How many deer would you need to harvest a year to feed a family?

[Sigblaster]

I don't hunt, it's just not something I ever got into. I have no problem with hunting, as long as it's done in a manner that respects the property rights of others. And as far as deer go, they should be open season, kill on sight and treated like the antlered rats they are.

I was watching one of the game warden tv shows the other day, and they hauled in some guy who was apparently some sort of repeat offender poacher. Gave him like 40 tickets. He made a comment like "I guess it's illegal to feed your family".

So I got to thinking, suppose you have a wife and two kids, maybe 10 and 12 years old for example. Your income level and perhaps a family garden will keep you in fruits and vegetables, and you can afford to buy groceries for the things you can't grow or make yourself, but the cost of meat leaves it beyond your reach. Back to my original question, how many deer would you need to harvest per year to regularly keep meat in your family's diet? Do Indiana's hunting laws allow you to harvest as many as you would need for that?

 

[Bugzilla]

Six. And since the women with guns thread is locked!

 

[Sigblaster]

LOL, that's an awful lot of women to be splitting 6 deer. I was thinking maybe 2 would be enough for a family of four, assuming around 200 pounds of meat yielded per deer. I have no idea if that's realistic.

 

[Jaybird1980]

LOL, that's an awful lot of women to be splitting 6 deer. I was thinking maybe 2 would be enough for a family of four, assuming around 200 pounds of meat yielded per deer. I have no idea if that's realistic.

35-100ish pounds average from a deer in our area. Generally smaller deer in the south bigger if you go north.

 

[Ingomike]

LOL, that's an awful lot of women to be splitting 6 deer. I was thinking maybe 2 would be enough for a family of four, assuming around 200 pounds of meat yielded per deer. I have no idea if that's realistic.

Big deer on the hoof weigh 200 pounds.

 

[edwea]

Not realistic. A 200 lb deer is big. That's 200 lb on the hoof. I get 2 per year plus another maybe if the oldest boy or my dad gets one and that would last us maybe 4 months if it was the only meat we ate. But we're a family of 7.

 

[indyjohn]

Great question. I am of the same point of view as you. As a firearms enthusiast, I'm often asked the question: "Do you hunt?" My answer has always been "yes, if I'm hungry enough". I would say it's been now more than a 100 years since the ability of society to feed itself, not dependent on others really began to decline. It is frightening that today the absolute vast majority of people have no skills or means to go out and find food for themselves and their family without taking it from someone else.

So, your question has great value for those that don't hunt. Because, the ones that do know for sure how much game it would take. And for the sake of the conversation, how many chickens are needed to mix things up a bit.

 

[Ingomike]

One of the biggest misperceptions out there is if SHTF I’m going to hunt and eat venison. If SHTF the deer population will be decimated so fast it will make your head swim.

 

[Jaybird1980]

We can eat a whole beef in a year. So 6-800 pound range. Guess around 10 deer for us in a year.

 

[Sigblaster]

Ok, good info, I'm learning. How many deer could 1 person harvest in Indiana per year, assuming they followed all of the king's laws and got every tag they could, like buck, spike, doe, etc. or whatever the classifications are. Modern arms, blackpowder, archery, or whatever the classifications are. Max it out, how many could you take?

 

[Sigblaster]

Great question. I am of the same point of view as you. As a firearms enthusiast, I'm often asked the question: "Do you hunt?" My answer has always been "yes, if I'm hungry enough". I would say it's been now more than a 100 years since the ability of society to feed itself, not dependent on others really began to decline. It is frightening that today the absolute vast majority of people have no skills or means to go out and find food for themselves and their family without taking it from someone else.

So, your question has great value for those that don't hunt. Because, the ones that do know for sure how much game it would take. And for the sake of the conversation, how many chickens are needed to mix things up a bit.

I have enough theoretical knowledge that if the need arose, I would know where to shoot animals and how to get a fair amount of meat out of the right places, and how not to spoil it with the contents of their innards. Obviously, I couldn't yield as much meat as an experienced hunter, and I freely admit that deficiency. But I could and would do it if needed.

As far as chickens and bacon-on-the-hoof (pork), yes I enjoy them too, but my favorites, my go-to meat is beef. Mainly ribeye and tenderloin. I've eaten plenty of deer, elk, and moose meat, and even bear once. But beef is my heroin. Game meat is ok to me, but I'd rather go to the supermarket and get beef. Hunting cows just wouldn't seem very fair.

 

[Jaybird1980]

Let's see. 2 antlerless, 1 antlered, and 2 bonus antlerless (1 in some counties) so 5 if I'm thinking right. That's with no reduction zone hunts, because I have little knowledge on them, and it's only 1 hunter.

