Does anyone still hunt for their food for the winter?

Question

Here in the north we still hunt and fish as store bought meat is expensive.

Answer 1

Yes, we do. Almost completely reliant on hunted food during the winter time and throughout the year. We hunt squirrel almost year around, rabbit, deer and turkey for our meat supply in the winter, we also process our own meat, no meat processors for us. We fish all summer long and into the winter. We hunt coral and morel (in the spring) mushrooms and freeze them for winter (if they last that long!) We plant a garden and freeze most of it for winter, and keep potatoes, beets, radishes,  and other veggies around for winter. We gather wild blackberries, wild strawberries, apples, pears and gooseberries. We hunt Jerusalem artichoke which grows wild in abundance here which you can use just like a potato. We have chickens for our own eggs and a meat supply when they do not lay anymore.

  IMHO, people if they have an opportunity to do what we do, should take every advantage of it. It's much less expensive, you know that you grew or harvested your own food and it's all natural. It is hard work at times, but rewarding.

Answer 2

I don't really rely solely on hunting in the wintertime, but yes, during the winter most of what we eat is deer because we have a lot of financial problems but we can hunt more in the wintertime. We had a good season last winter, we've still got a lot of deer meat in the freezer at my grandparents' house. Also, we fish a LOT. That isn't just a winter deal for us. A few months ago, if I ever saw another catfish I might have thrown up. Lol this isn't just a thing of the north so don't feel weird. I live in Texas.

Answer 3

I hunt and fish for food year round. I take every chance I get to harvest game and fish.

During the summer months my son and I catch 100 plate size male bluegills a day. We ice them down as soon as they are caught and sort the fillets out in portions and freeze them in blocks of ice. No freezer burn when frozen properly and they taste just as fresh as when you caught them.

My son wont even touch store bought meat products other than dairy. Got him hooked on the good stuff a long time ago ; )

Also grow and preserve our own fruits/veg. We are from the Ouachita mountains in Arkansas.

Answer 4

Yes, I live in North Pole, Alaska - just south of Fairbanks - and we rely on hunting at least one caribou or moose each year to fill the freezer.

Answer 5

The vast majority of hunters spend way more money hunting than the meat is worth.

I got 6 squirrels this weekend but it cost me 20 dollars.

I haven't killed a turkey in about 3 years and it costs at least 100 dollars each season.

The small 150 pound deer last year cost me over 300 in gasonline.

Most people (concidering that most hunters live in the city/suburbs) could buy a dozen turkeys and a side of beef for what they pay to go hunting. Unless you have access close to home, hunting is purely recreational.

Answer 6

There are people here in New Jersey who depend on hunted meat to help get them through the year. They also garden to help with the vegetable bill. You can also make some tasty desserts with the berries that they forage.

Answer 7

yes many do i lived i the woods in the north west we got broke and wood hunt for food when i was younger my brother still does

Answer 8

absolutely!  I might not be able to take care of all of my food needs through hunting/fishing, but I try to buy as little as possible from the store.  Food you buy from the store could have been raised with growth hormones and antibiotics, so I believe that it is healthier to eat wild game.  Plus, it is higher quality.

Answer 9

   I sure do JJ. It takes 5 to 6 deer a year for the meat to last all year, and since the limit is 6, that works out fine. I catch enough fish to last all year also. It is a big savings on the grocery bill. Plus the wild game is much more healthier for you also!

Answer 10

In an ideal world, I would survive exclusively on what I could hunt, catch, gather, and raise. Technology, mass manufacturing, and industry have spoiled us and made us into an aggressive and emotionlly bankrupt people.