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5/10/2001
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Article/Press
Release
National
Survey:
Majority of Wild Game Processors Help Feed the Hungry
TUCSON,
Ariz., May 2, 2001 ¾ The Safari Club International Foundation today
announced results from a national survey of 4,700 meat processors
licensed by state Departments of Agriculture.
The results from the benchmark initiative show 27 percent
handle wild game, and that 84 percent of wild game facilities
responding provide services year round.
The study also finds that 52 percent of wild game companies
responding have one or more preferred charities “which regularly
receive the wild game harvests shared
by
hunters.”
“With
so many people traveling to hunt, and others unaware of all local
options for game processing, it’s important to give the 15 million
sportsmen and sportswomen in North America a leg up on locating the
professional meat processing help they want when and where they want
it,” said Gene Rurka, chairman of the Safari Club International
Foundation Humanitarian Services Committee.
“We’ve established an on-line resource at http://www.safariclub.org/resource1.htm
to make service selections easier, and to help hunters find the
companies that care enough to help nature’s bounty get to people
in need.”
More
than 63 percent of the responding wild game processors expressed an
interest in being recognized as Sportsmen Against Hunger facilities.
The program is a longstanding Foundation relief effort
that’s helped feed more than 29 million people by encouraging
hunters and anglers to share portions of their harvests with soup
kitchens, food banks and other relief organizations.
“We’ve
got to make it easier for every hunter and every meat processor to
help their communities,” added Rurka.
“Making identification as easy as a few mouse clicks at http://www.safariclub.org/resource1.htm,
or a quick review of the localized Sportsmen Against Hunger charity
lists we’ll be sharing with participating processor locations
should boost deliveries of lean protein where they’re needed.”
The
Foundation study also finds the six most common game types prepared
by licensed meat processors are deer (36 percent of respondents),
elk (27 percent of respondents), bear (10 percent of respondents),
antelope (7 percent of respondents), wild boar (7 percent of
respondents), and moose (5 percent of respondents). Caribou,
buffalo, wild turkey, pheasant, other fowl and alligator rounded out
the replies.]
Presenting
state-by-state averages for processing by game type and comparing
each against national averages for the species, the Foundation’s
on-line resource should help hunters shop for value, too.
For
example, when it comes to prepping a deer, the average state costs
for “standard cut” service range from $35 in Idaho to $100 in
Massachusetts.
The
average national cost for “standard cut” preparation is $54, and
notable average costs include $56 in Arizona, $61 in Colorado, $54
in Illinois, $65 in Kansas, $58 in Michigan, $49 in Minnesota, $62
in Missouri, $60 in Ohio, $47 in Oregon, $48 in South Dakota, $67 in
Texas, $47 in Utah, $43 in Washington, $57 in Wisconsin and $55 in
Wyoming.
Nationally,
the average “standard cut” processing charges for elk range from
a low of $40 in Maryland to a high of $192 in North Carolina.
Notable state averages for “standard cut” offerings include $178
in Arizona, $165 in Colorado, $110 in Illinois, $155 in Kansas, $125
in Minnesota, $137 in Missouri, $154 in Washington, $130 in Utah,
$143 in Washington, $135 in Wisconsin, and $133 in Wyoming.
The average price is $138.
“Standard
cut” for bear, on average, costs $59 to process in the United
States. The average
“standard cut” service for bear ranges from $40 in Oregon to $58
in New York. The 19
companies responding in Wisconsin have an average “standard cut”
price of $55.
Wild
boar “standard cuts” throughout the United States average $47,
and the average prices range from $36 in Missouri to $62 in Ohio. Texas had the most respondents identifying this wild pig as
among the most common game types processed, and the average
“standard cut” in the Lone Star state costs $46.
Antelope,
on average, costs $46 for “standard cut” processing, and average
“standard cut” prices for antelope range from $29 in Montana to
$58 in Nebraska. The
dozen companies responding in Wyoming offer an average “standard
cut” cost of $45.
Moose
“standard cut” processing requires an average investment of
$189, with average “standard cut” prices for moose ranging from
$161 in Alaska to $198 in Wisconsin. The Foundation will soon update
this on-line resource with data from a survey of more than 15,500
soup kitchens, food pantries and other relief organizations in North
America. As a result,
sportsmen and wild game processors soon will find it easy to
identify local nonprofits interested in wild game to feed the
hungry.
The
Foundation is 501©(3) charitable organization.
Working in tandem with Safari Club Chapters, it also helps
foster more than 150 specific wildlife conservation projects. This direct conservation investment of more than $1.5 million
annually, is complemented by a wide variety of educational programs
designed to teach people about the wise use of natural resources.
Safari Club International is a nonprofit association dedicated to
protecting the rights of 45 million hunters worldwide.
With 205 chapters around the world, it’s a tireless
advocate for outdoor enthusiasts, who, through legal hunting,
annually drive more than $1 billion in funding to maintain wildlife
populations, to conduct wildlife research and to enforce wildlife
laws.
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