With the second shotgun season for deer coming to a close, there’s a program that many may use if they have extra deer meat.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Jeremy King says that the Help Us Stop Hunger (HUSH) program is where hunters can take deer that they have gutted to a participating locker, and that locker will process the deer free of charge to the public who needs it. He adds that Dahl’s Locker in Bagley is the only locker in Guthrie County that participates in HUSH.

King mentions that this year though, unless a hunter has already filled their freezer, or gotten as much meat as they want, they should only participate in programs like HUSH or the Iowa Deer Exchange as necessary. He explains that with the lower amount of hunters that harvested deer during the first shotgun season, along with increased numbers of carcasses found that are believed to have suffered from Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD), or Blue Tongue, it’s important to make sure that the local deer populations can bounce back once the hunting seasons are over.