At a hunting ground in Butler County, Don Boling walked down an overgrown wooded path, littered with fall foliage. It鈥檚 one of his favorite spots to hunt deer in southwest Ohio.
Although there are no bucks or does in sight, the lifelong hunter still saw signs of them everywhere.
鈥淭his is usually riddled with tracks here,鈥� he said following a deer trail through a dense brush. 鈥淚 can actually feel underneath my feet their hoof prints.鈥�
Deer hunting season is underway, meaning a host of Ohio hunters are heading into the woods with their gear in tow. But, for some, the hunting season is more than just an opportunity to fill their own freezers.
Boling works with the nonprofit, , to take their deer harvests and turn them into meals for their communities.
Two birds, one stone
Ohio鈥檚 deer population has multiplied 40-fold in the last 50 years, according to an estimate by Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The large herbivores are encroaching on city limits 鈥� meandering into people鈥檚 yards and bounding across roadways.
鈥淵ou have big city parks that [are] just overpopulated,鈥� Boling said. 鈥淭hen it messes up the whole ecosystem, 'cause they're eating everything from six feet down.鈥�
At the same time, food insecurity is . Grocery costs are since 2020, while .
There鈥檚 too many deer and not enough on people鈥檚 plates. It鈥檚 an imbalance that hunters, like Boling, are trying to even out.
鈥淭here's no need for anybody to be hungry when we have a resource like this. Why not use the resource?鈥�
How it works
Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry takes deer carcass donations from hunters and covers the $100 or so it costs for butchers to turn deer into ground venison.
That meat then goes straight to food pantries, free of cost.
鈥淚t gives hunters 鈥� who often have bag limits beyond what they could use themselves for their freezer 鈥� an option to get another deer or two and donate it to help other people,鈥� said FHFH executive director Josh Wilson, referencing the Ohio Department of Natural Resources鈥� individual limits on deer harvests.
Boling is one of 25 Ohio coordinators that connect the hunters, processors and food banks. He said the simple idea has changed the way communities manage their herds. Some Ohio parks and municipalities used to cull deer without thinking about the next step.
鈥淭hey would just shoot deer and basically they were just disposing of them. And it's like, 鈥榃hoa, hold on.鈥� I can take one of those deer and feed 200 people with it.鈥�
Feeding the hungry
The nonprofit has been in Ohio for more than two decades. Last hunting season, hunters donated more than 80,000 pounds of deer. That鈥檚 around 300,000 servings of meat for Ohio food pantries, like the Community Meal Center in Butler County.
鈥淎t first people were like, 鈥楨w, venison, Bambi,鈥欌�� said Lauren Marsh, executive director of the center. 鈥淎nd now they say, 鈥楧o you have frozen chubs of venison we can take home with us?鈥欌��
Thanks to the program, they almost always do. In addition to sending people home with frozen meat, Marsh has spent the last two decades serving up ground venison casserole, stews and chili to anyone who鈥檚 hungry.
Meat is difficult for food pantries to source, especially as since 2020. Marsh said the center鈥檚 partnership with hunters is vital to bringing protein to those who can鈥檛 afford it.
鈥淣o one person alone can help people in our community. When we all gather together to help the most vulnerable, then there鈥檚 love at the center of that,鈥� she said.
Connecting to community
Boling donates his first deer of every season to the nonprofit. It鈥檚 his way of channeling his love of the outdoors into a love for his neighbor.
鈥淵ou just have that connection with the outdoors. The world waking up, the wildlife waking up. You hear owls, you hear a lot of stuff that you don't [usually] hear 鈥� if you just get quiet,鈥� he said.
Right now, only around 1 to 2% of deer harvests in the state are donated to the program. Boling hopes, in the stillness of the hunt, more people like him will hear the call to serve their community.
