Hunters kicked off firearm deer season this weekend, and U.P. meat processors are already receiving orders.
ESCANABA -- Every so often, Bill Dubord is summoned to haul another deer carcass into his plant and saw off its antlers before taking the hunter's specific order for processing his harvest. It’s a dirty job, but someone has got to do it.
"We'll do anything that they request,” explained the owner of Michigan Meats, a meat processing plant in Escanaba. “We do have a standard cut that most of them do, but we do 30 different types of sausages that they can choose from, too. It’s a pretty varied list."
Having someone else cut their deer into steaks and chops is a service many hunters find well worth the expense after a long day in the woods.
"I've cleaned deer myself before, but it's easier doing it this way. It's a lot of work to process your own animal,” laughed David Klasell, a hunter living in Escanaba.
Michigan Meats processes between 600 to 800 deer during the firearm deer season, and Dubord says for day two, it's been a steady start so far. Just Sunday morning, the plant took in over 20 deer and they expect even bigger numbers on Monday.
"It’s been good for it starting on a Saturday since most people are still staying out at camp,” Dubord said. “But we'll see our biggest rush this Monday and probably the following Monday. too."
Michigan Meats warns that this rush means hunters should anticipate a three to five day wait before finally eating what they’ve harvested.
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