Wisconsin's Deer Donation Program
General Overview
Hunters can help Wisconsinites in need by donating deer harvested in Wisconsin through the DNR's deer donation program. Venison from donated deer is processed and distributed to food pantries across the state. Since the program began in 2000, hunters have donated over 100,000 deer, which were processed into over four million pounds of ground venison.
What to Expect when Donating
Hunters can donate the entire deer free of charge and retain the head and antlers for mounting if desired. When dropping your deer off at a processor, you will be asked to complete the log sheet indicating your intent to donate the deer. We'll do the rest. The donated deer will be processed, and the venison will be distributed to charitable organizations to help feed those Wisconsinites in need of food assistance. Hunters and the public can also voluntarily donate $1 or more to help cover venison processing fees. You can donate at any DNR license sales location or online through your Go Wild account.
Lead Bullets and Venison
Deer harvested with lead bullets have been shown to have tiny lead pieces or fragments remaining in a portion of the processed meat. This is especially true for ground venison. Lead is toxic to humans, even in very low amounts. Children under six years old and pregnant women are at the greatest risk from lead exposure. Consider switching to non-toxic, lead-free ammunition, such as copper, or to bow hunting, to reduce exposure to lead for venison recipients. Visit the Safely Eating Venison webpage for recommendations on reducing the risk of lead in venison.
How to Donate Your Deer
Hunters can donate any deer harvested legally in Wisconsin. Deer harvested outside Wisconsin cannot be donated. Deer harvested in a listed county affected by chronic wasting disease (CWD) must be tested for CWD before or at the time of donation (see below).
- Field-dress and register your deer prior to dropping it off at a processor/drop-off location. Handle the carcass as if it were destined for your own table. A couple of bags of ice placed in the cavity will help preserve the carcass in warm weather.
- Register your deer. Write down your registration confirmation number, as you will need it to fill out the Hunter Deer Donation Log Sheet; this number can be retrieved through your Go Wild account or by calling DNR Customer Service (1-888-936-7463). If your deer was harvested from one of the counties requiring CWD testing, please ensure you complete the required CWD testing before donating.
- Call ahead! Contact one of the participating processors before dropping off your deer to ensure they have space to accept it. More processors may be added later in the season, so check back if you don't see one currently in your area.
- Drop off your deer at a participating processor.
Are you looking for a place to donate a deer near you? See a list of processors and drop-off locations in the Donated Venison Distribution List tab.
List of Places to Donate Deer
This is a list of places that have agreed to participate in the Deer Donation Program as donation sites. Please verify operating times with them before donating a deer. The participation column indicates the times of the year they will accept deer donations. The Year-Round participation cycle closes on Jan. 31 and processors must sign on for the following year to continue accepting deer donations.
