# 52pt at Jerome Country Market



## Raf (Jan 23, 2006)

That area has some great bucks for sure had a lease there for a few years and saw a lot of great bucks at Jerome market. But i don’t think this buck even has a chance at being a free range wild deer .


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## bigbuckmiddaugh (Oct 16, 2005)

Nice! I heard it was a spike last year.


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## wpmisport (Feb 9, 2010)

Could have really been something if they would have let grow for 2 more years.


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## Mike Zainea (Jan 28, 2017)

It may sound crazy but deer like that are in the woods but started out on a ranch. PETA has cut holes in the fencing and let out a lot of animals over the years. I know this because it has happened across the street from me. I have seen some freaks on my cameras.


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## Sparky23 (Aug 15, 2007)

FREEPOP said:


> Ahh so you call me a liar, again?
> 
> You actually believe they'd jeopardize their job for a numb nutz they've never met before asking questions?


I know 2 processors and have worked at another in younger years they are checked daily. And cut 0 corners. While I dont doubt that it happens at some small time operations itnisnt often. They are inspected amd fill out heaps of paper work. AMD risk there business amd huge fines. I'm sure some country operators cut corners but even small one worked for everything was 100% by the book.


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## crossneyes (Sep 26, 2005)

Somebody call M.o.o.D. get Jimmy on it!


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## on a call (Jan 16, 2010)

Poached ???


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## gatorman841 (Mar 4, 2010)

crossneyes said:


> Somebody call M.o.o.D. get Jimmy on it!


Anything in front of the gills


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## Namrock (Apr 12, 2016)

Mike Zainea said:


> It may sound crazy but deer like that are in the woods but started out on a ranch. PETA has cut holes in the fencing and let out a lot of animals over the years. I know this because it has happened across the street from me. I have seen some freaks on my cameras.


Sometimes it ain't nobody cutting holes in the fence, sometimes a tree limb comes down on the fence & the (expletive) ranch owner misses checking fence for a few days afterward.


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## aacosta (Dec 18, 2015)

That's a monster that got loose lol


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## bowhunter66 (Nov 5, 2011)

That buck was shot at a deer farm in Hillsdale county. My cousin is a taxidermist and is mounting that deer.


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## micooner (Dec 20, 2003)

bowhunter66 said:


> That buck was shot at a deer farm in Hillsdale county. My cousin is a taxidermist and is mounting that deer.


Dang it I was just going to say how great the APR's and QDM's are working.


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## Gone_Hunting (Sep 22, 2013)

Funny how theres 5 pages of jumping to conclusions. Us sportsmen are a funny breed. Big buck shot in Michigan with no info? Must be roids!!


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## pgpn123 (May 9, 2016)

Namrock said:


> Sometimes it ain't nobody cutting holes in the fence, sometimes a tree limb comes down on the fence & the (expletive) ranch owner misses checking fence for a few days afterward.



As I understand it, this is how Paul Mickey shot the state record NT. Still legal to shoot (in season, all rules apply) but no longer eligible for entry in record books. (any history of being in a pen)


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## FREEPOP (Apr 11, 2002)

Sparky23 said:


> I know 2 processors and have worked at another in younger years they are checked daily. And cut 0 corners. While I dont doubt that it happens at some small time operations itnisnt often. They are inspected amd fill out heaps of paper work. AMD risk there business amd huge fines. I'm sure some country operators cut corners but even small one worked for everything was 100% by the book.


https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-350-79136_79608_84089_84095---,00.html


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## lreigler (Dec 23, 2009)

Gone_Hunting said:


> Funny how theres 5 pages of jumping to conclusions. Us sportsmen are a funny breed. Big buck shot in Michigan with no info? Must be roids!!


I’m not sure it’s jumping to conclusions. Freak buck that scores in the mid 200s, bleach white rack, no tag, if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck. 

like I said every time a buck like this is posted, it’s from a farm.


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## lreigler (Dec 23, 2009)

And then inevitably, like above, someone verifies it was killed at a farm.


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## miruss (Apr 18, 2003)

FREEPOP said:


> Ahh so you call me a liar, again?
> 
> You actually believe they'd jeopardize their job for a numb nutz they've never met before asking questions?


No whats he's saying he can't believe you came on a public forum and said Jerome doesn't give the hunters back their own deer meat ! You got bigger [email protected] then i do because I'm sure they would have a field day in court with the way you just ran their business into the ground by calling them cheats and thief's.


