On That Note
It seems to me that environmentally minded consumers are on the rise. Have you ever met someone who insists that all their food be locally grown, free range and raised on natural food sources? I have. Several of these are also nervous around terms like "pesticides," "fertilizer" and "GMO."
Sometimes, it can seem they con-sider farmers to be the enemy. Other times, it is clear they just don't fully understand the process and are open to dis-cussing it. For those unwilling to hear the reasons behind caging chickens (they're really mean to each other, and canni-bals), keeping sows in a pen (to reduce the risk of piglets getting crushed) and a number of other farming practices, I would like to present a solution: hunting.
About a year ago now I read an article written by a retired wildlife officer in which he introduced the idea. Who can think of a more locally grown, free range and naturally raised and fed product than wild game? He argued that this is the most natural way to harvest your food.
It tastes all natural, too. There has been no nutritional plan mapped out for any specific deer, turkey or squirrel to improve flavor, balance muscle tone and fat content or increase the amount of meat harvestable. When it comes to wild game, you get what nature gives you.
All jokes aside, sometimes consumers just need to learn a little bit of the history behind farming decisions in order to understand the level of care put into raising the food we eat.
And, in case I got some people fired up for firearm season, don't worry. It's coming quickly. This year's fall hunting season has already started for archery, squirrels and turkeys. Firearm season ends on Nov. 1 for turkeys, begins Nov. 1 for rabbits and Nov. 14 for deer.
Now is the time to prepare by scouting out some hunting grounds, talking to neighbors about tracking deer (or other game) through their property, and checking over all the equipment needed for a successful season. I know many people who have at least started this process already.
Personally, I am looking forward to getting some venison jerky and perhaps making a bit of venison stew.
On that note, if you meet anyone asking to find some free-range, naturally raised meat, encourage them to learn more about the agriculture system and consider getting their hunting license. There's nothing more free range than a wild buck in harvest season.