venison donation ??

[icecold]

Due to financial issues I wont be able to hunt deer this season, processing is getting so expensive, I dont want to rob this experience of deer hunting from my 2 sons ,so if they are lucky enough to harvest a deer, can the deer be donated to a food shelf or butcher shop? Mankato, nicollet, newulm areas.

[nofishfisherman]

Here is a link to the DNR HSOforum that should give you all the info needed about the venison donation program.

Venison Donation Program

There are certain places that will take it but you may want to call ahead to confirm directly with them on whether or not they will be able to take it.

There are 2 other options. Seems like every year someone posts here looking for someone willing to share a deer with them. YOu could try setting something up with another person who you can gift the deer to. You just need to make sure the hunters info stays with the deer when gifted.

THe other option is you can try processing it yourself. Last year we did our own for the first time because we didn't want to pay processing costs any more. Its really pretty easy and there is a lot of online tutorials showing the process. I think there may even be a thread about it on here somewhere. I enjoyed doing it actually, gives you a better sense of connection to the animal.

[leech~~]

Due to financial issues I wont be able to hunt deer this season, processing is getting so expensive, I dont want to rob this experience of deer hunting from my 2 sons ,so if they are lucky enough to harvest a deer, can the deer be donated to a food shelf or butcher shop? Mankato, nicollet, newulm areas.

Don't just teach your sons half a job! Google how-to process a Deer and maybe get someone that knows how to help! It's really not that hard to hang them by a rope and pull the hide off and cut them up in steaks and chops once you see how it's done. Wrapping paper and some tape costs hardly anything! Show them the whole hunting process! You could use all the meat if your in real financial issues!

[jay83196]

Showing them to feed hungry....pretty good lesson too!

[icecold]

Thanks for the replies ,I have been deer hunting for 35 years and have cut up a many a deer, but have always taken the meat into a shop to have farmer style and sticks made, maybe I can make something else that I can do, will have to do some checking on things I can process myself.

[nofishfisherman]

If you know how to cut up the deer yourself you are 99% of the way there. Check out the cooking forum toward the bottom of the forum list and you'll get a ton of good ideas for what to do with the meat besides just steaks and roasts.

Venison Sausage

Venison Bacon

Venison pastrami

Venison jerky

The list could go on and on. If you have a smoker you are pretty much set. Or you can do what I did and get an inexpensive Brinkman charcoal smoker for under $40. They work great and they are cheap but the meat turns out as good as the big money smokers.

Don't feel bad about donating the venison either if thats what you decide. Either way you can make it into a good lesson for your sons. Maybe if both boys are lucky enough to tag a deer you can butcher one together to see how it goes doing all the processing at home and then donate the other this year. Best of both worlds.

Once the boys learn how to butcher and process a deer future years will be a piece of cake with 3 sets of hands there to do the work. Besides some of the best bonding time is the butchering time. Lots of time to retell the story of the hunt and do a lot of bsing in general.