Do not use Vans deer processing for your deer.

[blackhawk0718]

Well the last three times ive been in there ive had problems and rude costomer service. Tonight was the last straw. Yea there sausage is good but when they cant get your order right whats the purpose. I had a pack of sausage freezer burnt after only 3 days. Their response was I needed to check every package before I leave. I have a photo if any one wants to see. or i can email it if some one can post it up. So I was checking my order to night, it was suppose to be half ground meat half summer sausage. No summer sausage but more link sausage. So I go back in and the guy was a peepee. No apologies, just tough $#!+. said i can take it or leave it. so I made em give me my money back. So if you see a guy with a sign standing out side of vans next few weeks holding a sign and bull horn saying to stay away. thats me. Have a good new year.

[huntsober]

I dont use them cuz I know the business/operation. Without getting to personal I will say we were friend petators once.

On his defense...Processing is HARD, cold, dirty, long hours, worst time of year work. Having said that I must inform everyone. The meat is batched. Meaning your not gertting your meat back. It is batched up and processed together with others. The practice is to process large batches at time of one item. Its really common sense. A plant cant process individual orders and the meat not spoil before they finish. Sorry for the honesty but every processor does it. Lee's does it to the extreme...He doesnt process any meat in Mississippi and he has 3 locations in Ms. lol...Thats what we call moving some meat.

I take mine to a smaller processor during bow season and the remainder in Feb. NOT during the busy time. He knows I know he also batches cuz its an industry understanding and he knew I was in the business too.....Yes I owned a processing plant. And the reason your meat was frezzer burned is cuz it was in the frezzer a long time before you killed the deer.

No need for the staff to be rude however...I am sure they are wore the heck out by this time, but still no need to be rude. Van normally is on top of complaints. He has done very well because he is an on site owner/operator.

[KWAKHED]

Hate to tell you, but not every processor batches. I used to work at one. He was very picky about one deer start to finish. We did one order at a time.

[huntsober]

Im sure your guy didnt but when you get to 100,000 orders a year it gets ....difficult. The size equipment running in todays plants hold 500 to 1000 pounds of meat at a time. Its 3 phase and costly to turn on...they dont just crank up a grinder and stuffer for one doe. Its a math thing.... Those that are making it in that business batch.

[southernvaughan]

That's why I do all my own processing!

[Up2Early]

Do my own, too. Just ground up a deer tonight. It's not that hard and home equipment is inexpensive (I spent less on my grinder than I did at the butcher last year-and i bought a nice one).

We bought a vacuum sealer and now have all game in vacuum freezer bags. That adds some cost, but I should gain more durability in the freezer.

I'm going to try making sausage next.

[southernvaughan]

It's easy too. Just did 40lbs of sausage yesterday. Get your seasoning and casing from rebel butcher shop amp pork fat from hemp hills food service.

[huntsober]

Rebel will give you all the recipes and instructions too. Thats where most all plants get their seasonings.

SOme guys go in together and buy second hand equipment and do their own.

[ACEINTHEHOLE]

I own a processing plant and we DO NOT BATCH. We are much much much much smaller than vans. This time of year we are working crazy hours to keep up, but we keep less than a week turnaround so that meat does not go bad. Some of the stories I hear about 4-8 weeks on a turnaround amaze me. If you guys saw some of the deer people bring in to be processed you would not even consider taking them to someone who batches meat.

[Drakeshead]

The "Processing is HARD, cold, dirty, long hours, worst time of year work" excuse doesn't fly. No one is making him do this as part of his living, he choses to do so. If processing is too hard, cold dirty and the hours are too long, then stop doing and find some other way to make money.

According to the news cast with Mr. Cleveland, I think on WLBT, either this past weekend or last weekend, they put the customers tag with their deer and it goes with their deer/meat throughout the processing.

I had a deer processed here in Vicksburg next to Bovina grocery and it was ever bit as good as what I have eaten from Van's. The jalapeno cheese sausage was awesome!!!

[rustypjr]

Aceinthehole does a superb job. Had my deer done in 3 days. Jam up place if you are looking for a new processor.

[redneckduck]

i second the dont use vans even for gun sales. i went in the other day to buy a gun and the guy behind the counter after i told him what i wanted he said well i dont know why they dont make only a few kind like they do with socks

[greenheadgrimreaper]

I own a processing plant and we DO NOT BATCH. We are much much much much smaller than vans. This time of year we are working crazy hours to keep up, but we keep less than a week turnaround so that meat does not go bad. Some of the stories I hear about 4-8 weeks on a turnaround amaze me. If you guys saw some of the deer people bring in to be processed you would not even consider taking them to someone who batches meat.

Casie, I didn't know you owned a processing plant. If I get around to killing a deer I will definitely do business. What's your contact info?

I have been harping on batch processing for years. If a processor is batch processing and says he is not, he should be notified that stating such is illegal.

If I killed enough deer every year, I'd do my own. It's easy and relatively cheap to get up and going for personal uses. Most of our deer processors are good folks, but there are a few that might make the majority look bad. Those few need to be purged out of the way so the good folk can process our game and process it right.

[kwacksmacker86]

I own a processing plant too and I dont see why it costs so much everywhere else to get a deer processed. A good sized doe is usually no more than 130 bucks you take one deer to vans and it cost no less than 160. But all of mine are individually done and its at least a three day process to making sausage.

[blackhawk0718]

were are you located at kwacksmacker86