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## FREEPOP (Apr 11, 2002)

miruss said:


> No whats he's saying he can't believe you came on a public forum and said Jerome doesn't give the hunters back their own deer meat ! You got bigger [email protected] then i do because I'm sure they would have a field day in court with the way you just ran their business into the ground by calling them cheats and thief's.


He said he believed workers. He needs to go to a prison and ask people there if they are innocent. In order to "have a field day" they'd have to have proof. Does anyone really believe that they clean the grinder plates and the head after every deer? Oh, and by the way, there is no way to clean off the prions from CWD. Additionally, meats made into jerky and sausages require them to be made into batches. Does everyone believe that your amount came out magically to the right amount?
Yes, every deer processor to some degree will have meats mixed together, it's not practical otherwise. There is also a reason that people that know how to d it do it themselves as they've seen what goes on.
Would you like me to continue and tell you about some time I spent at the stock yards and what I saw there? My Aunt was a USDA inspector. That was a real eye opener too.


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## BulldogOutlander (Oct 1, 2019)

Namrock said:


> Sometimes it ain't nobody cutting holes in the fence, sometimes a tree limb comes down on the fence & the (expletive) ranch owner misses checking fence for a few days afterward.
> View attachment 585623
> 
> View attachment 585631


that happened a handful of years ago near me. A big buck got out of a deer farm near greenville, mi (not going to name drop).. Young man shot it during deer season. Was in the papers. Deer farm threatened to legally come after him for shooting their deer, until the DNR stepped in and threatened said deer farm for allowing said buck to get loose, and that the young man actually did them a favor by shooting it.


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## ErieH2O (Jan 24, 2018)

Reputation of this butcher is good and you should walk back you comments that throw speculation onto all.


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## Gone_Hunting (Sep 22, 2013)

lreigler said:


> I’m not sure it’s jumping to conclusions. Freak buck that scores in the mid 200s, bleach white rack, no tag, if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck.
> 
> like I said every time a buck like this is posted, it’s from a farm.


Without knowing for sure = jumping to conclusions. Reminds me of the MSM posting stories without all the info.


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## sniper (Sep 2, 2005)

ErieH2O said:


> Reputation of this butcher is good and you should walk back you comments that throw speculation onto all.


Agreed. Your not in business for over 30 yrs if your not putting out a good service and product. Haters are gonna jaw Jack because that’s what they do. That Griffiths have a fantastic business there. 


Sent from my iPhone using Michigan Sportsman


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## sniper (Sep 2, 2005)

lreigler said:


> Pictures of deer like this turn out to be a fence raised deer, 100% of the time. Which is fine if that’s what someone’s into. But some of the posters here saying bucks like these are fairly common, are you kidding me?


That deer isn’t common anywhere in America. 


Sent from my iPhone using Michigan Sportsman


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## jr28schalm (Mar 16, 2006)

sniper said:


> Agreed. Your not in business for over 30 yrs if your not putting out a good service and product. Haters are gonna jaw Jack because that’s what they do. That Griffiths have a fantastic business there.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Michigan Sportsman


Pop would disagree with you, Now there not cleaning the grinders off between deer. And if all else fails bring cwd into it


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## Dish7 (Apr 2, 2017)

sniper said:


> That deer isn’t common anywhere in America.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Michigan Sportsman


Exactly. If it's pen raised...okay, makes sense. But as rare as they are, deer like that do happen in the wild. You have to remember we live in a state that has many areas where a 3.5 year old 120" buck is rare. Blows people's mind to comprehend what a 5.5 or older buck could be. I remember back in the early 90's when a coworker shot a Booner. When he brought the rack in to work and put it in my hands, I could not believe that it was real and shot locally. The mass alone was staggering after years of shooting 1.5 and 2.5 year olds. But again, bucks like the one in this thread are rare anywhere.


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## kisherfisher (Apr 6, 2008)

FREEPOP said:


> He said he believed workers. He needs to go to a prison and ask people there if they are innocent. In order to "have a field day" they'd have to have proof. Does anyone really believe that they clean the grinder plates and the head after every deer? Oh, and by the way, there is no way to clean off the prions from CWD. Additionally, meats made into jerky and sausages require them to be made into batches. Does everyone believe that your amount came out magically to the right amount?
> Yes, every deer processor to some degree will have meats mixed together, it's not practical otherwise. There is also a reason that people that know how to d it do it themselves as they've seen what goes on.
> Would you like me to continue and tell you about some time I spent at the stock yards and what I saw there? My Aunt was a USDA inspector. That was a real eye opener too.


