Never got my deer meat back
 

Hello every one, hope this is in the right forum. I brought my deer into a butcher shop in lindstrom MN on Nov 12 2018 and I still do not have my meat back. In addition I gave these people $100 as a down payment. I have called this place several times and they have not been able to give me a good reason for the delay or when I can get my meat.
I have had many deer processed over the years and it has never taken more than 8 or 9 business days to get my meat back. I have a feeling that this is going to end up in a small claims court but I just started a new job and it will be several months before I can get any time off and I really would like to avoid this if possible.
Have any of you experinced this? If so how did you resolve it? Am I being hasty in my judgement? Any advice would be helpful..
Thx for any help

Stop calling them and go into the shop and demand to know what is going on. In addition find out if your game agency has any control over people who commercially butcher wild life. Whe you go to the shop and you get no satisfation mention to them how fast word get around on the internet and that you will make sure that everyone in the area knows about them.

that's nuts I agree with the above, GO there , demand your deer or your money back, NOW
as honestly if its NOT done by now, I most likely wouldn;t want it back,a s GOD know's what they did with it or what they will give you
I would honestly just want my $$ back at this point than any MEAT they might give me, I would also report them to the game dept, and I would also let the local better business chapter know of there doings
I would also see what business lic they have, as they MUST follow some guidelines or can get fines!
I have had tons of deer butchered over the yrs, and have worked in several butcher shops over the yrs, we NEVER ever took more than a week and MOST times had things done same day dropped off,
MONTHS is crazy, and something is terribly wrong with this
I also would have NEVER EVER waited this long, allowing them this much time, is also , sorry, but your fault as well
all the more so if you have experience and know how long it should take.
so some blame sadly will fall on you here
ALL the more so if this place has a policy about WHEN you MUST pick your deer up after butchered
as I know from working in a butcher shop doing deer, MANY hunters will drop off, and NOT come back, or come back in a time frame given!, and our deal was 7 days AFTER we called and talked to you or left a voice mail stating deer was done, , after that, you come or it MIGHT be gone and depot wasn';t going back to you!

SO< we normally gave guys a week to come back after being called it was done, as after that, if they didn;t show up, we had a right to do what we wanted with it, as a STORE policy, as some of the shops I worked at were seasonal
and not run full time, so there was NO way we were going to keep a cooler running to hold 1-2 deer for a guy on our dime!
but this was always know to them before they decided to LEAVE a deer to be butchers and was also printed on the receipt we gave at drop off! with basic cut info and such and price of job!(minus any added things unknown till done!

BUT I would still go there and TRY and get a refund

just don't expect things to go your way if they had a like above policy and they SAY they called you and you didn;t get back to them
be ready to pull phone records if need be, if you wish to fight things

NEVER EVER wait this long again, , a deer doesn't take that long to butcher!

mrbb, this is the procedure butchers must go through before they can dispose of anyone's venison that has not been picked up:


§ 147.143. Transfer of lawful possession of abandoned venison.

(a) Definition.

Abandoned venison—Venison which remains unclaimed by the lawful owner at a butcher shop for longer than 10 days after the lawful owner has been notified by the butcher or an employe that the venison is dressed and ready to be picked up.

(b) Procedure for transfer of lawful possession of abandoned venison.

(1) Lawful possession of abandoned venison may be transferred to any resident of this Commonwealth who is in possession of a valid permit to possess deer (PGC-90-LE) provided that:

(i) Prior to a transfer of possession of abandoned venison the butcher or an employe has notified the lawful owner of the venison in the butcher shop by United States registered mail to the person’s last known address of the intent to dispose of the venison.

(ii) The notification gives the lawful owner of the venison 30 days to claim the venison and pay to the butcher the standard labor fee for preparing the venison for consumption.

(2) After the 30-day period has expired, the butcher may transfer the lawful possession of abandoned venison to a resident of this Commonwealth who presents a valid permit to possess deer (PGC-90-LE) and if required by the butcher pays the standard labor fee for preparing the venison for consumption.

(3) The butcher shall, within 24 hours of transferring possession of abandoned venison, send by United States mail a report setting forth the date of transfer and the name, address and telephone number of the person or organization that received the venison to the wildlife conservation officer in charge of the district where the butcher shop is located.



§ 147.144. Transfer of lawful possession of abandoned venison to food banks.

Lawful possession of abandoned venison may be transferred to a food bank by a butcher after proper notification to the lawful owner of the venison as set forth in § 147.143(b) (relating to transfer of lawful possession of abandoned venison). Food banks or persons who receive venison from a food bank are not required to possess a permit to possess deer (PGC-90-LE), however, the report to the wildlife conservation officer as set forth in § 147.143(b) shall be made.

JUST to be clear to the OP and anyone else, this is PA law and might NOT be for other states!

I wouldn't have waited 2 months to get to the bottom of this...Also, I have never had someone else butcher my kills, learn to do it yourself, it's rewarding and you don't have to put up with these situations...

Kinda tells you about exactly who,s deer meat you would get back anyway does,nt it ????

If I read the OP's post correctly, this happened in Minnesota. Oldtimr's quote of game laws is from Pennsylvania but I would presume Minn has something similar. I agree with oldtimr and mrbb. Go to the shop and give them the chance to make it right. If they don't, go to the Minn game commission and let them know what happened and your attempts to get it corrected. I doubt that butcher will like having a game warden inspecting his shop in the future for game law violations.

My local processor is 5 - 6 weeks out. I take them boned meat. They make me sticks and summer sausage which I won't do for myself. They are busy for a reason. And, I realize there is likely no way I am getting my own meat back. But when ground, jalapenos and cheese added, stuffed, and cooked, I don't care.

Good advice to go there personally and find out the deal.

