Do you hunt to fill the freezer?

[Ucsdryder]

I think most of us say yes. Well what happens when you do fill the freezer. Is your season over? Or do you buy another one? What happens when you have enough meat for your family? I guess what I’m asking…do you ever stop hunting because you’ve killed too much shit?

 

[MuleDeerMike]

It's just one of many reasons for me.

 

[woods89]

Yes.

I have 4 kids. I haven't yet got to a point where we have more meat than we can handle. I have certainly got to a point where I'm a lot more relaxed about hunting when some of my tags are filled.

 

[SDHNTR]

Absolutely.

 

[Wilderlife]

We hunt year round and hunt as much as we want. If the freezer is completely full we may slow down on the deer hunting and focus on culling pigs and not take some of that meat, but that's only if we have enough wild pork in the freezer to feel like we don't need any. It's just not logistically possible to keep all of the wild pork we kill, and before anyone says "don't kill that many", that's not an option for us either.

If the freezer is getting really packed and we aren't eating as much as we normally do for whatever reason, we will usually go through it and grind a lot of stuff up and make some big batches of pies/burger/meatballs. Similarly, we might get out a heap of whole muscles and do batches of jerky with them and give them away. I'll take the muscles into work sometimes as well and make the jerky with kids (I'm a school teacher).

Also, if the freezer is well-stocked, I walk around with a trad bow much more often. If it's low, I'll either take a rifle or get my wife to come with me and bring her rifle. Just a few days ago we went out for an easy two nights camping and she shot two pigs, a goat and a deer. Most of those critters are in our outdoor fridge waiting to be processed and put in the freezer now.

We also give a lot of meat away to the landowners who give us permission to hunt on their places.

 

[coloyooper]

Depends on the hunt

 

[justin davis]

I used to go harder. Hunt non stop. I’m slowing down a little now. As long as I have adequate meat in the freezer. I don’t hunt as much.

 

[ozyclint]

Fill the freezer then start canning

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Depends on the animals and how much space I have left. When it doubt, give some to family and friends.

I may have to pass on a bison hunt but can fit in an axis hunt.

 

[Dalen88]

the meat is a big part for me be also, but the places you go hunting certain animals, the challenge and sometimes the experiences you have with others. A full freezer just means you can be more picky about the next animal you have in your cross hairs. My father in law always says, the best hunt is where you get a animal on the last days of the season.

 

[MuleyFever]

I have turned in anterless tags many years because I didn't need the meat. If I has a good buck/bull tag and a full freezer I would probably still hunt it. If I was guaranteed the tag the following year though I may consider turning it in.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Yes. Having freezers full of moose meat is awesome.

 

[Broomd]

Yes, hunt to fill the freezer. And, like most, for the thrill of being out there.
That said, we do draw the line at hunting/harvesting what we actually need.

Couple of years ago we had a couple move near here and stay for about two years before moving on to MT, just long enough to flip the property they were living in for a profit.
That same couple both drew OIL bull moose tags which they filled, and then they both proceeded to kill cow elk that same year.
Disappointing to learn that, they had no kids or dependents but enough meat for an army. Some people just kill because they can.

 

[*zap*]

I enjoy being in the woods and fields, no longer really care about 'trophy' so if I kill an animal it is so I can eat the meat...

 

[william schmaltz]

We get at least one moose a year. And then a couple more various animals added in per year. My wife prefers moose so the moose is a strict meat hunt. We eat probably 1/2-3/4 a moose per year and around 50 salmon. That’s for now until the boys get older. We buy ribeyes and maybe chicken once every couples months and that’s it.

Already put a moose, musk ox, and around 80 salmon in the freezer this year. My wife has a moose tag for December and we intend to fill it. Our two priests get moose and salmon from us every year as well as our daycare provider. Hopefully this year we will be able to share with my wife’s coworker who is a single mother and two other families that were unable to hunt this fall because of their family situation. No shortage of people who will take moose and salmon. The best thing we can do to keep hunting in a positive light for the general public is to share the meat. Look up the wild harvest initiative.

So yes I hunt for meat. But if the freezer is full or if I had to donate everything, I still love the experience and will be out there.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Yep. 4 freezers and like to keep them stocked for the year.

 

[crich]

The experience and my love of hunting is the real reason. Meat for my family is a very close second. If my freezer is full I dont stop I just become more selective about what I shoot. Sometimes I just wont pull the trigger if Im not feeling it at that moment. The experience is what Im truly after anyway.

This is an interesting topic... A family across the street dipnets salmon every year and then gives all the fish away to friends and neighbors. Some people are disgusted that they harvest fish and dont eat them while others dont see an issue with it since theyre feeding someone anyway.

 

[Blockcaver]

With a moose in the freezer from 2 weeks ago plus a ‘22 bear and odds and ends from previous years we are full up. We are grouse hunting a lot with the bird dog. Eat ‘em as we get ‘em. Only other big game on the docket is Coues deer in AZ. Will donate most of it if successful…even tho it is great eating.

 

[5MilesBack]

I've always been an elk hunter. My elk hunt is just that......my elk hunt. If I fill the freezer......fine. If I don't........no big deal. I'm in it more for "the hunt/the experience".......and good hunting at that. Will I hunt elk even if my freezers are full like they are now? Absolutely, if the opportunity presents itself. However, many of the late season freezer filler tags are more like shoots than hunts. But I still enjoy shooting stuff. I'd like to pick up a rifle season cow tag, but most everything I'm interested in is an "A" tag, so I can't grab one of those. I know plenty of people that would be absolutely ecstatic to get some elk meat, so no good reason not to go if I can get the tags.

 

[Catchfish]

I kind of ran into this issue this year, our moose camp has 4 shooters in it pretty much. I went out for the last 4 days of the season and we already had tagged 3 moose. I still had a small portion of last years moose in roast, shank, and breakfast sausage. All of our burger and steaks were gone, and we ate a black bear and 4 deer last year as well. I knew I had meat for the winter from the other moose as well. I still shot a spike before the season ended, I figured we might not be as lucky next year better stack the freezer completely full and can the rest.