D Rock

A couple of weekends ago the local paper ran an article in the Outdoors section talking about the FHFH. For those who don't know about this, you can drop off your deer at any deer processor who is taking part in this program and they will butcher your deer for free and donate the meat to local food banks. This is a program I have heard about but have never really thought about donating to. With the economy the way it has been this is something we should all look into this season. I know in my area people are still in bad shape after the June flooding and the economy is not helping them out one bit. To me it is worth using a doe tag if it puts food on a family's table.

I am not sure if this has been posted on here before. If it has I am sorry for a repeat, but I thought this isa program worth mentioning again. I know my father and I plan on using a few extra doe tags if we get the chance.

Here is the link if you want to find a participating butcher in your area. http://www.fhfh.org/Home.asp

D Rock

A question I didn't think to ask previously. Has anyone donated their deer before, or know a butcher who participates?

To me this is what hunting in general is all about.

Pat Curtis

I took one to D&D Processing in Corunna last year. I've had them do deer for me before..and do a great job. Some places even have drawings for muzzleloaders and other hunting equipment if you donate a deer.

Lanse couche couche

More of the big rack hunters need to be encouraged to do this. Way too many people shoot a big buck every year and then the following fall throw out a bunch of freezer burned venison because they don't even really want the meat, just the rack.

thehunterswife

Hopefully there will be more comments about this. My husband and I have never gone through them to donatea deerand I would like to do that this year.

I also have a blog and write for a local paper. I'm interested to see what everyone else has to say about them so I can help spread the word.

http://thehunterswife.net

driftrider

Iowa also has a similar DNR program called HUSH (Help Us Stop Hunger). Every deer tag in Iowa now has a $1.00 HUSH surcharge to pay for the program, which allows hunters to take any legally tagged deer to a participating locker and drop it off. I've never done it yet, but I guess it's a simple thing. The locker skins, bones and grinds the meat into 2lb packages which are frozen and distributed to food banks, homeless shelters, soup kitchens, etc... in the local community. The DNR reimburses the lockers $65/deer to cover processing costs, which is about the going rate around here so the lockers aren't losing money by participating.

Here is the link to the Iowa DNR HUSH website:

Iowa DNR HUSH Program

Mike

zrexpilot

the poor people around here eat better than I do, with their 400 a month food stamps

bryant1

It's sounds like a great program IMO, although i have never donated anything directly to them. The closest place to donate is over an hour away from my small town. I dogive 80% of the venison i have to people i know who will eat it though.

dirtyd

we donate every year to the hunters for the hungry.

Maveric777

Very cool thread here. I have never done this, and plan on using every ounce of the bountyI get this year to put on my own family's dinner table. Now after saying that I do know my wife is already planning on hunting next year. This is an outstanding thing to do with the extra I see us getting next year.

This actually hits very close to home for myself. I was raised very poor. My mom being a single and having to raise 3 kids on her own makes for very hard times, and many nights of going to bed hungry. I have risen up, went to school, and found a career where I accel and do decent for myself.I am by no means rich, but my children have nice cloths, an overstuffed pantry, and can afford to get out there and hunt. To some sense I feel obligated to do this now thatI can.

Thanks for bringing this to my attention. There is so much I love about to hunting in the first place.NowI have found another reason to get me and my family out into the back country.