A processor let several hunters' deer spoil in Michigan.
Several Michigan hunters are realizing their worst nightmare from this past hunting season. Even though they had a successful harvest, they will not have fresh venison in the freezer during the off-season. This was made clear after a processor allegedly allowed the power to go off and the meat to spoil.
The use of such processors is a common practice in Michigan, and there are facilities scattered across the state that butcher, process and package meat for hunters.
MLive.com reports Michigan Department of Natural Resources officers Tim Barboza and Jeff Ginn were called in to a deer processor after complaints by hunters that the facility was not returning the meat.
The officers investigated in mid-January and arrived to find a building where the power had been shut down because the business was apparently closing. When they opened the freezer, they found the remains of 13 deer still being processed inside, rotting away.
The DNR did not release the name of the facility, but reported it was in Newaygo County.
From there, the Department of Agriculture was called. The food inspector then shut the facility down and seized the carcasses and a supply of already-processed meat.
MLive reports that unfortunately, none of the meat was salvageable.
The Michigan DNR assisted the Department of Agriculture in documenting the facility and gathering evidence, but no charges have been filed in the case.
We will keep an eye on this unusual and unfortunate story, and will bring you any new information about the case and if any charges are eventually filed against the owners.
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and check out his YouTube channel.
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