By DAVID RAINER, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Alabama is blessed with an abundant white-tailed deer herd of more than a million animals, and hunters can share that blessing with people who need nutritious protein through the Hunters Helping the Hungry (HHH) program.
With the change in the hunting regulations approved by the Alabama Conservation Advisory Board, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ (ADCNR) Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division expanded the opportunities to manage deer herds with an increase in the daily bag limit for does from one per day to two per day in most of the state (www.outdooralabama.com/seasons-and-bag-limits/deer-season).
“The Hunters Helping the Hungry program started several decades ago, and it helps people manage deer on their property,” Conservation Commissioner Chris Blankenship said. “If they have their freezers full and their friends’ freezers full and still need to take more deer, they can donate those deer to be processed to go to the food banks. It’s really great to take some of the bounty that God has blessed us with in Alabama to be able to provide protein to the people in need. I encourage people to find processors in their area that take part in the program and to drop those deer off.
“We changed the regulation this year to allow hunters to take two does a day in most parts of the state. If you were going to harvest a doe and take it to the processor, we felt like increasing the daily limit to two does per day would encourage people to harvest more does to not only provide for their families but also help with the Hunters Helping the Hungry program. We’re blessed in Alabama with a fantastic deer population, and, in some places, we have too many deer. We need to get those deer within the carrying capacity of the land. That will be good for the environment and good for farmers. Hopefully, people will harvest more does to get the population back in line to benefit the habitat.”
The HHH effort started as a joint project of the Governor’s Office, the National Rifle Association, the Phillip Morris Company, ADCNR and the Alabama Conservation and Natural Resources Foundation. Hunters Helping the Hungry was established in 1999. Since its inception, about a million pounds of ground venison have been donated and distributed.
WFF R3 (Recruitment, Retention, Reactivation) Coordinator Justin Grider said the venison donation program is important to the Department.
“It’s really important for a variety of reasons, the first of which is meeting the needs in communities that have nutrition deficits,” Grider said. “We’re fortunate in the state of Alabama to have an abundant deer population and an active hunting community. So, it’s really a great way for the hunting community to make a difference in those nutritional deficits.”
Another reason to encourage the harvest of deer, especially does, is to benefit herd health and the environment. The Alabama Extension Service says that deer cause more crop damage than insects or disease. Crop losses from deer damage are estimated at $11 million annually.
“We appreciate the Conservation Advisory Board and Department of Conservation and Natural Resources increasing the harvest limit for does and fully support the Hunters Helping the Hungry program,” said Alabama Farmers Federation President Jimmy Parnell. “Crop damage from deer has surpassed that from feral hogs in some parts of the state. Managing Alabama’s deer population not only improves herd health and helps sustain our important hunting industry, but it also helps farmers and can benefit those served by local food banks.”
Grider added, “This harvest regulation change makes it easier to participate. Another benefit is the ecological impact on the landscape in situations where property owners or leaseholders have an overabundance of deer that can impact the habitat because there are too many deer eating too much food. You can get your deer herd down to a sustainable, manageable number so it doesn’t impact the landscape negatively.”
