Hunting for good cause
Donations of venison help stretch budgets
In the late afternoon sun, Santa's garb isn't especially festive, not with the camouflage and blaze orange. But lately David Morris has played Santa as he hunted.
Four deer he culled were processed along with 2,000 pounds of venison that hunters donated this year to four Lowcountry nonprofit organizations to feed the hungry, homeless or disabled. That's a ton of fresh meat — the most food the three-year drive has produced — in a year when the economy left more people needing food and charities strapped for funds.
"We 'maxed out,'●" Morris said. For the first time in the three years the Quality Deer Management Association has run a program paying plants to process venison to be given to charities, it cost the association $1,000, which MeadWestvaco matched with $1,000 of its own money. Morris is a QDMA member and a recreational lease manager for the timber company.
Morris couldn't say exactly why the splurge in donated venison this year. The word got out, he said, and more hunters talked about doing something to help. The hunt has never been more appreciated.
"It's tremendous during these lean times, with companies laying people off and making budget cuts. It speaks volumes," Jermaine Husser, Lowcountry Food Bank executive director, said.
"Oh, yes," said Betsy Luke, Summerville Meals on Wheels executive director. Monday's menu was beef-plus-venison meatloaf, carrots, sliced pears, bread and sweet tea. Last week it was beef-plus-venison spaghetti.
"Food cost, like everything else, is soaring, and donations have slipped down somewhat. But people still try (to help), because they want everyone to be fed."
The program, which provides food for 178 people who are too disabled to cook for themselves or get out to buy food, pays about $2 per pound wholesale for ground beef, she said. The 500 pounds of venison in the freezer is $1,000 freed up for other groceries that will supply the group into the spring.
Deer hunting for charity is one of those efforts that makes some people do a double take. The deer hunt, though, is an age-old Lowcountry tradition. The state's deer population boomed in the 1990s to more than 1 million, leading to more deer-vehicle collisions and crop damage. Hunting has helped hold that population to a more manageable 700,000 to 800,000, said Charles Ruth, S.C. Natural Resources wildlife biologist.
The program "gives people who need to cull some deer a place to go with the meat after they've filled the freezer," said Michael Cordray, one of the processors who works with the association. "It's a really good place for the meat, a really good product for people who need it."
The association is a wildlife conservation nonprofit for hunters. Other groups that received venison as part of the program are Tricounty Family Ministries and Gateway Community Church's Hunger Helpers.
The program is one of several community efforts by hunting groups and one that Morris feels strongly about. "This year I'm particularly proud," he said.
Reach Bo Petersen at 745-5852 or bpetersen@postandcourier.com.
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Comments
eyecantspel (anonymous) says...
This reminds me of the "Top of the Muffin" Seinfield from back in he last century. Elaine opened a store that served just the top of the muffin, thus the name. The top has all of the flavor, blueberries, or whatever topping. She was having a hard time throwing out the "stumps", so she started having them dropped off at the homeless shelter. This brought about an angry responce from the lady running the shelter about how the homeless deserved more than just the "stumps".... Very funny show.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Muff...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eipl1...
The You Tube link is well worth watching, its fits this situation with perfection.
I am in favor of the entire deer population being wiped out to prevent them from running in front of my car. Deer hunters are a little creepy but a necessary evil.
If I were hungry I would eat deer I'm sure. But not until then.
December 22, 2008 at 3:32 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Grinder (anonymous) says...
DANG eyecantspel!!! Where are you from? Wipe out the entire population? Deer hunters creepy... and evil?? Equating "Seinfield" with real life??? 'Bout time for that pharmceutical refill, isn't it? Really, really inane comments.
Vehicles hit deer for a number of reasons - Develpment erodes the deer habitat - The closr humans move in, the more used to us the deer become, so the nearer they come unknowingly into dangerous areas - people speeding in their vehicles. These are just a few. As the story stated, there was a major overpopulation problem in the 1990s. Who played a large role in fixing it? Yep, hunters. And hunters are no more creepy or evil than you and your neighbors. We even favor gun control: hitting what you aim at.
Oh yeah, and we donate meat to the needy. Maybe there's a counseling service that does the same thing for people like you.
December 22, 2008 at 7:05 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SC_Native_ElCid07 (anonymous) says...
eyecantspell said-
"I am in favor of the entire deer population being wiped out to prevent them from running in front of my car. Deer hunters are a little creepy but a necessary evil."
