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KEARNEY — The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission hopes to see 1,000 deer donated through its deer exchange program this year, and several Hub Territory hunters and meat eaters are getting in on the action.

Bob Meduna, a wildlife manager in the Kearney Game and Parks office, said the program is like an online matchmaking service that connects hunters with people who want venison.

“It’s a way for people who don’t hunt to get meat, and all they have to do is request it. For people who want to shoot deer and maybe don’t eat or use the meat or have too many, it’s a way for them to dispose of the meat so it can be used,” Meduna said.

“Last year was the first year. We gave away about 400 deer last year, and there were many more people who wanted deer than people who were going to give them away, so the goal this year increased to 1,000.”

Ron Norris of Kearney said he and a friend donated three deer last year and two so far this year.

“I love to hunt, and this way, it’s kind of a neat deal. I selfishly get to hunt more, and I take these deer to people and they are so incredibly grateful. I didn’t realize they would be.

“This is a rural area, and a lot of people know how to butcher the deer themselves, so I’m able to just field dress them and deliver them, and they’re very grateful for it.”

Norris said he used to keep the meat from his first deer for himself, but not anymore. “These people want it so badly. For me it’s just a novelty type of deal. I used to turn it into jerky and things like that. I would much rather eat beef myself, but it just allows me to pursue a hobby I love, and these people are incredibly grateful for the meat.”

For Michael Stubbs of Pleasanton, the deer exchange program was a good reason to get a deer permit after two years of not hunting. “When I heard this had come up, I decided I would get a permit. I really don’t care that much for deer anymore, I guess. But I like to hunt, so it gave me an opportunity to hunt without having to eat the deer. I’ve been real happy with it.”

Meduna said while the program connects hunters with those who want meat, it should also help control deer over population.

According to the Game and Parks Web site, the deer herd across the state is between 300,000 and 350,000, and this year’s deer harvest is expected to be about 80,000.

“The typical excuse is, ‘Well, I already shot two or three or four or 10 deer, and I can’t eat any more,’ so this is a way to allow those people to keep hunting and yet give the meat away,” Meduna said.

“There’s a lot that goes on outside this program, as well. There are a lot of people who have always given deer meat away to those who wanted it. This is just an additional way to make it easier. Modern technology is kind of catching up with this program.”

For those receiving the harvested deer, the program is a money saver. Brian Peterson of Kearney said he was given five deer last year and expects to receive the same number this year.

“We haven’t had to buy as much beef. Beef is still very good, but we’re growing accustomed to fixing deer in different ways,” he said. “My ultimate goal would be to harvest and shoot my own, but it’s not always easy to get on private lands, so you look for other ways.

“There’s definitely an overpopulation of deer in the Platte River Valley, and the goal is to reduce those numbers for depredation purposes, and it allows people who enjoy hunting to go out and harvest several deer without the meat being wasted,” Peterson said.

Janice Carman of Gibbon said she and her husband have received one deer so far this year.

“It’s great. I really like it because we don’t hunt but we do make a lot of jerky and enjoy using the deer meat for that,” she said.

“I just think it’s a great program. It’s a good opportunity for people that aren’t able to hunt or don’t hunt. It’s beneficial because I know there’s lot of people who like to hunt just for the sport of it but don’t want to use the meat, so it saves from wasting it.”

e-mail to:

betsy.friedrich@kearneyhub.com

Deer exchange online

For more information on the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s deer exchange program, visit www.ngpc.state.ne.us/hunting/programs/deerexchange/.

Late harvest not a problem for hunters

Despite a late corn harvest, many hunters haven’t had trouble flushing pheasants or finding deer.

“It’s not been a big issue, but the hunting will probably get better as time goes on,” Bob Meduna, a wildlife manager with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s Kearney office, said of corn still standing in many fields.

“On pheasant hunting in this area, I’d say on opening weekend, we were probably a little better than last year. It’s still nothing great. We’re still in a downward trend, but it was a little better than the last couple years.”

According to a Game and Parks press release, when conservation officers checked hunters over the two-day opening weekend of pheasant season, hunters in south-central Nebraska averaged better than half a bird each. 

 By 11 a.m. Saturday, 198 hunters had been checked. They had 67 pheasants, six quail and one grouse.

In the opening weekend of firearm deer season Saturday and Sunday, of 310 hunters checked in south-central Nebraska by midafternoon Sunday, Game and Parks officers found 70 harvested deer.

There were 390 deer checked at the District 6 office in Kearney through the weekend and 450 as of midday Monday.

“There’s still good places to hunt, so it’s not having a real large effect. The more corn that gets harvested, the hunting will get better yet,” Meduna said.