The Morehead News – Free youth hunting and trapping seasons perfect for Christmas vacation

By Hayley LynchAfter the presents, the huge meal, the Christmas movies, football games and leftovers, there’s another way to enjoy vacation time with your family this holiday season. Kentucky’s free youth seasons offer families a chance to enjoy the outdoors without requiring their kids to buy a license or permit. It’s a welcome break after buying all those Christmas presents.Children and teens ages 15 and under may hunt deer with a firearm Dec. 26-27, and may hunt and trap small game and furbearers Dec. 26 – Jan. 1, all without a license or permit.“We want to promote youth participation in hunting. We want kids to hunt at the youngest age their parents feel they are ready,” said Bill Balda, recruitment and retention branch manager for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “We know if we can get youth interested in hunting by the age of 12 or 13 they will most likely be lifelong hunters – and hunters are an integral part of our wildlife management.”Kids aren’t just license and permit exempt during these seasons; they are also exempt from hunter education requirements. However, adult supervision laws are in place to make sure they stay safe in the woods.Youth 15 and under who hunt deer with a firearm must always hunt beside an adult. The adult must be in a position to take immediate control of the youth’s firearm at all times. Small game and furbearer hunters under 12 who do not have a hunter education card must hunt with an adult regardless of the hunting method they use.Adults should always ensure kids follow hunter safety rules. “Our most common incidents that cause injuries during hunting are falling out of tree stands, accidental discharge of firearms and failing to identify the target or make sure there’s a good backstop,” Balda said. “As far as tree stands, if the child or adult is leaving the ground, they need to be tied off to the tree. They need to use a body harness tied to a safety strap around the tree.”Hunters can prevent accidents with firearms by treating every gun as if it were loaded. That means always pointing the gun in a safe direction, keeping it unloaded and the action open until the hunt begins, and keeping your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.“Be sure of your target, what’s in front of it, and what’s behind it,” Balda said. “If you’re small game hunting, never follow across the line. That means if a bird flushes, never follow the bird with the muzzle of your gun across the line of hunters beside you.”Finally, be sure to take kids out ahead of time to a range or another safe place to shoot. Help the youth hunter get comfortable with his or her firearm and teach them to safely carry and shoot it before ever hitting the woods.“Don’t just get out of bed and go hunting,” said Balda. “Getting kids familiar with their guns makes them more confident and less nervous.”Statewide bag limits and equipment restrictions apply during these hunting opportunities just like other seasons. Kentucky’s hunter orange clothing law is also in effect for all hunters during the free youth deer weekend. For detailed regulations, check the 2009-10 Kentucky Hunting & Trapping Guide, available online at fw.ky.gov and wherever licenses are sold.With a little preparation and an eye on safety, the upcoming free youth seasons are perfect opportunities for families to enjoy the outdoors together during Christmas vacation.Author Hayley Lynch is an award-winning writer and associate editor for Kentucky Afield magazine, the official publication of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. She loves deer hunting, shotgun sports and introducing women to the outdoors.

via The Morehead News – Free youth hunting and trapping seasons perfect for Christmas vacation.

Clayton man’s 18-point buck might shatter records – Dayton Daily News

Big buck likely to be an Ohio record for nontypical deer killed by a muzzleloader.

