Michigan
Michigan may have fewer deer hunters, but venison donations to food banks are up ⋆ Michigan Advance
Despite an ongoing trend in Michigan of fewer people heading into deer blinds, the amount of venison being donated to local food banks and other charities has been steadily increasing.
According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) 2022 Deer Harvest Survey, the total number of hunters declined by about 4% from 537,014 in 2021 to 516,336 last year. More significantly, the number of deer that were harvested dropped 14%, from approximately 395,000 in 2021 to just 339,189 in 2022.
In and of itself, that is not much of a surprise, as deer hunting, in general, has been steadily declining in Michigan over the last several decades. While 2020 saw a small increase largely attributed to the expanded interest in outdoor activities during the first year of the COVID pandemic, the annual deer harvest still pales in comparison to the peak seen in the late 1990s, when just under 600,000 deer were taken.
What is somewhat surprising is that over that same period, Michigan Sportsmen Against Hunger (MSAH) reports an inverse increase in donated deer meat.
Dean Hall is treasurer of the MSAH, an all-volunteer organization that connects hunters, wild-game processors and charities that feed individuals in need.
“Hunting license sales have indeed not enjoyed the amount of sales numbers as in past decades,” Hall told the Michigan Advance. However, he added that their tracking “shows increases in venison burger production as a result of deer donations.”
According to numbers provided by the group, while the number of deer harvested in Michigan dropped 14% from 2021 to 2022, the pounds of donated venison that were processed through their network rose by nearly 6%, from 107,012 pounds to 113,491 pounds.
In fact, while the number of deer hunters has been on the overall decline, MSAH reports a more than five-fold increase in donated venison over the past ten years, with more than 1.1 million pounds collected and donated between 1991 and 2022.
Hall said the increase in donated venison has several contributing factors.
“While sportsmen and sportswomen continue to support the MSAH mission in strength, additional deer donations come in from post season deer management efforts in the MetroPark System, city parks and townships where hunting is not allowed but deer management is a necessity, and deer management in specific counties of the State through the United States Wildlife Service,” he said.
MSAH is funded through an account in the state Treasury and promoted by the DNR as the “perfect way for hunters to share their harvest,” while they are encouraged to “offset the cost of processing, and packaging venison by making a monetary donation” when they purchase a hunting or fishing license.
According to the Michigan Wildlife Council, those monetary donations have also increased exponentially, from less than $1,000 in 2005 to approximately $100,000 in 2018.
Meanwhile, state wildlife officials say that while they encourage the continued donations by deer hunters, they also caution that only licensed processors like those utilized by MSAH should be used by those looking to purchase venison.
“Many people assume food items sold online are from licensed and inspected companies, but this is not always the case,” said Jennifer Bonsky, MDARD Food and Dairy Division acting director. “Before you buy any food, and at this time of year particularly venison, make sure the food was processed at a facility licensed by MDARD. Our staff works tirelessly to make sure businesses are following the law to keep your food safe and family healthy.”
Legally, hunters can only take their deer to an unlicensed meat processor if the venison is simply cut and wrapped, although that meat must be marked as “Not for Sale” and used for personal use/consumption by the hunter. While it can be shared with the hunter’s friends and family, it can not be resold. If further processing like grinding with added fat, sausage making, or smoking is needed, the processor must be licensed.
“The best way to tell if venison being offered for sale is being sold legally is to look at the label,” said Bonsky. “A proper label will list ingredients, weight of the product, the name, address and contact of the licensed food business, and have a best by date, if needed. You can also ask to see a copy of the seller’s food license.”
As for the long-term trend of the decline in hunting across Michigan, there are actually small signs of optimism, said Nick Buggia, chair of the Michigan Wildlife Council.
“According to statistics just released by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, hunting license sales are generally holding steady compared with recent years — even increasing among some demographics — and that bodes well for all Michiganders,” he said.
While hunting license purchases were down slightly, a .79% decrease from the 459,490 bought in 2022, the purchase of first-time hunting licenses saw a .86% increase.
There was also a 3% upward swing from 2022 in the number of hunting licenses purchased by out-of-state visitors through Oct. 31.
That bodes well for the efforts of Michigan Sportsmen Against Hunger.
“Michigan hunters for decades have been donating venison to the hungry of our state,” Buggia said. “It’s just one of the ways sportsmen and sportswomen give back to their neighbors and fellow citizens.”
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EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles had a solid outing against Illinois, throwing for 256 yards and two touchdowns and, for the first time this season, didn’t commit a turnover.
Chiles has shown signs of improvement but still isn’t quite where the Spartans need him to be. And that goes for the whole offense as a whole. Chiles and the entire unit have the potential to be great.
With two games remaining, they want to show they are capable of it.
Chiles addressed the media on Tuesday, discussing the season so far, the loss to Illinois and this final stretch of the year.
