Venison sharing program resumes this fall in Ind.

This fall marks the third year of GiveIN Game, a program allowing hunters to donate deer meat to interested people.

Beginning Sept. 1, and continuing through Aug. 1, 2014, people can register online to donate or receive venison.

Selling, bartering or trading venison is against the law, so the program, through the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Fish and Wildlife, allows hunters to make venison available to those who want it. Venison is only donated through the program.

Through the website, hunters and those who want venison are able to sign up in the same system and then contact each other.

Michelle Cain, wildlife information specialist at the Division of Fish and Wildlife, said they started the program as a way for hunters to give away unwanted venison.

“It gives the hunters the opportunity to hunt more and a way to give venison to people that wanted to feed themselves or their family,” Cain said.

In 2012, GiveIN Game had 774 hunters and buyers sign up. Cain said it hopes to have about 800 participants this year.

Cain said the goal of GiveIN Game is to save venison rather than waste it.

“There is more demand than supply,” Cain said. “Generally there are a lot more people that want the venison than there is to give.”

Cain said GiveIN Game provides services where hunters are helping people throughout the community.

“The idea was to connect people who are looking for a healthy alternative source of protein with hunters that have already satisfied their own venison needs,” Cain said.

Chad Stewart, a deer biologist with DNR, said they like to joke and call it “deer harmony.”

“It really works similar to one of those online dating match-up programs,” Stewart said. “It works very much the same way in that you have people in a certain area that matches up people that want and need and have a surplus of venison.
“It provides an outlet for those two groups to connect and meet one another.”

Stewart said after the first year of GiveIN, the program officials did a survey of the participants. Of those who responded, more than 80 percent  said they were satisfied and would participate again.

“The people who weren’t satisfied were the people who failed to make a connection,” he said.

Follow reporter Alli Friedman on Twitter @afreedz.