You are wrong grouping every processor as mixing meats together. Efficient !, not at all. But when your clientele is your neighbors , friends and local farmers, they choose you because of this and a superb end results. My son did approx 150 deer last year from his small business, in Tipton. Every deer was done separate from skinning to grinding. Grindings in separate tubs with names of the customer for their sausage , jerky , hunter sticks. He enjoys the compliments on his work. He does what he likes, with a vision . His inspections have been flawless. Heart of the Hills Deer processing and taxidermy , Tipton Mi.


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## kisherfisher (Apr 6, 2008)

Sent from my iPhone using Michigan Sportsman


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## FREEPOP (Apr 11, 2002)

kisherfisher said:


> You are wrong grouping every processor as mixing meats together. Efficient !, not at all. But when your clientele is your neighbors , friends and local farmers, they choose you because of this and a superb end results. My son did approx 150 deer last year from his small business, in Tipton. Every deer was done separate from skinning to grinding. Grindings in separate tubs with names of the customer for their sausage , jerky , hunter sticks. He enjoys the compliments on his work. He does what he likes, with a vision . His inspections have been flawless. Heart of the Hills Deer processing and taxidermy , Tipton Mi.


Does he clean the plates and grinding head between each deer?

I did modify my statement by saying "to some degree"


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## DM90 (Jan 7, 2014)

FREEPOP said:


> Most processors remove the kill tag and put it with their paperwork. Then a temporary tag is placed on it.


I did not know that because I process my own deer. Thank you for the info.


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## kisherfisher (Apr 6, 2008)

FREEPOP said:


> Does he clean the plates and grinding head between each deer?
> 
> I did modify my statement by saying "to some degree"


Yes he does , to an obsession. Each deer is totally separate. Not the best for profits , but his close clientele (returns with family) makes the difference. 


Sent from my iPhone using Michigan Sportsman


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## jiggin is livin (Jan 7, 2011)

It is the BIG operations that run things more efficiently. They just have to do things a certain way to keep up and remain profitable. A smaller operation can do it like @kisherfisher is saying. I have a couple buddies who did it for a few years and they did it the same way. They ended up stopping though because it took up ALL of their time, but they made good money and had everything separate. That was their whole point in starting it, to NOT do it the way so many others do. 

People can argue it all they want, because they don't wanna believe it, but it is a fact.


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## jiggin is livin (Jan 7, 2011)

To add though. I have some buddies that just drop their deer off to processors these days and I haven't had anything bad from them or heard anything negative. So it isn't like it is a terrible thing. 

I just personally enjoy playing around and making different things. I don't trust anyone to do a good enough job, so I do it. I wouldn't be totally opposed to paying someone else, if it ever came to that for some reason.


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## hypox (Jan 23, 2000)

I know of a big place that advertises you get your own deer back. I tried to drop a deer off and asked an employee about it. They said they grind the burger in bulk and it isn't your own meat. I asked the manager and they agreed. What a joke. I've done my own since. I think this is much, much more common than people think.


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## ryan-b (Sep 18, 2009)

Ive cut deer for two different processors. Only time your not getting your own deers meat back is if it’s sticks, hotdogs or brats. It is not economical to run the mixers for each individual guy getting cheese brats made so it’s batched.


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## jiggin is livin (Jan 7, 2011)

hypox said:


> I know of a big place that advertises you get your own deer back. I tried to drop a deer off and asked an employee about it. They said they grind the burger in bulk and it isn't your own meat. I asked the manager and they agreed. What a joke. I've done my own since. I think this is much, much more common than people think.





ryan-b said:


> Ive cut deer for two different processors. Only time your not getting your own deers meat back is if it’s sticks, hotdogs or brats. It is not economical to run the mixers for each individual guy getting cheese brats made so it’s batched.


Exactly. It makes sense to do it that way. 

It is also one of the main reasons I prefer not to have someone make those things for me.


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## hplayer13 (Nov 3, 2008)

Kinda funny, somebody third hand confirmed it wasn’t a wild deer but guys still arguing about processing


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## November Sunrise (Jan 12, 2006)

jiggin is livin said:


> Exactly. It makes sense to do it that way.
> 
> It is also one of the main reasons I prefer not to have someone make those things for me.