By Jim Morris, Staff Writer Rick Busse sees a lot of deer. As a popular taxidermist located on the Miami-Shelby county line, Busse has handled some extremely large deer, including the famous Beatty Buck about this time of year in 2000.When Brian Stephens brought in the buck that he shot on opening day of the deer gun season last week Nov. 30, Busse figured it would be just another nice buck to mount. And then he saw it.“It’s the biggest thing to come through my door since the Beatty Buck, and that was nine years ago,” Busse said.The buck that is likely to have the name Stephens Buck is a huge 18-pointer with one main beam of its rack possibly the largest for any whitetail ever recorded – 35 inches. And once the antlers are officially scored, it is likely to be an Ohio record for a nontypical deer killed by a muzzleloader.The rack will be green scored by Boone & Crocket scorer Mike Wendel of Botkins today, Dec. 9. Once it has dried, 60 days from now, it will be officially scored. There’s a good chance it will measure out with a net score of about 235 inches.“The main beams — as far as my research has been able to come up with — are the longest main beams ever recorded on any deer in history,” Busse said. “Seeing a deer with main beams over 30 inches is rare. And I think the record is 33½. These are both over 34½.”Stephens, 39, lives in Clayton and works in software development for CS Stars. Having hunted every year since he was 12, he has become an experienced hunter and has seen plenty of deer. But he’s never seen another deer like this one and, in fact, it took some time to sink in once he downed the buck with his 50-cal. muzzleloader.Hunting in a group of six family and friends on his family’s farm in Highland County, Stephens climbed into his tree stand just before dawn. Not long after first light, he saw a doe followed by a buck with huge antlers walking toward him.“But I could never get a clear shot,” Stephens recalled. “They were walking slowly around in an area covered with trees. They were only about 50 yards away from my stand, but I never had a clear shot.”Stephens watched the doe and buck for most of the morning, hoping to get an opportunity that never came. Finally, they wandered off and Stephens decided to take a lunch break at their farm house. He ate quickly and then returned to his stand, hoping to get another glimpse at the monster buck. After seeing several deer, that chance came again.Just after 4 p.m. he saw the buck again, this time about 250 yards away and headed straight for him. When it reached a fence row about 80 yards away, it turned broadside to Stephens and his Thompson/Center muzzleloader. Stephens took his shot.“When the smoke cleared, I couldn’t see him, so I thought I had missed him,” Stephens said. “Then I saw it running and fall. I took a drink of water and collected myself. It was probably a half an hour before I got to the deer. When I saw the rack, I couldn’t believe it. I knew it was big, but I never imagined it would be like this.”The deer, estimated by Busse to be 5 ½ to 6 ½ years old, weighed 215 pounds after field dressing. It drew a big crowd when Stephens checked it in at the Rocky Fork Truck Stop.“It’s amazing how quickly word gets around. We were only there a few minutes. I even parked toward the back, out of the way, and people still crowded around it,” Stephens said.If the Stephens Buck turns out anything like the Beatty Buck, people will be crowding around for a look at those antlers for many years to come.Contact this reporter at 937 225-2409 or jmorris@DaytonDailyNews.com.

via Clayton man’s 18-point buck might shatter records.

Tis The Season

By
Mary Ann McCoy
Munfordville, KY

As another deer season closed I found myself comparing deer seasons to the “ghosts” in Charles Dickens’ famous novel, A Christmas Carol. The ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future, succeeded in showing Scrooge the error of his ways. Similarly, certain seasons of deer hunting have educated me.

During the past seasons I have observed many deer visiting the food plots, the corn piles, and the salt licks. I consider these to be the “deer of seasons past”. The ones that I scouted, photographed, and documented. The ones with which I experienced buck fever. The ones I knew everything about. The ones I now base all of my great cabin tales on. You know the ones I am talking about. The ones that got away…the “deer of seasons past”.

As I put fingers to the keyboard it is presently both muzzle loader and bow season in my state. Hence, I think about the “deer of seasons present”. I plan to squeeze in some afternoon hunts or the weekend hunt. However, the season present is plagued by windy days and rainy afternoons. The unpredictability of the conditions places challenges upon the seasons present. Thus anticipation and motivation decline…The “deer of seasons present” are left for yet another day…

Unfortunately, I suffer the non-harvest results of the “deer of seasons past” and the “deer of seasons present”. Now, I wonder if my luck will change for the upcoming ones. Have I learned anything? What can I change? How long will this take? Are my tactics too fake? I hope the “deer of seasons future” will appear so I do not live with the ghosts yet another year.

Until then, I will research, target practice, and scout. I will be ready when those deer come out. I will not be haunted by these deer of seasons past, present or future again. I will be a prepared “Scrooge” when the new seasons begin!

