Wifeshusband
Senior Member
I got two deer last season, one in October and another one in the middle of December. I picked up the December one early last month and, because things were slow, I had the opportunity to chew the fat with the owner or Southern Boys Deer Processing. Learned he was a retired Piggly Wiggly butcher out of Columbus and the guys working with him were butchers also. You can learn a lot talkin' to processors. Try it sometime.
One thing I learned that bothered me. Deer hunters dropping off deer and not picking up the meat. I really don't understand this.
Yep, year before last he had 2,000 lbs of unclaimed deer meat. Folks, that's well over a dozen deer. I can understand maybe a hunter died or one or two got very sick or moved out of state; but that can't account for so much orphaned venison. Of course, it went to charity, but he had to pay his butchers, and it cost $700 a month, he told me, to run his freezer. Tough business
This is akin to throwing fish on the bank or in the woods and leaving them there. If you're killing deer and dropping them off, and don't want it--at least pay the man so he can pay his hired help and tell him to donate it to charity. He had a lot of meat in his freezer this year, and, again, some of it was unclaimed. He said he was still holding meat from deer killed by bowhunters in September. I suggested he implement a down payment upon drop-off. He said he hated to resort to that. You can be too nice, sometimes, buddy.
He did an excellent job on both of my deer, as I have already eaten a good portion. They were vacuum sealed, so no more freezer burn or ice build up. Like I said, I don't get it: not picking up your venison, and, worse--not paying the man. A worker is worthy of his wages. I really can't imagine anyone on the GON Forum doing this.
But, like Gome Pyle once said, people are strange.
One thing I learned that bothered me. Deer hunters dropping off deer and not picking up the meat. I really don't understand this.
Yep, year before last he had 2,000 lbs of unclaimed deer meat. Folks, that's well over a dozen deer. I can understand maybe a hunter died or one or two got very sick or moved out of state; but that can't account for so much orphaned venison. Of course, it went to charity, but he had to pay his butchers, and it cost $700 a month, he told me, to run his freezer. Tough business
This is akin to throwing fish on the bank or in the woods and leaving them there. If you're killing deer and dropping them off, and don't want it--at least pay the man so he can pay his hired help and tell him to donate it to charity. He had a lot of meat in his freezer this year, and, again, some of it was unclaimed. He said he was still holding meat from deer killed by bowhunters in September. I suggested he implement a down payment upon drop-off. He said he hated to resort to that. You can be too nice, sometimes, buddy.
He did an excellent job on both of my deer, as I have already eaten a good portion. They were vacuum sealed, so no more freezer burn or ice build up. Like I said, I don't get it: not picking up your venison, and, worse--not paying the man. A worker is worthy of his wages. I really can't imagine anyone on the GON Forum doing this.
But, like Gome Pyle once said, people are strange.
