C & J Deer Processing & Taxidermy

C & J Deer Processing & Taxidermy is a deer processor located in Louisville, Kentucky. The family-owned business has been established since 2000 and serves Louisville Metro and surrounding counties.

The business operates as a one-stop shop for deer processing and taxidermy needs. They guarantee hunters will receive their own deer back and never batch deer meat. The facility features a 24-hour refrigerated drop box located on the outside of the building for late night or early morning drop-offs, with instructions inside. All animals must be properly field dressed and have a confirmation number before drop-off. Hunters receive text notifications when their meat is ready for pickup from 502-398-9071. Customers should not unsubscribe from this number as it is their only means of communication.

Due to Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) findings, the business can no longer accept whole or quartered deer from specific Kentucky counties including Meade, Hardin, Breckinridge, Fulton, Henderson, Union, Webster, Hickman, Graves, Marshall, Calloway, Ballard, Carlisle, and McCracken. Only boneless meat is accepted from these counties. During gun season, they no longer accept quartered deer and require deer to be either whole with hide on or completely deboned. All out-of-state deer must be quartered or deboned with no parts of spine or brain attached.

To get current information, hunters should contact C & J Deer Processing directly to verify drop-off procedures, processing timelines, or any special requirements. Businesses may have changed their policies since we listed them and we are not responsible for inaccurate information.

Deer Processing Services

C & J offers regular cut processing that includes tenderloin, backstrap, steak, roast, and burger packages. All choice cut packaging is vacuum packed and burger is packaged in one to 1.5-pound burger bags. Custom cutting and wrapping is available to suit personal needs with the only bone-in cuts being steaks. Debone cutting is available as an add-on service. Individual packaging of meat is offered as an additional option. Hunters can add beef or pork fat to burger, or choose breakfast sausage processing. No ribs are processed as exceptions, with all rib meat going into burger or sausage.

Hunters can expect to receive between 30-35% of the field dressed weight in finished meat. For example, a 100-pound field dressed deer yields approximately 30-35 pounds of finished meat. This amount varies based on weapon damage, number of shots, shot placement, bone fragments, and wounds.

Specialty Products and Taxidermy

Smoked venison products are made by Webb's Butcher Block with a minimum batch requirement. The business provides cape out services for hunters planning shoulder mounts, with capes delivered to local taxidermists of the hunter's choice including CT Taxidermy, Holt Taxidermy, and Schumacher Taxidermy. Euro mounts are available in white or dipped finishes, with all euro mounts including a wall hanger. Plaques are available for an additional fee. Horns on a plaque services are also offered. Capes left more than two days that are not being delivered to taxidermists incur a storage fee.

Hunters for the Hungry

C & J Deer Processing accepts up to 100 donated deer for the Hunters for the Hungry program. They ask hunters to donate as many deer as possible before and after gun season due to limited cooler and freezer space and high volume during peak season. The business also participates in special Destruction Tag weekends where all deer are donated to Hunters for the Hungry.

Customer Reviews

C & J Deer Processing has earned a 4.8-star rating based on customer reviews. Long-term customers report using the business for years and never being disappointed with the service. Multiple reviewers describe fast turnaround times, with one hunter dropping off deer on November 16th and having it ready for pickup by November 21st. Even during extremely busy periods, staff is described as friendly and courteous.

Customers describe the business as a fantastic family-owned operation with a top-notch facility and plenty of staff. The cleanliness of the facility and professional service receive consistent praise. Reviewers appreciate being able to send deer to Webb's for bratwurst and jerky, and value having taxidermy services at the same location. Multiple customers call it the best deer processor in town and describe staff as great people with excellent service. The business is noted for being cheap and fast while maintaining professional standards.

One customer mentioned not preferring how steaks are cut, but otherwise had positive experiences. Processing times are generally quick, though hunters should expect 14 days for pickup once notified, with storage fees applying after that period.

These reviews are sourced and manually curated from Google, Facebook, and other third-party sites. All reviews represent independent customer opinions. We do not individually review these businesses.