Deer must be dressed and processed using the following methods to ensure the meat is safe for consumption.

Field Dressing

• Once the deer has died, field dress the deer as quickly as possible
• Wear disposable gloves to reduce the risk of exposure to disease
• Avoid cutting the stomach or intestines to reduce contamination of meat
• Avoid spilling intestine contents, feces or urine onto edible portions of carcass
• Minimize handling of brain and spinal tissues and fluids
• If cavity is rinsed out, be sure to dry the meat with a paper towel; damp meat spoils faster than dry meat
• Rapidly chill the carcass
• Insert ice packs
• Insert clean plastic bags filled with snow
• Prop the rib cage open with a stick to help circulate air and cool carcass quickly
• Maintain carcass at 40 degrees or below to prevent bacterial growth
• Keep out of direct sunlight; do not tie to top of car because this exposes the carcass to contamination and sun
• Process the deer or take it to a commercial processing plant as soon as possible (within 10 hours)
• Do not process any meat if organs smell bad, have greenish discharge, have blood clots, tumors, or are discolored
• Also, examine the deer for parasites, ticks and lesions

Home Processing

• Maintain the carcass at 40 degrees or below until processing
• Remove the hide
• Wash hands, knives, and cutting boards often and sanitize with a solution of 1 teaspoon of bleach per 1 gallon of water
• Wear disposable gloves
• Store all raw meat separate from other foods in a refrigerator to avoid cross-contamination
• Refrigerated meat should be used within 2 or 3 days
• To avoid freezer burn, use freezer wrap or freezer storage bags; do not overload the freezer
• Properly frozen meat will store 9-12 months
• The flavor of game meats is mainly due to the fat they contain. To reduce the gamey flavor, trim the fat from the meat
• Cook game to at least 160 degrees

For proper canning and smoking procedures and methods for making jerky, contact:

Penn State Cooperative Extension
850 East Gore Road
Erie, PA 16509
814-825-0900

Commercial Processors

• Before hunting season begins, research processors in your area
• Ask to tour the facility to ensure your carcass will be handled, processed, and stored properly
• Make sure the facility has adequate refrigeration for the number of deer carcasses they will accept
• If the facility is a licensed food establishment, there must be a complete separation of game meat from domestic meat, poultry, and meat products
• Any equipment used to process game must be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized before it can be used for processing domestic meat, poultry, and meat products
• Skinned deer must be stored separately from unskinned carcasses
• The processor should have good recordkeeping practices to track each deer brought in for processing
• Processing tables should be made of a material that is easy to clean and sanitize between deer
• Tools, utensils, cutting boards, etc. should be clean and in good working condition
• Facility needs a safe source of water for cleaning equipment and hand washing
• Verify that the facility has adequate refrigeration space to store meat once it has been processed
• If the facility is smoking the meat or making jerky, verify that they are aware of safe procedures.

Equipment Checklist

• Disposable gloves
• Sharp knife
• Strong rope for dragging
• Cooler full of ice or clean snow
• Clean plastic bags to fill with ice or snow to cool carcass
• Clean plastic bags to carry liver and heart
• Paper towels to wipe out cavity

Caution:  Ticks

Ticks may crawl off the carcass and attach to humans and pets.

Ticks can transmit diseases such as Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

If you find a tick attached to you or your pet, bring the tick to the Erie County Department of Health for identification.

Tick Removal:

• Using pointed tweezers, grasp the tick by its mouthparts where it enters the skin
• DO NOT grasp the body of the tick
• Pull steadily outward. Pull firmly until the tick breaks free
• Apply disinfectant to the bite wound

Chronic Wasting Disease

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is an infectious, neurologic disease of cervids, which includes North American deer, elk and moose.   Information on this disease can be found on the American Veterinary Medical Association website.   A PDF brochure can be downloaded from this site as well.

Game Commission

The Pennsylvania Game Commission offers two free brochures on venison:

To Field Dress a Deer — Offers step-by-step instructions with illustrations on how to field-dress a deer

Venison Needn’t Be Pot Luck — Offers field-dressing instructions and cooking tips.

To obtain a copy, contact the Pennsylvania Game Commission at 814-432-3187.

Penn State Cooperative Extension in Erie County

The extension offers the following free brochures.  They can be downloaded through the links below, or you may call the extension at 814-825-0900.

Proper Care and Handling of Venison From Field to Table (PDF file)

Field Dressing Deer Pocket Guide (PDF file)

For more information click on Food Preservation or visit their website at http://foodsafety.cas.psu.edu/game.htm.

Hunters Sharing the Harvest

This is a venison donation program that channels donated venison to local food banks and soup kitchens.

This program is run in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Details can be found at http://sharedeer.org or http://www.pgc.state.pa.us.

This information is distributed by Erie County Department of Health, 606 W. 2nd Street, Erie, PA 16507, 814-451-6700, www.ecdh.org