The answer is no if venison is my only meat and I'm the only hunter.

 

[Ruger_Ronin]

Ok, good info, I'm learning. How many deer could 1 person harvest in Indiana per year, assuming they followed all of the king's laws and got every tag they could, like buck, spike, doe, etc. or whatever the classifications are. Modern arms, blackpowder, archery, or whatever the classifications are. Max it out, how many could you take?

This is a good start for IDNR info. Bundle tag nets you 3 total. On average, yield is 35-45% edible meat from DRESSED weight(Calculator). A 200lb buck will yield around 70lbs for someone who has experience.

2 tags is a nice freezer full. Won't last us (5) all year, but we fish and harvest small game as well. Disclaimer: not totally self sufficient. We certainly spend much less on store bought meat than average.

 

[Jaybird1980]

I have enough theoretical knowledge that if the need arose, I would know where to shoot animals and how to get a fair amount of meat out of the right places, and how not to spoil it with the contents of their innards. Obviously, I couldn't yield as much meat as an experienced hunter, and I freely admit that deficiency. But I could and would do it if needed.

As far as chickens and bacon-on-the-hoof (pork), yes I enjoy them too, but my favorites, my go-to meat is beef. Mainly ribeye and tenderloin. I've eaten plenty of deer, elk, and moose meat, and even bear once. But beef is my heroin. Game meat is ok to me, but I'd rather go to the supermarket and get beef. Hunting cows just wouldn't seem very fair.

You could always build a lab and grow it, since that's a thing now.

 

[Sigblaster]

One of the biggest misperceptions out there is if SHTF I’m going to hunt and eat venison. If SHTF the deer population will be decimated so fast it will make your head swim.

Oh yeah. Not just the deer, but every mammal and bird and fish within walking distance of a human. Take mass produced and processed and shipped food out of the equation, and the local wildlife would disappear very quickly. Pets too.

It would be like just after 9/11, where you would sit outside at night having a beer, and didn't hear a single aircraft. Birds wouldn't be chirping. Raccons and possums wouldn't be looking to get into your trashcans. Neighborhood cats would be shut in their houses or eliminated, but not out yowling at each other. Bigger game would disapper pretty quickly.

 

[Ruger_Ronin]

Oh yeah. Not just the deer, but every mammal and bird and fish within walking distance of a human. Take mass produced and processed and shipped food out of the equation, and the local wildlife would disappear very quickly. Pets too.

It would be like just after 9/11, where you would sit outside at night having a beer, and didn't hear a single aircraft. Birds wouldn't be chirping. Raccons and possums wouldn't be looking to get into your trashcans. Neighborhood cats would be shut in their houses or eliminated, but not out yowling at each other. Bigger game would disapper pretty quickly.

I am not above eating a human in the end. It's not right, but that's out the window by then. I'll feel better about it if we eat the politicians first.

 

[cg21]

Oh yeah. Not just the deer, but every mammal and bird and fish within walking distance of a human. Take mass produced and processed and shipped food out of the equation, and the local wildlife would disappear very quickly. Pets too.

It would be like just after 9/11, where you would sit outside at night having a beer, and didn't hear a single aircraft. Birds wouldn't be chirping. Raccons and possums wouldn't be looking to get into your trashcans. Neighborhood cats would be shut in their houses or eliminated, but not out yowling at each other. Bigger game would disapper pretty quickly.

Most people think meat comes from the syran wrap fairy at Walmart. Animals are not stupid and although Hollywood makes it look easy by the time people realize big daddy isn’t coming to save them they will be too hungry to think straight let alone outsmart an animal that has been surviving it’s whole life.

and no it seems tags are set for “trophy” type hunting and some supplemental meat. Not for actually feeding a family.

 

[Tryin']

Ok, good info, I'm learning. How many deer could 1 person harvest in Indiana per year, assuming they followed all of the king's laws and got every tag they could, like buck, spike, doe, etc. or whatever the classifications are. Modern arms, blackpowder, archery, or whatever the classifications are. Max it out, how many could you take?

Maxed out: a lot. Deer reduction zones, earn a buck, urban areas, and bonus tags per county puts you in the neighborhood of 200 deer per year if you have access to every county and zone.

 

[indyjohn]

I'll feel better about it if we eat the politicians first.

I hear it's grisly and gamey.

 

[Sigblaster]

I am not above eating a human in the end. It's not right, but that's out the window by then. I'll feel better about it if we eat the politicians first.

I'm not going to say I wouln't eat long pig, but it would be a last resort if it was an option.

I think we'd lose half of the population to spontaneous metabolic collapse if cellphone service went down for more than 24 hours, so there'd be plenty of meat around. Fire up the smoker and save it for later.