DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife announces Sportsmen Against Hunger program butcher shops and cooler locations accepting donated deer

Processed venison donated to charitable organizations

DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife announced today the private butcher shops and DNREC cooler locations that accept donated deer for the Sportsmen Against Hunger program during Delaware’s 2018/19 deer hunting season. Deer generously donated by successful deer hunters are processed into venison at no charge to the hunter, with the Division of Fish & Wildlife distributing the venison to charitable groups that provide meals for needy Delawareans.

Last year, DNREC’s Sportsmen Against Hunger program distributed 19,083 pounds of venison from 649 deer donated by hunters to approximately three dozen food pantries and shelters statewide, which provided 76,332 meals to Delawareans in need. Since it began in 1992, the program has provided more than two million such meals.

Successful hunters can take their deer directly to participating private butcher shops, or they may drop off their deer at any of DNREC’s walk-in coolers listed below.

Participating Butcher Shops

Cooler Locations to Donate Deer

Hunters donating deer are asked to call the phone number posted on the walk-in coolers so that the deer can be transported for processing in a timely manner. Hunters are reminded that all deer dropped off at a cooler must be field-dressed and registered by the hunter, with the registration number written on the field tag attached to the deer. Coolers are checked frequently, with donated deer taken to participating private butcher shops or the Sussex Correctional Institution’s deer butchering program for processing.

All deer harvested in Delaware, including donated deer, must be registered through the Division of Fish & Wildlife’s Hunter and Trapper Registration (HTR) system. Deer hunters are encouraged to access the system online using a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer. Hunters who prefer to talk to a live customer service representative can call 855-DELHUNT (855-335-4868).

For more information on hunting in Delaware can be found at 2018-2019 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide. The guide also is available in printed form at DNREC’s Dover licensing desk in the Richardson & Robbins Building, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901, and from license agents statewide.

For more information on the Sportsmen Against Hunger Program, please visit Sportsmen Against Hunger, or contact Bill Jones, regional wildlife manager, 302-284-4795. For deer hunting information, please contact Eric Ness, deer and furbearer biologist, at 302-735-3600.

Media Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902.