When I was a young boy, my grandfather loved deer meat. I remember that about him but
I don't believe he ever killed a deer in his life. But, he had a brother
Danny that was an avid hunter, and Danny always made sure that he had deer meat.
When I heard the chance of being able to give something back and that it just made me think
of my grandfather and if someone wouldn't give him back at that time he wouldn't have got to
experience something that he enjoyed. There's someone always in need and not basically just
the needy sometimes just a little help. We like to help as hunters all we can, with the wild life and
what we harvest. Nobody wants to waste their harvest. Everything goes to a good cause with it.
VO: What are the biggest misconceptions that non-hunters have towards hunters?
Non-hunters may have the idea that hunting is a sport just to go out and kill wildlife. And
it's not. That is a very low percentage of the activities involved in hunting. There are illegal
hunters who come out and poach, but the majority of hunters hunt because they enjoy the sport, they
enjoy the meat that it provides, the opportunity to get out with family and friends, enjoy the
outdoors. And they also see it as a way to manage the wildlife populations. The Hunter's Helping
the Hungry program is funded by the Alabama Conservation and Natural Resources Foundation. The
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources have a vested interest in the hunter education
program and view it as a wildlife management tool. It allows hunters to harvest the deer
necessary to properly manage their properties, and some hunters are hesitant to taking more
deer than they personally can use. However with this program, it allows them to harvest the
correct amount of deer and assures them that the deer will be utilized as opposed to being wasted.
We don't charge for the meat to be processed for the food for the hungry. Unless,
a lot of people like to keep the back straps. We let them keep the back straps
for ten dollars. We don't charge them for any skinning, quartering up, or anything like that.
We take and grind up everything that's left off of the deer, and when we get our batch full,
we call one of the food banks. They come and get it and when they do, you know the state reimburses
us a dollar a pound for it. You couldn't do any better for helping people that are in need,
because there is a lot of people in need for meat and food during the holidays, even year-round.
Okay women get out there and go hunting. Get that bow and get that gun. Do your thing,
help the program. Help the needy. Yes. Thank you. I think most non-hunters don't realize how much
effort that hunters put in to the deer that help take care of the population, as far as
putting them food plots and doing summer plots and constantly trying to manage the
herd and make things better for the whitetail deer population instead of just going out there and and
shooting deer. You know that most true hunters, they put way more in and take care of way more
deer than they harvest. We just really enjoy it and we would really like for as many people
as possible of the hunters to come out and help participate in this program because it don't
cost a thing to participate. So here at wheeler national wildlife refuge not only does the refuge
support hunting on the refuge lands but by virtue of the refuge being here it enables surrounding
landowners who own thousands of acres of private land are able to enjoy hunting opportunities on
their own land. Without the refuge those hunting opportunities probably would not be there.
you