![Where's the [venison]? Meat from deer harvested through crop damage permits donated to Grand Rapids food pantry](https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/8481266/2147483647/strip/false/crop/1280x714+0+3/resize/95x53!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcf.cdn.uplynk.com%2Fause1%2Fslices%2F238%2F2641ad36b5274c6abc96c2f4a99426ed%2F2386a7a6006f4bf189724a2d03d563c7%2Fposter_fbb078fa63d94d81af05419298a24a2b.jpg)
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — An affordable pound of ground beef can be hard to find. What about another type of meat? What if it was sourced in our very own state?
On Thursday, hunters, farmers and those involved with the Kent County Deer Management Coalition delivered more than 1,000 pounds of ground venison to Veterans Food Pantry in Grand Rapids.
WATCH: Where's the venison? More than 1,000 pounds donated to Grand Rapids Veterans Food Pantry
The donated venison, according to the coalition, came from deer harvested on private agricultural land where crop damage permits were issued.
"Today's donation means a lot," said Eddie Laird, manager of the pantry. "With the price of food today and the costs of the economy, it's a blessing to be able to help veterans with this donation."
In Michigan, landowners may apply for a crop damage permit if deer are causing agricultural or horticultural damage on their property. These permits, which are issued by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, are only valid outside of deer hunting seasons and within a specific time period determined by the department, and deer harvested by either landowners or designated hunters must be kept or donated so their carcasses do not go to waste.
"Population control is huge," said Henry Oesch, a hunter who used crop damage permits this summer to harvest deer at Swisslane Farms in Alto, a family dairy operation. "You have less fawns, you have less deer, and you have bigger bucks. That's our goal, and that's property management on an agricultural level."
Some of the venison donated on Thursday came from the deer harvested by Oesch and his friends and family.
"The things we enjoy doing and have fun doing can also benefit other people," said hunter Suzie Oesch.
Kent
Farmers can invite deer hunters to their property through Kent County program
In August, the Kent County Deer Management Coalition launched Deer Connections, an online platform where landowners can connect with hunters and grant access to their property.
"We want to provide that mechanism to get more deer harvested, to manage the herd, and to feed the people that need it," said Jerry Byrne, director of the Kent County Road Commission.
Kent County routinely ranks first in the state for deer-related car crashes. The program represents one of many tools being used by the coalition to create a healthier, safer relationship between drivers (as well as hunters, farmers, nature lovers and more) and the animal.
While Byrne said thousands of hunters have created profiles on the platform, landowners have been slow to sign up and register their pieces of potential hunting property.
"The biggest word in life is trust," Byrne said. "How do we build that trust between hunter, landowner and government?"
Whether by crop damage permits or Deer Connections, though, if venison from this year's deer harvest is donated, those who are hungry reap the benefit.
"The least we could do is try to help [veterans] with that," Laird said. "It's worth it."
