URBANA, Ill. – Illinois hunters support the health of ecosystems, conservation efforts, and local economies. Successful hunts also provide lean, local protein for families and communities.

University of Illinois Extension, in cooperation with Illinois Learn to Hunt, will share basic field dressing, post-hunt processing, storage, and preparation techniques for a variety of game in order to get the quality and wholesomeness that wild game is known for.

Illinois Extension will share food safety information for handling game animals, along with new recipe ideas and tips on cooking methods that improve meat texture and flavor.

The free, online webinar begins at 7 p.m. May 27 and runs 90 minutes. Register before May 21 at go.illinois.edu/HuntAndEat. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this program, contact 217-877-6042. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time for meeting your access need.

"UDSA recommends using frozen wild game within 8 to 12 months," says Caitlin Mellendorf, Illinois Extension nutrition and wellness educator. “For hunters and their families with meat still in their freezers from last season, this webinar will provide some new recipe ideas to use meat before the next season,”

For more information, please contact Mellendorf at (217) 877-6042.

SOURCE: Caitlin Mellendorf, Nutrition and Wellness Educator, University of Illinois Extension
SOURCE: Dan Stephens, Learn to Hunt Program Manager, Illinois Learn to Hunt

ABOUT EXTENSION: Illinois Extension leads public outreach for University of Illinois by translating research into action plans that allow Illinois families, businesses, and community leaders to solve problems, make informed decisions, and adapt to changes and opportunities.

ABOUT LEARN TO HUNT: The Illinois Learn to Hunt provides free education and training workshops to teach the Illinois public how, why, and where to hunt a variety of game species in Illinois.