# Is Wild Game and Fish a significant Proportion of your Diet?



## moonwolf (Sep 20, 2004)

Do you hunt and/or fish to obtain a good part of food for your homestead table? Include in your response, even if it's pond raised fish on your homestead, or perhaps you raise your own game such as deer or elk, etc. 

With the deer, fish and game birds, I figure about 20% of my 'protein' portion of the food is from that source. I also raise turkeys and chickens for the majority of the rest of my homestead meat supply. Rather than beef, it's venison for me. I know of some people locally that harvest their moose for their 'beef' and fish way more than I do and practically live off that. 

Hunt? Fish? for your sustainability to any degree for the 'food for the table'?


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## Hillbillybob (Jul 30, 2007)

Well lets just say that the animals that come onto my farm take their life into their own hands for if I see them that's whats for dinner. I eat lots of fish, frogs, turtles, and crayfish also.
If it moves on my farm you just might fine on my dinner plate.
Hillbillybob


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## moonwolf (Sep 20, 2004)

Hillbillybob said:


> Well lets just say that the animals that come onto my farm take their life into their own hands for if I see them that's whats for dinner. I eat lots of fish, frogs, turtles, and crayfish also.
> If it moves on my farm you just might fine on my dinner plate.
> Hillbillybob


So, Bob. Are you saying 100% of your diet is from that source only? How about beef, pork, poultry and such? Do you get domestic ones for your diet on that? Don't mean to be nosy, just asking according to the original thread question. 
As for where I get my game is mostly on my homestead land, or that wild land adjacent to it. In the past, I did a lot more wider ranging hunting to get game. Fishing is nearby in lakes if I fish since I have no fish of value in my beaver ponds to eat.


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## Hillbillybob (Jul 30, 2007)

moonwolf said:


> So, Bob. Are you saying 100% of your diet is from that source only? How about beef, pork, poultry and such? Do you get domestic ones for your diet on that? Don't mean to be nosy, just asking according to the original thread question.
> As for where I get my game is mostly on my homestead land, or that wild land adjacent to it. In the past, I did a lot more wider ranging hunting to get game. Fishing is nearby in lakes if I fish since I have no fish of value in my beaver ponds to eat.


I'm sorry but I broke down Monday and bought me some bologna and had some for supper. I don't like the taste of beef so if I buy meat it is pork or chicken. About 905 of my diet is from the farm in one way or another.
I still haft to buy some dry goods and once in a great while meat. I trade for eggs and chickens as I don't raise any. Once in a while I kill a wild hog. But must admit that bacon, ham, and sausage are the biggest money takers from my pocket. If I get beaver I don't buy bacon or ham as I use the tail.
I do though eat most of my meat from the wild.
Hillbillybob


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## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

I don't raise any meat no more,so all our meat is wild.I find it funny when people say that people don't Hunt and fish for meat anymore.

Well I got news for them some do!

big rockpile


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## Guest (Sep 13, 2007)

I try to have wild game night at least once a week. Usually Monday evenings. My wife doesn't care too much for wild game so therefore we don't have it as much as I would like to. That's why I don't kill more then two deer per year. If I kill my limit of 6 then I would just have to give 4 of them away. Which I don't believe in. I know there's hungry people out there but they can learn to hunt and fish too. 

Here lately I have been trying to stay away from the higher fatty meats, especially bacon and sausage. Therefore I've been frying me a fish fillet for breakfast to go with my fresh farm eggs. I take a container of fish fillets out of the freezer and thaw them out. When thawed I season and roll them in cornmeal and then place them on a large tray with wax paper down on it. So the fish wont stick to the tray. I freeze them until hard and then I peel them off the wax paper and bag them up in a storage bag and place them back in the freezer. This makes it easy to just reach in and grab a fillet or two and place them in the hot frying pan. Cooks up in just a few minutes. Less time then it takes sausage to fry. 

However, Rockpile, to go along with your other thread about remarrying! If I ever get single again, I'm staying that way and the majority of my food is going to be collected either from the garden or the wild outdoor. 

People don't realize how much wild food there is out in the great outdoors. Not just meat either. Mushrooms, nuts, fruits, berries, greens.


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## Hillbillybob (Jul 30, 2007)

r.h. in okla. said:


> I would just have to give 4 of them away. Which I don't believe in. I know there's hungry people out there but they can learn to hunt and fish too. .


I guess you don't know to many old folks then who are crippled up and on fixed incomes. Every extra deer that I kill goes into one of these elders freezers and they really thank me as they now not only have meat for the year but that is one thing they don't have to figure in on the small incomes they get. One lady 88 this year gets a whole 556 dollars a month to live on and pay all her bills. I collect wild fruit and greens to take to her. She uses it all and I always get a glass of jelly for Christmas. My biggest gift is to see the smiles on their faces knowing they will have meat for the year.
Hillbillybob


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## CGUARDSMAN (Dec 28, 2006)

i would say that 4 or 5 meals a week are venison or things we have raised here.


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## Guest (Sep 13, 2007)

If I know them and their needs I would give them some, if in need. However, it they are just looking for free handouts, that's a different story. One night I met a fellow in front of a convenience store. He told me he couldn't afford to buy a hunting/fishing license and tags as they are just too expensive. While he's telling me that, I'm starring at his 12 pack of beer and two packs of cigarettes he just purchased. Oh, and a movie rental also. Then he tells me if I get an extra deer that he would buy it from me. 

