The Reporter newspaper, Camdenton Missouri

The Reporter covers Miller, Morgan and Camden County in Central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks and is published once per week on Wednesdays.

Published November 20, 2013

Hunters asked to ‘Share the Harvest’ this year

By Jeff Thompson
LAKE OF THE OZARKS - As deer season gets underway, hunters can help feed those in need through the annual Share the Harvest program.

Share the Harvest is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and is a collaborative effort between hunters, meat processors and local charitable organizations throughout the state.

Local deer hunters may take their donated meat to The Butcher Shop in Camdenton, Tom’s Slaughter & Meat Processing in Montreal and Russellville Locker in Russellville.

Other participating processors throughout the state are listed in the 2013 Fall Deer and Turkey Hunting Regulations found at permit vendors.

Miller County Conservation Agent Eric Swainston said deer season is not only a good way to contribute to Missouri food banks, it also helps control the deer population.

“Hunting is an economical and effective way to limit the size of the deer herd,” Swainston said.

In addition, there are those hunters who are simply looking for a trophy.

“While some hunters like to hunt to put meat in the freezer, there are some who enjoy hunting for only the trophy buck,” Swainston said. “Most people tend to agree it’s wasteful to kill deer that won’t be eaten, so what can they do with the venison?”

That where the Share the Harvest program comes into play, Swainston said.

“It’s easy to donate. Hunters just need to take their deer to an approved processor and tell them how much they’d like to donate,” Swainston said. “Hunters have the option of donating a few pounds or the whole deer.”

The MDC agreed with Swainston.

“It provides food to the hungry through deer meat donated by hunters; hunters can choose to give part or all of any deer they take,” a MDC spokesman said. “They bring their deer to an approved meat processor to process the venison, usually into ground meat, where it is then packaged for distribution.”

If a hunter donates a whole deer, the Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM) administers a statewide program that directly reimburses the processor a set amount for each whole deer donated, Swainston said

“This in turn allows the processor to reduce his processing fee for those participating in the Share the Harvest program,” he added.

CFM pays $60 towards the processing fees of each donated animal.

“... In many instances, local contributions to certified meat processors result in little or no expense for hunters to donate their deer to the program other than the costs for permits, equipment and fuel,” a CFM spokesman said.

The 2013 CFM budget allows for 10,000 whole deer donations.

According to CFM, Share the Harvest has provided a healthy protein source for many Missouri families since 1990 and has become an effective tool for deer herd management.
Missouri’s Firearms Deer Season - which started Nov. 16 - will run through Nov. 26 this year.

Hunters need to legally harvest and tele-check their deer before bringing them to an authorized processor for donation, the MDC stated.

A list of authorized processors is also available on line through the MDC website at www.mdc.mo.gov.