You can watch below:
Below is a transcript from Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith’s opening statement of his press conference on Monday:
“OK, quick turnaround. but going back on Saturday after fully digesting the tape, lack of complementary football, really all three phases, there wasn’t enough there. There were some really good things in all three phases, but not enough to make it a lot closer in the fourth quarter and ultimately, win the game. And again, credit to Illinois. I thought they did a nice job a couple of facets schematically, tweaked a couple times in protection that we couldn’t get home, especially on third down, that they blocked up real well. And their quarterback made some good throws when there was needed, especially on some of those third-and-longers. Offensively, up front, we need to establish some things better. Protection wasn’t as good as even I thought. It wasn’t great on the field looking at it again, there’s a lot of edges there. Aidan [Chiles] did a nice job getting ball out a few times. We can protect the guy better, and we’re going to need to. Special teams-wise, we had to execute in the punt — you look at the yardage, when we were punting the ball, net, how much, I mean, we’ve lost that side of things, their punt return, our punt. Again, going off of the previous week, we were at protection issues, now we had a little more hang time and eliminate some of those hidden yards on special teams. So, like I said, quick turnaround moving forward. Practiced this morning. Guys are back to work. There’s definitely some disappointment, frustration, but I thought, looking at the work, they’re putting that effort and the energy, emotion into the practice today. Because that is a quick turnaround, and it felt like guys were moving around full speed. So, liked the work we got done today. Because looking at Purdue, you watch this tape, they’ve been able to move the ball. They’ve had some lighter scoring, just because some of the red zone [struggles], similar to us. You look at their schedule and the opponents, they played. A bunch of top five teams, and that’s what this league is and all of that. So, we’ll know we’ll have a challenge Friday night.”
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Times are currently tough for former Michigan State Spartans star Kirk Cousins.
Now in his first season with the Atlanta Falcons, Cousins and Co. got off to a good start, going 6-3 over their first nine games.
Much of that was due to a few monster performances from Cousins, like when he threw for 509 yards and four touchdowns during the Falcons’ overtime win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 3.
But all of a sudden, things have gotten more difficult for Cousins and Atlanta.
The Falcons have lost their last two games, and Cousins failed to throw a touchdown pass in either contest.
As a result, some are wondering if Atlanta could potentially trade Cousins in the offseason if things continue going south. Remember: the Falcons also selected Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick of the NFL Draft last April.
So, if Atlanta does ultimately decide to place Cousins on the trade block, where could he go?
Well, Ryan Dunleavy of The New York Post has offered an interesting potential destination: the New York Giants.
The Giants just benched Daniel Jones, meaning they will obviously be looking for a new quarterback in the spring. While they will most likely find one via the draft, there is also the chance they explore the trade market.
“Maybe it’s a pipe dream. But the Giants’ regime could be under win-now pressure,” Dunleavy wrote. “Cousins has 2024 No. 8 overall draft pick Michael Penix Jr. breathing down his neck. The Falcons would have a $60 million dead salary-cap charge and Cousins has a no-trade clause.”
Calling it “a pipe dream” is probably the best way to put it.
It seems highly doubtful that New York would pursue the 36-year-old Cousins when it seems blatantly obvious that the team is in need of a reset.
While fixing the quarterback position should be Mission No. 1 for the Giants during the offseason, Big Blue has more issues afoot, and adding a signal-caller closing in on retirement would not be the most efficient use of resources.
Cousins could very well be a trade candidate in March, but the chances of New York representing an actual landing spot for him seem slim to none.
Don’t forget to follow the official Spartan Nation Page on Facebook Spartan Nation WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be a part of our vibrant community group Go Green Go White as well WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.
(CBS DETROIT) — A Michigan ballet company is asking for the public’s help to save Christmas after a trailer with its “Nutcracker” props was stolen over the weekend.
Video captured when a truck drove off with the Plymouth-Canton Ballet Company’s prop trailer.
“It just makes me sick to watch the video, and … so quickly. It was five minutes. They hook up, and they are gone. And I’m going, ‘That’s my stuff,’” said June Smith, the company’s artistic director.
Smith said the trailer was stolen from their Canton rehearsal space around 3:30 a.m. on Sunday. It was filled with backdrops, sets, fog machines, and props vital to their 40th anniversary “Nutcracker” performance, less than three weeks away.
But of course, the show must go on, as 80 students from 20 local dance studios have been preparing for weeks.
“Everyone was really upset about it. Because it’s truly the props that pull the whole Nutcracker together, it was really unfortunate that someone would do that cause they don’t know how much it really means to us. And how much affects the show,” said Francesca Kardos, who plays Clara in “The Nutcracker.”
The nonprofit company is now rushing to rebuild what it can and has launched a GoFundMe to raise money to repurchase props.
They are also asking the public to watch for their 24-foot black trailer and the items inside.
“They have probably dumped this stuff someplace. So if somebody sees this enormous grandfather clock or an enormous fireplace… that looks like a prop of some kind, then call Canton police,” said Smith.
But holiday magic will be center stage no matter what happens with the props.
“We’re going to make it work because it’s truly the dancers who perform that really make the show,” said Kardos.
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