I know one hunter who tries to fill his freezer and all his relatives too with deer meat. He tells them to buy a deer tag and he'll fill it. His relatives could go out and hunt just as easily as him. The majority of them are not elderlies or crippled.

This is mainly what I was getting at with my statement above.


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## moonwolf (Sep 20, 2004)

r.h. in okla.I know one hunter who tries to fill his freezer and all his relatives too with deer meat. He tells them to buy a deer tag and he'll fill it. .[/QUOTE said:


> It's contrary to the law here to do that. Can't hunt by having someone buy a permit for you and kill game for them. Won't work in this province, since it's not legal. A hunter taking game, and processing it must have it for their own possession and not 'given away'. Road kills may be a different story though. Deer and moose claimed by Motor Vehicle Accidents can be reported and processed right away with permission, which CAN be donated to local food banks and such.
> The reason about game hunting per permit is basic sustainable wildlife management. Our folk that are 'in need' such as HBB describes get the assistance for food they need without hunters getting it for them.


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## PTNTEXAS (Mar 15, 2006)

We have wild meat atleast one meal everyday thats usually all we cook for the day. We have white tail , Axis which I prefer over the white tail. Wild Russian boar (lots) and domestic hog, and my mom and dad love to fish the trout they release into the parks and give us quite a few ever year. Our grown kids do lots of salt water fishing and we have that also. I raise goats which we dont eat because the freezer is always full already we do drink the milk, chickens we usually sell or trade the roosters, but we have eaten a few and they were good and we eat the free range eggs. I really enjoy eating out but we have to much food at home so that is not to often. I do buy chicken sometimes and I have canned meat stocked up in case of hurricane or such. Paula


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## Hillbillybob (Jul 30, 2007)

r.h. in okla. said:


> If I know them and their needs I would give them some, if in need. However, it they are just looking for free handouts, that's a different story. One night I met a fellow in front of a convenience store. He told me he couldn't afford to buy a hunting/fishing license and tags as they are just too expensive. While he's telling me that, I'm starring at his 12 pack of beer and two packs of cigarettes he just purchased. Oh, and a movie rental also. Then he tells me if I get an extra deer that he would buy it from me.
> 
> I know one hunter who tries to fill his freezer and all his relatives too with deer meat. He tells them to buy a deer tag and he'll fill it. His relatives could go out and hunt just as easily as him. The majority of them are not elderlys or crippled.
> 
> This is mainly what I was getting at with my statement above.


Here I have no limit on how many deer that I kill that are does or antlerless. It cost me 7 dollars a tag after I use my 3 farm tags.
I don't hunt for people who are able to get out and hunt themselves. I have hunted a few times for a family with small kids and the husband was stoved up with a broken pelvis. 7 kids and the oldest 10 years of age. Or another time for a young woman with several kids on welfare. I haft to see someone in need not lazy.

Moonwolf the food banks here depend on hunters to help supply some protein from the deer harvest. We just have too many deer here where I live and even after hunting season is over it doesn't look like we have made a dent in the population


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## moonwolf (Sep 20, 2004)

Hillbillybob said:


> Moonwolf the food banks here depend on hunters to help supply some protein from the deer harvest. We just have too many deer here where I live and even after hunting season is over it doesn't look like we have made a dent in the population


I think that's good that you are able to do that in times of surplus. I know the deer populations are higher in N. America than at any time since colonization. 
The game laws here are good, I believe. Some areas deer are plentiful, and others aren't. It's the size of France where I live with 4 main districts and about 2 dozen wildlife management areas to 'govern'. The more populated areas of this province have lots of nuisance deer nowdays that aren't even hunted, so I know what you mean by lots of deer around. I've seen crashes in the last 15 years also with 2 years in a row of harsh northland climate decimating the deer population to near nothing. Took about 5 years for that to begin rebound, and only with luck of low snow cover winters. 
If one wants to take 7 deer (does), they can purchase tags in those WMU's that allow it, fill their freezer, if they want. That's a lot of deer meat, but some hunter families depend on that for their winter food supply (also moose as stated). They might help also their relatives close by with the meat, but the law still states the hunter with the permit can't hunt for others. Personally, I'm okay with that concept. But, we live in differing jurisdictions with differing social systems to take care of our lesser fortunate.


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## tn_junk (Nov 28, 2006)

I try and get at least one, maybe two, deer every year. Occassional squirrel. Quite a few pigeons. Eat all the fish I can catch. About 1/2 of my animal protein comes from game. 

galump


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## cowgirlone (May 9, 2002)

I'm not sure what percentage of our diet is wild caught, but we eat a lot of deer, dove, quail, pheasant, turkeys and fish. (a rattle snake now and then  )

We also raise our own pork, beef, chickens and shrimp. 
Sheesh! Sounds like should weigh a ton!


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## brownegg (Jan 5, 2006)

We harvest enough deer every year so that takes care of the red meat. We catch enough fish during spawning season for the year. We have large gardens that produce all the veggies we can and freeze. We pick wild berries and grapes for our jellies. I also buy a half hog for our special treats, cause we love pork. I'd say we totally live off the land except for the pork, that i would hunt if we had any in these parts. In the winter, we catch more fresh fish for fish frys....good to be alive!


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