Butler County deer processing business open for the season

VALENCIA, Pa. (KDKA) — The phones are ringing, and the deer are coming in at a good clip.

The crew at Ciafre Deer Processing is already putting in the work one day into deer rifle season.

“We took in, I think, 107 yesterday,” Dominic Ciafre of Ciafre Deer Processing said. “We had a lot of help, and our guys were busy for a good 8-10 hours yesterday,” Ciafre said.

The process? It’s a repetitive one.

“We get it on those carts,” Dominic Ciafre said. “[We] get it prepped, get the hyde off them, get them cleaned up, and get them into the cooler.”

And while that process continues, there’s been a small drop-off.

“Like 120 would be a good day,” Dominic Ciafre said.

“I think the cold weather had more to do with it than anything,” Dean Ciafre, Owner of Ciafre’s Deer Processing, said. “If you’re not used to it, this is our first cold spell, and you’re sitting at a tree stand, and your feet got pretty cold yesterday.”

That said, there was still enough business for Ciafre’s to limit the intake.

“I can take deer all day long, but I refuse to do that,” Dean Ciafre said. “I like to keep my head above the water a little bit.”

And when they start allowing those drop-offs again, they say time is everything.

“The sooner you get it to me, the better your meat will be,” Dean Ciafre said.

“This process all starts with you, with them in the field,” Dominic Ciafre said. “Properly field dressing it, cleaning it out, getting it to us as soon as we can.”

The shop has been open for a few years now. What was a spare-time thing became an almost full-time endeavor.

“One day, my parents had an idea to open a shop, and it’s no longer a hobby,” Dominic Ciafre said. “It keeps everybody busy, and that’s what we’re here for,” Dominic added.