COLUMBUS, Ohio — Hunters in Ross County will be able to donate whole, field-dressed deer at the Ross County Fairgrounds this fall as part of a state program that turns venison into food for Ohioans in need, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
The Division of Wildlife’s Field to Food Bank program is asking hunters to consider harvesting an extra deer to help feed Ohio families, with donation events scheduled across the state during the upcoming hunting season, the agency said.
The Ross County Fairgrounds in Chillicothe will serve as a drop-off site during Deer Gun Week, open Nov. 30, Dec. 1, Dec. 5 and Dec. 6 from noon to 8 p.m., according to ODNR. It is one of seven drop-off locations statewide during that stretch, alongside sites in Wyandot, Delaware, Allen, Hardin, Licking and Knox counties.
Once donated, deer are transported to the Ohio Penal Industries’ meat processing facility at Pickaway Correctional Institution, where they are processed and packaged before the division works with the Ohio Association of Foodbanks to distribute the venison to regional food banks and pantries, according to the release.
Hunters must bring whole, field-dressed deer that have been properly tagged and game-checked, and must hold a valid license and deer permit unless exempted. Donated deer count toward county and statewide bag limits, ODNR said.
The program launched last October and collected 182 donated deer in its first year, amounting to about 36,400 venison servings distributed to Ohioans in need, according to the agency. Hunters who cannot donate a harvest can instead make a monetary donation to help cover processing and packing costs.
More information on the program, including a full list of donation dates and locations, is available at ohiodnr.gov/DonateVenison.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
