Hunt for the Hungry > Media Coverage

OCTOBER 26, 2008 - GREEN BAY PRESS GAZETTE - OUTDOORS

KEVIN NAZE

ASHWAUBENON — Lee Dudek is a Christian first, and a deer hunter second.

So, it should come as no surprise the Green Bay founder and volunteer coordinator of Hunt For The Hungry told the men, women and children who attended Buck Fever Night at Stadium View Bar & Grill Banquet Hall on Wednesday they should thank the Lord for the privilege to hunt deer and help needy families of Northeast Wisconsin.

"I'm a blessed man to see all of you here tonight," Dudek said. "And it's great to see all the kids — they're the future of hunting," he said. "Let's bring them up with proper ethics and encourage them to be good stewards of God's resources."

Being a good steward, Dudek said, includes keeping deer numbers in line with available habitat, which also helps reduce crop damage and car/deer collisions.

While many areas up north are at or near population goals, most local units are over goals and are under earn-a-buck rules again this year.

Dudek encouraged those fortunate enough to hunt in areas with plenty of whitetails to share the bounty and donate a deer to the state's food pantry program. In these tough economic times, he said the need for deer donation is greater than ever.

Admission to the event, sponsored by Hunt For The Hungry and the Green Bay West Optimist Club, was free with a donation of a nonperishable canned or boxed food item.

Hundreds of hunters attended. Many purchased tickets to try to win prizes, helping raise thousands of dollars for the deer donation and Optimist youth programs. There also was venison product sampling and other vendors present to show off their wares.

Department of Natural Resources conservation warden David Allen and warden recruit Jason Happe spent more than three hours helping dozens of youngsters hone their shooting skills on a laser game that featured animated and real video images of deer, wild turkeys and other game.

The youths received pointers on the best places to aim to quickly drop the critter projected on the screen, and points for putting shots into the vitals.

Dudek reminded hunters there is no cost to donate whole, field-dressed and properly tagged whitetails. He also encouraged hunters and anglers to bring any extra frozen, packaged game and fish that is in good shape to Paul's Pantry in Green Bay.

Hunters can donate cash to the statewide program when they purchase their license. Since many agents don't ask, Dudek said anyone who'd like to donate should tell the clerk when buying a gun deer, bow deer, Sports or Conservation Patron license.

"If every hunter in the state gave just $1 — one 'buck' — we could fund this program every year," Dudek said.

Paul's Pantry director Craig Robbins said more than 3,000 families in the area are helped by the generosity of hunters. Donated venison is quickly scooped up.

In its 14th year, Hunt For The Hungry has seen more than 14,000 deer donated along with more than a half-million pounds of other packaged wild game, game birds and fish — 1 million-plus pounds of venison and other high-quality protein.

The program began quietly in 1995 when 28 deer were donated, providing just over 1,200 pounds of venison. Compare that to three of the past four seasons, when more than 2,000 whitetails were given along with more than 70,000 pounds of other wild game, birds and fish.

The local record was set in 2004, when 2,950 deer were donated. Combined with 70,000 pounds of other packaged wild game, more than 200,000 pounds were available to needy families and individuals.

Dudek also helped the DNR set up a statewide deer donation program in 2000.

In its ninth year, the statewide program has seen more than 63,000 deer donated, including more than 13,000 from the local program in the past eight years.

Posted October 26, 2006

Hunting: Buck Fever Night gets a face lift

By Kevin Naze
Press-Gazette correspondent

A longtime tradition in the Green Bay area, Buck Fever Night gets a boost with the addition of a strong partner.

The Green Bay West Optimist Club had seen attendance drop in recent years, and was looking for a spark. They found it in Lee Dudek, volunteer coordinator for Hunt For The Hungry.

"They were looking for a new vision and purpose," Dudek said. "By the time we were done eating lunch, we had it in the books."

Dudek brought in Cabela's as a major sponsor. Other businesses will showcase venison products — attendees will get free samples — ATVs, taxidermy and more.

"The first 500 hunters through the door will get a free gift from Cabela's," Dudek said. "Admission is free; all you have to do is bring a non-perishable canned or boxed food item."

