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Facing meat shortages, some Americans turn to hunting during pandemic

reuters.com

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Re: Facing meat shortages, some Americans turn to hunting during pandemic

#61

Post by gbronner »

ndespres wrote: post #2

I think a lot of these folks underestimate what it takes to hunt an elk, field dress it, bring it back to their vehicle, and put away 300 lbs of meat. Even if you borrow a gun as one person interviewed here would, you need a truck, knives, a bone saw, camouflage, maybe a tree stand, and a large freezer, among other things. It is reasonable to hunt for food, but it's not reasonable for your typical "hospital manager"…

As one who does hunt in the suburbs of NY: Most hunting in the NYC area is done with bows, and some with shotguns. Almost all is done from elevated stands or occasionally cliffs.

The maximum effective range of a bow is 40 yards (above that, and the deer jumps away before the arrow gets there). Shotguns are a little bit higher, but even so, I have never heard of a bowhunter shooting another bowhunter in the area -- one time a novice bowhunter illegally hunting in a park shot a dog, but that's about it.

When you shoot a deer, you do not chase it. You wait for it to expire and then look for it. This is taught in the bowhunting safety course.

The real difficulty is that even in areas where they are overpopulated, there are at most one group of deer per 60 acres, and a bowhunter can barely cover 1/4th acre. Deer do not like to move around, don't follow the same routes every day, and are quite cautious and sensitive to odors and noise. They also spend most of their day in areas such as thickets where a bowhunter cannot get close to them without scaring them off.

So unless the deer happens to walk by the hunter, not smell him, not get startled by his movements drawing a bow, and is facing the proper direction to offer a shot, the hunter will go home empty handed.

Re: Facing meat shortages, some Americans turn to hunting during pandemic

#62

Post by mindcrime »

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #57
mindcrime wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My state of 3M had 100,000 deer harvested last year. And what about rabbits, squirrels, turkeys, ducks, quail, bison, elk, feral hogs, etc., etc? There's more game out there than just deer.

They have an even more vanishingly small contribution, total poundage, to the food supply. I don't mean to be a scrooge - go hunting if it pleases you! But its not gonna feed America, not even a percent or two of us. The numbers don't support it.

But its not gonna feed America, not even a percent or two of us. The numbers don't support it.

Nobody is claiming that it will.

Re: Facing meat shortages, some Americans turn to hunting during pandemic

#63

Post by JoeAltmaier »

daxorid wrote: post #59
mindcrime wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My state of 3M had 100,000 deer harvested last year. And what about rabbits, squirrels, turkeys, ducks, quail, bison, elk, feral hogs, etc., etc? There's more game out there than just deer.

Personal experience from someone who enjoys hunting and eating game: The bigger issue is getting one's family on board. A spouse or kids who have grown accustomed to CAFO beef and chicken and not much else will be difficult to transition to gamier meats, to say nothing of offal.

That's certainly an issue. We solved that, by taking the boys to a local Methodists' Mens' Wild Game Feed (rural church event). The good ol boys brought out everything from the freezer for the season, had a potluck, a fundraiser for the church. We feasted on every kind of fish, pheasant, boar, wild mushrooms, every part of deer imaginable. All grilled or stewed in a machine shed and enjoyed in the attached shop space with big tables set out and everybody seated together.

To this day my boys rave about the pepper deer tenderloin, roasted and sliced thin. Best meal of their lives. And they're all about 30 now.

Re: Facing meat shortages, some Americans turn to hunting during pandemic

#64

Post by JoeAltmaier »

mindcrime wrote: post #62
JoeAltmaier wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They have an even more vanishingly small contribution, total poundage, to the food supply. I don't mean to be a scrooge - go hunting if it pleases you! But its not gonna feed America, not even a percent or two of us. The numbers don't support it.

But its not gonna feed America, not even a percent or two of us. The numbers don't support it. Nobody is claiming that it will.

Oh everybody was chiming in about supplementing. But whatever.

Re: Facing meat shortages, some Americans turn to hunting during pandemic

#65

Post by tarentel »

TheAdamAndChe wrote: post #25
ashtonkem wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That’s what’s always held me back from hunting; there is a huge amount that has to be learned in a really short period of time. It seems to me that you should probably know what to do before you shoot the animal, and not plan to figure it out later. It seems that hunting is a skill best passed down directly from seasoned hunter to new hunter.