Kentucky’s First Bear Hunt In Modern Times Coming Up

Frankfort, KY – On Dec. 19, Kentucky hunters will make history. The first bear hunt in modern times will take place in Harlan, Letcher and Pike counties. The hunt is open to any Kentucky resident who purchases a bear hunting permit in addition to an annual hunting license, unless license exempt.

“The population has shown phenomenal growth from only a decade ago,” said Steven Dobey, bear program coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “We’ve been monitoring this population and have been involved in research with the University of Kentucky for almost 10 years. Based on our research efforts, it’s clear that Kentucky’s bear population can support a sustainable harvest.”

Black bears were nearly absent from Kentucky for about 150 years after intensive logging in the 19th century took away much of their habitat. They gradually made their way back to southeastern Kentucky from Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee as oak-hickory forests matured once again. Kentucky’s bear numbers grew over time, as did public interest in a bear hunting season.

“The other driving force in this first bear season has been public interest and support from sporting organizations in Kentucky,” Dobey said. “In particular, the League of Kentucky Sportsmen played an important role in making this bear season a reality.”

“This season is particularly exciting because black bears are the first species to repopulate naturally in Kentucky,” said Rick Allen, president of the League of Kentucky Sportsmen. “I’m glad to see this season become a reality for Kentucky’s sportsmen and sportswomen.”

The bear harvest is limited to 10 bears total or five female bears, whichever limit hunters reach first. Most female bears are already denned at this time of year, which will limit the number of females available for harvest. Hunters must call Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s general information number at 1-800-858-1549 after 9 p.m. Dec. 19 to check if the harvest quota has been reached. If the quota has not yet been reached, the hunt will continue on Dec. 20 only.

The bag limit is one bear per hunter. Successful hunters must take their bear to one of the check-in stations set up in each of the open counties. Locations are listed at the department’s webpage online at fw.ky.gov, or hunters may call 1-800-858-1549 during regular weekday business hours prior to the hunt for check-in station locations. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife biologists will weigh the bears, take body measurements and biological samples for research, and attach a permanent tag to each harvested animal. Hunters must also Telecheck their bear before leaving the check station.

Hunters may not take female bears with cubs or bears weighing less than 75 pounds. A 75-pound bear is about the same size as an adult Labrador retriever. Baiting is prohibited, including garbage used as bait. For example, hunters may not shoot a bear feeding at a garbage can or dumpster.

The Hensley-Pine Mountain Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is closed to bear hunting, and a 12,500-acre area surrounding the WMA is open only to landowners, their spouses and dependent children hunting on their own property. Those boundaries are clearly delineated in the 2009-10 Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide, available wherever hunting licenses are sold and online at fw.ky.gov.

Hunters may also read about all equipment, licensing, hunter education and youth supervision laws in this guide. Hunter orange clothing is required for all bear hunters regardless of what hunting equipment they use, as the season coincides with late muzzleloader deer season.

Most Kentucky hunters haven’t taken a bear before. However, hunters can use some of the same techniques they use for deer hunting. Hunters should begin by scouting ridgelines for hard mast food sources such as acorns.

“In the fall and winter months, bears have only one thing on their minds and that’s putting on weight for the winter denning season,” Dobey said. “They’ll concentrate their activity almost exclusively around food sources.”

In eastern Kentucky, mountain ridgelines hold the highest concentrations of these food sources. Bears are predictable in their daily travel patterns. Hunters should search for trails worn into the ground, paw prints in leaf litter or even claw marks on trees, as bears feed extensively in trees as well as under them. Once hunters find a stand of acorn-producing trees and other signs of bear activity, they can set up tree stands just as they do for deer hunting. Ground blinds can also be used.

A bear’s sense of smell is even better than a deer’s, so there isn’t much hunters can do to cover up their scent. However, bears are also generally more curious than deer, as odors may indicate a potential food source. Since bears are trying to put on weight for winter denning, scent can actually work to a hunter’s advantage. Hunters should aim for the same vital area on a bear that they look for on a deer.

