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The gun deer hunting season begins Nov. 3 in Minnesota.  The deer herd in the state is very large right now and the DNR is hoping a new program will encourage hunters to take more animals.  

The venison donation program, in which hunters give deer meat to food shelves, has been around for three years.  But this year, for the first time, the state is picking up the cost of butchering the animals.  

MPR's Perry Finelli talked with Betty Wilkens of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association, who has been active in getting the program started. 


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Perry Finelli

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The gun deer hunting season begins on Nov. 3 in Minnesota. The venison donation program, in which hunters give deer meat to food shelves, has been around for three years. But this year, for the first time, the state is picking up the cost of butchering the animals.  


The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, in cooperation with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, has a program that allows Minnesota deer hunters to donate deer carcasses to food shelves and feeding programs. This program provides an excellent source of protein to people in need while helping reduce local deer populations.
Betty Wilkens, Venison Donation Program, spoke to Perry Finelli on Morning Edition.

To participate hunters must have their deer processed at a Minnesota Department of Agriculture-registered meat processing plant who has agreed to participate in the program. A list of processors can be found here, .

State picks up bill for butchering, if hunters donate their game

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