| County | Name | Address | Phone | Type | Participation | CWD Testing Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASHLAND | Pearce's Sausage Kitchen | 61327 Dahlstrom Rd, Ashland | 715-682-3742 | Processor | Year-Round | No |
| ASHLAND | God's Country Processing | 15861 State Hwy 13, Butternut | 715-661-3659 | Processor | Year-Round | No |
| BARRON | Louie's Finer Meats | 2025 Superior Ave, Cumberland | 715-822-4728 | Processor | Year-Round | No |
| BROWN | Paul's Pantry Inc. | 1513 Leo Frigo Way, Green Bay | 920-433-03-43 | Drop-Off Only | Year-Round | No |
| BURNETT | Lock and Load | 21125 E River Rd, Grantsburg | 715-448-2931 | Processor | Open Deer Seasons | No |
| CALUMET | Hickory Hills Country Meats | W3445 Hickory Hills Rd, Chilton | 920-849-2618 | Processor | Open Deer Seasons | No |
| CHIPPEWA | JNE Meats | 4257 N Prairie View Rd, Chippewa Falls | 715-944-9086 | Processor | Year-Round | No |
| COLUMBIA | D&G Custom Meat Processing | N4173 US-51, Poynette | 608-617-2470 | Processor | Call Ahead | No |
| CRAWFORD | Eastman Locker | 107 N Main St, Eastman | 608-874-4331 | Processor | Open Deer Seasons | Yes |
| DANE | Stoddard’s | 205 E Cottage Grove Rd, Cottage Grove | 608-839-4228 | Processor | 9-Day Gun Deer Season | No |
| DODGE | Pernat Haase Meats | N4202 N4202 Co Rd M, Juneau | 920-386-3340 | Processor | Year-Round | No |
| DODGE | LeRoy Meats | 739 W State St, Fox Lake | 920-485-2554 | Processor | Year-Round | Yes |
| DOOR | Haberli Deer Processing | 4259 Haberli Rd, Sturgeon Bay | 920-493-1223 | Processor | Open Deer Seasons | No |
| DOOR | Marchant's Meats | 9420 Cemetery Rd, Brussels | 920-993-7015 | Processor | Year-Round (30 Deer Max) | No |
| DOUGLAS | Hursh Meat Processing | 10083 Oak Rd, Poplar | 715-364-6855 | Processor | Open Deer Seasons | Yes |
| DUNN | Johnny's Meats | 121 Main St, Ridgeland | 715-949-1999 | Processor | Open Deer Seasons | No |
| EAU CLAIRE | Mike's Star Market | 2238 Heimstead Rd, Eau Claire | 715-552-3842 | Processor | Year-Round | Yes |
| EAU CLAIRE | Vojtik's Stockyard Meat Market | S13208 County Hwy H, Fairchild | 715-533-0083 | Processor | No | |
| GRANT | The Butcher Shop | 4391 US-18, Fennimore | 608-822-6712 | Processor | Year-Round | Yes |
| JUNEAU | Wisconsin River Meats | N5340 County Rd HH, Mauston | 608-847-7413 | Processor | Year-Round | No |
| KEWAUNEE | Carnival Deer Processing | N9153 Cherry Tree Rd, Algoma | 920-493-6820 | Processor | Open Deer Seasons | Yes |
| LA CROSSE | St. Joe's Country Market | W2721 STH 33, La Crosse | 608-788-1575 | Processor | Year-Round | Yes |
| LANGLADE | Arrowood's Wildside | W7498 WI-47, Antigo | 715-489-3501 | Processor | Open Deer Seasons | Yes |
| LINCOLN | Geiss Meat Service | W4490 Pope Rd, Merrill | 715-536-5283 | Processor | Year-Round | Yes |
| MANITOWOC | BRW Processing | 512 W Washington St, Valders | 920-901-8486 | Processor | Year-Round | No |
| MARATHON | Custom Meats | 1300 WI-107, Marathon City | 715-743-3134 | Processor | Open Deer Seasons | Yes |
| MARINETTE | Pelkin's Smokey Meat Market | 600 S US Hwy 141, Crivitz | 715-854-3681 | Processor | Open Deer Seasons | Yes |
| MARINETTE | Meatski's Quality Meats | W11124 STH 64, Pound | 920-897-3392 | Processor | Open Deer Seasons | No |
| MARINETTE | Liljestrand’s One Stop | 701 Main St, Marinette | 715-732-4152 | Processor | Year-Round | No |
