INDIANA — A program that allows hunters to give deer meat to the public will continue again this fall.

GiveIN Game, the DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife’s venison donation program, will be available for its fifth year. Hunters who are willing to donate venison and people who would like to receive venison can begin registering on Sept. 1 at the Indiana Wildlife website.

GiveIN Game makes it easy for people to connect and set up a free exchange on their own schedule. Selling, bartering or trading for venison is illegal. The program is intended to function like a telephone directory, with a list of people who either are seeking or offering venison. Participants can use the directory to “look up” others to meet with. The DNR does not facilitate exchanges. 

The program had 715 participants last year, with the number of people requesting venison more than six times greater than those offering to donate venison.

Both hunters and recipients have an option of donating or requesting any amount of venison in all conditions, from field-dressed animals to packaged venison. 

“GiveIN Game is a unique program that allows hunters to donate wild game in a non-traditional way,” said Mark Reiter, DNR Fish and Wildlife director. “While many other programs focus on food banks and charitable organizations distributing venison to needy families, GiveIN Game provides a new avenue for those that enjoy venison but do not have the opportunity to harvest the deer themselves.”

Previous participants must re-register every year, if they want to continue participating.