Hunters planning to hit the woods for archery, muzzle-loader and modern-gun deer seasons may want to check with the deer processor they normally use to make the most of their deer harvest.
Some processors who handle domestic livestock may be seeing a backlog from recent direct-to-butcher purchases at the beginning of this summer's meat shortage.
Jeremy Brown, assistant deer program coordinator for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, said some smaller processors have been booked solid through the fall taking in reservations for local beef and pork production from new customers.
"When news spread of a possible shortage of meat, it wasn't because cattle and pork producers didn't have the livestock. It was because large-scale processing plants were being closed from social-distancing precautions," Brown said. "Many people reached out to their local producers to buy directly from them."
It also caused some of the processors to fill to capacity right at the beginning of deer season.
"Some of the smaller processors depend on deer season to make their money. Many of them have still reserved space or have the ability to add a few more hands to their shops to keep things on track," Brown said. "Others who are more general may have all of their space reserved until well into the season. It would be smart to contact the processor you normally use or plan to use this year to make sure they can take your deer in."
Brown said calling ahead also is a good practice so you will be prepared to explain how you would like your deer processed. Many processors will see hundreds of deer come in on opening weekend of modern gun season.