NZ HUNTER MAGAZINE How To
Since 2019, having returned to university as a mature student pursuing a PhD in psychology, I have consistently found myself in financial tight spots. Higher education pursuits, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the cost-of-living crisis all converged to make life as difficult as possible. Luckily, being raised as a hunter, I had access to a steady supply of free-range, cheap meat.
With the change in perspective that financial insecurity brings and a more intentional attitude towards my hunting and butchering practices, I was able to take the pressure off my grocery bill and simultaneously discovered a greater appreciation for wild game and the kitchen side of hunting, which I had underappreciated for years. It changed the whole hunting process for me. Getting in the kitchen is now as important and enjoyable to me as the actual hunting itself.
Although I have always claimed to be primarily a meat hunter, for many years I didn't put much effort into the butchery/culinary aspect of hunting. Aside from the backstrap and the eye fillets, the rest of a kill was either ground into mince or kept as generic stewing meat. I related much more to the actual hunting process itself, the outdoors, the camping, the bush-bashing, the stalking, and the shooting. I think this is likely true for many readers. It wasn't until my finances tightened that I started to take the rest of the process seriously. It occurred to me that I So, one day, I decided to commit to eating primarily wild game to save money and take responsibility for where my food came from (I do occasionally buy chicken or fish, but wild venison makes up 90% of my meat consumption). Also, as a bit of a gym junky, this would help manage my macronutrient and protein intake on the cheap.
