Hunt for the Hungry: - N.H. Food Bank Seeks Donations of Game Animals
September 24, 2008
CONCORD, N.H. — New Hampshire’s hunters can help the less fortunate by sharing all or part of their fall harvest with the “Hunt for the Hungry” program. Once again this year, the New Hampshire Food Bank, based in Manchester, is collecting donations of whole or processed game animals for distribution to more than 350 food pantries, soup kitchens, homeless shelters and group homes statewide.Â
Last year (2007), the Hunt for the Hungry program took in a record 3,288 pounds of donated deer, bear, moose, duck and other game meat — almost triple the 1,126 pounds donated by hunters in 2006.
The program offers packaging instructions and can pick up your meat donation. To donate game, call Food Bank Operations Manager Michele Garron at (603) 669-9725.
If you’re donating a whole deer or moose, you can bring it to Lemay & Sons Beef in Goffstown, N.H. (603-622-0022), and they will process it for the food bank at no charge.
“We are really counting on support from hunters and backyard farmers this year,” said Garron, explaining that times have been particularly challenging for the Food Bank, with warehouse inventory levels continuing to remain critically low. “Limited food donations, coupled with rising fuel costs, have tested our ability to meet the increased need we’re seeing in communities across New Hampshire. Donations of protein foods are especially hard to come by - that’s a big need that the Hunt for the Hungry program helps fill.”
A hunter herself, Garron hopes to be successful in the field this season so she can contribute some venison to the program.
“The Hunt for the Hungry program is a great way for hunters to share their harvest and help needy families get through the winter,” said Glenn Normandeau, Executive Director of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. “Wild game is a local renewable resource that is high in protein, low in fat and 100% organic - not to mention delicious.”
For more information on the New Hampshire Food Bank, visit www.nhfoodbank.org
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For information on hunting seasons in New Hampshire or to purchase a hunting license, visit www.HuntNH.com.
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Preserve Fall, Winter Habitat for Quail, Rabbits
September 8, 2008
Late fall and winter bring “hard times” for small game species like bobwhite quail and rabbits, according to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.
Natural food becomes scarce and resting and escape cover is thin in the fall and winter, according to Billy Dukes, Small Game Project supervisor with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR). However, farmers and other landowners can do many things to help small game animals through this difficult period. Among the practices that can benefit small game species are leaving a small amount of unharvested crops along field edges, establishing weedy field borders or filter strips, allowing ditch banks and hedgerows to remain unmowed, and planting of supplemental wildlife food and cover strips.
For more information on providing wildlife habitat on your farm, contact the DNR Small Game Project in Columbia at (803) 734-3609 or visit the DNR Web site at www.dnr.sc.gov/hunting.html.
When harvesting corn and soybeans, farmers should consider leaving several rows unharvested along the field borders. This provides an important food supplement throughout fall and winter when natural seeds have disappeared. After the harvest operation, the remaining stalks and stubble should be left in the field as long as possible. Crop residue provides valuable wildlife cover and protects fields from wind and water erosion. Some grain will be wasted on top of the ground, as even the sophisticated combines in use today can’t harvest every single grain. Control of most disease and insect problems can be achieved through crop rotation. If turning under the residue is necessary, leaving 10 percent around the field edges will provide food and cover where it is most beneficial to wildlife.
“The present-day practice of plowing and planting fields right up to the edge of the woods has drastically reduced the ability of the land to produce quail and rabbits,” Dukes said. Following corn or soybean harvest this fall is an ideal time to establish “field transition zones” or filter strips. A transition zone is simply a 15- to 30-foot wide area around the entire edge of a field that is allowed to grow up in native weeds, grasses and briars, and a filter strip is a band of vegetation established adjacent to a ditch, stream or other waterway to filter runoff while providing wildlife habitat. Allowing these areas to grow undisturbed for two to three years will provide critical nesting and brood-rearing habitat, as well as winter cover.
