By 1808Delaware
Delaware County deer hunters will have several opportunities this fall to turn part of their harvest into meals for Ohio families. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife is again operating its Field to Food Bank program, which accepts donated white-tailed deer at designated locations across the state. One of those sites is close to home: the Delaware Wildlife Area Shooting Range at 1110 State Route 229 in Delaware.
Hunters are being encouraged to consider harvesting an additional deer, where regulations and bag limits allow, and donating it to the program. The effort combines two goals: helping manage Ohio’s deer population while providing high-quality protein to food banks and pantries serving people in need.
Local Collection Dates
The Delaware Wildlife Area Shooting Range will accept whole, field-dressed deer during three portions of the 2026 hunting season. For the Disease Surveillance Area Early Gun Season, donations will be accepted October 10 and 11 from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
During Deer Gun Week, the Delaware site will accept donations November 30 and December 1, 5, and 6, also from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
Hunters will have another opportunity during the Bonus Deer Gun Weekend on December 19 and 20, with collection again running from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
Additional donation sites will operate in several other Ohio counties, but the State Route 229 location gives Delaware County hunters a nearby option throughout each of the program’s major collection periods.
From The Field To Ohio Food Pantries
Hunters bring properly tagged and game-checked, field-dressed deer to the collection location. Division of Wildlife staff then transport the animals to the Ohio Penal Industries meat-processing facility at Pickaway Correctional Institution. There, the venison is processed and packaged before being distributed through a partnership with the Ohio Association of Foodbanks.
The foodbank association coordinates delivery to regional food banks and pantries where the meat can become part of meals for Ohio residents facing food insecurity.
Hunters must have the appropriate hunting license and deer permit unless exempt under state law. Donated deer still count toward applicable county and statewide bag limits.
Thousands Of Servings In The First Year
The Division of Wildlife launched Field to Food Bank in October 2025, and during its first season, hunters donated 182 deer, producing an estimated 36,400 servings of venison. ODNR sees the program as an extension of hunters’ traditional role in wildlife management, using regulated harvests not only as a conservation tool but also as a source of food for communities across the state.
Those who do not have a deer to donate can still support the effort financially. Monetary contributions help cover meat processing and packaging expenses.
More information about the program, donation requirements, and participating locations is available through ODNR’s Field to Food Bank program at ohiodnr.gov/DonateVenison.
Source, Photo: ODNR
