Had a customer bring in a deer that was shot 3 days late last season...

Guy walks into my shop last November with a buck that smelled real bad. He claimed he shot it that morning but the belly was already green and bloated. I had to tell him straight up I couldn't process it because the meat was spoiled. He got angry and left but came back the next day apologizing... said he'd found it dead on his property and just wanted to salvage something. Now I always ask for a kill time estimate before taking any wild game. How do you guys handle hunters who bring in questionable animals?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_richard1mo agoMost Upvoted

That's exactly the kind of thing I ran into a few years back. A guy showed up with a doe that looked like it had been in a freezer for a week, said he "just dropped it off." I started asking for a rough time of death right when they walk in, and if they hesitate or get weird about it, I check the eyes and belly like you said. Now I just say "If you can't tell me within a couple hours when it was killed, I'm probably gonna pass on it." That alone has saved me from a few messes that would have cost me time and money.

the_emery1mo ago

You used to think it was none of your business when they killed it? Same here. But after having to toss three whole deer one season because people lied about the time, I changed my tune real quick.

the_sam1mo ago

Just ask upfront. A guy brought me a buck that was stiff as a board last year. Claimed he shot it an hour ago. Told him I'd need to check the eyes and belly before I could take it. He walked out fast after that.