Field transition zones, also called habitat buffers, and filter strips are eligible for enrollment in the Conservation Reserve Program under a continuous signup period. The Conservation Reserve Program, administered by the county offices of the federal Farm Service Agency, provides incentive payments and annual rental payments for landowners willing to establish environmentally friendly practices on eligible croplands. The practice known as “CP-33: Habitat Buffers for Upland Birds ” was added in 2004 to the list of available practices under the Conservation Reserve Program. Eligible land may be enrolled at any time until a state’s allocation of buffer acres have all been enrolled.
“Practice CP-33 represents an outstanding opportunity for producers to retire marginally productive cropland on the perimeter of crop fields and dramatically improve small game habitat without sacrificing farm income,” said Dukes.
“After harvest time, when things slow down around the farm, the temptation is great to pull out the bush hog and clean up those brushy ditch banks and fence rows,” Dukes said. “Removal of these habitat components may increase planting area and give the farm a neater appearance, but small game populations will really suffer. Vegetation along ditches and fences serves as a windbreak, as well as supplying food, cover and travel corridors for quail and rabbits.”
Supplemental plantings, especially for small game use, can also be a beneficial practice. A small plot of annual grains or native legumes may help a covey of quail make it through a tough winter. Small patches of wheat and clover will offer some winter greenery for rabbits and quail and attract insects beneficial to quail chicks later in the spring, according to Dukes.
DNR protects and manages South Carolina’s natural resources by making wise and balanced decisions for the benefit of the state’s natural resources and its people.
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Youth Squirrel Hunt Featured This Weekend on “Kentucky Afield” TV
August 26, 2008
Frankfort, Ky. –The importance of introducing kids to hunting at an early age is the focus this weekend, August 30 and 31 on “Kentucky Afield” television.
While deer and elk are our state’s prize game animals, helping youth to appreciate hunting’s role in managing wildlife is the reward in the eyes of the members of the Dewey Lake Fish and Game Club in Prestonsburg. We join the group’s Johnny Lafferty as he introduces youngster Michael Blackburn to squirrel hunting and to a future in conservation.
Elsewhere, we find a fellow who puts a modern twist on an age-old firearm: the flintlock shotgun. Franklin County’s Terry Heichelbech welcomes our cameras to his shop, where pioneer weaponry meets a pioneering spirit.
The Emmy Award-winning “Kentucky Afield” television show is a production of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. It is the longest continuously-running outdoor television show in the nation. The program airs Saturday at 8:30 p.m. Eastern /7:30 p.m. Central and is repeated Sunday at 4 p.m. Eastern/3 p.m. Central on KET 1. To see the latest news about “Kentucky Afield” television and view your favorite show segments from the past, sign up today for the electronic newsletter. Visit fw.ky.gov on the Internet, and then click onto the Kentucky Afield Newsletter icon at the bottom of the page.
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New Hampshire Offers Free Evening Hunting Talks in September
August 26, 2008
CONCORD, N.H. — Get psyched for the upcoming hunting seasons at a series of free evening talks by area hunting experts and staff of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department in September. The sessions begin at 7 p.m. This year they will be offered in various locations. No pre-registration is required.Â
“This is a great chance to get primed for fall hunting by hearing from N.H. Hunting Guides and Fish and Game biologists as they share their knowledge of the habits of New Hampshire’s great game animals and tactics for pursuing them,” said Mark Beauchense, Advertising and Promotions Coordinator for Fish and Game and an avid hunter. “In response to demand, we will be offering these sessions in some new locations this year.”
Tuesday, September 2 - Scouting and patterning this year’s buck. Find out why it’s the best of times for Granite State hunters. Session features New Hampshire’s state record buck holder, John Klucky. Fish and Game Region 4 office, 15 Ash Brook Court, Keene, N.H. Klucky will share his knowledge and insights on successful tactics for finding deer, plus a hunting tale or two, including the story of the big buck. N.H. Fish and Game deer biologist Kent Gustafson, will add the latest information on the state of New Hampshire’s deer herd.
