The prime of deer hunting season is almost upon us in Ulster County, with the Southern Zone regular firearms season for deer and bear set to open Nov. 15, following weeks of bowhunting already under way. This year, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has a unique request: hunters are being asked to donate their venison to help food pantries and food banks offset the impact of frozen SNAP benefits during the ongoing federal budget stalemate.

In a recent announcement, DEC said it is encouraging hunters to drop off any legally harvested, tagged and reported deer at participating processors working with Feeding New York State, a longstanding venison donation partner that typically channels tens of thousands of pounds of donated meat a year to people in need. Proc

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