Archive for December, 2009

The social benefits of hunting include deer population control and additional state income.  But another significant benefit is a more directly human one: hunting feeds the hungry.  Hunting families can sustain themselves through the winter on what they kill during white tail season.  And several non-hunting families can benefit from what hunting families can bring to the table.

Havalon Knives would like to highlight three organizations that accept donations from hunters – and then pass processed venison on to families in need.

The group Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry help cover processing fees and state that one deer can feed up to 200 people.  For more information on FHFH, click here.

Safari Club International has a program that promotes venison donations to food pantries.  For more information on SCI, click here.

And the NRA’s Hunters for the Hungry has brought “hundreds of thousands of pounds of venison to homeless shelters, soup kitchens and food banks.”  For more information on NRA’s HH, click here.

Ohio is allowing a bonus weekend to the hunting season this December 19-20th.  Think of what a donation could mean to a hungry family this winter.

A Mexican wolf in the wild causes much debate among ranchers and wildlife conservationists.

The federal government began returning Mexican wolves to the Southwest a decade ago. The result has been anger among ranchers who claim livestock losses. Environmentalists blame the federal government for mismanaging the program. Fifty wolves are now in the wild in Arizona and New Mexico – half of what was hoped for. So, it is now time to re-evaluate. Federal, state and other officials are scheduled to sit down and discuss what needs to be accomplished in order to make the re-introduction of Mexican wolves a success in the Southwest.

To read more, click here.

Hunting has gained popularity among women, both married and single. In Louisiana, Sherry Finck took to hunting after her daughter left for college. According to the Shreveport Times, Finck joined her hunting husband and now they hunt together both in Louisiana and out of state.

Thanks to programs such as the National Wild Turkey Federation’s “Women in the Outdoors” program and the University of Wisconsin’s “Becoming an Outdoors Woman” events, women have more opportunities than ever to acquire the skills they need to be successful hunters. The National Rifle Association also sponsors the “Women on Target” program that offers shooting clinics and beginner hunts.

Hunting is no longer perceived as strictly a man’s sport. The Shreveport Times reports that out of $3.4 billion spent annually on firearms, ammo and hunting gear, $500 million is spent by women who hunt.

To read the Shreveport Times article, click here.