ROCKFORD, Mich — Hunting here in Michigan is about much more than just shooting a nice buck to hang on the wall. It’s about filling the freezer – even if that freezer isn’t yours.
“There’s an old saying, of those much has been given much is expected," Jeff DeRegnaucourt with the Michigan Sportsmen Against Hunger told me. "We’ve had it pretty good."
That ‘old saying’ has been the driving force behind the Michigan Sportsman Against Hunger (MSAH) program Since 1991 they have led the charge for hunters donating their venison to local charities. According to their records, the nonprofit helped donate over 107,000 pounds of venison just last year.
"You see those people and it just tears at your heart."
As the West Michigan Coordinator, DeRegnaucourt filled me in on how the MSAH-backed program works.
A hunter donates their venison, free of charge, to a participating processor like Barb's Deer Processing in Comstock Park. They butcher, ground, and pack the venison – then following Chronic Wasting Disease and lead testing results – the venison makes its way to empty dinner plates.
To help move that meat, processors get a little reimbursement for their work thanks to— you guessed it— the generosity of hunters.
Those who can donate a few extra bucks when they buy their license.
"That money goes to theDNR (Department of Natural Resources), " DeRegnaucourt said. "Every year we need to submit a budget to the Department of Natural Resources, here’s what we paid out last year, here’s what we’re going to need for the coming year, and then they make that transfer over to us."
It's not an excuse to hunt more than you can take in, but if you do bring in more than your freezer can handle, the program provides a way for hunters to give back to those who truly need it.
"There are so many tags available now, especially with our over-the-counter doe tags for $20, you shoot that extra deer and chances are you won't eat it all," DeRegnaucourt implores hunters. "Why don’t you just donate it to the needy who really could use that venison.”
Michigan Sportsman Against Hunger are looking for any help they can get; a 2014 Michigan Hunger Study showed over one million people annually seek out food assistance— 37% of those homes have a child under the age of 18.
