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Deer Processors near Kentucky hunting country
55 deer processors, grouped under the Purchase, Green River, Bluegrass, Northeast and Southeast regions and then by county.
Photo: USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain)
Kentucky venison processing, donation and the CWD carcass rules
29 of the 55 processors come from the list KDFWR keeps of businesses that registered with it; 25 of them say they take part in Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry. The other 26 are Yellow Pages listings, and 20 of those are custom butchers whose listing never mentions deer, so call before arriving with a carcass.
Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry and Boone Brothers process donated deer free for food pantries.
Carcasses from the 23-county CWD Surveillance Zone travel under limits: no whole carcasses or high-risk parts (head, skull/skull cap with brain, spine) may leave the zone or enter Kentucky from other states/provinces; deboned meat, antlers, clean skull caps/skulls/teeth, hides and finished taxidermy allowed.
79 counties have no processor on these lists, so plan a cooler and ice before the hunt.
Sources: 2026-27 Hunting & Trapping Guide, page 13; 2026-27 Hunting & Trapping Guide, page 35; KDFWR taxidermist and processor list. Checked: every link reopened November 10, 2026.
Map of Kentucky deer processors
This Kentucky map carries 52 deer processors at their listed addresses. 3 more without a point stay in the list below.
Kentucky deer processors sorted by KDFWR region
Purchase Region: 7
Graves County (5)
Green River Region: 11
Bluegrass Region: 12
Northeast Region: 10
Southeast Region: 15
Sources: KDFWR taxidermist and processor list; Yellow Pages listings. Read November 10, 2026; Yellow Pages and locator rows were not called one by one, so phone ahead.
Kentucky deer processors FAQ
Must I Telecheck a deer before the processor takes it?
Yes. By midnight on the day recovered and before processing; bear by 8 p.m. Eastern the day taken plus a call to 1-800-858-1549 within 24 hours for physical check and tag; bobcat and otter before leaving Kentucky.
Across Kentucky, how many deer processors did the sources name?
55, spread over 41 counties, as read November 10, 2026.
Which Kentucky county page would list the most deer processors?
Graves County accounts for 5, then come Taylor County (3) and Adair County (2).
Region by region, where do the Kentucky deer processors fall?
The Southeast Region leads with 15; the Purchase Region has the fewest, 7.
How was the Kentucky deer processors directory put together?
Sources: KDFWR taxidermist and processor list; Yellow Pages listings. Read November 10, 2026; Yellow Pages and locator rows were not called one by one, so phone ahead.
What decides whether one of the Kentucky deer processors gets a map dot?
Plotted: 52, each from a geocoded address, an agency layer or a store locator point. 3 have no point and stay in the list only.
Does KDFWR keep a list of Kentucky deer processors?
Yes, a list of processors and taxidermists who registered with KDFWR; 29 processors here come from it.
Can I donate a Kentucky deer to a food pantry?
Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry and Boone Brothers process donated deer free for food pantries. 25 processors on this page say they take part.
Past the Kentucky deer processors: counties and towns
Other photos on this page: USDAgov (Public domain); Joseph Gage (CC BY-SA 2.0); Russ (CC BY 2.0); ShenandoahNPS (Public domain).