Portions of 10 public hunting areas are open for bear hunting, though hunters should consult maps to ensure they hunt only within Harlan, Letcher and Pike counties. Excluding Hensley-Pine Mountain WMA, there are 29,651 acres of public land available to hunters within the three-county bear zone. Hunters must have landowner permission to hunt or retrieve downed bears from private land.

via Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources – Kentucky’s First Bear Hunt In Modern Times Coming Up.

Valerie’s First Deer

By Troy Thompson

My daughter Valerie Thompson is 10 years old and took her hunter’s Safety Course last year when she was 9 years old and got a 99%.

Valerie goes with me to all of these events she can. She really loves the outdoors and hunting and fishing. I truly believe this was with some of my influence but was careful not to overdo it and let her absorb it at her own pace.

We joined the local 4-H shooter’s Club and she received excellent additional training in gun safety and how to handle and shoot a shotgun properly.

She started hunting waterfowl and small game and carrying her own gun last year.
She harvested 5 ducks by herself. She is quite an accomplished caller and travels with me around the State doing seminars and working the Delta Waterfowl Booths at shows.

We started out with Valerie going with me on hunting trips at a young age. When she was six years old I took her waterfowl hunting as long as the weather was comfortable and the hunting trip was easy access. I always wanted to make sure she had a good experience and enjoyed herself. (If the kids are not comfortable at a young age they can lose interest in being afield.) We have spent hundreds of hours in the woods together.

Valerie had a lot of “First” this year! Her first mallard drake, first squirrel and first pheasant.

This year’s “Youth Shotgun Season” was her first deer hunt. It could not have turned out any better in a scripted book!

We had set up a pop up ground blind next to a tree I bow hunted in all week during the rut.
I had seen deer every single time I went up that tree! Lots of does and button bucks. A few larger bucks but nothing close enough to take a good shot. I thought this would be an excellent place for Valerie to see and harvest her first deer. We were after any deer she would encounter.

We put up the blind one week prior to Youth Gun Season and brushed it up really well.
I taught her to mark the turns in the logging path by visual markers like the big stone, the downed tree, and the overhanging cedar tree.

On Opening Morning we got up really early and had breakfast. We drove to our hunting spot and proceeded down the series of beautiful logging roads winding through the woods. There are food plots, thick cover bedding areas and fields and woods. As we walked in the dark together, I was excited for her more than I had ever been for a hunt of my own!
Valerie had remembered the visual markers as we worked our way to our hunting destination with our hat lights on “Red” leading us to the blind.

We arrived about 30 minutes before shooting time and got settled in. I had built a wooden gun rest and painted it camo for her to use in front of the ground blind. We practiced her bringing up an empty gun a few times and taking aim out in the biologic field we were hunting over.

All of our preparation and years of teaching and learning were about to become a reality!
We said a prayer for our safety and thanked God for the wonderful world of nature he created for us to enjoy.

Just like in a movie, at 7:15 a.m. I hear Valerie whisper, “Dad” and I looked up and there, in all of God’s Glory walked out a fantastic 10 point buck nibbling at the food plot as he made his way across in front of us at a mere 32 yards! Valerie brought up her gun, took aim, put off the safety and let him have it! The buck hunched up and turned and ran back the direction he came from. Valerie chambered another shell and clicked on the safety.

