Hunters for the Hungry

[megalomaniac]

How does this work? Just shoot a deer and drop it off either whole or field dressed at a participating processor with a permanent kill tag affixed? Does the processor give you a discounted rate for the processing when it is just being ground and donated?

Normally before season opens I contact friends and coworkers who like venison but who either don't hunt or who have gotten too old to hunt and get a list to fill. I skin, quarter, and age the meat, then give them the cleaned quarters (bone in or bone out, depending on their preference) and they do the final processing themselves, or take to a processor themselves if they want smoked or summer sausage.

In a normal year, that's 6 or 7 deer donated in addition to 2 bucks I keep for myself (between 4 hunters... me and 3 kids doing the killing).

This year my population has exploded due to a mass die off from coyotes before fawn drop 2022, then we've killed any coyotes that have since shown back up since the die off (18 killed since last summer). As such, we have had 2 great fawn crops in a row (50% recruitment past 2 years). I'm expecting to kill an additional 10 does this season compared to years past for management purposes. I'm turning my son and his college friends loose to accomplish this harvest requirement. I have 8 deer spoken for, but will likely need to donate 5 or 6 if my son does not find other college friends who want a deer.

 

[Remington700]

Where I am you kill one, field dress it, then just drop it at a participating processor. They do the rest and you do nothing else.

 

[Bass1090]

Congrats on the yote killing and fawn success!
First you will need to find a processor that participates in the program. At the one I use for donations I field dress the deer and just drop it off, if he is there I fill out a card, if he isn't I just mark it HFTH. There is no fee or anything else that I recollect. Pretty easy and for a great cause!

Good luck! If you need some help with the does give me a shout, I am getting my wife into hunting lol.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

I called a local processor a few weeks ago and asked. All you have to do is field dress and drop off. All fees are covered by the state

 

[Bucket]

I field dress the deer and just drop it off

How does he get your authorization number from check-in? Do you call them later?

 

[megalomaniac]

Wait, the donating hunter does not donate the fee to process???

Who is paying for the processing if it is the 'state' (TWRA?, $$$ donations to food banks?, taxpayer dollars?) And how much is the 'state' paying the processor per deer?

 

[Bucket]

Tennessee Wildlife federation is the driving force behind this, and they fundraise year round. I don't think the "state" pays for the processing. Info below along with participating processors:

https://tnwf.org/hunters-for-the-hungry/

 

[Boll Weevil]

Venison Donation in Tennessee | Hunters For The Hungry

Since 1998, TWF’s Hunters for the Hungry has shared 8.7M+ servings of venison to Tennesseans in need. Food banks—find a processor today.

tnwf.org

 

[jc0313]

1. Find a participating processor.
2. Check-in/tag your deer.
3. Field dress your deer.
4. Follow the processor's S.O.P. for dropping off your deer, and indicate that it is for HFTH.

Hunters For The Hungry will cover the processor's cost associated with processing the harvest. You don't pay a dime.

Hunters for the Hungry

Learn how the Hunters for the Hungry program works, and find a drop-off location near you.

hfth.nra.org

 

[Bass1090]

Wait, the donating hunter does not donate the fee to process???

Who is paying for the processing if it is the 'state' (TWRA?, $$$ donations to food banks?, taxpayer dollars?) And how much is the 'state' paying the processor per deer?

It's all covered.

There is a box you can check when you buy your license to donate $ to this cause. I personally always check the box for the standard $5 donation.

 

[Bass1090]

How does he get your authorization number from check-in? Do you call them later?

No number needed. You don't get any meat back from the deer. If you keep the head or horns they will give you a number for that.

 

[Kevin]

Yall cut the back straps out before you drop it off ?

 

[Jcalder]

Apparently you drop it off and they throw it away

 

[megalomaniac]

Did a little research on the TN Wildlife Federation. I have gotten multiple solicitations from them in the past, but have never donated to them (its RARE that I donate to any charitable organization other than directly to my local church as there is direct accountability on how the $$$ is spent and the overhead/ administrative costs are low).

Sounds like they are doing a great job... averaging 48lbs of meat per deer according to numbers from 2022. If I use HFTH, I'll donate processing costs as well to TWF to cover processing fees.

I'll call my closest processor and find out how many deer they can accept at a time. If all I have to do is field dress, I'd prefer to just make 1 trip and drop off all 5 or 6 at once.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Wait, the donating hunter does not donate the fee to process???

Who is paying for the processing if it is the 'state' (TWRA?, $$$ donations to food banks?, taxpayer dollars?) And how much is the 'state' paying the processor per deer?

Yeah the "state" is just what the processor told me. He was just painting with a wide brush I assume. But nonetheless, no fee to you. Just make sure they are accepting. I've tried to donate a few later in the season and they were no longer accepting deer.

 

[Dennis]

I donate one or two every year. It's kind of a nice way to keep hunting even after the freezer is full.

 

[Bucket]

It's also a good option if you're pressed for time and would otherwise have to completely debone for CWD transport restrictions.

 

[Gravey]

If I'm not mistaken the fee is covered until the funds designated for it are gone. At that point some processors will do it for a reduced amount but it then falls on the hunter to pay that amount. Best bet is to contact the processor you plan to use.

 

[BigAl]

Occasionally my process gets full on some of the heavy weekends and he'll put a stop to donations for a bit. Just keep that in mind.

 

[Bone Collector]

Wait, the donating hunter does not donate the fee to process???

Who is paying for the processing if it is the 'state' (TWRA?, $$$ donations to food banks?, taxpayer dollars?) And how much is the 'state' paying the processor per deer?

the way I understand it is they collect donations and those donations pay for so many deer. After the quota is met you pay a reduced fee. One year I donated one after and I think I paid $40.