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Deer Processing Laws

I have been cutting my deer, family deer and friends deer for quite awhile now.

I was thinking I could make a couple extra bucks this year before Christmas by maybe taking on some more deer and charging. The Processing cost are getting outrageous, I have looked into the little details, and it doesn't have to be 65-80 dollars to straight cut a deer.

I want to be legit.

Before I do this, is there any licensing or laws I need to worry about?

From the Wildlife Conservation Order -

4.4 Commercial processing and storage; records required; maintenance and inspection.

Sec 4.4 (1) The owner, operator, or agent of any commercial processing operation, refrigeration plant, or frozen food locker plant, shall maintain records of all wild animals accepted for processing or storage for 90 days following receipt of the animal. Such records shall include the name and address of the owner of the animal, the date accepted, and the number of the license or permit authorizing possession. These records shall be maintained on the premises and be available for inspection by a conservation officer at any reasonable time.

(2) A commercial processing operation that receives a carcass or parts thereof, other than deboned meat, antlers, antlers attached to a skull cap cleaned of all brain and muscle tissue, hides, and upper canine teeth, from a deer, elk, or moose which originated from a state or a province listed in the Michigan hunting and trapping guide for the current year as a state or province detected to have CWD in free-ranging deer, elk, or moose populations, shall report such acquisition to the Michigan department of natural resources, wildlife disease laboratory, within the business hours of the next 72 hours.

(3) A commercial processing operation outside of the CWD surveillance zone described in 12.900 of this order, that receives a carcass or parts thereof, other than deboned meat, antlers, antlers attached to a skull cap cleaned of all brain and muscle tissue, hides, and upper canine teeth, from a deer, which originated within the CWD surveillance zone described in section 12.900 of this order, without a negative test for CWD documented by the department for that carcass, shall report such acquisition to the Michigan department of natural resources wildlife disease laboratory, within the business hours of the next 72 hours.

History: Am. 22, 1989, Eff. Jan 1, 1990; Am. 3, 1996, Eff. Apr 11, 1996; Am. 16, 2008, Eff. Oct 10, 2008.

For us, if we know that someone is comercially processing deer we routinely stop in to make sure that they are keeping records in compliance with the WCO. Some places are, of course, better than others and sometimes processors are a great place to start an investigation.

**I would also contact the Department of Ag - Michael Juhasz, Supervisor, Saginaw, MI, (989) 757-7501 to find out what you need from their end.

*****The link goes to the PDF file (brochure) that is put out by the Dept of Ag.

Thank you swampcop

I charge a backstrap to cut up a deer. This, apparently is too much to charge because no one takes me up on it.

If you do decide to get into this adventure, remember that the tag goes with the head if the guy is taking it home with him. We have a processor that always keeps the tags so he can show us that they had a tag. Thus sending the hunter home with a head and cape with no tag on it. No need for the processor to have a tag - just the appropriate information off of it.

Good Luck.

Not in MY kitchen is the law that applies around the Levey household.

I pay $45 and the cape.

I have kitchen privileges for deer processing. It comes in from the outdoors in bigger pieces and we bone it out on wooden cutting boards made from laminated oak portable dishwasher tops. Afterwords, the counters get thoroughly wiped down with bleach. Its a family project.

Charging a backstrap is hwy-robbery!!!!!!! I'd give up a hind leg but never a backstrap. Oh, I'd also do it for a backstrap...

I don't know much about this topic as it was something based on Deer Processing Laws so i will think that this will give you some more facts to learn through that for a good enough reason now. All of you can go to my website that if you need to learn something new.

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