WILD GAME

We are proud to serve hunters with our award winning recipes! Enhance your hunting experience by having Schmidt’s process your wild game into flavorful meat products that you can enjoy long after you put the guns and bows away.

If you are hunting deer, elk, moose or caribou outside of Minnesota, please read the information from the DNR regarding the import ban. 

Deer carcass import and movement restrictions | Minnesota DNR (state.mn.us)

Wild Game Requirements

• All wild game must be boneless and must be fresh or fresh frozen, trimmed and clean.
• The meat must be transported in clear food grade bags or clean food grade containers, NOT garbage bags.
• We reserve the right to refuse any meat that does not smell fresh or is not cleaned properly.
• The hunter’s license and registration tag must be provided at time of order.
• A deposit in the amount of $1 per pound of wild game brought in is required. Deposits are non-refundable.

Other Information

• Processing times are determined by the date received and also by product batching.
• We will call you as soon as your full order is complete.
• Please pick up your order within 1 week of notification.

Minimum Requirements

• Minimum batch of 25 pounds on summer sausage
• Minimum batch of 12 pounds on other sausage products

Link to Wild Game Price List.

From Field to Freezer – Wild Game Care Tips

You’ve invested time and money in hunting.  Therefore, you want to be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor when you get a deer.  Below are important guidelines to follow after you harvest your wild game in order to have the best possible end product.

• Dressing

  • Take your photos immediately.
  • Completely dress the animal as quickly as possible.
  • Dress out the animal completely. This means that you should remove the lungs and esophagus, so the meat can cool.
  • It is also important to take out the urinal track and manure from beneath the pelvic bone located between the hind quarters.

• Cooling

  • Proper cooling is essential!
  • Temperatures above 45⁰ F are not cool enough to hang or cool wild game.
  • If you find yourself in this situation, quarter your animal, put it on ice, and make sure that air can circulate to aid in the cooling process.

• Skinning

  • Schmidt’s Meat Market requires wild game to come in for processing skinned and deboned.

• Handling

  • Keep the meat clean. We will not accept meat that has dirt, grass, leaves, etc.
  • A clean tarp to work on is as important as a sharp knife.
  • Do not put your wild game meat in garbage bags! They are coated with chemicals and pesticides.  Use clear, food grade plastic bags.  Food grade containers such as Tupperware and plastic ice cream containers are also acceptable.

• Minnesota DNR Regulations

  • Due to the increasing prevalence and geographic spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in North America, the Minnesota DNR has implemented additional restrictions for bringing wild game carcass into Minnesota.
  • Hunters may bring only the following parts into Minnesota, regardless of where the animal was harvested:
    • Meat that is boned out or that is cut and wrapped (either commercially or privately).
    • Quarters or other portion of meat with no part of the spinal column or head attached.
    • Hides and teeth.
    • Antlers or clean (no brain tissue attached) skull plates with antlers attached.
    • Finished taxidermy mounts
    • Nonresidents transporting whole or partial carcasses on a direct route through Minnesota are exempt from this restriction; however, importation restrictions exist in all surrounding areas.
  • For more information on CWD, go to mndrn.gov/hunting/deer/cwd.

See the attached link if you would like to watch a video on butchering a deer.