Tuesday, September 2 — Upland bird hunting.  Garret Booth of Grey’s Outfitting explores finding and understanding grouse cover, plus the finer points of bird dog work and training tactics. N.H. Fish and Game headquarters, 11 Hazen Drive, Concord, N.H. Booth is a professional gun dog trainer working with pointing, flushing, and retrieving breeds. He will talk about effective range for your dog, handling concerns, electronic collars, first aid for your dogs, how to find bird cover that holds birds, and scouting techniques, maps and online resources.
Tuesday, September 9 — Fall turkey hunting tactics, with New Hampshire Registered Hunting Guide John Asseng. N.H. Fish and Game headquarters, 11 Hazen Drive, Concord, N.H. N.H. Asseng has hunted spring and fall turkeys in New Hampshire and Vermont for over 15 years, and will share tried-and-true tactics for fall turkey pursuits. An accomplished turkey caller, Asseng also will demonstrate fall turkey calls.
Wednesday, September 17 - Scouting and patterning this year’s buck. With New Hampshire’s state record buck holder, John Klucky. N.H. Fish and Game headquarters, 11 Hazen Drive, Concord, N.H. Klucky will share his knowledge and insights on successful tactics for finding deer, plus a hunting tale or two, including the story of the big buck.Â
Tuesday, September 23 - Fall turkey hunting tactics, with New Hampshire Registered Hunting Guide John Asseng. Fish and Game Region 4 office, 15 Ash Brook Court, Keene, N.H. Asseng has hunted spring and fall turkeys in New Hampshire and Vermont for over 15 years and will share tried-and-true tactics for fall turkey pursuits. An accomplished turkey caller, Asseng also will demonstrate fall turkey calls.
Tuesday, September 30 - Sea Duck Hunting. Learn about hunting sea ducks and diver ducks in New Hampshire, with Buck-Gardner Game Calls pro-staff member Ray Jackson. Urban Forestry Center, 45 Elwyn Road, Portsmouth, N.H. Jackson is an avid waterfowl hunter who has pursued waterfowl for more than 30 years. He will cover equipment, decoys, bird identification, safety and game preparation. In covering these topics, he will explain several different methods of hunting these fast-flying ducks.
For more information on hunting in New Hampshire, and to purchase hunting licenses and permits online, CLICK HERE.
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is the guardian of the state’s fish, wildlife and marine resources and their habitats.Â
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Directions to N.H. Fish and Game Department Headquarters, 11 Hazen Drive, Concord, N.H.:Â Take exit 14 off Route I-93 in Concord; head east on Loudon Road; at top of hill, turn left onto Hazen Drive, follow signs to N.H. Fish and Game.
Directions to N.H. Fish and Game Region 4 Office, 15 Ash Brook Court, Keene, N.H.: From the north and northeast - Take Route 93 to Route 89 North to Route 9 West. Follow Route 9 to Keene. Take a right turn where Routes 9, 10 and 12 come together, continuing onto Route 9 West; you will see a sign for N.H. Dept. of Safety, N.H. Fish and Game, N.H. State Police and the Motor Vehicle Dept. Turn right just past the Super 8 Motel, into the Monadnock Marketplace. Take an immediate right behind the Super 8, into the State building complex. Fish and Game’s Region 4 office is at the far end on the left. Park in the center of the lot in front of the Motor Vehicle Dept. From other directions, visit http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Inside_FandG/Reg_Office_directions.htm.
Directions to the Urban Forestry Center, 45 Elwyn Road, Portsmouth, N.H:Â From I-95, Take exit 5 into Portsmouth Traffic Circle, then take Route 1 Bypass to Route 1 (Lafayette Road). Continue 2.5 miles through a series of 5 traffic lights; at the next stoplight (near Market Basket) turn left onto Elwyn Road. Take the first left (about 500 feet) into the Urban Forestry Center. From Route 4, travel east, across the General Sullivan Bridge, and take the Spaulding Turnpike south, past Pease International Tradeport; bear left into the Portsmouth Traffic Circle. Follow directions from Circle.
