Posted on 09/21/2020 12:31:34 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A Tennessee program is now taking donations of whole deer from hunters to feed families in need.
Tennessee Wildlife Federation’s Hunters for the Hungry program is in full swing for the 2020 deer season. More than 60 processors in counties throughout the state are now accepting donations of whole deer to help feed local families in need.
And this year, the need is greater than ever due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Because of COVID-19, more Tennesseans than ever are having to rely on hunger relief organizations to help feed their families,” said Matt Simcox, Hunters for the Hungry manager. “That’s why we want to encourage even more hunters to donate their harvest this season."
If they wish, hunters can donate their harvest deer, in whole or in part. Currently, all participating processors in the state are funded, meaning there is no cost to hunters to donate their venison.
When deer donations surpass funding, hunters may pay a reduced, $50 processing fee directly to the processor to cover processing costs or redeem Deer Coins purchased from Tennessee Wildlife Federation here.
TWF says just one deer can provide up to 168 meals of venison to families. The venison is processed and then given to local food banks and soup kitchens.
Missouri has been doing this forever.
“I’ll wager that this is done in most states.”
Yes, I don’t think this is new or unique.
“The Hunters Helping the Hungry program provides a way for Alabama hunters to give ground venison to needy families and individuals. Since the program’s beginning in 1999, approximately 450,000 pounds of ground venison have been donated to Alabama Food Banks in the state”
Not if you're starving.
An ice-cold brine for a couple of three days pulls the adrenaline and testosterone and other nasties out of the meat.
Drain and refill every 12-24 hours until water is clear.
I brine everything from fish to wild hogs/deer. It works.
I have been seeing farmers with signs stating they want hunters to hunt their lands this year because the deer herd is so big this year.
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LOL! Laughing with you, not at you. I live in an unincorporated exurban area 22 miles west of downtown Knoxville, TN with one acre minimum zoning. We have so many deer here that they’re almost as common as rabbits. Far easier to find one here than in northern WI forests.
And hunters for the hungry has been around in Texas for a long long time. They do accept wild hog as well.
The hunter has to pay for processing.
I don’t participate because I am my own processor. I give in other ways.
Been doing that in OK for years.....
All depends on the area. Up here in the northeast deer eat the tips of pine trees and balsm giving them a gamey taste. Out in flyover country, deer eat the grasses and greens. They taste really good. My grandson got a black bear last night. Nothing tastes better. I can’t wait till it’s packaged up.
“NY lets you donate deer meat but it has to be professionally butchered. You have to pay for the butchering.”
I think that’s how it is in North Carolina.
Someone that works for Bojangles Chicken said they throw away cooked chicken when it reaches 2 hours old. The pounds of fried chicken that are thrown away probably dwarfs deer meat (not criticizing deer meat donating).
I eat northeastern deer. Love it. Don’t age deer. Butcher immediately. Don’t leave any of the fat(tallow) on the deer. It’s gamey. I barbecue much of my deer. First I marinate it in a balsamic vinegar dressing for a couple of hours. Scrape off any excess dressing and grill over a hot charcoal fire. Not too long. Don’t make your steaks thick. Pound them flat and cook them till They’re still pink (or red) inside. Too much cooking turns venison into shoe leather.
Also Chunks of venison make a fine stew.
CWD, not fit for consumption!
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