| MARQUETTE | Marquette County Services Center | 480 Underwood Ave, Montello | 608-450-0022 | Drop-Off Only | 11/26-11/29 11:00AM-1:00PM | Yes |
| MONROE | The Meat Shop | 25321 Grain Ave, Tomah | 608-372-6039 | Processor | Open Deer Seasons | No |
| OCONTO | Hillcrest Meats | 3180 Volk Ln, Oconto | 920-516-7405 | Processor | Year-Round | Yes |
| OCONTO | Wisco Meats | 9607 Charolais Rd, Coleman | 920-585-3789 | Processor | Open Deer Seasons | No |
| ONEIDA | Lake Tomahawk Meat Market | 7259 WI-47, Lake Tomahawk | 715-277-3337 | Processor | Open Deer Seasons | Yes |
| ONEIDA | TJ's Butcher Block | 8762 US-51, Minocqua | 715-356-5258 | Processor | Open Deer Seasons | No |
| PIERCE | Ptacek's IGA | 1449 Orrin Rd, Prescott | 715-262-5636 | Processor | Open Deer Seasons | No |
| PORTAGE | People's Meat Market | 6811 Burr Oak Rd, Stevens Point | 715-592-6328 | Processor | Year-Round | No |
| SAWYER | Whiskey Ridge Processing | 10008 WI-27, Radisson | 715-945-2414 | Processor | Year-Round | No |
| SHAWANO | Kropf's Meat Processing | N7666 Kolpack Rd, Bowler | 715-793-4675 | Processor | Open Deer Seasons | No |
| ST. CROIX | Deer's Food Locker | 210 Main St N, Deer Park | 715-269-5118 | Processor | Open Deer Seasons | No |
| ST. CROIX | Powers Wild Game | 1795 85th St, New Richmond | 715-781-4811 | Processor | Open Deer Seasons | No |
| TAYLOR | K&T Meat Processing | W14681 WI-73, Sheldon | 715-668-5233 | Processor | Year-Round | Yes |
| TAYLOR | Hickory Nutz Sausage | N3009 Sunset Rd, Medford | 715-748-4828 | Processor | Open Deer Seasons | No |
| TREMPEALEAU | Bushy's Meat Market | 23553 Adams St, Independence | 715-985-3613 | Processor | Open Deer Seasons | No |
| VERNON | Westby Locker and Meat | 406 N Main St, Westby | 608-634-4515 | Processor | Year-Round | Yes |
| VILAS | Prime Choice Meat Market | 1144 US-45, Eagle River | 715-479-4456 | Processor | Year-Round | No |
| WOOD | J&S Processing | 11656 Grant Ln, Marshfield | 715-676-3654 | Processor | Open Deer Seasons | No |
| WOOD | OMG Butchering | 10624 WI-73, Pittsville | 715-393-0206 | Processor | Open Deer Seasons | No |
| WOOD | Pittsville Meats | 5328 2nd Ave, Pittsville | 715-884-6816 | Processor | Open Deer Seasons | No |
CWD Testing Requirements
Please test donated deer either before or at the time of donation as required below. The processor may hold the donated deer or processed venison until the test results are known.
| No CWD Testing Required | CWD Test Adult Deer | CWD Test All Deer |
|---|---|---|
| Ashland Barron Bayfield Brown Burnett Calumet Clark Door Douglas Florence Forest Iron Kewaunee La Crosse Marinette Outagamie Ozaukee Pepin Price Rusk St. Croix Sawyer Taylor Washburn | Buffalo Chippewa Dunn Fond Du Lac Green Lake Jackson Langlade Lincoln Manitowoc Marathon Marquette Milwaukee Monroe Oconto Oneida Price Polk Portage Shawano Sheboygan Trempealeau Vilas Waupaca Winnebago Waushara Washington Wood | Adams Columbia Crawford Dane Dodge Eau Claire Grant Green Iowa Jefferson Juneau Kenosha Lafayette Menominee Racine Richland Rock Sauk Vernon Walworth Waukesha |
Donated Venison Distribution List
This is a list of charitable organizations that have signed up to receive venison donations through the Deer Donation Program. Venison is distributed when available and it is not guaranteed that each pantry will have venison in stock at any given time.