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TPWD Discounts Online Entries in Big Time Texas Hunts
July 31, 2008
AUSTIN, Texas — The Lone Star State boasts some of the finest hunting anywhere in the country, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Big Time Texas Hunts offer hunters a chance to experience the best of the best.
Tommy H. Bridgers would agree. Last year, the 65-year-old steel plate fabricator from Duncanville was selected the Big Time Texas Hunts winner in the Texas Grand Slam category.
“They advertise this as a hunt of a lifetime and I would agree,” exclaimed Bridgers upon returning from three days of hunting desert bighorn sheep in the rugged mountains of West Texas. “This was probably the most physically demanding hunt I’ve ever been on, but it was also the most rewarding. I would never have the resources to buy a desert bighorn hunt, so I got mine the lucky way!”
The Big Time Texas Hunts program offers the opportunity to win one or more top guided hunts with food and lodging provided, as well as taxidermy in some cases. The crown jewel of the program is the Texas Grand Slam hunt package, which includes four separate hunts for Texas’ most prized big game animals — the desert bighorn sheep, white-tailed deer, mule deer and pronghorn antelope. There are several quality whitetail hunt packages available, as well as opportunities to pursue alligator, exotic big game, waterfowl and upland game birds.
Entries for the Big Time Texas Hunt drawings are $10 each and are available wherever hunting licenses are sold or by calling 800-895-4248. They may also be purchased online this year at a discounted price of $9 each. There is no limit to the number of entries an individual may purchase, and entries may be given as gifts for others. Purchasers must be 17 years of age or older.
“This is something I’ve participated in over the last five years, but I never gave it a thought that I’d win,” said Bridgers. “It has really added a new aspect to my hunting and just goes to show sometimes good things happen.”
Proceeds from the Big Time Texas Hunts are dedicated to providing more public hunting opportunity and to funding wildlife conservation and research programs in Texas.
Here’s a summary of the Big Time Texas Hunts offerings:
- The Texas Grand Slam - This truly is the hunt of a lifetime. The bighorn sheep hunt is very exclusive; TPWD issues only a handful of permits a year. The bighorn sheep hunt takes place on a West Texas Wildlife Management Area. The other three hunts included in the Texas Grand Slam will be on some of the most exclusive private ranches in the state. The winner may also bring along a non-hunting companion to share in this awesome outdoor adventure.
- Texas Whitetail Bonanza - 10 winners will each get to experience a high-quality white-tailed deer hunt, something legendary to Texas on popular ranches known to produce big bucks. Guide service, food and lodging are provided on these 3-5-day trips during hunting season. Each winner can also bring along a companion to hunt as well.
- Texas Gator Hunt - One winner and a guest will enjoy a rare and unique three-day trip pursuing alligators at the J. D. Murphree Wildlife Management Area on the Gulf Coast. Each hunter may harvest one alligator. All necessary equipment, expert guides, lodging and gator hide removal are included. The winner and guest will also be treated to an airboat tour of the marsh to view alligators.
- Texas Waterfowl Adventure - One winner and as many as three invited guests will win a series of three exciting waterfowl adventures. The hunts are located on some of the best waterfowl areas in Texas. Trips include a Coastal Prairies guided hunt for snows, blues and white-fronted geese; a guided duck hunt in the Coastal Marshes; and an East Texas hunt for wood ducks and mallards.
- Texas Exotic Safari - Two winners will experience the thrill of hunting African exotic game right here in Texas on the Mason Mountain Wildlife Management Area in the Texas Hill Country. Each winner can take two exotic species, including, gemsbok, scimitar-horned oryx and impala. Hunters may choose to shoot modern rifle, muzzleloader, archery or crossbow. Winners can also bring along a companion to hunt a management exotic. Food and lodging will be provided at the scenic Mason Mountain WMA lodge. Taxidermy service will be provided for the two winners. Proceeds go to benefit wildlife conservation and research on Mason Mountain WMA.
- Texas Big Time Bird Hunt - One winner along with as many as three hunting buddies will enjoy a unique package of upland game bird hunts: two days of quail, two days of pheasant hunting in the Panhandle and two afternoons of dove hunting. There will also be a two-day guided spring turkey hunt for two included in the package. Food, guide service and lodging are included on all bird hunts, and pointing dogs are provided for quail and pheasant hunts.