I looked at her and knew she hit him good. I asked her how the shot felt and she said “Really good, Right on, I thought.” I told her I thought she hit him good. She said. “Yea I got a buck!” I told her, “Dad’s been doing this for 34 years and we don’t know for sure just yet.” You did everything right, but sometimes they get away. (Most of the times for Dad.) She said “Lets go see if I hit Him!” I explained to her we needed to wait and let him go lay down and not push him. We waited 20 minutes and walked out to the spot he was standing. There before us was both entry and exit hair and blood! She put a good lick on him! Again, Valerie was excited and wanted to go right away and look for him. I explained again we want to make sure and not lose him so we need to go back to the blind and wait some more. She understood and the next half hour was something I will never forget with us watching the sun rise, animals moving around and high fives to each other about every two minutes.
When we trailed the buck, there was a great blood trail after about 15 yards from the spot she hit him and easy to follow. We trailed him about 100 yards. I cannot explain the lump in my throat and the chills up my spine when we spotted him slumped over a fallen tree 40 yards ahead of us! This was a hunt of a lifetime! I will never forget the time we shared. We went up to the buck, thanked God and just sat there admiring him. The sun was out it was just beautiful!

I hope this story gets printed so other fathers can be encouraged to get their children involved in the great heritage we have in hunting and the outdoors. Properly introduce their kids to what this great State has to offer and take advantage of some pretty fantastic father / daughter or father / son time…

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the land owner for allowing us to hunt and create these cherished memories! We should all be grateful to those that give us permission to hunt and not take that privilege for granted.

My name is Troy Thompson. I am an O.D.N.R Officer / Investigator and I also have my own business “Bird Down Retrievers” and do Hunting Retriever Seminars for “Hart Productions” and “Bass Pro Shops” and other outdoor retail stores and hunting and fishing shows. I own a Champion titled Yellow Lab named “Tanker” and we go to Hunt Test all over the Midwest. tankerlab@yahoo.com

Don’t forget the late season

By Steve Miller Outdoor columnist

Let’s be honest. Now that the rut and modern firearm season is over, the majority of hunters have forgotten about deer hunting and are now focusing on waterfowl, small game or the spring fishing season waiting patiently around the corner.

I used to follow this same schedule until the past two seasons forced my hand to hunt into late December and January. It is becoming my favorite time to hunt.

The woods I mostly hunt deer in are a long way from Murray, and I could never find the time to escape during the favored pre-rut and peak-rut phases for long periods of time.

So when I return home for holiday break, that unfilled tag becomes very heavy in my pocket, and I feel the urge to go to the woods no matter the conditions.

After a few years in this routine I have become fairly competent in late-season deer tactics.

Following the rut, deer revert to their normal patterns of feeding and bedding each day.

However, this does not necessarily mean they are moving at the same time of day and in the same locations as in the early season.

Deer, especially the older trophy class bucks, feel safe moving in low-light conditions, but cold nights may keep deer from leaving the warm environment of their sheltered bedding areas.

Deer know if they sleep late, it will warm up, and they can move around without losing body heat.

As long as the light conditions resemble those of dusk or dawn (because cloud cover, fog, light snow or rain reduces the sunlight penetration,) deer will feel comfortable moving at any time of day.

Under low-light conditions, you can be certain herds of deer will be looking for food. After the rigors of the rut, bucks need to eat a lot to restore the fat they lost earlier in the season in order to survive the winter.

They are most interested in high quality food sources, or areas with abundant forage. If acorns, corn, soybeans, berries, legumes or other high quality food sources are still around, hunters should stake out in those areas.

But late in the season, these food sources grow scarce due to crop harvesting and depleting grazing plants. The deer will even concentrate on a single area that yields food.

Last season, I hunted over a patch of corn still standing in December and saw over 70 deer parade out of the woods and into the field in one afternoon.

Some of the deer were bucks I had never seen around the property, and I soon realized a deer will travel any distance to find quality food in the late fall and winter months.

With these deer habits in mind, I like to set up on a trail going from bedding areas to food sources. Rather than hunting closer to the food source, I opt to set up as near to the bedding area as I can without alarming the deer.

Even though the deer may arrive at food sources well before dark, they are often more alert when feeding. Hunters can easily be detected by deer because of our scent or movements.

The straightforward and predictable habits of concentrations of deer in the late season is one reason I like to hunt after the rut.

Another reason is the potential for a true trophy. Those bucks that survived the season so far did so because they are old and wise.

