Sportsman Against Hunger | Video

Evan Kruegel | 11/1/2012

Attention deer hunters: If your freezer is already full, or you just don`t have a need for more meat, there`s a way to help hungry families. With Community Action`s Sportsman Against Hunger Campaign, hunters can now have their venison processed for free, before being donated to community food banks.

"This is a great way to be able to hunt, do what you like as a hobby, and still give back to the community through the local food pantries,” said Community Action’s DeeAnn Long.

One hunter who plans on taking advantage of the program is Justin Fisketjon. He wasn`t lucky enough to get a gun tag this year, but he has archery tags in North Dakota and Montana.

"Having a dad and a brother and a sister, we all like to hunt, so if we fill a couple of our tags, there`s just not enough freezer space to hold three or four deer, and there`s absolutely no point in killing more deer than you can process and keep, so a program like this is really beneficial to us who want to get out there and hunt without wasting any meat."

A decent sized buck can provide over 60 pounds of meat, which goes a long way for food pantries in Williston, Watford City, Tioga, and Crosby - all of which will benefit from this program.

"You can make roasts, little steaks, you can grind it up into hamburger which extends the use to using it for about anything, so even a doe you`re getting a good 30-40 pounds of meat out of that animal which can really stretch a long ways when you use it as part of a meal," said Fisketjon.

But the program isn`t just for families with too much meat. Many workers see hunting as simply a recreational activity, and they have no desire to keep the meat after they`ve made their kill.

"If they`re living in a man camp it`s going to be pretty tough to process that meat and take it somewhere, so it`s a great opportunity for them to go out, have fun, and donate to a very good cause," said Fisketjon.

The program only received four deer last year, so Community Action is hoping for many more donations this season. For more information, go to Community Action`s website at www.capnd.org.

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