| County | Name | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | Ruby's Heart Inc. - Pop-Up Pantries | Various Locations | 651-842-9330 |
| ADAMS | Adams Food Pantry | 1874 STH 13, Friendship | 608-393-2641 |
| ASHLAND/BAYFIELD | The BRICK Ministries | 420 Ellis Ave S, Ashland | 715-682-7425 |
| BARRON | Benjamin House Emergency Shelter | 1107 Heart Island Pkwy, Rice Lake | 715-736-2437 |
| BARRON | Cumberland Area Food Pantry | 1290 1st Ave, Cumberland | 651-757-5086 |
| BARRON | Heart Island Family Enrichment Center | 1108 Heart Island Parkway | 715-434-4332 |
| BARRON | St. Vincent de Paul - Pantry & Kitchen | 40 S Main St, Rice Lake | 715-234-2372 |
| BARRON | We Share Food Pantry | 418 Royal Crest Dr, Rice Lake | 715-205-8181 |
| BAYFIELD | Core Community Resources | 257 Manypenny Ave, Bayfield | 715-779-3457 |
| BROWN | Paul's Pantry Inc. | 1513 Leo Frigo Way, Green Bay | 920-433-03-43 |
| BUFFALO | Buffalo County Food Pantry | W1469 Co Road E, Alma | 608-685-4946 |
| BUFFALO | Mondovi Area Food Pantry | 125 E Hudson St, Mondovi | 715-495-5275 |
| BURNETT | Burnett County Food Pantry | 26356 Lakeland Ave S, Webster | 715-349-8155 |
| BURNETT | Grantsburg Area Food Shelf | 320 Brad St, Grantsburg | 715-222-4370 |
| CHIPPEWA | Cornell Food Pantry | 401 S 2nd St, Cornell | 715-827-0894 |
| CRAWFORD | Couleecap | 200 E Blackhawk Ave, Praire du Chien | 608-326-2463 |
| DANE | Second Harvest Foodbank of S. WI | 2802 Dairy Dr, Madison | 608-216-7241 |
| EAU CLAIRE | Augusta Area Food Pantry | 204 N Stone St, Augusta | 715-225-4965 |
| EAU CLAIRE | Fall Creek Community Cupboard | 704 Kennedy Ave, Eau Claire | 715-877-2330 |
| EAU CLAIRE | Hope Gospel Mission | 2650 Mercantile Dr, Eau Claire | 715-552-5566 x1304 |
| EAU CLAIRE | St. Vincent de Paul | 40 S Main St, Rice Lake | 715-234-2372 |
| EAU CLAIRE | The Community Table | 320 Putnam St, Eau Claire | 715-835-4977 x9 |
| FOREST | Wasmogishek Food Pantry | 601 N Summit Ave, Crandon | 715-478-2730 |
| JEFFERSON | Jefferson Food Pantry | 1110 S Grove Ave, Jefferson | 920-674-6822 |
| JUNEAU | Community Sharing Pantry | 1 Kennedy St, Mauston | 608-847-5454 |
| LA CROSSE | Our Savior's Lutheran Church | 612 Division St, La Crosse | 608-792-2954 |
| LANGLADE | Antigo Area Community Food Pantry | 2120 Progress Blvd, Antigo | 715-623-1103 |
| LANGLADE | White Lake Area Christian Food Pantry | 638 Bissell St, White Lake | 715-882-9543 |
| LINCOLN | Community Food Pantry of Merrill | 503 S Center Ave, Merrill | 715-536-4505 |
| LINCOLN | Tomahawk Emergency Food Pantry | W8309 STH 86, Tomahawk | 715-453-1386 |
| LINCOLN | Trinity Open Hearts Food Pantry | 107 N State St, Merrill | 715-675-4928 |
| MANITOWOC | Peter's Pantry | 843 S 21st St, Manitowoc | 920-682-6989 |
| MARATHON | King's Food Pantry | 210433 State Hwy 13, Spencer | 715-659-5181 |
| MARINETTE | Crivitz Area Food Pantry | 216 S US Hwy 141, Crivitz | 715-927-4663 |
| MARINETTE | St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry | 2000 Cleveland, Marinette | 715-201-3510 |
