Last month, a friend of ours here in town offered to include us in their "hunt camp". Basically, a group of hunters get together and just hunt, and fill their quota, and if you'd like to have a venison, you buy a tag and sign it over, and they'll hunt on your tag -- at the end of season, they divvy up however many deer they got between everyone. We were in on this last year, and were happy with the outcome -- got a freezer full of venison, all for the price of the tag and, as this particular group doesn't do their own butchering but sends it to an abattoir to be done, our share of that cost.
So, we got the same call this year and were happy to take part. I'm assured of SOME venison, although maybe not a whole deer, depending on the luck of the group.
Now, my neighbor just called me and told me his hunting gang has already got their quota, and would I like a deer, because they've got eight guys willing to hunt for my ticket if I go and get one -- I told him I already had one in my name, but I'd be happy to send DH to the general store to buy one in his name. He told me that they do all their own skinning and cutting (so, no abattoir fees there), but he'd be happy to cut it for me, if I didn't know how. I told him I used to help my dad, had a pretty good idea what to do, but if they wanted help butchering, I'd be happy to come up and lend a hand, and bring the equipment I had. I think he was impressed that I own my own meat grinder
I love that my neighbors are including me in this way. Moving here, knowing no one, a year and a half ago, I didn't know if we'd be moving into a "closed" community or not -- whether we'd ever fit in, if we'd be considered the "new folks" forever. I have not felt a moment of that yet. People here have been so very welcoming, helpful. I cannot say enough good about it.
Sorry, I'm feeling very fortunate and blessed today, and felt the need to share. God bless all of you who are "good neighbors" to newcomers -- you have no idea of how much it means.