Sorry, but there's no way I'd take my deer to a processor thinking I might not get my own meat back.....

That's a strange situation. I never had a problem with our butcher but they're a local place that knows most of their customers by name. I trust them to give me back my deer not someone else's. I would not trust just any butcher though.

Best to learn to do it yourself. There are plenty of videos on You Tube on how to process deer. I learned how watching videos.

Me neither. Who knows how someone else took care of their kill in the field. It may have sat overnight on a warm fall evening gut shot before being found the next day. I don't want that meat thank you. Not even cooked.

Shouldn't knock it before you try it. This is an award winning meat processor who does deer during the season. Hundreds of hunters trust them as do I. I trust my processor to weed out the bad meat.

I realize there are small operations who do small batches. There is a local man who does this out of his garage,. His final product is not as good. IMO.

I am highly suspect of any decent sized processor that claims you get your meat back. Different hunters certainly do not bring in the same amount of meat. Nor do they bring in amounts that weigh an even number. I know seasoning can be weighed for various batches. Do you believe they do a five pound batch, then a twelve pound batch, then a 22.75 pound batch, then a 50 pound batch, then a 7.6 pound batch, etc., etc. I doubt it.

Rogers, what you are talking about is making smoked and sausage products. Not just a typical cut and wrap as I think the original poster is talking about. I've never used a processor for cut and wrap since processing a deer was among the first things the old man taught us right from the start. But I have done as you and taken boned out meat to a couple of folks that do some amazing work with sweet sticks and summer sausage. One of them was in PA, a place called Groffs in Elizabethtown. They make some really good Lebanon Bologna too. The old man really got along well with old man Groff. But this situation is completely different than the poster described. Even with a refrigerated hang time, that is way too long even if they are slammed.

You are correct HL. I just came back to add that I am very cautious with my meat preparation. If I could find a processor who makes slim jims and summer sausage at the quality I enjoy now and promise me that I would receive my meat back, I would be a loyal customer. I've tried numerous processors over the years. Have tried products from many more in the area. Several years ago, I took meat to three nearby. I did side-by-side testing of slim jims, summer sausage, and breakfast sausage. It turned out that I liked the same one for the slim jims and sausage. I liked a buddy's recipe for breakfast sausage. So, he and I make bfast sausage now which does not require anything but pork and seasoning in a controlled batch weight. No smoke, cook, or cure.

I process my own loins, tender loins, burger, jerky, and a few roasts for deer BQ and Italian deer. Slim jims and sausage are fun to share.

Certainly not knocking anyone with the desire to get their meat back. I get it. Just doesn't happen from too many places here in Illinois. Can't. Too many hunters bringing in too much meat.

The two processors that I use process each carcass individually. Smoked/processed products like summer sausage, etc can be ordered full-batch, meaning that YOUR deer will be used. If you only want partial, it may be mixed with other to make up a batch, but you get the weight amount you choose. I don't care for those products, and so I get my my meat, knowing how I cared for the deer after the kill.

My brother-in-law wanted to try a new processor once. I rode with him to drop hims doe off. The owner was sitting in the shade in a chair when we drove up. It was in the 60s, sun shining brightly. There were more than 20 deer eating out on the cement drive when we pulled up. He said his skinner was late coming in that morning. My BIL dropped his off anyway, and got it back a week later. He wound up throwing it all out as it wasn't fit to eat. I knew as we drove away that it would be at best, two hours before his deer was skinned/gutted.....

This is the original poster, 2days after I posted this I got a call from the place I took my deer, they told me it was ready and I had my Dad pick it up (I had to work and it is a long drive) I have used this place once before and the wait was only about a week. I had bacon, balony and sausage made plus the cuts. It seems I have been shorted meat at several other places I have taken my deer so I tried this place. My wifes friends husband has a place that he uses to process his deer (and he gets lots of deer) I think I will go with them next year, two months is to long to have to wait.

How is the bacon? Nobody local does it. And I've always wanted to try it

When having specialty items made, it's always good to have a conversation with the processor of expected wait times. Allot of times they wait until they have enough requests to do a full batch of whatever the item is. I get venison hot dogs made and they do them in a 500lbs batch. So if you take meat in early in the season, it might be awhile until they have enough requests to do a batch.

i cut all my own deer up, then take deboned meat in for the hot dogs and occasionally some venison sticks. I've made my own a few different times, but they don't come out as good, so I don't mind paying for the better quality, and the sticks that I like
​​​​-Jake

Bacon is made from......PORK!!!:)

Glad the issue is resolved

I don't have anything against a hunter who takes his meat to a processor some and I used to be one just figure there is some art to butchering a deer or other game animal or maybe they just don't have the time but when you do you lose control of your hard earned expensive meat. I hunt because I want to kill an animal and then process it myself. I do all my own grinds cuts specialty stuff like smoked pastrami sausage pepperettes etc. I just enjoy the whole process from killing to grilling and nothing gives me more satisfaction than taking a nice steak of the grill and saying I did that. I look at hunting the animal the same as I do butchering or caring for it post kill until on the table. I sucked when I started hunting and I sucked when I first started to butcher and process my own meat but with time and some good mentors I am glad I learned to do all parts of the hunt myself.
Also glad to hear you at least got your (maybe) meat back.
Now if I could just figured out this taxidermy thing lol

Glad to hear you got your meat back. Sounds like you need to have a few beers with your wife's friend's hubby and see what he has to say about processing a buck for you. Maybe even visit in the off season to see how he's set up.

Nice that it worked out in the end. Your butcher must have a ginormous freezer. Where I hunt, a butcher usually processes your meat within a week or 2 and then wants to charge you more if you don't pick it up within a week cause he's hurting for freezer space.

Not venison bacon lol. I just want to try it!

-Jake

I couldn,t agree more with you two all,s comments.