- Texas Premium Buck Hunt - This is the ultimate deer hunting experience-an opportunity to harvest a trophy white-tailed buck in the rugged South Texas brush country. One winner and a guest will enjoy the finest deer hunting trip that Texas can offer. Professional guide service, food and high quality accommodations are included to provide each hunter comfort as well as great hunting.
The deadline to apply for this year’s Big Time Texas Hunts is Oct. 15. Winners will be announced in November.
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Frogging Season Opens at Sunset June 30
June 17, 2008
All you need for the sport is a flashlight and a pair of sneakers.
JEFFERSON CITY-Monday sometimes gets a bad rap. Everyone has heard of blue Monday, the day you go back to work. But this year blue Monday has a green side. Monday, June 30 marks the opening of Missouri’s frogging season.
Because midnight marks the start of a new day, froggers who begin a hunt at sunset with no frogs in possession (including at home in the freezer) can take one limit of frogs before midnight, then bag another after the witching hour. To do this legally, however, the first eight frogs must be kept separate from those taken after midnight.
The bullfrog (Missouri’s state amphibian) and the green frog are unique among Missouri’s game animals because they can be taken either on a hunting or a fishing permit. If you have a hunting permit, you can take frogs with a .22 caliber or smaller rimfire rifle or pistol, pellet gun, longbow, crossbow, hand net or with your bare hands. With a fishing permit, you may use your hands or a hand net, a gig, a longbow or hook and line. Frog hunting is legal - and most effective - at night with an artificial light. Firearms may not be used to take frogs on Conservation Department areas.
The bullfrog is North America’s biggest frog, measuring up to 8 inches all scrunched up and ready to jump. A good-sized bullfrog can weigh well over a pound, and much of that is legs. Green frogs are more modest-sized, topping out at about 4 inches long when sitting. Though not as large, their legs taste just like those of bullfrogs.
You can tell green frogs from bullfrogs by the fold of skin running along the sides of green frogs’ bodies.
The daily and possession limits of eight and 16 bullfrogs and green frogs in the aggregate, respectively, sound liberal. However, it takes a hefty frog to provide more than a mouthful of food. Almost all the edible muscle is on the hind legs.
If you are lucky enough to obtain a limit of frogs, cut off the hind legs and remove the skin before cooking. Pliers with close-fitting jaws come in handy for gripping the slippery skin.
When pressed about frog legs’ flavor, frog fanciers sometimes say they taste like chicken. That may be true if you batter and fry frog legs as you would chicken drumsticks. When sautéed in a little butter, however, frog legs have a mild flavor that hints of fish. Adding a little minced garlic to the pan and sprinkling with salt afterwards makes a delicious dish.
Pan-frying with any commercial breading also yields tasty results. Other recipes are found in Cy Littleby’s Cookbook. This folksy compendium of wild cookery is available at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s regional offices and conservation nature centers. You also can order the book from the Conservation Department’s online Nature Shop (www.mdcnatureshop.com) for $3.50 plus shipping, handling and sales tax, where applicable, or with a toll-free telephone call to 877/521-8632. It also is available at many Conservation Department offices and at conservation nature centers.
Male frogs fill the air above Missouri lakes and streams with their songs on summer nights. The bullfrog’s tune is a deep base chant that sounds something like “Jug-O-Rum, Jug-O-Rum.” Green frogs are less musical. Their “songs” have been described as sounding like someone plucking loose banjo strings. The resulting sound can be a soft chuckle or a single, explosive bark.
The idea of beating other froggers to the punch induces a few outlaws to start the season early each year. You can help preserve the bullfrog bounty until opening day by calling the toll-free Operation Game Thief hot line, 800/392-1111, and reporting offenders.
For more information about catching frogs, visit mdc.mo.gov/conmag/2003/06/40.htm.
