4 Advantages to Raising Meat Rather Than Hunting For it

Hello, I’m Ben, I am the lucky man who is married to Kait. I will be on this blog  from time to time to produce content to help further our dream of having a fully self-sufficient homestead. Today I want to talk about the advantages to raising meat rather than hunting for it.

Disclaimer: this is not a knock on hunters by any means. I grew up in the rugged wilderness of Montana and spent many a season in the beautiful lake country of the Swan Valley. I have many fond memories of wild game that I harvested over the years; and hope to again go on hunting adventures when life isn’t so hectic for us.

 

The Advantages to Raising Meat

Disclosure: this page contains affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

As I have transitioned into the life of a homesteader from my prior experience as a rugged outdoorsmen. I have found that there are several advantages to raising meat rather than hunting for it.

The first big advantage to raising your meat is:

Efficiency of Time

When you raise your own meat, you know exactly what you are getting from birth to slaughter. You know exactly what your animal has eaten, exactly what kind of life it’s had. And you will also notice if it has any defects or diseases. Once you are ready to harvest your animal all you have to do is take it to the butcher shop. Or, if you are set up more like we are, process it yourself. We have processed sheep, turkeys, and chickens all from the comfort of our kitchen. 

 

 

Contrast this to hunting. I do understand that this is part of the appeal. But you have to first get to the location, then walk or drive around, sometimes for hours or days. All the while you are hoping you will find something legal to harvest in your district you have chosen to hunt in. And, at least in my experience, you’ll come home empty handed more often than not.  So in the end all the money you spent on your trip was done in vain! 

Granted, you can lose some of your livestock to predators but it’s rare that your whole coop, flock, or herd is wiped out in a single night. 

Another advantage to raising meat yourself is:

 

Quality Family Time with the Whole Family

Unless you are in a family where everybody hunts, which I was not, then raising your own meat is a great way to spend time with your spouse and kids. Your kids will also learn how to take care of others, about mortality, and will learn butchering skills, if you have the know how. Our kids are always asking us about how the animals are doing, and are usually quite excited to eat them! Our kids have learned a healthy understanding of where meat comes from.

 

My favorite of all the advantages to raising meat covered here is:

Getting More Practice in the Art of Butchering

 

Knowing how to cut up your own meat can save you a lot of money. I have learned out of necessity since we have few skilled butchers in our area and they are often booked six months out or more. Which is not ideal if you are raising lambs for meat. Unless you like mutton..

 

More on Butchering

 

Besides saving you a ton of money on your meat. You learn a valuable skill set that you can take anywhere in the world with you. You can help your neighbors or even go into business for yourself if you enjoy it enough. 

But probably the biggest advantage to raising meat I see is:

 

A Reliable Source of Meat

 

As we have seen with the recent lockdowns and with those of you who are hunters. Neither are the most reliable sources of meat in times of uncertainty. 

Supply chains can be disrupted and hunting is a rewarding, but often an unsuccessful adventure. The idea behind homesteading is to be as self-sufficient as possible. I view hunting, and let’s be honest, the luxury of being able to go to the grocery store, both as a good way to compliment your meat selection.  But they should not be relied on as primary meat source. 

There are numerous advantages to raising meat on your own, and I hope this sheds some light on an interesting topic. If you are interested in which knives I use for butchering I’ll add an affiliate link below. Happy Homesteading, or hunting, or both!

 

• Ben

 

PS: You can find out more about how we raise lambs on rented pasture, plus a cost breakdown here!