freezing is important to preserve the meat in the best condition.

We take great pride in our ability to process your deer in a wholesome manner. When we receive boneless meat, we visually inspect it to look for indications that it is in its best quality. We inspect it again once it is thawed and before it is made into sausage. Anything that we determine to be not wholesome will be returned to the hunter, or discarded. Therefore, we do not keep the boneless meat from each customer separate when we are making sausage products.

We accept boneless meat from the current hunting season all season long, with a couple of exceptions. We just ask that you refrain from bringing it in from the Thursday before the first Illinois Firearm Season until the Monday after the second Illinois Firearm Season as we do not have the staff to process it at that time. Thank you for your understanding.

We inspect all meat at the time it is received and again prior to making it into sausage. All meat that is not in good condition or that has visible contamination will not be included in our sausage. This is the reason we do not accept ground venison because once ground, we are unable to visually assess the meat for cleanliness.

We recommend 1 gallon plastic zipper bags. These are small enough to freeze fairly quickly in your freezer. They also defrost quickly. Packaging this way will help to insure that your boneless meat is of the highest quality to make into sausage. Please label each bag with your name, date, and confirmation number from your tag.

No we will not. Meat has a shelf life, even in the freezer. Air and moisture in the package can cause freezer burn, fat on the surface and within the meat can oxidize, turn rancid adversely affecting the taste. Using some of this meat in a 200 pound batch of sausage can ruin the whole batch. That is why we insist on only using meat from the current hunting season.

No, definitely not. These types of bags are made from recycled plastic that may contain chemical contaminants or fragrances. Only use plastic bags that are approved for food storage. Also, when you package meat in 20-30 pound bags, the meat may take a week to freeze in a consumer grade chest type deep freezer, adversely affecting quality and increasing the food safety risk due to bacteria growth and spoilage.