Taking the shot is just the first part of deer hunting. On the Island, every bit of the deer is utilized, with the venison providing a much needed food source for the community.
Astrid Tilton, the gleaning manager for Island Grown Initiative, said that last year the organization helped provide 600 pounds of venison to Vineyarders.
This year’s season began in October with bow hunting. Shotgun season opens Monday, Dec. 2 and runs to Dec. 14. Primitive firearms starts Dec. 16 and closes out the season on Dec. 31.
Island Grown Initiative collaborates with the Agriculture Society and the MV Tick Program to operate a community deer locker, where hunters have the option to donate deer to people in need. The venison is then packaged and distributed through the food pantry.
Kinship Heals, a domestic violence relief organization for tribal members, also organizes weekly pick-ups of venison from IGI to provide families with nutrient-rich meals.
Thus far, Island Grown Initiative has received 10 deer. The organization is also participating in MassWildlife’s Hunters Share the Harvest Program this year, where they are reimbursed for every deer they process.
“We process the deer when they’re really fresh, as soon as possible after they get donated,” Ms. Tilton said. “I do not think it tastes gamey at all . . . different cuts of the [deer], just like beef or pork, have a different experience.”
Island Grown Initiative does not have a meat grinder, but they prepare the meat in steak form and pieces for stewing. She said venison is a special protein because it doesn’t have any fat, and cooks nicely when prepared with a generous amount of butter or red wine.
“It’s a really nourishing wild food,” Ms. Tilton said. “Deer have been eating wild plants, their diet is really diverse. And when you eat animals that have had a really healthy, diverse diet, you get all those benefits too.”
Ms. Tilton said venison is a prime example of food sovereignty in the community, a system in which the people who harvest food get to decide how it is produced and distributed.
Because it is illegal for hunters to sell venison in stores, most will keep what they need and either donate the rest or give it away to friends. For many, it is their main source of protein during the winter, cooked as steaks, meatballs, burger patties and more. Some hunters will marinate the meat and smoke it until it becomes jerky.
Brian Athearn, the founder of the Martha’s Vineyard Hunt Club, said when hunting for meat it is almost always best to use a bow compared to a shotgun or black powder.
“When a deer goes running through the woods and somebody has a gun, they take as many shots as it takes to stop that deer,” Mr. Athearn said. “It looks like a pin cushion by the time they are done with it, so I have to cut around all that.”
He said that hunt club members take advantage of every part of the deer, eating the venison, boiling down the bones for a rich broth or freezing them for dog treats. He will even save the brains to tan deer hides.
If there is anything left over he will feed it to his chickens, whose eggs turn a maroon color after eating the protein. Mr. Athearn said the eggs will have a rich taste, similar to that of a duck egg.
Mr. Athearn said he marvels at the Island’s bounty, and always tries in his various roles to get as much meat into the food stream as possible.
“Between the turkeys and the deer, it’s completely renewable,” Mr. Athearn said.
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