The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM) encourage deer hunters to share their harvests by donating venison to Missouri’s Share the Harvest (STH) program. The donated deer meat goes to local food banks and food pantries to help feed hungry Missourians all around the state. People in need can get STH venison by contacting their local food banks or food pantries.
Missouri’s deer season opened with archery hunting on Sept. 15 and runs through the close of archery season on Jan. 15 with several firearms portions happening during that time. Hunters can donate venison at any time during or right after the season.
Donating is easy. Simply take harvested deer to an approved meat processor and let the processor know how much venison to donate. Meat-processing fees are covered entirely or in part by numerous local sponsors, along with statewide sponsors. Find STH processors at mdc.mo.gov/share.
The program is administered by CFM and MDC and has provided more than 6 million pounds of lean, healthy venison to help feed hungry Missourians since it was started in 1992.
“Missouri hunters have always stepped up to make a difference,” said CFM Executive Director Tyler Schwartze. “Through Share the Harvest, they’re helping feed families in need and showing what true conservation stewardship looks like. Conservation in Missouri is about caring for both people and wildlife, and this program is a prime example of how our hunters step up to help their neighbors in need.”
The National Institutes of Health state that children need protein in their diets for proper growth and development, and adults need it to maintain good health.
“Many Missourians don’t have access to good sources of protein,” said MDC’s Share the Harvest Expansion Coordinator Jake Hindman. “Through Share the Harvest, Missouri hunters can help provide their fellow Missourians in need with high-quality protein in the form of naturally lean, locally harvested deer meat.”
Deer harvested from counties in the Department’s Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Management Zone must be tested for CWD before being donated to STH. Processors must receive a negative test result before releasing the donated meat to food banks and food pantries.
Hunters can take their deer to a processor participating in the Share the Harvest CWD Testing Program or have their deer sampled at another location prior to donation. Get more information on CWD and the CWD Management Zone at mdc.mo.gov/cwd.
Deer harvested outside of the CWD Management Zone do not need to be tested for donation to STH and may be taken to any participating processor.
Get more information on Share the Harvest online at mdc.mo.gov/share or from MDC’s 2025 Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet, available online at mdc.mo.gov and where permits are sold.