-Jim Low-
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F&G Commission Adopts Wolf Hunting Rules
May 22, 2008
The Idaho Fish and Game Commission Thursday, May 22, adopted the first regulated hunting season on gray wolves in the state’s history
The commission, during its May meeting, set a wolf population goal of 518 wolves, and adopted hunting seasons, limits and rules for the 2008 hunting season.
The season would be open from September 15 in the backcountry and from October 1 in all remaining areas and run through December 31. The commission would review results in November to consider extending the season if limits are not being met.
A hunter can kill one wolf with a valid 2008 hunting license and wolf tag.
“I think we made history today,” Fish and Game Director Cal Groen said. “We must manage this species; they are well beyond recovered.”
The wolf hunt rules are based on the Idaho Wolf Population Management Plan, approved by commissioners in an early March meeting. The gray wolf in the Northern Rocky Mountains was removed from the endangered species list in late March. The plan calls for managing wolves at a population level of between 2005-2007 levels (518-732) wolves for the first five years following delisting.
The estimated population at the end of 2007 was 732 wolves, with an estimated 20 to 30 percent annual growth rate. Adding this years expected pups, that number would be more than 1,000 wolves before hunting season would start.
Commissioners adopted a wolf population goal of the level from 2005, which was about 518 wolves.
Fish and Game rules call for a total statewide mortality limit, including harvest from the Nez Perce Tribe, of about 428 wolves in 2008, which includes all reported wolf kills - from natural causes, accidents, wolf predation control actions and hunter kills. If the limit is reached it would result in an estimated end-of-year population of fewer than 550 wolves.
Hunting will be managed in 12 zones. Hunting intensity would vary with levels of conflict between wolves and livestock or game animals. But when the statewide mortality limit is reached, all hunting would stop. When limits in individual zones are reached, hunting in those zones would stop.
Additional rules include a mandatory report within 72 hours and check-in within 10 days of killing a wolf, and no trapping, electronic devices, bait or dogs will be allowed in the first year. Weapons restrictions are the same as for deer.
Fish and Game expects to release season and rules brochures to the public in July.
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Oklahoma Squirrel Season Open
May 19, 2008
The month of May marks the opening of one of Oklahoma’s most available but most forgotten game animals — squirrels.
“Sportsmen who don’t spend any time hunting squirrels are missing out on a hobby they might really enjoy, not to mention a lot more time in the woods,” said Lance Meek, hunter education coordinator for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.
The squirrel season, which runs nearly nine months straight (May 15-Jan. 31), is a popular part of Oklahoma’s hunting heritage and still is recognized by many today as a great recreational activity. And though fewer squirrel hunters may take to the woods now, the opportunities to harvest game and sharpen outdoor skills through squirrel hunting are still plentiful in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma is home to two species of squirrel that are legal to hunt, the gray squirrel, which inhabits the far eastern portion of the state, and the fox squirrel, which is found statewide in suitable habitats.
“Squirrel hunting is a great way to introduce a youngster to the sport of hunting because of the availability and likelihood of seeing game,” said Meek. “It’s also a great way to teach people to hunt and how to keep the sport of hunting safe. Squirrels are smaller animals, but they are a challenge to hunt. Someone who learns to hunt squirrels will also acquire many of the skills needed for hunting deer or turkey as well. Also, you have a generous bag limit of 10 squirrels per day.”
Whether pursuing bushytails with a shotgun or .22 rifle or by stalking, still hunting or following a trusty squirrel dog through the woods, hunters have no shortage of squirrel hunting opportunities. Excellent squirrel hunting can be found on Keystone, Spavinaw Hills, Deep Fork, Hickory Creek and many other wildlife management areas. Central Oklahoma residents can find good success at Lexington WMA, and hunters in northwest Oklahoma can make a trip to Canton WMA for some great and very underused squirrel hunting as well.
Sportsmen can attract squirrels to them using calls as well as find them in the woods by searching for food and habitat sign, such as areas containing hardwoods and mast-producing trees. About any tract of oaks, hickory or pecan trees can be productive. Another option is to hunt them with a dog that is bred and trained to locate squirrels.
