Should Hunters Be Allowed to Sell Venison?

[Ben Sobieck]

In this article from Michigan Farm News, a Michigan family proposed a way to reduce the state's herd, create jobs and open new consumer markets: allow hunters to sell venison.

From the article:

The idea is relatively simple. [Maria Stucki] believes the Michigan Department of Agriculture and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DNRE) should work together to create a "licensed cadre of Elite/Master Hunters to sell wild Michigan venison commercially to restaurants, food distributors, grocery stores, individuals and other outlets."

The Elite/Master Hunters would be required to get a special permit after completing a program administered by the state, similar to the Master Gardener program. That would give them license to hunt outside the normal deer hunting seasons and sell the meat. And Marcia sees no drawbacks.

"This is certainly a win-win situation," she said. "It benefits the state by offering a new source of revenue through the Elite/Master hunting license tier and offers an additional deer management tool. It benefits the certified hunters with a new income opportunity, additional time to hunt, and increased knowledge through the certification process. It benefits private landowners, townships and municipalities through extra assistance with deer overpopulation problems. It benefits consumers who will have access to legal, sustainably harvested local, wild venison. It's a benefit to chefs by offering access to quality venison with local provenance to enhance their menus. And it benefits the deer population by thinning the herd enough to decrease car-deer collisions and ensure adequate food supplies for the remaining herd."

Read the rest of the article here.

What do you think of this idea?

Learn how to create store-quality cuts of venison in Gut It. Cut It. Cook It.

[Woods Walker]

So if you have to be designated a "master hunter" in order to sell wild deer meat, would you also be allowed to use bait? And if so, would you therefore have to be a designated "master baiter" too?

Inquiring minds want to know, Ben!

[danesdad]

That is ridiculous. Imagine the black market for venison this would create.

[Gulfcapt]

Actualy you would see deer farms pop up all over the place! Especially if a deer burger is twice the cost of a regular burger..

[Everyday Hunter]

I think generally wild game is the property of all the people, so giving some people the opportunity to profit from "hunting" would certainly bring a big round of lawsuits. I'll be surprised if the idea takes hold.

Steve

[Ben Sobieck]

No comment on the baiting comment, Woods!

[Ben Sobieck]

Now, I normally don't participate in discussions and such, but I do have some food for thought on this topic. I'll make the argument that hunters use venison as a means of bartering all the time, on par with selling it.

Venison is exchanged for land access (giving a land owner meat for the privilege of hunting the land), help with butchering, to pay back for something or for a million other scenarios. Money is just an expression of time and labor used for bartering. So is venison. You put your time and labor into obtaining the venison, now you can use it to barter for anything. Except straight money.

If this doesn't sit well with you, there are plenty of people already profiting from the harvest of game. Outdoors retailers, butchers, grocery stores (you've got to buy ingredients for that venison stew), outdoors manufacturers and so on. Everyone is profiting except the hunter, who winds up producing venison for the aforementioned entities for free.

Or consider the fishing industry. There are recreational anglers and there are commercial anglers. Although the resource, fish, belongs to everyone, permits are granted to those who wish to sell their catch.

Food for thought. Or in this case, venison for thought.

[passin through]

personally I think its a dumb idea.....I dont think it would fly too well considering the regs and such that domesticated meat products have to go through.  Either way it would create an even bigger black market trade in the meat than already exists.  This really sounds like the gov'mt helpin again.....

[Ole]

Bad, bad, BAD idea...JMHO...

[Terminator]

Bad Idea. Who will oversee the operations of each person? FDA, USDA, etc.?? Another tax write off for all of the hunting equipment? It should be left the way it is, as a hobby.