On Nov. 21, the opening morning of gun season, where does your deer go between the tree line and the freezer? Around Shawano it can mean a sampling kiosk, a processor and a disposal point for whatever is left, and each one runs on its own schedule. The processor side changed this year.
The nine-day gun season runs Nov. 21 through 29, a little over three weeks after this post goes up. Archery and crossbow hunters have been out since Sept. 12, and their season runs to Jan. 3, 2027. The rest of this post covers the stops after the shot.
A Record Herd and a CWD Count That Nearly Doubled
There are more deer around Shawano than there have ever been. Wausau Pilot & Review reported in September that the Wisconsin DNR's post-hunt estimate for 2025 was 1.89 million deer statewide, the highest on record. Shawano was one of four counties, with Marathon, Vernon and Waupaca, where the deer management unit estimate hit a record high after last season.
Chronic wasting disease is growing in the county too. The DNR's summary of 2025 CWD sampling, released in March 2026, reported six detections in Shawano County during the 2025 seasons. That brought the county's total since testing began to 13. Almost half of all the positives ever found in Shawano County came in one season. Oconto, next door, logged its third and fourth positives over the same period.
More deer and more detections mean more samples, and that makes the first stop after the shot worth planning.
Five Kiosks, Most of Them Away From Shawano
The DNR's sampling database lists five public CWD sampling locations in Shawano County for this season. All five are self-service kiosks.
| Location | Address | Help available |
|---|---|---|
| Shawano DNR Field Station | 647 Lakeland Road, Shawano | Kiosk only |
| Kropf's Meat Processing | N7666 Kolpack Road, Bowler | Assisted sampling Mon.–Fri. 7 a.m.–5 p.m., Sat. 7 a.m.–noon, closed noon–1 p.m. for lunch; 715-793-4675 |
| Jim's Venison Processing | 118 E. Wood Ave., Wittenberg | Assisted sampling Mon.–Fri. 8 a.m.–7 p.m., Sat.–Sun. 8 a.m.–6 p.m.; 715-253-2414 |
| Village of Tigerton | 780 N. Beech Street, Tigerton | Kiosk only |
| Navarino Field Office | W5682 Lindsten Road, Shiocton mailing address | Kiosk only |
Only the Lakeland Road field station is in the city of Shawano. The other four are spread around the county's western and southern edges. Two of them, the Bowler and Wittenberg stops, are at meat processors, and their staff can help with sampling during business hours. The DNR's sampling page says kiosks are open 24/7. It also says locations get added during the season, often right before the gun opener, so the list above may be longer by Nov. 21. Check the DNR's map before you head out.
The New Store on County Road A Takes Whole Deer by Appointment
The second stop is new this year. Pingel Processing opened its new store at W9262 County Road A on Aug. 11. WFRV reported that the owners started the business six years ago "in a little shop with a dream." The store is a full-service meat market with 35 bratwurst flavors, and it also processes wild game.
For hunters, the important detail is how drop-off works. Pingel's wild game page posted an Oct. 10 update saying it is accepting whole deer, by appointment only. As published:
- Whole deer cost $200. That covers skinning, cutting, grinding, vacuum-sealing and boxing. Ground venison comes back in 1- or 2-pound tubes, and pork or beef can be added for an extra charge.
- Whole animals need an appointment. Book online or call 715-851-8281. Without an appointment, you may be asked to come back another day.
- Quartered deer, bear and boneless trim need no appointment and are taken year-round.
- After-hours drop-off adds $25 for whole animals left outside normal business hours.
- Pick up within 30 days. Pingel's 2026 product sheet says meat and products not picked up after 30 days will be donated.
That means opening weekend at Pingel runs on a calendar. A hunter who books a slot this week has a place to take a whole deer on Nov. 21. A hunter who doesn't book can still bring quarters or boneless trim with no appointment, which brings up the question of how much trim you need.
How Much Trim Decides Which Processor Fits
Sausage minimums vary from shop to shop, and the gap is big enough to matter for a hunter with one deer.
At Pingel, every wild game product batch needs at least 10 pounds of trim. Most products roughly double in weight once pork goes in, so 10 pounds of trim makes about 20 pounds of finished product. Summer sausage and snack sticks get only a third pork, so 10 pounds of trim makes about 14 pounds. The 2026 product sheet lists venison bratwurst in original, Italian and hot at $4.69 a pound, and snack sticks at $6.29 a pound in original, garlic, honey BBQ, hot, sweet teriyaki and dill pickle. Prices are per pound of finished weight, including the added pork.
Pond-Hill Processing, at W16257 County Road Q in Wittenberg, takes cleaned boneless venison year-round and says customers get their own meat back. Most of its sausage list has a 15-pound minimum, and some items can share one batch. Fresh bratwurst, breakfast links and whole-muscle strips have no minimum. Pond-Hill is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to noon, and is closed Sunday. Its number is 715-253-2491.
A single small deer may not have 15 pounds of trim to spare for one product, so the smaller minimum matters. A hunting party pooling trim from several deer can meet either shop's minimum easily.
Donated Deer Need a Different Route
For hunters who donate, the route changed this year too. Pingel says it is not accepting deer for the Wisconsin Deer Donation Program in 2026, and it points hunters to the DNR's list of participating processors.
The DNR's processor list shows Kropf's Meat Processing in Bowler, 715-793-4675, taking donations during open deer seasons. In Oconto County, it lists Hillcrest Meats in Oconto, 920-516-7405, year-round, and Wisco Meats in Coleman, 920-585-3789, during open seasons. The DNR updates the roster each season and asks donors to call ahead, so confirm with the processor before you drive.
CWD testing comes back in here. The DNR's donation page puts Shawano County in its "CWD Test Adult Deer" group. Donated adult deer from the county have to be tested before or at the time of donation, and the processor may hold the venison until results come back. Kropf's has both a sampling kiosk and a donation listing, so a donor can sample and donate in one stop. This is general information, not legal advice. Check the DNR's current pages or call the agency to confirm what applies to your deer.
The Third Stop Is Disposal
The last stop is whatever the processor doesn't take. The DNR's carcass guidance recommends taking deer waste to a landfill when possible. It also advises against moving whole carcasses outside the county where the deer was harvested or an adjacent county. For a Shawano County deer, the adjacent counties include Oconto, Waupaca, Marathon and Menominee. Pingel's whole bear price includes carcass disposal. Ask any processor what happens to the remains of a whole deer when you book.
Dates to Put on the Calendar
- Now through Nov. 20: Book whole-deer drop-off slots at Pingel Processing, and check the DNR sampling map for kiosks added before the opener.
- Nov. 21–29: Nine-day gun deer season.
- Within 30 days of processing: Pick up your order at Pingel before it is donated.
- Jan. 3, 2027: Archery and crossbow seasons close in Shawano County, unless the DNR lists the county for the extended late season.
How a property hunts depends on where the deer move, how far it is to a kiosk and which processor is closest. If you're thinking about buying or selling rural acreage before next season, Jim Liesner can walk the land with you and give you a straight read on its value. Schedule a free consultation or request a free home valuation.