My entire life I've been eating meat (beef, pork, chicken, sausage, etc.) that was processed commercially. I have zero concern about eating venison that has been processed by those same businesses.


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## monczunski (Feb 28, 2006)

kisherfisher said:


> Sent from my iPhone using Michigan Sportsman



hey uncle bill, will billy cut up my deer for me if i call him? thanks.


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## jiggin is livin (Jan 7, 2011)

November Sunrise said:


> My entire life I've been eating meat (beef, pork, chicken, sausage, etc.) that was processed commercially. I have zero concern about eating venison that has been processed by those same businesses.


So have I. That is what is so special about hunting to me. I can easily process it 100% myself and KNOW what my family is putting into their bodies. 

But, like I said, if I suddenly got SUPER lazy or injured to where I couldn't do it myself I wouldn't sweat it too much. There is just simply no excuse for me to pay someone else to do something as easy and enjoyable as taking care of the animal that I killed for food.


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## kisherfisher (Apr 6, 2008)

monczunski said:


> hey uncle bill, will billy cut up my deer for me if i call him? thanks.


As long as it is tagged and their price starts at $75.00.Best to call late afternoon.


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## U of M Fan (May 8, 2005)

IMO, if you want your deer done in just steaks and burger (regular cut) Jerome is good. But their snack sticks are not good to me. I wouldn’t waste my money. Country Smokehouse makes them way better in my opinion.


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## sparky18181 (Apr 17, 2012)

kisherfisher said:


> Sent from my iPhone using Michigan Sportsman


Bill
Does he use beetles for euro mounts and if so can he do an elk. Thanks.


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## Liver and Onions (Nov 24, 2000)

U of M Fan said:


> .........
> Country Smokehouse makes them way better in my opinion.


Hard to top the Smokehouse. Eaten many pounds of their smoked meats. Maybe they vacuum seal now, but with my last deer there they did not. I prefer that method so only pruchased smoke meats from them for a few years. Great owners.
From the letter posted to their website, they are still not able to open after the fire from about 1 year ago.
Like all of the other processors, you will get your burger, steak & roast from your deer at the Smokehouse. Items like brats, salami, sausage. stixs, etc. will be batched. That is a concern for some, those people should skip the smoked meats altogether or do their own.
The smoked meats sold at their store come from farm raised deer, elk, bison, etc. 

L & O


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## Liver and Onions (Nov 24, 2000)

bowhunter66 said:


> That buck was shot at a deer farm in Hillsdale county. My cousin is a taxidermist and is mounting that deer.


Has this been confirmed by the hunter ?

L & O


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## kisherfisher (Apr 6, 2008)

sparky18181 said:


> Bill
> Does he use beetles for euro mounts and if so can he do an elk. Thanks.


He does not use beetles Sparky. My son has never done am Elk, but I can ask him if his partner has.


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## sparky18181 (Apr 17, 2012)

kisherfisher said:


> He does not use beetles Sparky. My son has never done am Elk, but I can ask him if his partner has.


Good friends son got a bull in kentucky today and asked


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## Mole Hill (Jul 15, 2020)

At this point old Mitch himself couldn't save this thread.


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## monczunski (Feb 28, 2006)

an employee of jerome market has confirmed this was taken from a high fenced farm. all info from original facebook post.


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## sniper (Sep 2, 2005)

monczunski said:


> an employee of jerome market has confirmed this was taken from a high fenced farm. all info from original facebook post.


Thanks for the confirmation. The Facebook info would’ve helped from the beginning before everybody swords were drawn here. Pages of conjecture for nuttin. 


Sent from my iPhone using Michigan Sportsman


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## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

FREEPOP said:


> Does he clean the plates and grinding head between each deer?
> 
> I did modify my statement by saying "to some degree"


There is no cleaning grinder plates between grindings for any butcher of any shop with any animal. Not sure why you think there would be. I worked a couple years cutting meat as an apprentice in college. I mostly ground meat. We were supposed to clean the grinder at the end of the day when all the rest of the meat saws, slicers, cubers etc... were cleaned. The store I worked In cleaned the grinder every other day because the grinder was in a seperate room that was colder than the meat room. It was also used often after the manager left for the day because demand was always high for grind. 

