Dead Duck is in need of Dead Deer! 
Other states I've lived in, I have always gotten venison from friends or hunted it myself. Most the butchers there would also except your donated meat, process it and just charge anyone that needs the meat, that fee. Sometimes we would pay for the processing but just leave it there for families that can't afford the fee. We always had our freezers full of that and other meats from neighbors kids that were in 4-H and we had sponsored for their pigs, cows, and whatever.
I now live in northern Indiana.
I also have an injury that keeps me from hunting and puts a huge dent in our budget. Being as I didn't grow up here, generally nobody knows me. Which can be great except that I have no hunter friends, I don't know anyone in 4-H, I'm not in with "The Know" people for best places and contacts out here. Well my kids have mentioned venison a few times and still love deer so I have saved up and purchased 2 chest freezers again. (had to sell the other freezers before the last move) Great, so I'm ready, right?
I asked around and was told to check with Yoder's Meats in Shipshewana and John's Butcher in Nappanee.
So I made a trip to Yoder's and found that they don't do or have any processed deer available and won't like...forever...but one of their butchers does hunt. Ya, well, that doesn't really help me.
So I took a trip to John's Butcher and found that yes. They do process deer and have deals with meat not picked up or extra or whatever. Great, so I picked up as much as they had there at the time. Unfortunately it was last years season from a non-pick-up and it wasn't even the whole animal somehow. OK, I still paid the full price processing fee because dammit, my kids want dead deer. I was also put on some list for getting any venison from this years season. This seems promising.
The meat was OK kinda, I could tell it wasn't real fresh but that's what BBQ sauce is for. It was still in the hunting season and I got all ready, and told my kids about getting some more deer while still making that old deer meat last. When I get more venison I had also planned on buying other meats from the same place to complete the freezers but the deer came first.
That call never came and I have visited them several times in the last 3 years with no success but was told that I was still on some never ending list and my phone number is correct. (I checked) My freezers now have a little chicken and lots of bread and one package of old ground venison from that original purchase that I keep in there just to remind me to find dead deers. I've basically given up on them.
Here I am on INGO to see if anyone here knows how I can get some venison. Have freezers - Will travel. I'm not looking for handouts but I would like to know the proper way to get some meat when you can't hunt anymore. It's just a totally new problem that I never thought I've have. It's gotten so bad that my youngest girl last Christmas was opening a cold present and ask if it was a deer. (it was something from the fridge)
I have even checked out the disabled hunting guide where you can hunt from a vehicle? On service roads or something like that? But then how would I ever chase it down if it doesn't drop right next to the truck. Seems like a lot of work for others when I took the shot.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Other states I've lived in, I have always gotten venison from friends or hunted it myself. Most the butchers there would also except your donated meat, process it and just charge anyone that needs the meat, that fee. Sometimes we would pay for the processing but just leave it there for families that can't afford the fee. We always had our freezers full of that and other meats from neighbors kids that were in 4-H and we had sponsored for their pigs, cows, and whatever.
I now live in northern Indiana.
I also have an injury that keeps me from hunting and puts a huge dent in our budget. Being as I didn't grow up here, generally nobody knows me. Which can be great except that I have no hunter friends, I don't know anyone in 4-H, I'm not in with "The Know" people for best places and contacts out here. Well my kids have mentioned venison a few times and still love deer so I have saved up and purchased 2 chest freezers again. (had to sell the other freezers before the last move) Great, so I'm ready, right?
I asked around and was told to check with Yoder's Meats in Shipshewana and John's Butcher in Nappanee.
So I made a trip to Yoder's and found that they don't do or have any processed deer available and won't like...forever...but one of their butchers does hunt. Ya, well, that doesn't really help me.
So I took a trip to John's Butcher and found that yes. They do process deer and have deals with meat not picked up or extra or whatever. Great, so I picked up as much as they had there at the time. Unfortunately it was last years season from a non-pick-up and it wasn't even the whole animal somehow. OK, I still paid the full price processing fee because dammit, my kids want dead deer. I was also put on some list for getting any venison from this years season. This seems promising.
The meat was OK kinda, I could tell it wasn't real fresh but that's what BBQ sauce is for. It was still in the hunting season and I got all ready, and told my kids about getting some more deer while still making that old deer meat last. When I get more venison I had also planned on buying other meats from the same place to complete the freezers but the deer came first.
That call never came and I have visited them several times in the last 3 years with no success but was told that I was still on some never ending list and my phone number is correct. (I checked) My freezers now have a little chicken and lots of bread and one package of old ground venison from that original purchase that I keep in there just to remind me to find dead deers. I've basically given up on them.
Here I am on INGO to see if anyone here knows how I can get some venison. Have freezers - Will travel. I'm not looking for handouts but I would like to know the proper way to get some meat when you can't hunt anymore. It's just a totally new problem that I never thought I've have. It's gotten so bad that my youngest girl last Christmas was opening a cold present and ask if it was a deer. (it was something from the fridge)
I have even checked out the disabled hunting guide where you can hunt from a vehicle? On service roads or something like that? But then how would I ever chase it down if it doesn't drop right next to the truck. Seems like a lot of work for others when I took the shot.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
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