Alabama Hunters Urged to Support Hungry Families

Alabama hunters are being urged to put this season’s plentiful deer harvest to good use by supporting Hunters Helping the Hungry (HHH), a Statewide program that turns donated venison into meals for families in need. With more than one million white-tailed deer in Alabama, State officials say this is an easy way for hunters to serve their communities while helping manage local herds.

The program gained new momentum after the Alabama Conservation Advisory Board approved a regulation change allowing hunters in most counties to harvest two does per day, up from one. The rule is meant to help balance deer populations and support participation in the HHH program, which is run by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division (WFF).

“The Hunters Helping the Hungry program started several decades ago, and it helps people manage deer on their property,” ADCNR Commissioner Chris Blankenship said. “If they have their freezers full and their friends’ freezers full and still need to take more deer, they can donate those deer to be processed to go to the food banks. It’s really great to take some of the bounty that God has blessed us with in Alabama to be able to provide protein to the people in need.”

Blankenship said the updated harvest limit should encourage hunters to take more does for donation. “We’re blessed in Alabama with a fantastic deer population, and, in some places, we have too many deer,” he said. “We need to get those deer within the carrying capacity of the land… Hopefully, people will harvest more does to get the population back in line to benefit the habitat.”

Launched in 1999 as a partnership among the Governor’s Office, ADCNR, the National Rifle Association, Phillip Morris, and the Alabama Conservation and Natural Resources Foundation, HHH has provided about one million pounds of ground venison to food banks across the state.

WFF R3 Coordinator Justin Grider said the program plays a direct role in meeting nutritional needs in Alabama. “We’re fortunate in the state of Alabama to have an abundant deer population and an active hunting community,” he said. “So, it’s really a great way for the hunting community to make a difference in those nutritional deficits.”

Managing the doe population also protects crops and habitat. According to the Alabama Extension Service, deer cause an estimated $11 million in crop damage each year—more than insects or disease.

Alabama Farmers Federation President Jimmy Parnell said the updated harvest limits will help farmers and strengthen the program. “Crop damage from deer has surpassed that from feral hogs in some parts of the state,” he said. “Managing Alabama’s deer population not only improves herd health and helps sustain our important hunting industry, but it also helps farmers and can benefit those served by local food banks.”

Grider said deer pressure on the landscape is easy to see, even in suburban areas. In one recent drive, he pointed out sections of woodland where deer had browsed everything within reach. “They had such a high deer population that they are eating everything they can reach, even standing on their hind legs,” he said.

The donated meat is processed into ground venison at no cost to hunters. Processors are reimbursed $2 per pound, double the previous rate. The venison is then delivered to food banks and distributed to local pantries, where demand for protein is high.

Grider credited longtime administrative support assistant Jennifer Dilly with keeping the program running smoothly. “She’s instrumental in making the program run smoothly,” he said.

HHH is still looking for more participating processors, especially in south Alabama and the northeast region of the state. “Food banks are in need of protein all over the sSate,” Grider said.

Processors can call (334) 242-3467 or email Jennifer.Dilly@dcnr.alabama.gov to learn more or join the program. An interactive map of participating processors and food banks is available at:
https://www.outdooralabama.com/hunting/hunters-helping-hungry