Success StoryDeer Processing



Deer Processing

Author: Heather Graham

Planning Unit: Wolfe County CES

Major Program: Local Food Systems

Plan of Work: Education, Utilization, and Management of Natural Resources

Outcome: Initial Outcome

A local hunter had approached the Extension Office about how to properly field dress and process a harvested deer. After talking with others in the community, it was determined that there would be an interest in having a class taught by Dr. Gregg Rentfrow from the UK Meats Lab. The class was held during bow season in November, but just before modern gun season. We worked closely with the hunter that inquired about the class to obtain a "fresh" deer, but he was unable to harvest a deer. So, we contacted a local meat processor to provide us with a deer and they obliged. There were several hunters that attended the class, 2 that had never attended an Extension event prior to that. As a way to reach more people, I live streamed the class on Facebook. 27 people watched via Facebook. It has now been viewed over 160 times and shared six times. 

While it's always nice to physically have people in our buildings or at our programs, technology is providing us a way to reach out to those that may not be able to attend for various reasons.

This class was a great opportunity for hunters (and some non-hunters) to learn how to safely and properly process a harvested deer.