Why are more people hunting deer for food?

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Friday, 21 May 2021

We look at the upsurge in interest from people wishing to hunt for food. 

For some time now we have seen an increase in enquiries, from those that wish to reconnect with the food that they put on the table.

Time again, those that have enquired about stalking and hunting deer, have expressed their concern about intensively farmed meat and fish farming and have expressed their desire for greater transparency and connection with what they are putting on the table and feeding to their families.

‘Netfix’ films such as ‘Seaspiracy’ and Cowspiracy’ which have questioned the sustainability and ethics of the Fishing and Beef industry, have undoubtedly had an effect, as has the growing trend toward veganism, for which many of our clients, whilst not being swayed, have expressed some respect.

In the same way that recycling has become a part of every responsible individuals’ consciousness, it seems that it is becoming increasingly in the public conscious, that some care should be afforded to where and how ethically your food has been sourced.

Regrettably, due to a lack of policing and funding, it has become apparent that we can no longer trust some of the labels placed on food and so there is an increasing trend that is rejecting the industrialisation of fish and meat for human consumption because of the damage that it is doing to the environment. The surprising result of this, has been an uplift in the number of enquiries that we receive about hunting deer for food.

A deer stalking outing, involves the occasional and selective harvesting of a truly wild animal from its natural environment, the animal is free-range, non-intensively farmed and the numbers harvested are completely sustainable.

To hear the abject hypocrisy and ignorance spouted by individuals happily tucking into their spring lamb or beef steak, whilst simultaneously speaking out about hunting, has on numerous occasions, left me aghast. Have these individuals visited an abattoir? Do they honestly feel that by removing themselves from the actual process of raising and slaughtering the animal that they consume, they in some way, occupy higher moral ground than the hunter, who has gone to great lengths to carefully source his own meat.

Well, it seems more and more, people are waking up to the idea that hunting is the one of the few ways to ethically enjoy meat.

(Above: Learn how to hunt and present your own venison like a pro' through the Hunting Academy'. Here Venison Cutlets prepared by Michelin star Chef Chaniotis) 

I recognise that this is not a cure to world hunger and that only a few are lucky enough to afford to be able to set out deer stalking however, it is my view that affordability is part of the problem. You should not in my view, be able to purchase a chicken for just £3.15 from Ocado. Neither should you be able to purchase a Ribeye steak for £3.70 from Asda. We ignore the economics at our peril. In order that fish and meat should head gradually back in the direction of sustainability, the cost of purchasing such products should not be a race to the bottom, i.e more and more dead domesticated livestock for less and less money, it should instead represent an occasional luxury purchase. Only by making it non economically viable to eat meat every meal, will we be able to protect the natural world in which we live.

I do not say this lightly, I have always been a big meat eater and currently feed a family of five, however, it is abundantly clear to me, that the way that we currently consume meat and fish is unsustainable for the environment. So increasingly, in the same way that I have over the years improved my recycling habits, I similarly intend to join thousands of others in being more conscious about my consumption of intensively farmed fish and meat and the best way for me to do this, whilst satisfying my craving for meat, is by sustainably sourcing it myself.

If you’d like to join the growing trend of people turning to hunting as a way of sourcing your own meat, we are proud to have developed the Hunting Academy.

By learning the skills required to become a hunter, butcher and cook, you can take the first steps in sourcing your own red meat. The Academy is unashamedly targeted at the process of 'field-to-fork'.

The initial PDS1 Deer Stalking Certificate is designed to provide you with the education and skills required to hunt deer: Follow this link for details: deer-stalking-course

This is followed by masterclasses on ‘Inspecting and gralloching’ the shot carcass to ensure that it is healthy and safe to consume, (Click here for details: deer-gralloching--inspection-masterclass ) and the home butchery master class is the final step in presenting what you have sourced in the most wonderful way and is provided by none other than Chef Chaniotis, arguably the UK’s finest up and coming Michelin Star Chef, who is himself an avid hunter gatherer: Follow this link to find out more: michelin-star-venison-cooking-masterclass

Why not visit the hunting academy now, and join others in taking the first step in ethically sourcing your own meat. Click here to get started with the PDS1 Deer Stalking Certificate: deer-stalking-course