Hunters taking to the woods after squirrels would also be interested to know that squirrel skins and/or tails may be legally sold and have brought up to $2 for whole skins in recent years.
“If you’ve forgotten what it’s like to hunt squirrels, or if you miss the great taste of the once-popular tablefare or even if you want to take your kid hunting, then you should really try to get out this year and hunt squirrels,” Meek said. “You’re sure to have a lot of fun.”
To hunt squirrels in Oklahoma, hunters need a resident or non-resident hunting license, unless exempt, and a $5 Fishing and Hunting Legacy Permit, unless exempt. Resident hunters younger than age 16 can hunt squirrels without a license. For a complete list of squirrel hunting regulations consult the current “Oklahoma Hunting Guide” or log on to the Department’s Web site at wildlifedepartment.com.
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Generous Hunters Help Sportsmen Against Hunger Have Banner Year
May 3, 2008
PIERRE, S.D.—In 2007 the South Dakota Sportsmen Against Hunger organization chose “Feed the Need” as its new slogan. And the state’s hunters did just that, making record contributions of venison to the program that helps feed the less fortunate.
“The hunters of South Dakota really outdid themselves this year,” said Jeff Olson, president of Sportsmen Against Hunger. “They donated 75,000 pounds of venison, up from 45,000 pounds the year before.”
In the 2007 deer hunting seasons, hunters donated 1,757 antlerless deer and another 380 big game animals including bucks, antelope, elk and bighorn sheep. The previous year there were 391 antlerless deer donated to the program plus another 541 other big game animals.
“One big change this year was the availability of $50 processing certificates directly from the processors,” Olson said. “Many processors took that certificate as full payment.” The popularity of the certificate program meant that Sportsmen Against Hunger paid $87,850 to processors.
“The success of this program relies on generous hunters and the processors who are willing to participate,” Olson said. “We’re also indebted to the Game, Fish and Parks Department and the GFP Commission for their financial support and the manpower they provide.”
The program is funded largely by hunters who agree to donate while applying for hunting licenses. Donations and grants also came from Scheels, Wal-Mart, the Elmen Foundation, the Sioux Falls Canaries and Ultra Dent.
“One donation that really raised our organization’s profile this year was a grant from the Black Hills Advertising Federation,” Olson said. “That translated into more than $100,000 worth of advertising for us.”
The growth of the Sportsmen Against Hunger program has coincided with a growing need for meat in South Dakota. “With consumers facing rising gas and grocery prices, the need for food assistance is growing at an almost alarming rate,” according to Matt Gassen, director of the Community Food Banks of South Dakota. “Our pantries in Sioux Falls and Rapid City are seeing nearly a 25 percent increase in the number of clients being served during the first quarter of 2008 as compared to the same time last year. We’re also hearing the same type of news from pantries across the state.”
Another type of news about venison originated in North Dakota where there were some concerns raised about the safety of lead in deer meat. Sportsmen Against Hunger, GFP and the S.D. Health Department took the concerns centering on pregnant women and infant children seriously. Food pantries participating in the program have been given brochures detailing the possible risks of lead contamination.
“The eating of hunted game meat has been going on for a long, long time without any real problems,” Gassen said. “However, it needs to be an individual’s choice as to whether they want to consume that type of meat or not. That is why we’re providing each recipient with information identifying potential risks and listing recommended serving amounts.”
The board of directors of Sportsmen Against Hunger is gearing up for the next round of deer hunting seasons. “The need for ground venison continues,” Olson said, “and as long as that need is there, we’ll work to meet it.” Olson noted that hunters already have an opportunity to give to the program this year if they want to make a donation on their elk hunting license applications.
In addition to donations made by sportsmen applying for hunting licenses, anyone interested in helping provide meat for struggling families can make a tax deductible donation by sending a check or money order to South Dakota Sportsmen Against Hunger, P.O. Box 1172, Pierre, SD 57501. To learn more about the program check its Web site at www.feedtheneedsd.com.
–GFP–
 - South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks -