Hunting to feed your family?

Ok so I know hunting can be a touchy subject, so I hope I'm not sparking a fire here :P

How do you feel about hunting to feed your family? I'm not talking about hunting just for the sport of it.

My DH is against hunting just for sport, but said he would hunt elk and deer as a more sustainable way to feed our family. He really wants to get away from buying cow meat at the grocery store because of all the nastiness that ends up in the meat and the way the cows are treated (we have discussed the option of buying 1/2 of a grass-fed, farm raised cow.......). He had gotten an elk once in the past and for the 10+ years we've been together he said he would never do it again (he certainly didn't enjoy the experience), but I think learning and caring more about what we put into our bodies has him reconsidering his stance.

In theory I guess it makes a lot more sense, but it's hard for me to get passed eating a deer. He brought home some elk tonight that a buddy gave him, and it was amazing- he grills a mean steak- and wasn't gamey at all, but I was trying not to gag on every bite because I was too in my head about it. Why is it we think it's ok to eat a cow and not a deer or elk?

I grew up on wild game and my dad always hunted to help keep food costs down, however he did love the sport too, but we were raised to never take anything that we weren't going to eat. I think if you have access to a place to hunt it makes since, the hardest part I see for some is learning to cook the different meat (some can be a bit tougher). But it could be a great resource.

My dad grew up on a farm and knew how to butcher, so he would butcher cows for friends in exchange for half a side of beef-and he often did it right outside our diningroom window as we ate breakfast! The meat processing equipment was in our basement! :laugh: He hunted deer, bear, and turkey and we saw the whole process of killing, skinning/de-feathering, butchering, and even saw heart, liver, etc in the fridge. And we ate it all. I am one of the few and proud who has had head cheese. Not a fan. :yuk: So to me it's very normal to think about hunting for food. I am grateful we had those sources of high quality meat before the news about factory farming got out, and before organic/grass fed beef and pork was even available in the store for the general public. (We couldn't have afforded it anyway-bartering his skills for a share worked out perfectly). I think in a way it's responsible to know where your food comes from, and the connection is valuable. It has given me a deeper respect for the animals whose lives were given for my food, and a lasting desire not to waste anything. I don't think you have to get to the point of it being QUITE so up close and personal as having body parts in your fridge, but actively participating in the process of obtaining meat is a good thing in my book.

I would just say make sure if he is not experienced that he practices religiously to make sure he gets a clean kill when he does hunt, and to line up someone experienced who will help him process the meat so that there is as little waste as possible. I think that's important in considering the ethics of the situation.

We are all for hunting to feed the family here. John hasn't done it but my dad and brothers go out every fall to MT and go elk hunting. My mom won't eat the stuff but I've never had a problem with it and love elk and moose steak.

If I had to kill my own meat, I would be a vegetarian. Plus in my state, there can be issues with deer having chronic wasting disease and that worries me. I live in an area where a lot of men hunt....but my DH can't even hardly stand to kill a spider let alone a huge mammal. So for us, hunting is a definite no-go.

I grew up eating deer, squirrel, goose, and turkey that my dad had killed. It was the norm, and we never bought fish at the store, it was always fish that we'd caught. I used to hunt with my dad too, and have killed a couple of deer myself. Never was an animal intentionally wasted and venison is delish!

Love it. My father was a hunter in his youth but once my parents had had us we mostly raised the animals we ate. Occasionally for Christmas we would bring in a pheasant though. We have friends that go down to Kentucky every year to an area that's overpopulated with deer. They always give us deer sausage and steak when they come home.

We are not a hunting family but I am all for it for the purpose of feeding your family. We only buy our animal meat from local farmers and they do the butchering so I'll admit I'm glad to not have to deal with that part but I certainly would if I had to. I think it's way less gross and likely more humane than buying some mystery meat at the local grocery store.

We grew up eating a LOT of venison. We didn't have a lot of money and it certainly helped us get by. My dad still hunts but I think the softy in him is coming out, because he always has some story about why he didn't get anything. If he does, he certainly uses all of it and gives us some. DH bird hunts, but even if he gets some, it certainly doesn't go very far. I never liked venison growing up, but I like it now. I have a hard time seeing the animal as a whole, and then eating it later, but if I don't see it, I'm good. But growing up, there was always a deer or two hanging in the garage in the fall. (maybe that is why I didn't like it as a kid)

I grew up on a hunting plantation. Almost all our meat came from what was hunted by my stepdad and other relatives. Primarily deer, but also dove, quail, and turkey. There were rabbits and squirrels too, but I never could eat those. We had neighbors that would kill hogs. I honestly don't see why it's a big deal. If you are going to eat meat then an animal is dying for it whether it is killed in the wild or farmed in factories.

We hardly buy any meat from the store. Mostly sandwich meat. My DH and dad both hunt elk and deer for food. They also fish and we eat them too. We live in the Black Hills and it's more common than not around here. For beef, we buy from a family friend who raises the cattle about 2 miles down the road. Talk about amazing fresh beef! We raise our own hens for fresh eggs and we have raised our own chickens for meat as well. I grew up a military brat, and the first half of my life I never ate "hunted" food. So it took some getting used to as a teenager when we moved here and my mom retired. Now it's an every day way of life and I'm very ok with it. Also, in case anyone didn't know, wild game is VERY lean meat. Our venison burger doesn't even need grease drained off after you brown it up in a pan! :)

ETA: Forgot to add that while I'm perfectly fine with hunting and consuming hunted meat, the mommy and animal lover in me could never be the one who killed the animal. I just couldn't do it myself.

We buy very little meat from a store. My DH hunts elk and deer and we have family that raise beef. A true blessing when you're raising 4 LO's.

I think it's great in theory. I don't know if I could do it in practice.

I used to love fishing with my grandfather when I was very young. I turned a certain age (maybe 7 or 8) and I suddenly couldn't handle it anymore :ohno:

I do want chickens for eggs at some point. Who knows how I will deal with it....

I also plan to purchase 1/4 of a cow in the future.

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Originally Posted by Bridget

We are not a hunting family but I am all for it for the purpose of feeding your family. We only buy our animal meat from local farmers and they do the butchering so I'll admit I'm glad to not have to deal with that part but I certainly would if I had to. I think it's way less gross and likely more humane than buying some mystery meat at the local grocery store.

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Agreed.

I doubt our family will participate in hunting, but I have no problem with it for sustainability. One day we want to raise our own animals so I'll have to get used to "knowing" my animals I eat, but I'm definitely in my head about my food too, so I'm not sure I could eat something I knew was wild... My family grew up doing it, but I've had limited encounters with it so it is all very gross to me still :laugh:

While I and my daughter are pretty much vegetarians (for health reasons for me), I have hunted deer myself and would again if necessary to feed my family. I am anti-trophy hunting 150%, but hunting for food - count me in.

I am a vegetarian, with that said, my dh does hunt and as much as I do not care for it I can deal with it since they hunt for fun but mostly the meat they can get. what I donot care for are the hunters that just hunt and not use the meat they get or just leave it, (if they do not wantit prepare it and donate etc for those that cannot afford or give to friends and family that will)
hope that did not sound rude

We are all for it. DH goes deer hunting but he's not always lucky enough to get one. It is a real blessing when he does because the meat is so good and easier for me to digest than beef. Not to mention it save so much $$. DH will process what he tags so we don't ahve to send it to the meat locker. He has also gone hunting for turkey, duck, pheasant and fishing.

I see nothing wrong with it and would totally hunt for food. We grew up eating food my dad hunted. Any extra meat we always donated to shelters and they gladly accepted it. Nothing went to waste. I remember my dad being asked to hunt deer by the county so to keep the deer population down. They was a nasty outbreak of deer tick lime disease one year.

my sister raises chicken for both meat and eggs. There are plenty of local farms around me that butcher whole cows for you. They are costly but you get months worth of beef from one cow.

I agree with the pp its a much more natural and healthier way to consume meat then the mystery inhumane butchered stuff in the markets.

my uncle used to hunt for food.....we had deer, rabbit, pheasant, quail, elk, wild boar......he also didn't believe in shooting game, he hunted with a bow and arrows

I think I'm the first generation in my family that wasn't raised in hunted meat and home-grown eggs. My mom was raised on a dairy farm, but my dad's father died young and they were from the city. As a big-city widow in the 50's, my grandmother raised her kids on whatever she was given, so I imagine there was hunted food as well. I grew up fishing with my dad, so I never had store-bought fish until I was an adult (and it never tastes very good to me). I also work for a hunting/fishing store that teaches responsible wild-life management. I think what most people don't realize is that humans have killed off or chased away so many predators that entire populations of "game animals" would literally starve to death without managed hunting. I also disagree with hunting solely for trophies, but if they use or give away the meat I'm okay with it. We have a coworker who offered DF the use of his land this fall, and will teach him how to process, so I'm hoping to have some venison this year.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bridget

We are not a hunting family but I am all for it for the purpose of feeding your family. We only buy our animal meat from local farmers and they do the butchering so I'll admit I'm glad to not have to deal with that part but I certainly would if I had to. I think it's way less gross and likely more humane than buying some mystery meat at the local grocery store.

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this is the same here

We do it. We have a freezer full of venison, duck, doves, fish, and shrimp. Well, we've eaten all the fish and shrimp. Lol