Craig Robbins, director of Paul's Pantry in Green Bay, will be on hand to talk about the benefits of deer donation.

"They need more venison than they do canned goods," Dudek said. "We need to communicate that to hunters who can help."

There will be an antler scoring contest, hunter safety quiz, laser shooting gallery and games and raffles designed to raise funds for the Optimist's youth programs and the area's venison donation program that benefits Paul's Pantry.

For information, go to www.huntforthehungry.com

Hunt Wages to Feed the Hungry

Heather Chrudimsky

Freelance Writer - The De Pere Journal - 11-3-05

The four day Zone-T gun deer hunt provided a boost to deer donation totals in Northeast Wisconsin for the Hunt for the Hungry program.
"As of the close of the special October antlerless deer hunt, 245 Deer were donated to our regional program, nearly doubling last week's count," said Lee Dudek, founder and volunteer coordinator of Hunt for the Hungry.
According to Dudek, the program's venison processors reported the early bow deer season has been a little slower than normal, mostly likely due to the unseasonable warmer weather for bow hunting and recent weekend rains.

"We're off to a slower start this season," Dudek said. "But more hunters will get out there and deer should really start moving as the temperatures finally drop."

Dudek is hoping the arrival of cool weather sparks a surge in donated venison and other wild game.

"Even though deer donations are behind last years record pace, Hunt For The Hungry is on a record pace for donations of other wild game meat, birds and fish," Dudek said. "As of Monday, 55,500 pounds have been dropped off at Paul's Pantry by hunting and fishing enthusiasts from all over our area."

This total surpasses any previous total at this time for wild game, birds and fish donations. The program is on track to break previous records for packaged wild game meat, birds, and fish.

"We encourage hunting and fishing enthusiasts to clean out their freezers and bring in what they can not use," Dudek said. "Don't let anything go to waste, when people who struggle to feed their families need what we have left over."

So far this year, a total of more than 66,525 pounds of venison, wild game meat, birds and fish have been donated to the program.

The Wisconsin donation program is entering its sixth year, however, Hunt for the Hungry is celebrating its 11th year.

Hunt for the Hungry started back in 1994 at a deer camp in southern Marinette County by a group of hunters, including Dudek. The deer population on the land that the men hunted on needed to be reduced, but the hunters had already met the need for their families. So they decided to use up the rest of their deer tags and donate the extra deer to Paul's Pantry.

Dudek met with Leo Frigo, the late founder of Paul's Pantry, and the program grew into an every year occurrence. Dudek said that Frigo had always wanted to get a deer donation program started in the area.

The program provides food to pantries in all 11 countries, including Oconto, Door, Kewaunee, Brown, Marinette, Outagamie, Manitowoc, Shawano, Calumet, Waupaca and Winnebago.

Dudek's main role is to promote the benefits of and involvement in the deer donation program, not only Hunt for the Hungry, but the statewide deer donation program as well.

A unique aspect of the program is hunters can donate deer to Hunt for the Hungry at no cost to them.

The newly passed state budget includes funding for deer donation for the next two years. One dollar of the $4 increase in bow and gun deer hunting license fees will go to the donation program, up to the first $600,000. The funds will be used to pay processors to skin, cut and grind donated deer into venison hamburger.

Participating food pantries throughout the Northeast Wisconsin area distribute the ground venison to needy individuals and families.

Dudek said that the program is going well this year.

"We are on a pace to match the totals for our second best year ever for deer donations," Dudek said. "We are on a record pace for the donations of other wild game meat, birds, and fish. So, we are very pleased with the start, and look forward to the nine-day gun deer hunt when we will see our deer donation numbers grow substantially."

Dudek said the need for donated venison is ongoing and growing each year.

"We all have a responsibility to help our less fortunate neighbors," Dudek said. "They need and appreciate the help deer hunters provide. Making a donation to Hunt for the Hungry advances the deer hunter beyond being just a hunter, it establishes that generous individual as a food provider for the needy. Including this motivation as part of the deer hunter's hunting plans for the season, makes for a much more enjoyable and rewarding deer hunt."

