NATCHEZ — People in the Miss-Lou love to hunt, as evidenced by the abundance of guns, camouflage and hunting supplies available at the many sporting goods stores in the area.

But what do you do with that 8-point, 230-pound buck after the thrill of shooting it has passed.

Why, eat it, of course.

But for those unfamiliar with the ways in which deer meat can be processed and consumed, some local businesses can lend a hand.

Poole’s Processing in Monterey can turn just about any meat you have into sausage.

“We make three different kinds of breakfast — pan sausage is what we call it,” said owner Pat Poole. “We make a regular, a hot and a jalapeno and cheese pan sausage out of it, and we mix it with pork and pork fat to make that kind of sausage.”

Poole’s also makes smoked link sausage in four flavors — regular, hot, green onion and jalapeno and cheese.

Poole offers to trim venison into deer steaks, prepare it for jerky, chunk it up for stew meat or grind it into hamburgers.

“We’ll either ground pure deer meat or add beef,” he said. “We also make what we call a bacon burger. We take the mean and add to it some bacon ends and pieces.”

Poole only processes meat customers bring in.

He said about a dozen people bring in meat each day during hunting season — the only time the store is open — and he also processes beef, pork and goats.

“We’re known for our smoked sausage,” he said. “I have people come from Pine- ville, Lafayette — all over — for our smoked sausage.”

Dunn Meat Market in Natchez is also known for its sausage.

And they have more than 12 different varieties, ranging from plain or garlic smoked to jalapeno with cheese to Italian, bratwurst or Cajun.

Owner Carl Dunn said he can make sausage out of any meat people bring him.

“You can do it with rabbits if you want,” he said.

Most of his sausage comes in an order of 50 lbs. or more.

The Italian, bratwurst and green garlic sausage he offers in 20-pound orders.

Dunn said his store caters to the customer and his or her harvest.

“We make whatever they want out of it,” he said.

The meat can be cooked and eaten right away or frozen to use all year long, which makes hunting more than just a sport — it’s meal planning.

Jimmy “Jim Bob” Allgood, co-host of the Redneck Adventures television show, said he loves to make his famous Redneck Three-Point chili for friends and guests because it uses the tougher parts of the deer that often get thrown away.

“A lot of people that harvest deer, they sometimes may be looking for things to do with that neck roast,” Allgood said. “Some people may call it the glorified stew meat.”

Allgood dices the meat into 2-inch square cubes, seasons it with a mixture of Cajun seasoning, garlic powder and lemon pepper and browns it in two parts in a small layer of oil in the bottom of a Dutch oven.

He then removes the meat and caramelizes three large diced onions in the bottom of the Dutch oven, adding a bit more oil.

“This is a fun dish to cook because it allows for camaraderie as it cooks,” Allgood said. “This stew will take a good three hours to prepare and cook, but you don’t have to baby-sit it all day. You’re just checking on it.”

Allgood said once the onions are browned, he places returns the meat to the Dutch oven and fills it to about an inch from the top with water, turning the heat on high.

From there come his three points: 1, boil down one time, 2, boil down a second time, and 3, add a Cajun gravy thickener and a marinade mixture of Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and balsamic vinegar to the stew. When the mixture is cooked halfway down again, he turns off the fire and makes a small vent between the Dutch oven and the lid, allowing it to thicken for 30 minutes.

Allgood serves the stew over rice.

“I’ve cooked it for everyone from congressmen to the broke down redneck out in the hills,” he said. “It’s a fun meal to cook for the person that really can’t cook that well. It’s almost redneck-proof.”