__________________________________________________________
From a deerhunter's standpoint and from someone that loves the wildlife resources we are give by God and nature in general THAT STATEMENT was a VERY creepy!
Why would you want to wipe out such a beautiful animal just to make your driving a little easier? Thats is the worst idea I have ever heard. Extinct the species. Real Smart... Just open your dern eyes and slow down in deer country.
Why is deer hunting so looked down on? Deer hunting has great recreational value, is it safe, it's relaxing, and getting a big buck is a heck of a challenge. We're not all loose cannon rednecks out there.
Hunters give much more money dollar for dollar, as a group, to wildlife conservation and protection of our natural resources than any other treehugging, save the whale type organizations, including PETA.
Yeah, when I'm hungry I'll eat a deer! I eat it 2 or 3 times a week along with other game I have taken or fish I have caught. Venison is some of the best table fare on the planet prepared properly. I like to put a tenderloin in the oven wrapped in tin foil for 2 hrs on 250 degrees. The one I ate last night was one of the best tasting things I have eaten in a LONG time. Including high dollar steaks from a steak house.
The only human hands to ever touch the animals I eat are mine. Thats natural and organic right there! I thought that was "in style" to be organic these days? LMAO
But some people would just rather eat a dern cow or chicken that has been pumped full of all kinds of vaccines(even if it says organic) and raised practically living on top of each other, killed by the thousands in slaughter houses.
At least when I get a deer I honor its life and its life has meaning. The meat is not wasted and the memory of the hunt lingers for long after.
Sitting in the woods on a cool fall morning and watching the sunrise and hearing the woods come alive and seeing all the sights and sounds of the natural world the way the good Lord intended it will certainly bring your relationship with Him much closer. For me, hunting is a very spiritual thing and gives me time to think about whats really important to me. I have made some of the biggest decisions in my life day dreaming away in a deer stand enjoying a beautiful day.
December 22, 2008 at 11:49 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
eboogie (anonymous) says...
I'm glad to hear this. I was in a shelter at one time. Being there helped me get back on my feet. I would love to give back and volunteer. Well not by shooting deer, I couldn't do that. But maybe my children and I can serve food at kitchen soups during the summer or something like that. I will make that my resolution next year to help out and give back.
December 22, 2008 at 11:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SC_Native_ElCid07 (anonymous) says...
Good for you eboogie! Thats a great resolution! Glad to hear you got back on your feet. We need more like you out there!
December 22, 2008 at 11:59 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SC_Native_ElCid07 (anonymous) says...
Bulldog1,
So I guess if hunters just stop keeping population levels in check they can just explode again to 1 million plus animals again and car collisions, crop depredation, and private property damage can just run rampant. Does that sound like a good trade off? Oh yeah, and the state can lose millions of dollars in revenue from people spending on hunting.
If you can't stomach killing your own food and want to eat somebody's flea bag cow that full of lord knows what out of a grocery store for astronomical prices, that your business.
I prefer the REAL organic meat myself.
December 22, 2008 at 12:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ccfirefighterchick (anonymous) says...
As a hunter, I am glad that people are appreciating what we try to do. Yes, I hunt to fill my freezer. But, when my freezer gets full, it is nice to know that there is a place to take the meat where it will be appreciated.
If we stop killing the deer, they will run rampant. They cause MVA's, kill crops, and will begin to come closer to humans in search of food. The population must be controlled.
To eyecantspel, if I look creepy to you, sorry. But, at least I know that if something should happen and I had to kill for food, I could. I have no problem hunting for something to put on my table. I would much rather eat an animal that hasn't been pumped full of God-knows-what in order to get it fat enough to butcher. Venison is a much leaner choice than beef any day of the week.
December 22, 2008 at 1:18 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SC_Native_ElCid07 (anonymous) says...
Lets put this into perspective: The Hunter vs Anti-Hunter
I know I personally have spent close to a grand this year on hunting this year. Most spend more than that once you factor in their property leases and everything else. A portion of these dollars go back to the state to be put toward the DNR. I know I have given at least a couple hundred dollars to various wildlife organizations through memberships and their events. That money goes directly to creating and preserving existing habitat through organizations like Ducks Unlimited and Delta Waterfowl just to name a few. I can't tell you how many woodduck boxes I've built so they can have safe nesting away from predators. I also have given meat to Hunters For The Hungery and tried to help better those of us who are less fortunate in society. I also spend a great deal of time and money improving my own property for the benefit ducks, deer, wild turkeys, quail, doves, and the other non-game animals that call my little piece of paradise home.
