Useing deer to feed dogs

Ok maybe it’s just the fact that I love to eat deer and beleive it is one of the healthyest meats a person can eat, but I can’t imagine shooting a deer to use it as dog food. Seams that it should be illigal to me. Just had to see what others thought of this as I have heard a couple times in the last couple years about a couple diferant people around that like to get a couple deer a year to feed there dogs because it’s cheaper than buying dog food. If you can’t aford to feed a dog Don’t get one. Also being that it is lean meat I would think they would still need to suplement with some kind of fat. Just had to get this out because it realy irritates me to hear about this kind of thing.

it is illegal in Iowa

Never heard of such a thing. Seems like expensive food to me.

I’ve heard of this happening

Talked to a lady at a cafe this post season, I asked her how her houses season went she said bad… her husband only shot a little six pointer so they had it hanging in the garage and were feeding it to the dogs!! CAN YOU SAY THRILL KILL!!! Need less to say I didnt leave her a dime!!! I figure shes saved somemoney on dog food

Weird, never even thought or heard of that. As far as the lady in the cafe, Tell game warden, they’ll ticket them for wanton waste.

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Weird, never even thought or heard of that. As far as the lady in the cafe, Tell game warden, they’ll ticket them for wanton waste.

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A lot of hound hunters across the country feed raw meat to their dogs. In fact it’s finally catching on in the house dog world too because people are realizing the benefits over dry kibble. It’s cheaper, but the fact that it’s far better and more natural is the biggest benefit. The cost factor is just a bonus. Also remember that it may be cheaper but it far more work to feed raw. Plenty of people harvest game legally just to feed it to their dogs. It’s got nothing to do with thrill killing and being cheap. It’s about giving the dogs a great food source because they are important to the owner. It’s kind of odd that people think that feeding a deer to a dog is wanted waste. What do you think is better for you to eat, the deer or processed and bagged crap full of fillers? The dogs are important and they deserve a great and healthy meal just a much as you and I do.

We still feed dry kibble because we don’t have a lot of dogs. But during the running season they will get meat scraps. If we shoot a deer this year, we’ll keep what we want and feed the rest to the dogs and use the carcass (and gut pile) for coyote bait. Nothing will go to waste.

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A lot of hound hunters across the country feed raw meat to their dogs. In fact it’s finally catching on in the house dog world too because people are realizing the benefits over dry kibble. It’s cheaper, but the fact that it’s far better and more natural is the biggest benefit. The cost factor is just a bonus. Also remember that it may be cheaper but it far more work to feed raw. Plenty of people harvest game legally just to feed it to their dogs. It’s got nothing to do with thrill killing and being cheap. It’s about giving the dogs a great food source because they are important to the owner. It’s kind of odd that people think that feeding a deer to a dog is wanted waste. What do you think is better for you to eat, the deer or processed and bagged crap full of fillers? The dogs are important and they deserve a great and healthy meal just a much as you and I do.

We still feed dry kibble because we don’t have a lot of dogs. But during the running season they will get meat scraps. If we shoot a deer this year, we’ll keep what we want and feed the rest to the dogs and use the carcass (and gut pile) for coyote bait. Nothing will go to waste.

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I completely understand all you’re saying. My comment was based on a deer hanging in a garage with dogs eating off it.
When you feed deer to dogs do you cut it all up, package it and refrigerate it or what?

It depends on the guy, how many dogs and situation. Mostly it seems like guys process and package it and freeze it and thaw and feed as needed. But some guys just cut a big piece and let the dogs have at it. That not a bad way either because it’s good for them to eat the skin, fur and bones as well. Some guys will give the whole animal but usually its smaller animals than a whole deer.

As for a deer hanging and people being too lazy to process it and it going to waste; I agree that’s not cool. If they planned to feed it to the dogs and they are chewing on it, then I guess it’s up to them to decide if that’s acceptable. I personally wouldn’t do it, but if it’s dog food, it’s dog food whether it’s handing in the garage or processes in the freezer.

Me personally I just thaw whatever is in the freezer and give to them or give them some if I happen to have some fresh at the time. While we are on this subject, I was watching Ted Nugget on TV the other day. He was processing deer back straps. After he trimmed them, he took the trimmings out and hand fed them to his dogs.

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It depends on the guy, how many dogs and situation. Mostly it seems like guys process and package it and freeze it and thaw and feed as needed. But some guys just cut a big piece and let the dogs have at it. That not a bad way either because it’s good for them to eat the skin, fur and bones as well. Some guys will give the whole animal but usually its smaller animals than a whole deer.

As for a deer hanging and people being too lazy to process it and it going to waste; I agree that’s not cool. If they planned to feed it to the dogs and they are chewing on it, then I guess it’s up to them to decide if that’s acceptable. I personally wouldn’t do it, but if it’s dog food, it’s dog food whether it’s handing in the garage or processes in the freezer.

Me personally I just thaw whatever is in the freezer and give to them or give them some if I happen to have some fresh at the time. While we are on this subject, I was watching Ted Nugget on TV the other day. He was processing deer back straps. After he trimmed them, he took the trimmings out and hand fed them to his dogs.

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Giving a K-9 scraps/trimmings is much different than killing a deer for dog food. Absolutely senseless….I guess maybe I could see it if you had a pack of wild wolves you were feeding but NOT domesticated animals. Plain and simple wrong.

I agree very wrong.

Would feeding a dog deer meat make him more apt to chase deer ? ? My guess would be yes.

How about a pack of sled dogs? How do you think they feed sled dogs in rural Alaska? Sure they hunt for food for themselves but people also kill animals specifically to feed to dogs. How do you think dogs get fed in parts of world that don’t have access to processed dog food? Or even the people that live in rural areas of this country that don’t have easy access to store bought food.

Dog deserve a nutritious source of food, which deer provide. How else are you supposed to feed it to them if you don’t kill it first? This leads to ask the question of why an animal must be eaten to justify harvesting it. Fur harvesters don’t eat the animals they kill. Are you guys that hunt coyotes eating them? Why does a deer have to be eaten by a human to be harvested? The deer isn’t going to waste by feeding it to the dogs.

I could rant all day about store bought dog food. So much of that stuff is junk and I can’t believe that people feed that to their dog that they claim to care about.

Also please don’t take my comments as being argumentative. I don’t take any of this personal and I’m very light hearted in discussions like this. I just like to get people to think outside their box and take some time to contemplate all sides of a topic.

Pat, that’s always been my thought too and one of the reasons that I don’t do it other than some straight meet pieces (no hide). But again, I don’t have any first hand experience and from what I’ve heard some guys do it and are not having problems.

Is feeding game to dogs the same as burying flatheads to make my corn grow better????????????? Where is BK when you need him.

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Is feeding game to dogs the same as burying flatheads to make my corn grow better????????????? Where is BK when you need him.

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Interesting disucssion.

I dont know I used to give my dog potato chips, and I never saw it chase a potato!

This is a good topic with a lot of good points from both sides. I know that feeding a deer or venison to a dog in MN is legal and not considered wonton waste. So if a dog owner wants to do it in MN, they can.

For me personally, I do not put an animal’s life above another. What I mean by that is a dog’s life is the same to me as a skunk or a mouse or an elephant or a deer. I realize that there are all sorts of animal parts in their food but this is in more of a regulated and controlled environment (raising animals for consumption). So the question again is should hunters kill an animal to feed it to another animal? I personally feel that one animal should not be killed by a hunter for another animmal to eat. I certainly understand the benefits of feeding a dog some venison and I have no problem with that. However, if a dog owner wants to feed their dog venison, then maybe they should buy it from a source that sells it for that very purpose (farm raised deer). Lastly, there are many famalies and/or food shelves that would love to have that venison. Here’s where I value a human’s life over all animals. Coyotes, raccoons, skunks and muskrats are not desired for human consumption.

Now I will ask a profound question… Would it be OK to grind up some dogs (if it was legal) and somehow make it into dry pellets to feed the deer? Again, my answer is most certainly not. I realize there’s no hunting season on dogs but I’m just trying to make a point that no animal’s life is more important than another.

My dogs love venison, usually medium rare right off the grill….

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My dogs love venison, usually medium rare right off the grill….

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My cat loves bass fillets too

Raccoon, skunks, muskrat and coyotes are all perfectly edible but aren’t held up on a pedestal like deer are. A quick Google search will show that it’s far more common than many think right here in the good old US of A. Raccoon would be by far the most common with skunks next then muskrats and coyotes last. If you spend any time on a raccoon hunting forum you’ll see guys talking about eating raccoon. But they aren’t coveted like deer are, which is an American thing. Because remember after all, people in India worship cows and don’t eat them. While eating raccoon is no where near as common as eating deer, why should it lessen the value of a coon compared to a deer. If the logic of all animal being equal holds true, then it shouldn’t be any different between shooting a coon to feed to a dog than a deer. But I bet if this topic was starting asking if should be okay to shoot a coon or a muskrat to feed to a dog, people wouldn’t be as up in arms as they are about their precious deer. There are plenty of trappers that feed the carcasses to their dogs after they skin the animal. I bet a lot of people would think that’s great because it’s not wasting the animal. But for some reason people think it’s wrong to shot a deer to skin it and feed the carcass to dogs. There seems to be a double standard when it comes to deer. Again please don’t take this as a personal attack or argument. I’m not intending to be so, just throwing some different views out there.

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My dogs love venison, usually medium rare right off the grill….

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My cat loves bass fillets too

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This is a good topic with a lot of good points from both sides. I know that feeding a deer or venison to a dog in MN is legal and not considered wonton waste. So if a dog owner wants to do it in MN, they can.

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That may be but it has to be done a certain way. Local guy around Rochester was ticketed two seasons ago for having deer hanging in the shed for multiple weeks, dogs picking away at him. The meat was past human consumption. My point it that it may be legal to do but it probably has to be cut up and packaged decent. Leaving them hang in barns or flopped in the yard for the dogs to pick at will most certainly get you a “wanton waste” ticket in my neck of the woods.

“Deer” is big game. Any big game with controlled seasons is going to be on a pedestal compared to a raccoon, skunk, or any other animals that are considered varmits.

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I dont know I used to give my dog potato chips, and I never saw it chase a potato!

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