i hope to have the problem of having to much meat after my freezer , my hunting partner's freezer and all friends ht at care for it's freezers. are full...............here in maryland there are butcher shops in all counties that will process donated deer and donate various 'feed the hungry programs' or you can donate any part of your harvest.............we also are allowed 10 does per season / with unlimited does in certain countys around the washington dc area --- this states the fact that we have alot of deer in suburbia and the dnr sees fit to keep our herds at good levels for there own good.........don't we want to manage a healthy herd if we can? i can tell tell you this - behind my house is ''browsed out'' by the end of jan/beginning of feb area - we have lots of does period!............ think about it if anyone has ever eaten any type of meat something was 'killed' in the process period!........i got no problem with that!
Nope. But you atleast have a plan of what to do with the meat already in place, and wouldn't think twice about cleaning it up yourself if the neighbor didn't answer. I was more referencing the guys that I have seen here locally, go out to kill a deer giving no thought what so ever to what to do AFTER the kill. Heck, I've talked with some processors who said guys brought in deer not even field dressed. They panic at the idea of cleaning the deer themselves, or having it done professionally, so they take the cop out of donating it to charity, then go home and tell the family at dinner how noble of a deed he performed. I've donated to friends, neighbors, and those in need just the same as you to allow me to keep hunting. I don't look down on it at all!
My family has never donated a deer to somebody else, but i would say that we killed four deer last year and it was all used up turkey season. It saves us alot of money to shoot alot of deer, because there is six people in my family and we all eat the meat.
That's exactly how I look at it when I give someone a deer that I take for my enjoyment. They're great full, I'm great full, it's a win win.
If no one else understands what you're saying....I do. A lot of people around here (Virginia) do the same thing. I'm not knocking it either. How can I when it's legit? I was actually talking to a "Hunters for the Hungry" representative a couple years ago at an outdoor show. I forget what he had told me the previous year's deer totals were but they were rather HUGE.:D Yes....its a good cause but like you say alot of people enjoy the hunt, the kill, but not the work that begins after the "fun" is over. This guy told me that they appreciate the amount of deer donated but they really need MONEY to have the deer processed. How many "do-good" donors would be willing to fork over the $40 donation....probably not alot. A deer is more cost effective...for them. Quote from their website I've never donated to Hunters 4 the Hungry but I may this year. MY plans are to kill 2-3 deer for myself and hopefully take some does off one of my properties to thin the herd. These will get donated to H4H or a family....saves me from doing the hard work. :D I'll admit it.
Donnie brings up a good point to those concerned about the line between charity and laziness.... How about Pay to have the deer processed and then give it away... that seems to change it up a little...
And I'm still hearing about how great these guys think that was. It was a true win/win situation for everyone involved including me and I didn't do anything but transfer phone numbers to earn the beers that have been bought for me out of that deal! As with many things, it's all about the circumstances surrounding it and the motives behind it. I see everyone's points but in the end does it really matter why it's done? The deer are taken legally and ethically, the herd population dynamic is appropriately tinkered with to offset other human tinkering in the natural scheme and people that like, want or need to eat venison get to eat venison or bear or whatever it happens to be regardless of the motivation behind it be it laziness, altruism or just the plain old desire to hunt and kill more critters.
Not for some This has to be the the goofies thread in the history of hunting forums. Now hunters are fighting about donating meat seriously? As of yesterday I have lost all hope, hunting in the near future is done. I can see the MSNBC speacial now on what went wrong. "This is Clyde from MSNBC reporting on the demise of hunting, what went wrong? Well it appears a segment of hunters had issues with donating meat to food banks. If they donated a deer and did not process they were deemed lazy. The backlash sent ripples through the hunting world." seriously, this is getting ridiculous. BTW if any of you have worked with Hunters for the hungry you would know the deer meat needs to be processed. We actually did a freezer deal a few years back, we bought the freezer and hunters donated meat that was used to fill it to a soup kitchen. We also gave them the freezer, I know, what a bunch of lazy un-ethical pricks we were. Pretty much every year I shoot a deer, process it, donate it. I will keep do so, but I like I have the past 18 years I have been doing it, I will keep it to myself.
I agree with Germ. Talk about trying to impose one's standards on someone else. This is crazy. I don't pay to have my own deer processed....I do it myself.....so does that make me cheap or ......based on your logic, lazy?? I am confused. The peole I give my extra deer from my gluttonous(sp?) adventures are also glad to process their own deer as well. We don't need no stinkin middle man. And FWIW, a little known program the State of Texas has for landowners with DEPRADATION tags allows us to take them to one of the area's prison and the prisoners process them under supervision of the TCJD and are utilized in the prison. The only requirement is that they be depradation tagged deer,field dressed and the entire carcass.(You can't keep the backstraps and DONATE the rest but you can be cheap and lazy.) I've never needed to utulize the program but it is there so no one has an excuse for letting the deer go to waste. That is the PRIMARY concern(s) trying to be addressed. Reducing the number in the herd based on the State Game Dept surveys and utilizing the meat. The State doesn't care who pulled the trigger or shot the arrow or how many one individual killed.
Like I said, I don't have an issue with donating food to food banks. I plan on doing it this year.I think its a great program. However, I was simply agreeing with Trevor. Some hunters ARE lazy and don't even field dress the deer they donate. I'm sure all of you do that. Don't forget. This was in my previous post.
For my last post on this freak show, I know of NO place in MI I can take a deer not field dressed to donate. Every place I take them they have to be processed.
Thats not my logic I agree with you, Your taking my Post WAY out of context, never once did "I" say nor impose laziness, but that was obvious in the whole thread, right? The family I give my deer to... I field dress it and they come pick it up and process it themselves.... exactly what you do. Common ground. If they do not need the deer, or have time to process it in a timely matter, I take it to my processor, field dressed, and skinned and donate it to Hunters for the Hungry. You can also pay to have it processed by donating $40 also. I was talking to the ones who thought just dropping off a deer at the H4H was lazy if it is, then I'm lazy... And I'll be honest It's a whole heck of a lot easier to donate meat rather than money for me... or anyone I assume, but a deer will not waste in my hands. And just to add, Honestly I've never donated a deer and the $40 just the deer. Lazy. If I have the extra funds to do so I will. My post was talking to the ones who deem us lazy... if we payed and donated did that change our "laziness" any? I really wasn't attacking or trying to argue... Sorry, I'm out of this one.
As long as a deer is not wasted and it's being consumed by someone... what the Heck does it really matter what you do with it?
It shouldn't matter. You bought the tag, keep it or give it away, I don't care. This reminds me of a thread on AT once. A hunter was processing his own deer, keeping the loins and feeding the rest to his dogs. :p