The average non-hunter (or anti-hunter) gives next to nothing, spends no time volunteering and is not affiliated with any conservation organizations. But they sure do beat their chests and condem us for murdering bambie; its all talk and no substinance! They don't do anything to help the wildlife! So until they can start putting money where their mouth is they don't have a leg to stand on.
Hunters put their money up to uphold these traditions for us ALL and for our future generations to enjoy.
Without hunters who would provide for wildlife and make sure their habitat is not destroyed in the name of progress? The money has got to come from some where because non-hunters and anti-hunters sure ain't putting it up. Think about it.
As the say goes, money talks and BS walks...
December 22, 2008 at 1:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
YankeeLady (anonymous) says...
With no habitat, animals will continue to come in dangerous contact with humans and their activities. It's not the deer's fault that it runs into your auto. It's overcrowing and proximity. Leave some habitat for the animals. Personally, I see hunting as the sport of cowards - sitting in the pristine forest is nice, but why kill a defenseless animal that's just trying to survive? Is this a religious experience? Explain something to me, all of you hunters - what kind of jollies do you get when you blow out a living creatures insides with a gun or arrow? Do you revel in its pain and suffering? Do you enjoy watching it die? There's an idiot that lives down the street from me who leaves decapitated deer heads on display in the back of his truck. That's indicates to me that he has a sadistic mental problem. Oh, but the way, some of us non hunters do support conservation and aren't all talk.
December 22, 2008 at 4:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ccfirefighterchick (anonymous) says...
YankeeLady, for the most part, hunters try to minimize the pain inflicted on the animal that we hunt. We don't revel in the pain and suffering of the animal that we are out hunting. One shot, one kill. Well trained hunters know where on the animal to shoot as to kill instantly. We don't start at their knees and shoot until the animal is dead. We generally take heart-shots so that the animal is clinically dead before it takes the next step.
We are generally very respectful of the animal's life. If the deer is considered a "trophy", we will occassionally take the head to be mounted for our wall. It isn't that we are killing for the joy of the kill or to let the meat rot. We eat the meat. We respect the animal that gave us our food. We are not sadistic.
For those of you that would rather eat beef, go ahead. Visit a slaughter-house sometime and see how those animals are treated. They are lined up and killed. When we are hunting, the deer have a greater probability of living than dying. We are not tricking them into being killed. We don't get "jollies" as you say from killing them. We know that we are going to have meat in our freezer to feed our families. We are able to donate some of that meat to food banks to feed other families.
Hunters are not evil or creepy or mean-spirited. We are people that know how to survive off of the land. We are people that have families to spend time with us and teach us the tradition of hunting.
December 22, 2008 at 9:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
walleyedwoman1215 (anonymous) says...
1) I've eaten venison a lot. Wouldn't compare it to caviar, but it's OK when cooked slowly. (Set crockpot on low, sprinkle backstrap with Knorr's dry onion soup, cook for eight hours.)
2) Where's Ted Nugent and his 200 MPH pro-hunting rants when ya need him?
December 22, 2008 at 10:59 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jammer (anonymous) says...
Yankeechic there's no wildlife crowding in this state, there's still way more woods than housing developments and always will be
googleearth SC and check out all the forest, there's only "spots" of housing... not "spots" of woods
it's like the gators, once upon a time there were very few... now that we've let them multiply they've encroached on OUR area, not the other way around
if we don't keep their population in check the land won't be able to support them and they will start to get diseased like many did a couple decades ago where masses had to be euthanized and cross bred just to try to keep them from becoming extinct
I know it's hard for some to wrap their heads around this fact but the fact is good responsible hunters actually help increase healthy populations... healthy being a key factor
and like others said, you can whine all you want but think about how that cow full of artificial feed lived and died that you eat at McD's or a steak house and then think about the good lean clean meat we hunters eat
the Bible clearly states that the game are here to sustain us, for our harvest...
and I am not a fat out of shape hunter like someone tried to stereotype us... I work out a few times a week and have for nearly 30 yrs, do atleast a cpl hundred situps every morning... so try again...
December 22, 2008 at 11:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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