| MARQUETTE | Care & Share Food Bank | N2975 WI-22, Montello | 608-369-1059 |
| MILWAUKEE | Hunger Task Force | 5000 W Electric Ave, West Milwaukee | 414-238-6473 |
| MONROE | Neighbor for Neighbor Food Pantry | 1118 W Veterans St, Tomah | 608-372-6737 |
| MONROE | Cashton Cupboard | 199 Front St, Cashton | 608-654-5770 |
| OCONTO | Bread By The Bay | 641 Washington St, Oconto | 920-373-0906 |
| OCONTO | Kingdom Come Food Pantry | 520 N Locust St, Oconto Falls | 920-604-2729 |
| OCONTO | Cans of Hope | 221 E Main St, Lena | 920-246-3358 |
| OCONTO | Feed My Sheep | 8136 Co Rd Z, Pound | 920-246-2295 |
| ONEIDA | Camp American Legion | 8529 Co Road D, Oneida | 715-277-2510 |
| ONEIDA | Rhinelander Food Pantry | 627 Coon St, Rhinelander | 715-369-7237 |
| PIERCE | Pierce County Food Pantry | 440 N. Maple St, Ellsworth | 715-273-2070 |
| POLK | Amery Area Food Pantry | 230 Deronda St, Amery | 715-268-5999 |
| POLK | Lifeline Food Pantry | 560 5th St, Clear Lake | 715-263-3846 |
| RICHLAND | Kickapoo Area Food Pantry | 104 W Wisconsin St, Viola | 608-693-2100 |
| RUSK | Bruce Food Pantry | 730 N. 2nd St, Bruce | 715-868-3565 |
| SAWYER | Hayward Community Food Shelf | 16216 W Highway 635, Hayward | 715-634-4237 |
| SHAWANO | Marion Area Food Pantry | 121 E Ramsdell St, Marion | 715-754-6262 |
| SHAWANO | Wittenberg Food Pantry | 702 S Webb St, Wittenberg | 715-460-6318 |
| TAYLOR | ICAA Food Pantry | 508 S. 8th St, Medford | 715-415-2457 |
| TAYLOR | Rib Lake Community Food Pantry | 1300 Church Street, Rib Lake | 715-427-3670 |
| TREMPEALEAU | G-E-T Community Food Pantry | 20237 W Ridge Ave, Galesville | 608-399-8440 |
| TREMPEALEAU | Tri-County Food Pantry | 50965, Industrial Road, Osseo | 715-797-2188 |
| VERNON | Bethel Butikk Food Pantry | 341 Black River Ave, Westby | 608-634-3473 |
| VERNON | Stoddard Food Pantry | 300 N West St, Stoddard | 608-780-2599 |
| VILAS | Lakeland Pantry | 1707 Hwy 51 N, Arbor Vitae | 715-358-2222 |
| VILAS | Vilas Food Pantry | 1013 N Railroad St, Eagle River | 920-284-9515 |
| WOOD | St. Vincent DePaul Outreach | 149 N Central Ave, Marshfield | 715-387-0395 |
| WOOD | Pittsville Area Neighbors Shelf | 5318 1st Ave, Pittsville | 715-884-2895 |
Deer Donation Partners Program
The DNR is partnering with individuals and organizations to provide convenient deer donation drop-off locations through the Deer Donation Partners Program during the open deer hunting seasons. Volunteers will host a deer donation drop-off site so hunters can donate their legally harvested deer to help feed those in need, but where there are no locally participating processors. Partners will donate the cost of a refrigerated trailer to collect and transport donated deer to neighboring participating processors. Drop-off locations will be listed on the Deer Donation Program's Processor and Pantry list. Check out the list under "How to Donate Your Wisconsin Deer" to see if any deer drop-off sites are listed in your county.
Contact Marcus Rufledt, Wildlife Program Specialist, for more information on this new program.