I have worked part time for a couple deer processors well before todays permit and inspection processes existed. Every customer got their deer's meat back. Grind was never batch ground. The grinder was cleaned at the end of the night. During rifle season a typical day might mean 15-17 hrs of continous use before cleaning. The processors I worked for never stole meat. They had no reason to because so many customers drop off a deer and never pick it up. Happens more than you think. One pack of your grind likely had 1/4lb of another hunters deer from what was left in the grinding plate. A small bit was left of your deer for the next guy. 

Sausage was made in 80lb batches so if you asked for 20lbs of sausage your snack sticks or summer sausage was mixed with 2-5 other hunters deer most likely. They were very up front about that.


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## FREEPOP (Apr 11, 2002)

DirtySteve said:


> There is no cleaning grinder plates between grindings for any butcher of any shop with any animal. Not sure why you think there would be. I worked a couple years cutting meat as an apprentice in college. I mostly ground meat. We were supposed to clean the grinder at the end of the day when all the rest of the meat saws, slicers, cubers etc... were cleaned. The store I worked In cleaned the grinder every other day because the grinder was in a seperate room that was colder than the meat room. It was also used often after the manager left for the day because demand was always high for grind.
> 
> I have worked part time for a couple deer processors well before todays permit and inspection processes existed. Every customer got their deer's meat back. Grind was never batch ground. The grinder was cleaned at the end of the night. During rifle season a typical day might mean 15-17 hrs of continous use before cleaning. The processors I worked for never stole meat. They had no reason to because so many customers drop off a deer and never pick it up. Happens more than you think. One pack of your grind likely had 1/4lb of another hunters deer from what was left in the grinding plate. A small bit was left of your deer for the next guy.
> 
> Sausage was made in 80lb batches so if you asked for 20lbs of sausage your snack sticks or summer sausage was mixed with 2-5 other hunters deer most likely. They were very up front about that.


Hmm sounds exactly what I've been saying. In varying degrees, you don't get your own meat back.


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## Sasquatch Lives (May 23, 2011)

Many guys who shoot bucks at high fence ranches don't want people to know that's where the deer came from.


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## Sharkbait11 (Apr 7, 2017)

Sasquatch Lives said:


> Many guys who shoot bucks at high fence ranches don't want people to know that's where the deer came from.


No kidding! I hope anyone that shoots an animal inside a fence doesn't refer to themselves as a hunter. Cant believe deer farms are even legal anymore given the known links to CWD and potential for those beasts to escape.


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## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

FREEPOP said:


> Hmm sounds exactly what I've been saying. In varying degrees, you don't get your own meat back.


If you are talking about 1/3lb or 1/4lb of venison out of the 30-50lbs total you get back then yeah you dont get your meat back.

There is very little left in the grind plate and auger.


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## McDonaldoutdoors (Apr 10, 2006)

Wow at first glance I thought a giant was shot somewhere. Turns out it’s 52 points to debate meat processing...dam trending posts emails...


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## snortwheeze (Jul 31, 2012)

lreigler said:


> Pictures of deer like this turn out to be a fence raised deer, 100% of the time. Which is fine if that’s what someone’s into. But some of the posters here saying bucks like these are fairly common, are you kidding me?


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## jwheelfan03 (Jun 9, 2011)

Mike Zainea said:


> It may sound crazy but deer like that are in the woods but started out on a ranch. PETA has cut holes in the fencing and let out a lot of animals over the years. I know this because it has happened across the street from me. I have seen some freaks on my cameras.[/QUOT





Mike Zainea said:


> It may sound crazy but deer like that are in the woods but started out on a ranch. PETA has cut holes in the fencing and let out a lot of animals over the years. I know this because it has happened across the street from me. I have seen some freaks on my cameras.


wish they’d cut some more holes in the buck pens!


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## miruss (Apr 18, 2003)

kisherfisher said:


> You are wrong grouping every processor as mixing meats together. Efficient !, not at all. But when your clientele is your neighbors , friends and local farmers, they choose you because of this and a superb end results. My son did approx 150 deer last year from his small business, in Tipton. Every deer was done separate from skinning to grinding. Grindings in separate tubs with names of the customer for their sausage , jerky , hunter sticks. He enjoys the compliments on his work. He does what he likes, with a vision . His inspections have been flawless. Heart of the Hills Deer processing and taxidermy , Tipton Mi.


Dropped one off yesterday !! Like what i seen very nice couple there and very clean !


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