The New SKUs
PS Seasoning, the Iron Ridge, Wis.-based ingredient solutions supplier, has added two wild game seasonings to its Deer Camp Harvest Collection: Tagged Out Backstrap Blend, formulated for venison and other big game, and Flocked and Loaded Wild Fowl Rub, developed for waterfowl and upland birds. Both retail at $8.99 and went on sale October 20 through the company's direct-to-consumer site and select retail partners.
The launches are timed to peak hunting season and target a substantial harvested-protein base. According to the National Deer Association's 2026 Deer Report, U.S. hunters took more than 6.1 million whitetail deer in the 2024–25 season; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service puts waterfowl harvest at more than 14.9 million ducks and 3.6 million geese in the 2025–26 season. That volume of field-dressed protein represents a meaningful incremental channel for seasoning and spice suppliers willing to develop purpose-built blends rather than repurposed retail SKUs.
Tagged Out combines garlic, onion, black pepper, bell peppers, tomato and Worcestershire — a savory profile engineered for the lean, fast-cooking muscle tissue of venison, elk, antelope and wild hog. Flocked and Loaded pairs orange peel, brown sugar, paprika and ginger to complement the darker, richer fat profile of duck and goose, with versatility across pheasant, grouse and wild turkey as well. Jed Hanson, Executive Chef at PS Seasoning, framed the product rationale plainly: "When the seasoning is built for the meat, it brings out the flavor hunters worked hard for instead of covering it up."
Deer Camp Collection Context
The two new items push the Deer Camp Harvest Collection beyond 70 SKUs, a lineup that spans snack stick and sausage seasonings, jerky kits, casings, cures, high-temperature cheeses, smokers and dry agers. The breadth positions PS Seasoning as a one-stop supplier for the home meat-processing segment — a niche that sits at the intersection of the broader charcuterie and artisan-processing trend and the outdoor-recreation economy. The company also bundles several products into the Deer Camp Set at $30.99, which includes a Venison Jerky Kit, Wild Game Seasoning, Ten-Point Venison Chili Mix and Big Buck Bloody Mix.
For foodservice and meat-market operators, PS Seasoning's relevance extends beyond the consumer channel. The company, a third-generation family business operating under the Dervati umbrella alongside equipment brand Pro Smoker, has supplied bulk seasoning to meat processors, butcher shops and meat markets since 1977. Its catalog runs to more than 5,000 unique blends and an annual production volume of over 80 million pounds — scale that supports private label and custom formulation programs for commercial accounts. Operators sourcing wild game proteins for seasonal menus or charcuterie programs face the same lean-protein formulation challenges these SKUs address, making the underlying flavor science relevant to specialty meat and charcuterie programming at the unit level.
Operator Takeaway
The wild game segment has moved from niche to a growing daypart and menu-differentiation opportunity, particularly at independent steakhouses, brewpubs and farm-to-table concepts that source regional proteins. Suppliers who invest in purpose-built flavor systems for non-commodity proteins — venison, bison, waterfowl — reduce the R&D burden for operators and processors alike. PS Seasoning's Field to Table resources, including processing guides and a Meat Block Calculator that generates exact seasoning, cure and water measurements by raw meat weight, extend the product's utility deeper into the butcher-shop and meat-market supply chain, where precision cure ratios directly affect food safety and yield.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
