Oh, Deer: The Local Post-Harvest Low-Down

Firearm season for deer hunters is in full swing, and across northern Michigan, men and women in orange are hauling their bagged bucks home. For those lucky hunters, an important decision remains to be made: What to do with the animal?

Fortunately, hunters have no shortage of options in a region with a rich history of using, cooking and preserving wildlife. The Ticker checked out three local creative uses for deer (and other wild game) that are helping hunters reap the rewards of their sport long after the season has ended.

Mount a Trophy
“My dad started this business in 1928, so I guess you could say I was born into it,” laughs Voss Guntzviller, owner of Guntzviller's Taxidermy & Spirit of the Woods Museum in Williamsburg, just south of Elk Rapids. For over 40 years, Guntzviller and his wife, Patricia, have created trophies and wall mounts for hunters looking to preserve their best game.

While deer are the most popular animal Guntzviller sees, at an average of up to 100 per season, he's also preserved elk, moose, bear, birds, fish and other wildlife – even a camel.

“If it's legally taken or harvested, we'll accept it,” promises Guntzviller.

For hunters looking to immortalize that elusive big buck, Guntzviller has a few tips. “Get it in the store as soon as possible,” he says. “Deer spoil fast in warm temperatures. And leave the skinning to us. Make sure you have the proper paperwork, and we'll take it from there.”

Hunters can expect to pay an average of $450-$500 for a mounted deer head. For more information, visit www.northernmichigantaxidermy.com or call 231-264-5597.

Stock Up on Meat
Jerry Deering, owner of Deering's Market and Deli in Traverse City, has been processing deer “longer than I can remember,” he says. Deering and his staff take downed game brought to the store and turn the animals into a variety of tasty products: Sausage, steak, jerky, roast, burgers, bratwurst – almost any meat imaginable. He says venison hot dogs, which he often flavors with jalapenos, cheese or cherries, are especially popular with customers.

“Everything is hand seasoned and comes from recipes that have been in our family for decades,” Deering says. He processes on average 100 deer a season, with base prices starting at $109 and increasing depending on the size of the deer and the meat requested.

Deering adds that the store will also process other wild game, if desired – including feral pigs, which hunters are legally allowed to kill this year.

For more information, visit www.deerings.com or call 231-947-6165.

Feed the Hungry
While the beginning of winter can be a boon for hunters, it can also signal the start of increased hardship for those in need. But thanks to the passing of a 1991 state law that allows hunters to donate commercially processed game to charity, those with more meat than they need can ensure hungry mouths in the area are fed.

Norm Bamberg, operations director at the Father Fred Foundation, works with Jerry Deering to facilitate local donations. Hunters can either call Deering's to arrange dropping off their entire deer for processing and donation, or they can bring any meat they've already had commercially processed directly to the food bank.

“Even if a hunter wants to keep some of an animal's meat, but has extra left over to give, that can help someone who's without,” says Bamberg.

For information on how to donate, visit www.fatherfred.org or call 231-947-2055.