Donations can be dropped off at a variety of location throughout the area. Donation locations include Paul's Pantry, 1520 Leo Frigo Way, Green Bay; Cedar Creek Meats, 3220 E. Northland Ave., Appleton; Beck's Meats, W2012 County JJ, Kaukauna; Mueller Meat Market, 1944 University Ave., Green Bay; and East Street Meats, New Franken.

"We want to encourage all deer hunters to fill their tags, consider picking up additional bonus tags, and donate the deer they can not use," Dudek said. "Every deer hunter can make a huge difference in the lives of needy families who struggle to make ends meet, and put food on the table."

Dudek said the program is important for many reasons including helping feed thousands of low-income families in the area; helps reduce deer population, car/deer accidents and deer damage; promotes quality deer management; reduces the waste of venison and other wild game, birds and fish; and displays and teaches generosity.

"Everybody receives a benefit from deer donation," Dudek said.

Hunters interested in finding out more about the Hunt for the Hungry program can visit the program's Web site at www.huntforthehungry.com, or call Dudek at (920) 655-1284.

"Hunting hard and helping others is a combination you can not beat," Dudek said. "Just drop off a deer and experience how good you will feel in the process. It is a great blessing to help others, especially when we consider how much we have been blessed with."

Hunt For The Hungry Celebrates 10th Year

By Gary F. Martin - Wishigan Outdoors Magazine

White-tailed deer hunting is first and foremost a food-gathering activity. The "sacred meat," as well-known hunting advocate Ted Nugent calls venison, is an excellent source of healthy dietary protein. That alone is enough incentive to go deer hunting for most nimrods, but many hunters kill one deer, then quit hunting because that's all the meat they want or need. However, deer hunting today has secondary aspects that expand hunting's role in society.

In the 21st century we no longer hunt strictly for food, but for recreation, to use vacation time and just "be outdoors," for the camaraderie, and sometimes to boost our egos with trophies or by filling multiple tags. In fact, the secondary reasons for hunting are as varied as the hunters themselves. Most of these reasons for hunting do not reduce the deer herd, and that's something that needs doing right now in this age of mild winters and exploding whitetail populations.

In 2004, hunters have a duty to kill more deer, especially does and doe fawns, in fact, in many areas you have to kill an antlerless deer before you can earn the authority to shoot an antlered deer. If ending up with too much venison is a concern of yours, simply donate your extra deer to the Hunt For The Hungry program.

During the first nine years of Hunt For The Hungry (HFTH), over 5,000 deer were donated to help feed needy people. The deer, along with additional donations of packaged meat, fish and other game, weighed over 360,000 pounds. That's a huge quantity of food, and it fed many hungry low-income folks.

According to Lee Dudek, founder and volunteer coordinator for HFTH, bowhunters are donating record setting numbers of deer to the program in this the tenth year. "As of Wednesday, October 6, 2004, 462 donated deer have arrived," states Dudek, "many of those deer are being brought in by generous bowhunters who are filling their Earn-A-Buck requirements."

In addition to the deer carcasses, Dudek reports that over 28,000 pounds of packaged wild game meat and fish have come into Paul's Pantry in Green Bay. More is on the way as hunters and fishermen clean out their freezers and drop off these donations. This season's donated deer are being processed into an average of 40 pounds of ground venison per deer. The total for all donations so far is 46,480 pounds. "The 2004 totals are far ahead of any previous year of the program," Dudek said, and he expects a surge in deer donations after the Zone T herd reduction hunt in October.

Log on to the HFTH web site at www.huntforthehungry.com for details on drop-off locations and processing sites, as well as weekly donation updates. If you would like to contact Lee Dudek concerning the donation program, there is an e-mail link on the web site, or simply call him at 920 498-1522.

For folks outside of the northeastern Wisconsin area who wish to donate deer, there are others options, in fact, Wisconsin has a statewide deer donation program. Log on to www.dnr.state.wi.us to find out more, or visit your local Department of Natural Resources service center.

Lee Dudek and his Hunt For The Hungry program have solved the problem of what to do with extra venison. Donating your extra game makes you feel good and provides low-income families with a high-quality food.

Now isn't that a "win-win" program?

(Reprinted with permission. Original appeared in the November 2004 issue of Wishigan Outdoors Magazine, P.O. Box 5246, De Pere, WI 54115.)