LANSING, Mich. – Michigan Farm Bureau (MFB) is more actively involved this year in helping to feed the hungry with venison from deer donated by hunters. A $15,000 check from MFB’s Venison Donation Task Force was recently presented to Michigan Sportsmen Against Hunger (MSAH) to cover the processing costs of deer contributed by hunters to the cause.

The contribution was the largest monetary donation yet by the task force, which formed in April. The mission of the task force includes reducing the deer population while addressing food insecurity especially among children. An overpopulation of deer in the state has resulted in more farmers reporting crop losses from the animals eating in their fields.

“This is a win-win for all parties involved,” said Andrew Vermeesch, MFB director of public policy.

The donated deer will be ground into burger and distributed to charities across the state. “There are a lot of food banks and food pantries, but the one thing that they had the most difficulty in supplying is protein, and we can make it possible for them to get good quality venison, which is nutritious, tasty, and people love it,” said MSAH President C.J. Merriman.

Since 1991, MSAH has donated more than 1.2 million pounds of ground venison to more than five million residents of the state. To donate, hunters must legally harvest and tag their deer, report the kill, field-dress it, then drop it off at a participating processor at no cost.

Hunters can also contribute money to the program when they purchase their hunting licenses. Currently, there are close to 30 processors taking part in the MSAH program.

According to MSAH, donations of deer from the organization have risen sharply from just over 18,000 pounds of venison during the 2014-15 hunting season to nearly 115,000 pounds in 2023-24.

The MFB task force previously made a $10,000 donation to Hunters Feeding Michigan and allocated another $60,000 to fund other venison donation events sponsored by farm bureau branches in a handful of Michigan counties.

“Efforts like this help take deer out of fields and onto the family table,” Vermeesch said.

According to Hunters Feeding Michigan – a state program with a network of processors and food banks to get venison to people in need – one average-sized deer provides an estimated 160 high protein, nutritious meals.

A growing number of farmers reporting crop losses from hungry deer resulted in the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) and the Michigan Natural Resources Commission taking action in the spring to try to reduce the overpopulation.

Crop protection permits to kill female deer are now valid during entire growing season instead of just one or two week intervals. In addition, permits can be applied for before spring planting and then activated once the crop is in the ground.

Crop protection permits for killing deer were also expanded to include alfalfa, winter wheat and, in some cases, overwintered cover crops.

Farmers can also have family members, friends or anyone else wanting to take part join them in hunts to protect their crops. Previously, farmers were restricted to choosing from a state-designated list of shooters they could invite to take part in hunts.

According to MDNR, there are an estimated two million deer in the state with about half of them in southern Michigan where the numbers have exploded from about 200,000 over the past 40 years.

Adding to the overpopulation problem is the number of licensed deer hunters in Michigan has dropped from over 870,000 in 1995 to just under 600,000 in 2023, DNR said.