I love the challenge of going after these smart bucks. It is a chess match, and it won’t be finished until one of us makes a mistake.

If you still have plenty of room in your freezer and unfilled tags, give the late season a chance.

You can sleep in, have the woods to yourself, and if you’re in the right place at the right time, you will see not just one deer but lots of them.

Then it is just a matter of sitting back and waiting for the right one to walk by.

Contact Miller at steven.miller@murraystate.edu.

via The Murray State News – The Great Outdoors 12-4-09.

Application Sales Begin For 2010 Kentucky Elk Hunt Lottery

Dec 02, 2009 Frankfort, Ky. – Applications for Kentucky’s 2010 elk hunt lottery went on sale today. Applications cost $10, and give the purchaser a chance to win a bull or cow elk tag. Applications are available online only.You may apply by logging onto the homepage of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources at fw.ky.gov and clicking on the yellow “Buy Licenses Here” box on the right side of the page. If you wish to purchase a chance for someone on your Christmas shopping list, you will need that person’s social security number.Kentucky Fish and Wildlife issued 750 cow elk tags and 250 bull elk tags for the regular 2009 lottery quota hunts. More than 46,000 people applied for the 2009 hunts.Youth hunters 15 years old and younger may apply for the 2010 youth-only elk hunt at Paul Van Booven Wildlife Management Area. Youth may apply for the regular quota elk hunts and the youth-only hunt, but each application costs $10.You can only apply one time except those youth applying for the youth-only and regular elk quota hunts. The lottery is open to Kentucky residents and non-residents. The deadline to apply is April 30. The drawing will be conducted in May.Eighty-seven percent of those drawn for the 2009 bull elk hunt successfully harvested a bull elk during the current season.

via Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources – Application Sales Begin For 2010 Kentucky Elk Hunt Lottery.

Donated venison helps feed the hungry | The Courier-Journal

By C. Ray Hall • crayhall@courier-journal.com

When Clint Blackburn graduated from taxidermy school in Minnesota, he returned to his home in South Dakota, hoping for a job offer.It came — from south Louisville.Blackburn got a job. In return, Kentucky got a movement that has wed country folk and city folk, fed thousands of hungry people, and inspired similar programs in other states.“I packed up everything I owned,” Blackburn recalled, “and moved to Kentucky in 1987.”Everything he owned included a love of hunting — with a gun, a bow and arrow or anything else allowable.“I’d throw rocks if they made it legal,” he said a few days ago. “I like to hunt.”Blackburn owned something else — a generous spirit that caused him to ask a simple question that eventually created Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry. It works like this: Deer hunters who have extra venison donate it so that it goes to homeless shelters, soup kitchens and other places that feed the poor.Hunters bring a field-dressed deer to a processing station associated with Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry. There, the deer is usually turned into ground venison. In Louisville, Dare to Care volunteers pick up the packaged meat and distribute it to relief agencies.The processors’ fees come from charitable donations; the hunters pay nothing.In the past eight years, Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry has contributed enough meat for more than 5 million meals, said chairman Mike Ohlmann.Ohlmann owns Mike’s Custom Taxidermy, on Cane Run Road. Blackburn, 44, is his shop foreman.Ohlmann recently recalled a 1988 conversation in which Blackburn said something on the order of: “I’m just a single guy. I don’t have the space for a whole deer, no place to put it. I’d like to help. Is there any way we can give this to the poor?”’Ohlmann recalls his own reaction. “It was like ‘DING!’ We researched it and found out it could be done, and sounded like a great idea.”Ohlmann and other taxidermists, including Damon Kustes, joined with deer processors and hunters’ organizations, and Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry was born. The name would come later, but the idea was off and running.

“I think that’s a really, really wonderful idea — a special idea,” said the Rev. Tim Moseley, president of Louisville’s Wayside Christian Mission, which serves 2,500 meals a day.

