SIOUX FALLS – Due to chronic wasting disease being found by the Department of Game, Fish and Parks in deer and elk in many counties of central and western South Dakota, Sportsmen Against Hunger required testing of donated deer and elk harvested by hunters in these areas the last two years.
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SIOUX FALLS – Due to chronic wasting disease being found by the Department of Game, Fish and Parks in deer and elk in many counties of central and western South Dakota, Sportsmen Against Hunger required testing of donated deer and elk harvested by hunters in these areas the last two years. However, testing results indicated a very small percentage of the deer tested positive for CWD. With the low CWD occurrence rate, and since public health officials have found no link between CWD and any neurological disease in humans, SAH is no longer requiring testing of donated deer and elk for CWD.
When adding to this the knowledge that hunters do not knowingly harvest sick animals, and game processors do not process meat which does not appear healthy, the risk of processed donated deer and elk meat being diseased or contaminated is extremely low.
Since there is still some degree of risk, SAH is putting a “Notice” label on the SAH burger bags of donated venison to say that the venison has not been tested for disease or lead contamination. This will let clients of food pantries, where the donated venison is made available to families in need, decide for themselves if they want to take and eat the meat.
Even with the requirement that hunters who took deer or elk from out-of-state or the CWD endemic area of West River South Dakota had to have their animal tested for CWD before it could be donated, the number of animals donated remained high. In 2021 a total of 152 deer were donated by 134 hunters.
Other game donated by sportswomen and sportsmen last year included seven antelope, 258 pheasants, 2,417 Canada geese and 480 walleye. With the additional salvage processing of elk and deer, such as from the Rapid City deer reduction program, the total amount of donated processed game meat last year was 18,615 pounds.
Adding this amount to historical donations since inception in 1993, Sportsmen Against Hunger, along with sportswomen and sportsmen, Department of Game, Fish and Parks, participating game processors, and food pantries associated with Feeding South Dakota, has now been responsible for over one million pounds of game meat being provided to poverty-level families. This translates into four million meals of meat for these families in need.
