THIS hunting season’s harvest should be plentiful and no doubt there were will be lots of hunters who will share that harvest with those in need.
Hunters can donate some of their venison where it will be processed and distributed to help feed the hungry throughout New York State. Because donated deer must be professionally processed, the Venison Donation Coalition has coordinated a program where legally tagged and properly field-dressed deer can be taken to participating processors at no cost to the hunter.
The venison is processed and packaged according to the Environmental Conservation Law and the meat is picked up by food banks for delivery to soup kitchens, food pantries, and needy families throughout New York.
Ground venison is highly nutritious and each deer provides approximately 160 servings. You can find out more by going to the web site, http://www.venisondonation.com.
The Safari Club International Foundation (SCIF) is celebrating its fifth annual Sportsmen Against Hunger Week.
“The incredible effort by hunters nationwide to help SCIF battle hunger in their communities is astonishing year after year,” said SCIF executive director John Eichinger.
Sportsmen Against Hunger is active in all U.S. states, parts of Canada and in several other countries around the world.
Last year, those who participated in Sportsmen Against Hunger provided over 250,000 pounds of game meat. This year, SCIF hopes to increase that total by encouraging the outdoor sporting community to give even more of this high-protein, low-fat food resource.
Sportsmen and women who are unsure where to take their harvests for donation can look to SCIF’s online databases of nearly 400 licensed game processors and more than 300 relief organizations across the country that use wild game for local hunger programs. The databases are on its web site at http://www.sci-foundation.org/humanitarian/sah/.
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Close to 11,000 acres of New York City-owned land adjacent to State Forest Preserve land in the Catskills will be open to hiking, hunting, fishing and trapping without the need for a city permit under a cooperative agreement between NYC and the State.
The DEC will patrol the watershed property to enforce regulations, help protect the environment, and further assist in the management of these lands. The change will be in effect for the 2008-2009 hunting season.