American Hunter – August 2019

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RECRUIT  RETAIN  REACTIVATE

jointhehunt

P

rotein, in the form of meat, continues to be an expen-
sive addition to any grocery cart. Compare the price of a
bunch of bananas to a family portion of pork chops; case
closed. Because of this higher cost, many food banks list non-
perishable protein (canned meat products) as their No.  need.
Alas, millennials, along with their younger cohorts, Gen-
eration , aren’t all that crazy about canned goods. This group
leans toward a diet defined by terms such as organic, sustain-
able and locally sourced. This trend has been in play for some
time, but these groups have been forcing it into the current
marketplace. According to Nielsen, a global measurement and
data analytics company, millennials are twice as likely (
per-
cent vs.  percent) as baby boomers to say they are definitely
or probably changing their habits to reduce their impact on
the environment. They’re also more willing to pay more for
products that contain environmentally friendly or sustainable
ingredients ( percent vs.
 percent), organic/natural ingre-
dients (

percent vs.  percent) or products that have social
responsibility claims (  percent vs. percent).
According to the Organic Trade Association,  percent of
organic consumers are millennials. And unlike what some Hol-
lywood celebrities and animal-rights influencers want you to
believe, the majority of Americans still enjoy meat in their diet.
Gallup research from  assuredly asserts that only percent
of America takes part in a vegetarian or vegan diet; that number
has remained unchanged in recent years.
When you combine cost savings with a green outlook it
creates an ideal opening to introduce someone to hunting.
Although far from alone, the white-tailed deer stands as an
ideal educational tool and a target for the newbies looking for

Save Money,

Eat Game

By Mark Kayser

locally sourced protein. Hunts exist coast to coast for white-

tails and other deer species, but whitetails are clearly the most

abundant. A single deer can provide more than  pounds of

deboned, lean meat.

The Quality Deer Management Association tracks the

whitetail harvest across the country (qdma.org). In the organi-

zation’s  report, you can see there are many opportunities

to save money in the meat aisle. More than  million bucks were

taken during this reporting period; nearly the same amount

of antlerless deer were put in freezers. That’s approximately

million deer that went to feed the country. Add to them an

expanding population of wild turkeys, Canada geese, a stable

of small-game offerings plus burgeoning elk numbers in the

West. Clearly, the grocery store is open for inexpensive pro-

tein shopping.

You can argue hunting is expensive. You’d be right. Trips

to remote hunting camps, premier licenses, outfitters, leased

hunting property and top-end gear drive up costs. Take that

route and a pound of venison equals the price of caviar. But

don’t forget that today the majority of hunters use the lifestyle

as an escape in addition to adding healthy protein to a diet.

Enjoy the escape.

The .. Fish and Wildlife Service completes a survey on

hunting, fishing and wildlife watching every five years. The

latest, released in 

, shows the average hunter annually

spends 

 days in the field at a cost of    . That’s an average;

you can trim that cost significantly. And luckily, a straight-

forward mission of filling the freezer doesn’t add up to caviar

prices. That’s where you can help others join the hunt.

A good first step to convincing a young person to join us: