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St. LOUIS, Mo.—Deer hunting has a long tradition of providing food for the table. There are certain steps though that hunters should take to ensure they are preparing and handling their deer meat safely.
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is offering opportunities for deer hunters to learn the essential skills of field dressing at two Field to Freezer classes being hosted at both of MDC’s St. Louis area shooting Ranges and outdoor education centers. The classes will be held Monday, Oct. 4 from 6-8 p.m. at the Jay Henges Range in Eureka, and Tuesday, Oct. 5 from 5-8:30 p.m. at the August A. Busch Range in Defiance. Each class is free, will run from 5-8:30 p.m.
In addition to covering field considerations, the courses are designed to help hunters to save money and gain satisfaction by processing their own deer after the hunt.
Each program will cover the steps necessary to enable hunters to process deer meat for themselves. MDC staff will discuss the field dressing process and demonstrate how to skin and butcher a deer in simple, easy steps. The presentation will include information on the equipment needed, safety considerations, and demonstrate how to get deer meat ready for safe storage and preparing it for the table. Participants will learn tips on how to make sure their venison is the best quality possible.
Both Field to Freezer programs are free and offer identical content, however advanced online registration is required at the respective links:
As this is an in-person activity, MDC asks all participants to observe current local COVID-19 social distancing and masking guidelines. Bringing and wearing face coverings is encouraged when appropriate.
Program registrants should note that families now have the option to link their children’s accounts to their own which will streamline the program registration process. Once a group account is set up, parents will be able to register their children to an event without having to logoff and login for each person. This allows parents to register an entire family or select family members to an event at the same time.
Stay informed of MDC latest programs by going to the MDC St. Louis regional events page at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZP6.