Doesn't your state require hunter safety courses? In Missouri, we've got to take one before legally being able to hunt unless we're being guided by an experienced hunter. They taught gun safety, field dressing, and the different type of animals that could be hunted. They taught what clothes you can wear and when, and they taught different strategies to extricate animals if they were too large for you to carry or drag…

This might be state/course dependent. In NY you have to take a class in order to get a license but the one I took well over 18 years ago only taught you the safety part, gun safety, don't shoot at things you cannot see, what to wear, basic navigation, etc., as well as when it is legal to hunt different game. If someone else didn't teach you the actual hunting part you'd be fairly ill equipped still after taking the course.

Re: Facing meat shortages, some Americans turn to hunting during pandemic

#66

Post by efiecho »

horsawlarway wrote: post #28
JoeAltmaier wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not if other foods were unavailable (the assumption). You need 2000 calories a day. 70g of meat is ~600 calories. So triple that, divide by 4 and you've got the week I mentioned.

Other foods aren't unavailable though... They aren't hunting because they're starving, they're hunting because meat is harder to get, and it's a nice luxury that's also expensive. Couple that with reduced/no income and choosing to hunt isn't insane. I know a fair number of people in rural GA who will hunt one deer a year and freeze it, You get small servings of meat all season. It goes a long way... No one would seri…

> No one would seriously recommend an all meat diet. It will kill you.

The Carnivore Diet is a real thing that is gaining popularity, if choosing between two extremes with veganism on the other side, I would much prefer an all meat diet.

Re: Facing meat shortages, some Americans turn to hunting during pandemic

#67

Post by dsfyu404ed »

daxorid wrote: post #59
mindcrime wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My state of 3M had 100,000 deer harvested last year. And what about rabbits, squirrels, turkeys, ducks, quail, bison, elk, feral hogs, etc., etc? There's more game out there than just deer.

Personal experience from someone who enjoys hunting and eating game: The bigger issue is getting one's family on board. A spouse or kids who have grown accustomed to CAFO beef and chicken and not much else will be difficult to transition to gamier meats, to say nothing of offal.

This is where the meat grinder swoops in to save the day. Venison doesn't always make the best steak but there's very few meats that don't make a good burger or taco.

Re: Facing meat shortages, some Americans turn to hunting during pandemic

#68

Post by FlyMoreRockets »

bobmaxup wrote: post #46
ndespres wrote: post #2

I think a lot of these folks underestimate what it takes to hunt an elk, field dress it, bring it back to their vehicle, and put away 300 lbs of meat. Even if you borrow a gun as one person interviewed here would, you need a truck, knives, a bone saw, camouflage, maybe a tree stand, and a large freezer, among other things. It is reasonable to hunt for food, but it's not reasonable for your typical "hospital manager"…

You can take a kill to a butcher. You can drag an elk out with a ATV or other means than relying on your own strength, but some can do that as well. You don't need a truck necessarily, an elk can be quartered or de-boned in the field. A bone saw is helpful, but it isn't necessary. Millions of Americans hunt for deer and elk without a lot of the gear you list. Hunting isn't some sacred thing that can only be accessed…

I live in the mountains and learned from dad to park the truck downhill so you can drag the carcass fairly easily. No ATV needed, unless you just want to scare the game away.

Re: Facing meat shortages, some Americans turn to hunting during pandemic

#69

Post by FlyMoreRockets »

uhtred wrote: post #43
ndespres wrote: post #2

I think a lot of these folks underestimate what it takes to hunt an elk, field dress it, bring it back to their vehicle, and put away 300 lbs of meat. Even if you borrow a gun as one person interviewed here would, you need a truck, knives, a bone saw, camouflage, maybe a tree stand, and a large freezer, among other things. It is reasonable to hunt for food, but it's not reasonable for your typical "hospital manager"…

People could also stock up on dried beans if they are worried about future food shortages.

Beans and rice. Big bags of each got me through many a lean time when I was a university student.

Re: Facing meat shortages, some Americans turn to hunting during pandemic

#70

Post by FlyMoreRockets »

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #11

There is a tiny fraction of the available game to feed America. A single deer would feed a family of four for, what, a week? So, every family needs 52 deer per annum. Forget it. This is sort of why civilization is based on agriculture. Not hunting-and-gathering.

You must be refering to those tiny deer back east. Here in the west we have mule deer, which dress out to over a hundred pounds. You're looking at over 70 pounds of meat. If your family of four eats two and a half pounds of meat a day, every day, they may not be actual humans. An elk will net around 250 pounds of boneless meat.
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