GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — Chances are pretty slim that if you didn’t grow up hunting, you will not find yourself in a tree stand. But theNational Deer Association and their Field to Fork program are aiming to change that.
Forrest Waggoner is one of their success stories, and for the new-ish hunter, a venison backstrap beats out any set of antlers you could have hanging on the wall.
For him, the program is about one thing;
“Eating food ethically, and obtaining food ethically,” Waggoner explained.
He was practicing what he preached when we met for this story, providing quite the spread of venison dishes from deer he harvested.
As a self-proclaimed venison connoisseur, I thought everything tasted amazing.
But despite his culinary skills with wild game, and what his name might suggest, Forest didn’t grow up hunting. He only picked up the age-old pursuit about five years ago after deciding he wanted to have a closer connection to his food.
But doing that, unfortunately, is easier said than done.
“As I did my own research and just talked to other fellow hunters, I found that it was still something that I felt like I needed somebody to partner up with me in order to, you know, get that confidence in the field,” Forrest told me.
Finding those partners is getting harder... because the number of licensed deer hunters here in Michigan has dropped 32% since 1995 according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and picking up the skill set can be a long shot if you don’t grow up doing it.
But that’s where Forrest is bucking the trend, and why he got involved in Field to Fork.
Through this program, the hunting tent is opened to anyone interested in getting outside and getting involved in the food chain.
“I immediately found that I'm not alone, and the reason for me being here is the same as theirs,” said Forrest.
Seasoned hunters serve as the teachers for this program, and aim to pass on their skills and knowledge of hunting ethically.
“They did an excellent job making us feel comfortable all the way up to taking the shot, all the way up to getting set in a blind and saying, if you get your crosshairs on a deer and you have second thoughts, it's okay," Waggoner recalled. "And being very serious and intentional about that took a lot of pressure off."
But the pressure might have been on a little for Forrest, because his education took place on the popular hunting show Back 40, and under Michigan hunting personality and author Mark Kenyon.
Forrest came out of that field test a full-bore hunter and member of a new community.
“I kind of feel like I'm in a class, a graduate class, and I have contacts now, hunting contacts. You know, fellow students that went through the program with me that even though we don't chat every hunting season, I know that if I ever needed a hand with anything with hunting, or wanted to go hunt, if I was in their area, you know, I could look them up."
And he proves that if you want to be an active participant in what you eat, all you need to do is ask.
It might just make you a better cook too.
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