MINNEAPOLIS – Camo clothing covered in bright orange vests and hats – we know a hunter’s outfit when we see it.
But what about the orange bins scattered across Minnesota at gas stations, bait shops and taverns? The organization behind them hopes that hunters in particular will notice this.
“We now have billboards all over the state promoting this program and letting people know it is available,” said Jared Mazurek, executive director of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association (MDHA).
Mazurek says first and foremost, Hides for Habitat is a recycling program. When hunters drop a deer hide into the orange bins, it means it’s not going to a landfill.
Instead, the MDHA sells them to fur traders who turn them into leather products. The money raised from the sale of the hides goes directly back to the land the deer call home.
“If you have a piece of public land near you, whether it’s a WMA (wildlife management area), a water management area, state forest or national forest, there’s a very good chance that Hides for Habitat funding has helped improve, preserve, or even expand that piece of land,” he said.
For example, the program gave $75,000 to a project in the Carlos Avery Wildlife Management Area north of the Twin Cities to build more forests.
The trees were planted over 50 hectares specifically to produce food. A variety of nuts and fruits to support animals such as deer, bears, wild turkeys and even pollinators. It also meant many new habitats for birds to nest and navigate.
The MDHA also uses the money raised to purchase land from private owners, such as farmers, and then donates it back to the county, state or national forestry so it can become a wildlife habitat.
The MDHA is divided into 60 chapters. Skins collected in a chapter fund projects in that specific chapter. A small portion of the money raised is set aside to help fund larger projects statewide.
“It could be their local WMA doing everything from buckthorn removal to bud capping, or thermal cover for deer. All those dollars go right back into the local community,” Mazurek says.
On average, MDHA harvests approximately 20% of the total statewide harvest each year.
Last year, approximately 158,678 deer were harvested in Minnesota using firearms, archery and muzzleloaders. Mazurek said hunters donated about 30,000 skins.
This year, Mazurek says hides will fetch $6 each. The deer tail is worth $2.50. That means the program made about $255,000 last year.
“Extrapolate that among the 400,000 licensed hunters in the state of Minnesota, it costs a lot of money for people to participate in this program,” he said.
The program has raised $6.5 million since its inception in 1985.
The Hides for Habitat program only accepts deer hides and tails. Do not place deer heads, limbs or other waste in the bins. There are almost 500 waste containers spread across the country. To find one near you, click here.
Jeff Wagner