“Sometimes we’re pretty surprised at how much comes in. It’s not a drop in the bucket. I don’t know if the hunters really know how much it impacts our people. It is providing some good meat for our folks that they just wouldn’t get otherwise.”

Before the organized effort called Hunters for the Hungry, free-lance philanthropists with extra deer might show up at the Wayside mission.

“Probably the health department wouldn’t like this — but we would have whole deer brought in,” Moseley said. “I can remember helping some of the guys skin and gut deer that we hung up in the laundry room in the back of the men’s shelter.

“We never knew whether that was right or wrong. It probably wasn’t right, but we did it anyway just to be sure people got served.”

That hasn’t been an issue for a long time. Hunters for the Hungry works with 46 USDA-approved deer-processing operations across the state, from Ashland to Mayfield.

The processors charge the organization $60 per deer. Ordinarily, Ohlmann said, processing a deer would cost $85 to $95. On average, a deer yields 55 pounds of ground meat, he said. Donations from churches, businesses, individuals, and the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources cover the processors’ fees.

One of the organization’s high-profile supporters is Southeast Christian Church, whose members contribute not only cash — $65,000 over the last three years — but field work, so to speak. Through the church’s Sportsman’s Challenge, hunters take to the woods in service of Hunters for the Hungry.

Ralph Swallows, one of the leaders, says “hundreds” of hunters from the church are involved. By year’s end, he said, it’s likely the church’s effort will have contributed to more than a half-million meals since 2007.

Ohlmann said it’s unclear how many hunters statewide go afield hoping to help Hunters for the Hungry, since only those who bag a deer are generally known.

Ivan Schell, the organization’s treasurer, said Hunters for the Hungry annually contributes 50,000 to 80,000 pounds of meat — deer and elk — to the needy.

Some of the meat goes to The Healing Place, which serves the homeless and those in recovery addiction to drugs and alcohol. The Healing Place serves 475,000 meals a year, said operations director Stephanie Schaefer. With a food budget of only $52,000, donations are welcome — and vital.

“Obviously when … meat falls from the sky, that’s a tremendous thing,” Schaefer said. “Getting the venison is an enormous lucky piece for us.”

The venison is usually ground, “which is probably the most versatile way for us,” she said. “Then I can turn it into spaghetti sauce or meat loaf or hamburger patties or soup or chili.”

And how does deer meat go over with the diners?

“Most are fine with it,” she said. “I don’t always announce that it’s venison — just like if I get buffalo, I don’t always announce that it’s buffalo.”

Tuesday night, Cajun-flavored pulled venison was on the menu at The Healing Place men’s shelter on West Market Street. To the eye, it was barbecued pork; to the tongue, it was different.

Margaret Lewis, executive assistant to CEO Jay Davidson, noted: “The texture of the meat was closer to beef than it would be pork. Tender. The flavor was richer, fuller. Very tasty.”

A bit later, when Lewis offered a similar appraisal, three diners looked up from their tables, then smiled and nodded in agreement.

Venison got the same reception during the program’s test roll-out, at the Wayside mission in October 1988, Ohlmann recalls.

“It surprised me how many rural people were frequent customers of Wayside,” he said. “People that had been displaced from the country, were in need of employment, or lost housing … a number of rural people readily identified with venison — ‘Oh, I ate this growing up as a kid.’ ”

Hunters — those most likely to know how to prepare venison — acted as cooks and servers at that 1988 dinner. They prepared for 250 people. About 190 showed up.

One diner, in particular, stands out for Ohlmann.

“That guy is probably the reason I’m still doing this,” he said.

He was a young, one-legged man getting about on a crutch, with surprising grace.

“When we announced seconds,” Ohlmann said, “he grabbed his tray and just hopped up there on one leg, all the way up, in a hurry, to get back in line. He said, ‘Man, this deer has put some hop back in my step!’

“Everybody — just so many smiling faces — it was so well received. We said, ‘We need to do this.’”

C. Ray Hall can be reached at (502) 582-4662.

via Donated venison helps feed the hungry | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal.