Often, I see folks posting harvest photos with a disclaimer that they harvested the yearling buck or small doe pictured because they are a “meat hunter” and don’t care about antlers. This is just an empty excuse used by deer hunters that feel that they have to justify their harvests. While the hunter may truly not care about antlers (which is unlikely as almost all hunters share at least some fascination with antlers), it is doubtful that any hunter these days is a true meat hunter for a few reasons.
What Is A Meat Hunter?
While there are countless possible definitions of a meat hunter, any solid definition will stipulate that the hunter is hunting to provide meat for his family and himself as a necessity. This differs from the idea of a sport hunter who hunts for the enjoyment of the experience and does not necessarily need the meat to provide for food himself.
I personally fall into the sport hunter category. I love hunting and I do so because it is relaxing, I get to enjoy creation, and I ultimately enjoy eating the venison I consume. I do not hunt as a food necessity; the meat I harvest is simply a huge bonus that often becomes my motivation to hunt. I am not poor enough to have to shoot deer to feed myself, and I doubt that any of the self-proclaimed “meat hunters” out there are too poor to purchase their own food.
Hunting Isn’t Cheap
Everyone invests some level of finances into their hobbies, and if hunting is one of those I guarantee that they are spending way more on hunting free-range venison than they would spend if they went to the store and just bought beef. For instance, if you hunt 5 days and have a short 15 minute commute to your hunting property you will spend roughly $20 on gas for your truck. If you live in a state where it is legal and you choose to bait with corn you can easily spend $30 on corn over a month. You will also spend $20 on a box of bullets and probably around $75 on a trail camera. If you put out scent lure you will easily spend $10 there and you will probably want to buy that $20 package of scent killing products to try not to be smelly. Let’s stop there and ignore the fancy camo clothes, boots, treestand, boxstand, binoculars, and gun that most will buy and will add hundreds to thousands of dollars depending on value.
Just counting gas, corn, bullets, a trail camera, scent, and scent killer you have already spent $175 to kill a deer! If you shoot that little yearling buck in your corn pile you will get roughly 30 lbs of meat. That means you are spending nearly $6 per a pound for venison and that’s before processing fees or processing equipment cost if you do it yourself!
We Hunt Because We Love It
If simply acquiring protein for the best price possible were the goal I think any budget conscience person would buy cheap beef or chicken before they paid $6/lb for deer meat. The short of it is we hunt because we love being outdoors and experiencing nature and we shoot deer because we enjoy completing our hunts with tasty venison!
Stop using meat hunting as an excuse to kill every juvenile deer you see and don’t fool yourself into thinking you have to kill that yearling buck because you “need” the meat. People should shoot what makes them happy, but if you want meat shoot a doe and let the little guy go! It may just make a future hunt much more exciting when that buck has matured!
You and I need to talk. My wife and I are true meat hunters. We’re hardcore primal health enthusiasts and it’s a key part of our lifestyle.
Randy, I am all for hunting for meat. I personally will shoot every doe I have an opportunity at, as long as I believe it won’t negatively affect the herd/habitat quality balance. I pass young bucks to let them grow to be larger deer. My point with this article was in no way to bash meat hunters, because meat is the number one trophy I take home from hunting. However, it is my wish to point out the inefficiency of most hunter’s approach to hunting as a means to acquire “cheap meat.” Most of us simply spend more than is probably healthy on hunting, because it is something we love. This makes most current hunter’s spending way more per pound of venison than they would other meats.
Instead we enjoy the bounty of our harvest as an added bonus to our enjoyment of the outdoors. I disagree with most people’s feeling of needing to justify their harvests as a “meat hunter” harvest. Instead, I wish people did not feel the need to make excuses and instead would own the fact that they shot a particular deer because it got them excited!
In some places you CAN’T harvest a doe without applying for a doe tag and then even if you are successful at getting a doe tag you still don’t get to shoot two deer 😳 it’s either or. I don’t know where you hunt but some places just don’t have the numbers of deer to sustain multiple tags. As far as cost ? As long as you don’t buy into all t6e hype and flash ? It is cheap. In 2013 I bought my bow and three tree stands along with some camo…that’s it. I don’t use trail cameras because I believe it’s cheating , I don’t bait…..because I think it’s cheating, I play the wind and I harvest a deer every year 😎 organic free range Venison would probably cost upwards of $10 a pound at the store ( if you could even find it ) I’ve MORE than paid for all my gear with the meat I’ve put on the table. I’m not against taking big rack deer ( although the venison quality is inferior ) but honestly ? The m just as happy with a year and a half young fork buck. 🍺 cheers.
Jim, I agree 100%! Everyone is in a different situation, I was trying to address the most common scenario I see around me. Thanks for the feedback!
I will continue to shoot the first legal deer I see because I want the meat, not because I need the meat. Nobody in this country needs the meat. The social welfare system takes care of the need part. If you have the time to hunt for meat, you have time to work, which will almost certainly provide more meat for the time invested. I will adhere to the law and any restrictions it places on antler size. But A-holes like you should quit telling other people what to shoot during their limited time in the woods. Not everyone has the time to spend and I for one am sure as hell not going pass on having some peat so some self-righteous little peckerhead like you can shoot a big buck. If you really think all of your article is some sort of revelation or some unmasking of hunters with questionable ethics who hide behind and excuse, you are not nearly as sophisticated as you think you are.
Bill, thanks for the feedback. I agree with the first part of your comment. However, I feel you have completely missed the whole point of this article. It isn’t about bashing people for shooting little deer (my first deer with a bow was a yearling spike). It’s about our perspective on why we do it and pointing out that EVERY hunter is out there for the same reason…because they love it. They shouldn’t have to make excuses like being a meat hunter. If they don’t enjoy it, they aren’t a hunter.
I see your point(s) and they are valid. As mentioned we all have the passion for it, if not I don’t think we’d be there and for most it may not be out of necessity. Some of us do truly try to spend as little as possible to harvest. I hunt 8 mins from home most of the time, drive a Kia Forte ( Yes deer fit in the trunk ) I will drag a deer until the day I HAVE TO buy a cart. I’ve sold off all the blinds and stands and for the past 3 years have been building brush blinds.. However I think what this thread doesn’t address is what a lot of guys actually mean by saying the antlers don’t mean anything to them. I agree if you were raised a hunter you have dreams of that monster but meat hunters don’t chase after it! I am a meat hunter, I honestly prefer smaller deer as I’m the only one eating it unless I share. I don’t want it to go to waste. I like the less gamey taste of a young deer. I also don’t cam scout to find that swamp donkey and try to down that particular deer. Yet I wont lie if that BIG olde buck happens to come into my post and gives a shot I will take that deer out of passion and pure luck. The biggest expense I see from hunting is typically the processing and this is only because it isn’t worth it to me to invest in the tools to do it myself and having the space to do it well. Don’t get me wrong I like this article It just comes off a little narrow in the first paragraph. Especially to an archer who has a bow that is 5 seasons old now and it works fine. who hasn’t purchased an attractant in many seasons. I make my own natural cover scents from the very woods I hunt. I even grab old small folding stools I find in the trash off season to sit on.
I see your point, and you are right. I couldn’t cover all the different scenarios hunters are in, its different for everyone. I tried to use a moderate example because as you know there are many guys spending much more than I proposed and still others spending much less, like you mentioned. Thanks for the feedback!
Meat hunting does not mean cheap hunting. If you meant cheap say cheap There are plenty of people that live a subsistence lifestyle. In fact, we have special tags for people that live in very rural areas specifically for subsistence living.
Additionally, if you’re not putting a set of antlers on the wall, then choosing which deer to shoot based on more tender or less game flavor is meat hunting.
Somewhere in your article, your point is lost as you change from the topic of meat hunter to the average cost of hunting.
A hunter that shoots a doe spends no less on hunting then a person hunting antlers is also wrong. A doe hunter will spend many less days in the field and will likely travel few miles to fill their freezer.
Just found your article to be off topic and without focus.
Thanks for the feedback Craig. Glad that it is getting people thinking and discussing this topic! While I agree that there are some hunters, like you mentioned, that do hunt cost effectively for meat my point was about the vast majority that claim this but do not show it in their actions. Happy hunting!
What about folks who are hunting to ensure the meat they harvest is not filled with hormones and chemicals and truly organic? Cost? What is the cost of eating chemically and hormone infected domestically raised meat? If you want to feel better about the fact that you hunt for horns, fine. Your argument is pathetic and weak. People do hunt for the meat. The experience you get while obtaining it is good for your health as well. So is it really a cost? Nope…its a good investment in your health across the board.