Consider Donating A Deer

Wow, has this been a year to take some quality deer! If you’ve been watching GON’s Truck-Buck contest, you know that it seems to have started on opening day and continued on through the first rut as I write this.

I’ve seen a lot of folks posting their child’s deer. Congratulations! You’re part of the huge family of hunters who have gone out and taken part in a circle-of-life moment. That’s right. You have elected to take the life of animal that will go to feed others as part of a renewable resource.

From the moment that you field-dressed your deer and pulled the entrails out and laid them aside, the process starts. The organs will be rapidly consumed, usually by coyotes and/or turkey buzzards. Insects will soon enter in as they start to work over what is left on the bones. Squirrels may gnaw on antlers (if you left them) as they’re rich in calcium.

One of the time-honored family traditions that I have with my sons is to hang the deer off a tree branch in our backyard and skin them out. Once skinned, we take our time to quarter up the deer, carefully removing the backstraps and tenderloins first. Then we move in to deboning the roasts off the hind quarters and front shoulder meat. These will be prime cuts for our jerky and grinds.

We add some beef fat from a local butcher and work it into our own grinder to produce venison for burgers, tacos, burritos, spaghetti and more.

This year has been a great year to have some venison in the freezer since beef prices went skyrocket. With several hunters in our family, our harvest last year was solid.

Checking in with a few of our state’s processors this year, it looks like hunters have been looking to supplement their food stocks with venison, as meat prices remain high. With our current quota being two bucks (at least one with four measurable points on a beam) and 10 does, that allows hunters to consider donating some of their harvest after they fill their own freezers. Our state has different types of donation groups, all worthy in their own right.

Georgia Hunters For The Hungry in conjunction with the Georgia Wildlife Federation and Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry, along with others, offset yearly food budgets for pantries all across the state. I have participated running a chapter of a donation program, now going into my second decade. I believe that as a hunter, one should give back in some way, shape or form. To see the look on those benefiting from the donation is truly a heart-warming experience, one that you can’t place a dollar amount on. So, as we enter into the holiday season, consider donating to one of these programs or consider even making a meal for somebody in need. I bet you know of somebody who could use a crockpot full of venison stew or chili to warm their bones on a cold winter day!

Check out www.fhfh.org/local-chapters.html and https://gwf.org/ghfth.