For hunters across Michigan, Nov. 15 is a holiday in its own right, the official start of firearm deer season.
But for some, taking the day off work is simply not an option.
"The 15th - oh," Greg Saltzman says with a chuckle. "I’m just busy. Too busy."
Retired after working 29 years as a meat manager at Felpausch Food Center, Saltzman is the proprietor of Whitetail Farms Farm Fresh Market, which is now in its fourth year at 4506 West Butterfield Highway in Olivet. He processes deer.
The Marshall native says business is so good at the start of firearm season that he has needed to shut it down for a couple days just to stay caught up.
"When gun season comes, I’ll have 200 deer here on the 15th," Saltzman said. "If the gears are running right, we can push about 45 through here in a day... It's first come, first serve."
The same goes for Joe Nagel, owner of Nagel's Meat Processing at 3265 22 Mile Road in Homer.
In business for 22 years, the Tekonsha native says his clientele knows the routine and that the first day of firearm season keeps him and his 12 employees extremely busy, while his parking lot turns into a social gathering.
“We’ll get here at 7 a.m. It could be 9 to 10 (p.m.) before we leave," Nagel said. “We try to get (venison) back (to the hunters) within 3 to 4 days. Sometimes it takes up to a week. We can only do so many deer in a day."
Processing deer
Before hunters drop off their kill to be processed, they must have the documentation required from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, including a license and information on which county it was shot in. The hunters are responsible for dressing the deer and removing its entrails.
Both Calhoun and Eaton counties fall within the DNR watch zones for chronic wasting disease, a fatal nervous system disease found in deer, moose and elk.
To collect data, the DNR has set up check stations, where hunters can voluntarily offer the heads of deer, with test results posted online, typically within a week.
Whitetail Farms is located at 4506 West Butterfield Highway in Olivet. Nick Buckley/Battle Creek Enquirer
Once its determined how the hunter wants the deer processed — they may want a mount on top of the meat — they are tagged, skinned and placed in a cooler. The deer are then broken down and bones are removed. The meat unfit for consumption trimmed out before what remains is cut, ground into burger and packaged.
"The biggest complaint I get is, ‘Where’s all my deer?’" Saltzman said. "It depends how they are shot, how they are taken care of, if they don’t clean them out and take care of them properly, we do trim it. If I wouldn’t eat it, it doesn’t go in their hamburger."
Nagel said bringing the deer in as soon as possible after it's shot ensures freshness.
"If they shoot it one day and don’t find it until the next, we can tell when you open it up," Nagel said. "It smells. Which is too bad because they spent their tag on it."
Some venison can be donated to the needy. Both Whitetail Farms and Nagel's Meat Processing are part of the Michigan Sportsmen Against Hunger program. Hunters can either donate the entire deer, or parts of the deer to the processor, who then connect with local charities. More than 29,000 pounds of processed venison was donated in 2016, according to the non-profit.
Happy customer
Mark Smith of Homer wasn't sure if he was going to hunt when firearm season begins Thursday.
That's because the retired Homer Community Schools teacher bagged a nearly 200-pound eight-point buck on his property during bow season.
Smith is having its head mounted by a local taxidermist and was collecting his processed meat at Nagel's on the eve of firearm season. He left the store carrying a box of assorted venison sausages and burgers.
"Best deer I ever got," Smith said. "The pressure is off."
The meat freezer inside Whitetail Farms in Olivet. (Photo: Nick Buckley/Battle Creek Enquirer)
Nick Buckley can be reached at nbuckley@battlecreekenquirer.com or 269-966-0652. Follow him on Twitter:@NickJBuckley.
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