For the last many years we have butchered our own. Overall this is the only way to go for me, that way we know what we are putting in our freezer is 100% ours and 100% ready to go when it is thaw and cook time. That said, the last couple years we ran into time crunch issues with getting everything done and ready to head back to Michigan. Looking around our area, Albany Ohio, there is one that is highly recommended that is local and (at the times we needed) one in Jackson that also had 24 hour turn around you could pay extra for. The local one in Albany often posted that they were stopping taking deer because they didn't have enough space and/or if you had a deer done you had to have a minimum $$ of smoked meats done with your deer. Looking around for other places they seem non-existent though. Definitely seems to be a need for processors even towards Athens area.
The one near Jackson with the 24 hour turn around was a good option on the (2) occasions we used them (and Jenna's ex-boyfriends 2-does he had done a couple years ago). They did a good job on Allen's deer, no real complaints at all. Jenna's deer she killed this year they messed up her order. We asked for backstraps to be whole - in 2 large packages. When we picked it up I had to transfer everything into a cooler so I had hands on right there in the driveway. Ended up with 7 little packs of "tenderloin" that were supposedly her backstraps cut into steaks, inner-loins/tenders were not packaged at all. All 7 end to end wouldn't have equaled one backstrap on a 3 1/2 year old buck guaranteed. I don't doubt most of the BS could have ended up in grind as we did get more ground burger than I am used to but damn, messing up on whole vs. tiny 'butterflied chops' really disappointed us both. When I brought it up with the owner about the mess-up he right away got defensive and started telling me to take my deer to other places when I was only pointing out the screw up. He insisted those 7 packages were 2 full backstraps and that I didn't know what I was talking about. I told him I really liked the product they gave us in the past and appreciated that screw ups happen but at the same time I knew he was blowing smoke up my ass. I believe one of his helpers knew something wasn't right with what the owner was saying and went and got a bag of whole backstraps from a doe he had harvested the day before and insisted Jenna take them. I guess I wouldn't have brought up the issue but damn, she spent $225 on that deer to have it butchered 24 hours and 4 uncooked summer sausages. Had I just decided to do it myself and sacrifice a day of hunting she wouldn't have spent a dime. That is on me.
Here in Michigan we often see roadside signs that are guys that open up their barns/garages to butcher deer during season. Those places are usually just a regular cut butcher. That seems like a decent way to go that would fit
@giles idea of a side line business but I have no idea the legalities of doing something like that in Ohio with the CWD issues, testing and all. To simply butcher and grind burger would be a good place to start for a fall business for a young kid trying to make a name for themselves. Who knows, perhaps it would turn into working for an actual butcher shop to learn all the other things required and eventually open his own butcher shop that deals with hogs, cattle and maybe even deer.
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) by building it in a corner, frame the walls using treated 2 X 6's, insulate and put an insulated ceiling with hoist, then put in a couple window air conditioners for the cooling part. Cement floor with drain and walls coated with that plastic sheeting so you can spray off with a hose.
