As several meat lockers won’t be participating in the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ Help Us Stop Hunger program this year, a new online database has been launched to help those interested in getting free venison.

Conservation Officer Jeremy King says several meat lockers are overwhelmed by changes in meatpacking seasons this year, so he recommends Iowans visit the DNR website, where they will enter the condition of the meat they prefer, and what amount. King says they can also set the length of time their offer is open and can opt out at any time, “It’s a neat little program, anybody interested in it that maybe doesn’t like to hunt but would like deer meat, this is a great way to reach out and still get some deer meat with the HUSH program being kind of pumping the brakes a little bit on that and bringing it back while we take care of all the other processing stuff.”

Once connected, the parties work out the details of the transfer, and donors are responsible for reporting the harvest and are encouraged to properly care for the deer from the field to the recipient. Hunters are reminded it is illegal to sell venison in Iowa. You can find more information on the database here.