As the 2007-08 deer season opens, hunters are encouraged to provide food to needy families by participating in Hunters Helping the Hungry (HHH), a program providing thousands of pounds of ground venison to area food banks. Food banks then donate the processed venison to help feed needy families. Since the program began in 1999, more than 380,000 pounds of ground venison has been donated toAlabama food banks statewide.

Begun as a joint project of the Governor’s Office, the National Rifle Association, the Phillip Morris Company, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR), and the Alabama Conservation and Natural Resources Foundation, the program raised funds through the Governor’s Hunt for Hunger benefit quail hunts.

“Donating food to the needy is just one of the many ways hunters help this state,” said ADCNR Commissioner M. Barnett Lawley. “We encourage all Alabama deer hunters to participate in this program and also encourage all local deer processors to become involved.”

The combination of Alabama’s long hunting season, dense deer population and generous bag limit provides ample opportunity for hunters to put food on their own tables as well the tables of those less fortunate. There is no charge to the hunter for processing the deer. Forty-eight processors throughout the state participate in the program and more are being added to the list each season. It’s not too late to be included in the program. Call (334) 242-3467 for more information or to sign on as a participating processor.

How Hunters Helping the Hungry Works

· Hunters field dress the deer and take it to a participating processor. A list of deer processors is available at www.outdooralabama.com. The hunter is not charged to donate the venison, but hunters may voluntarily pay processing fees to provide more venison for food banks to distribute.

· The deer is processed into ground venison, packaged and frozen in quantities not exceeding four pounds each. The processed venison is distributed to the nearest participating food bank. The processor receives $1 per pound from the Alabama Conservation and Natural Resources Foundation for their labor.

· The food bank picks up the venison for distribution to those in need.

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources promotes wise stewardship, management and enjoyment of Alabama’s natural resources through five divisions: Marine Police, Marine Resources, State Lands, State Parks, and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. To learn more about ADCNR, visitwww.outdooralabama.com.

Indiana is one of nine states participating in the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) to determine how the program affects student grades, behavior and school attendance.

A total of 56 Indiana schools participate, with 15 others planning to join soon.

“This is one the most innovative and engaging programs that encourages students to be involved with the shooting sports, said Rob Carter Jr., DNR director. “Regardless of the student’s athletic abilities, archery can be enjoyed by all and provides additional life skills that will be retained by these students the rest of their life.”

According to Tim Beck of the DNR Division of Law Enforcement, who leads the Indiana program, 211 teachers/instructors have been trained as Basic Archery Instructors (BAI) to deliver the NASP message to students.

Beck said there are 45 Basic Archery Instructor Trainer (BAIT) in Indiana who are qualified to conduct the trainings that the teachers must complete to be eligible for the program. Of those 45, 25 conservation officers and two civilian staff members of DLE have earned this level of training. An additional nine conservation officers are BAIs and one DLE instructor is a BAI -Specialist).

“This program has and will continue to make a strong impact on these students as well as everyone involved,” Beck said.

The research will further investigate results of a 2004 study by Responsive Management of Harrisonburg, Va., that indicated that students who participated in NASP in their physical education classes liked school better. Results also showed improvements in behavior and attendance at school by participants.

The new study, which will be conducted by the same organization, is expected to take 12 months, and will also measure whether NASP student performance improved in other subject areas. The NASP Foundation Board has authorized Mark Duda, executive director of Responsive Management, to do the year-long project.

NASP has long been recognized as the most prolific shooter-recruitment program in history, but if the research findings support initial indications, the program not only helps develop future archers, it motivates students to succeed in their overall studies.

NASP has grown from humble beginnings in 22 Kentucky pilot schools in 2002 to more than 4,000 schools in 44 states, Canada and Australia. More than 2.3 million school children in grades 4-12 have received archery instruction from their physical education teachers through the program.

Other participating states include Arizona, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, and Ohio. NASP plans to be operating in every state by the end of 2008.

NASP lessons are taught by the physical education teacher with a focus on international-style target archery. NASP teaches a lifetime skill in a controlled, safe environment. Universal- fit NASP equipment is useable by every 4th-12 th grade child and the teacher, and is durable, affordable and identical in appearance and function.

In order to meet and enhance student learning and accountability standards, many schools integrate archery into core content areas including math, science, and history.

For more information, go to http://www.indiananasp.com/ or http://www.nasparchery.com/

Got more meat than you need? Help out the hungry by sharing all or part of your fall harvest with the New Hampshire Food Bank, which is very much in need of protein foods. They accept donations of whole or processed game animals for distribution to food pantries and soup kitchens statewide.

Last year, the Food Bank’s “Hunt for the Hungry” program took in nearly 1,280 pounds of donated deer, bear, moose, duck and other game meat. The program offers packaging instructions and can pick up your donation. Call food bank operations manager Michele Garron at (603) 669-9725.

If you’re donating a whole deer or moose, you can bring it to Lemay & Sons Beef in Goffstown (603-622-0022), and they’ll process it for the food bank at no charge.

PIERRE, S.D. - Hunters in South Dakota have a chance this year to brighten the holidays cheer by donating a deer through the Sportsmen Against Hunger program.
Hunters who have antlerless deer tags for the Black Hills, West River and East River deer seasons are eligible to use $30 certificates to help pay for the processing of venison donated through Sportsmen Against Hunger.
“South Dakota has been blessed with bountiful wildlife,” said Jeff Olson, president of South Dakota Sportsmen Against Hunger. “It’s one of the great traditions of hunting to share that bounty with the less fortunate.”
On average, a processed deer yields 45 pounds of venison burger. According to the state Community Food Bank, a pound of venison burger can provide meat for four meals or one meal for a family of four. That means one donated deer provides meat for 180 meals.
“It’s difficult to think of families going hungry at any time of year, but during the holidays it’s particularly tough,” Olson said. “Through Sportsmen Against Hunger, hunters have a genuine opportunity to help families have enough to eat during the holidays.”
Hunters can learn more about the program by going to the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department Web site at www.sdgfp.info, holding the cursor over the subhead “Get Involved” and clicking on the link to “Sportsmen Against Hunger.” A list of processors who have agreed to take part in the program is available at the site.
The processing certificates are available to hunters with Black Hills, West River and East River antlerless deer licenses. Certificates can be ordered online at http://apps.sd.gov/applications/GF79SAHEntryForm.aspx. Hunters without Internet access can order the certificates through a friend or relative who has Internet access or get help at a GFP office.
Each hunter may have and use up to four certificates with each certificate good for helping with the cost of processing one antlerless deer. The cost of processing may be more than $30 and hunters should contact their processors directly to find out about the costs.
Tax-deductible donations to the program may be made to South Dakota Sportsmen Against Hunger, P.O. Box 1172, Pierre, SD 57501. Hunters can also make tax-deductible donations by using a check-off provision available on both online and paper applications for hunting licenses.