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MassWildlife’s Hunters Share the Harvest Program

MassWildlife's Hunters Share the Harvest program provides an outlet for hunters to donate venison to Massachusetts residents facing food insecurity. Since the program's inception, more than 60,000 meals have been distributed to families in need.

This program provides the opportunity for hunters to donate and share venison with those in need, while supporting forest conservation by utilizing hunting for population management. Regulated hunting is a safe activity that brings communities together through the sharing of food, skills, and time spent outdoors with nature. Free range, organic venison is a healthy source of lean protein with a low carbon footprint that already provides more than 4.4 million meals of venison to hunters and families across Massachusetts each year. Licensed hunters play an important role in wildlife management in Massachusetts, and now successful hunters can help combat hunger and food insecurity in their communities by donating venison. 

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Download a printable program flier  Browse venison recipes 

How to donate your deer

For inclusion in the program deer must be:

  • Recovered and field dressed within 4 hours after shot unless the ambient air temperature stays below 37°F.
  • Dropped off whole and field dressed to a participating processor within 24 hours after shot.
  • Legally reported and tagged with a confirmation number.

New this year: For each whole deer donation, a hunter will receive a no-cost replacement Antlerless Deer Permit in the zone of their choice (WMZ 9, 10, 11, 13, or 14). It may take 2–4 weeks for the permit to be added to the donor's account. For hunters that donate a whole deer before Thanksgiving, we will make every effort to issue replacement permits before the shotgun deer season. Hunters who donate a whole deer after Thanksgiving will receive the replacement permit for the following year. A valid hunting or sporting license is required to utilize the permit each year.

Donation options

Donate an entire deer
With the support of donors, hunters who donate their full deer pay no processing or packaging fees. 

Donate a portion of your deer
Hunters can choose to donate a portion of their deer if it is processed entirely at an approved processor following all program requirements.

  • Donate at least 10 pounds of processed venison from your deer and receive $50 off the cost of processing.
  • Donate at least 20 pounds of processed venison from your deer and receive $100 off the cost of processing.
  • Donate at least 30 pounds of processed venison from your deer and receive $150 off the cost of processing.

Note: Some processors may choose not to allow partial donations. Each processor sets their own processing cost.

Hunter contributions
Hunters must purchase all required licenses/permits. These costs may be tax deductible as a donation. Discuss with a tax professional. 

Participating processors

To participate in the program, deer must be dropped off whole and field dressed at a participating processor. Use the map below to find a processor. Click here to see a larger map and a full listing of Hunters Share the Harvest processors.

Program impact

Since the program's inception in 2022, more than 60,000 meals have been provided to families in need. Processed venison from the Hunters Share the Harvest Program is distributed through partnering food programs, including:

Support MassWildlife's Hunters Share the Harvest Program

Donations help cover the processing and packaging costs for donated meat. A donation of $50 will provide about 75 servings of meat for families in need.

Program logistics and equipment support provided by the National Deer Association and Mass Audubon.

Monetary support provided by: Berkshire County League of Sportsmen, Massachusetts Conservation Alliance, Middleboro Sportsmens Club, Plymouth County League of Sportsmen, Safari Club International New England Foundation, Schwab Charitable Foundation, Somerset Sportsman's Club Inc, Worcester County League of Sportsmen, and individual donors like you!

How to make a monetary donation:

Online: Go to the MassFishHunt Donate Page and add a donation to "Hunters Share the Harvest" to your cart. Use a credit card to pay and follow the instructions to log in to an existing MassFishHunt account or check out as a guest.

By mail: Make checks payable to Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (please write HSH Program in the memo) and mail it to:

MassWildlife
Attn: Hunters Share the Harvest Program
1 Rabbit Hill Rd
Westborough, MA 01581

Help MassWildlife expand

MassWildlife plans to expand donation and distribution locations in the coming years. Meat processors, food pantries, hunger relief agencies, or other organizations who want to participate in MassWildlife’s Hunters Share the Harvest program in the future should contact Martin Feehan, MassWildlife’s Deer and Moose Project Leader, at martin.feehan@mass.gov.

MassWilldife's Hunters Share the Harvest was featured in Massachusetts Wildlife magazine. Read the full article, Sharing the Harvest.

Contact

Online

email Email MassWildlife at Mass.Wildlife@mass.gov
websites MassWildlife Homepage 
MassWildlife Facebook 
MassWildlife Instagram 

Phone

Call MassWildlife at (508) 389-6300

Open M–F, 8 a.m.–4 p.m.

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