Roadkill for Supper?

A wild-game supper? What next? When I was an outtastatah  (out of stater) growing up in a suburb north of Chicago, hunting wasn't a part of my life. When I thought about hunting, I couldn't understand why someone would want to kill a living creature just for the sport of it.

Over time, I became more tolerant of hunting. Since Colonial times, some people have had to hunt just to put food on the table for their families. It was an economic fact of life. After I married, we lived in western Pennsylvania for 28 years. The first day of deer hunting season was virtually a state holiday there with literally more than a million hunters in the field.

When our neighbor bagged a doe, he sent some venison across the street to us. We were more than happy to eat it for the real sin would be to kill an animal for no better reason than just to kill it. We were happy to see the meat put to some good use.

However, despite my change in feelings, I wasn't prepared for the idea of a communal wild-game supper until I encountered  it  here in New England.  Like hunting itself, these community suppers date far back in time and serve a good purpose. These dinners allow successful hunters who have more meat than they and their families can eat to share the wealth and donate the surplus to a church or club.

The Super Bowl of wild-game church suppers is held each year at the United Church of Christ in Bradford, Vermont. A word of caution : it is legal to serve roadkill in Vermont. The state collects fresh carcasses of deer, moose, and bears; freezes them; and sells the meat  for a nominal fee. (New York Times, 10/16/1988).

Are you still with me? Stomach okay? Are you still intrigued by the idea of  a wild-game supper? Some people will take a pass. According to the Times, "Lots of women won't eat game," said Ernest Pollien. "They only come because their husbands are hunters."

But, once the supper starts, any hesitation among most diners disappears. The Times notes, "After a short wait, the diners file into the spacious vestry and up to a buffet table laden with venison chili and rabbit pie, pheasant and rice, roasted bear and beaver, moose patties, buffalo roast and game sausage."

The meat dishes are "accompanied by a variety of homemade side dishes such as coleslaw, relishes, whipped turnips and squash; the desserts of pies or gingerbread are also homemade; and hot coffee, cold cider and milk are in abundant supply."

Well that's Vermont. Have the influx of outtastatahs like myself spelled the doom of wild-game community suppers here in New Hampshire? Not quite. A brief search of the Internet revealed that such suppers have been held and may well continue to be held by the Raymond Baptist Church and for members at the Bradford Fish and Game Clubhouse. Others may have escaped my attention.

If you plan to attend one and encounter any roadkill on the way there, just scoop it up and bring it along. (In fairness, New Hampshire's laws regarding roadkill may be less permissive than those in Vermont.)

Well. though I'm an outtastatah, I've learned more than few things about the Granite State during my time here. You can share more of these revelations in my new book Outtastatahs: Newcomers' Adventures in New Hampshire. Outtastatahs can be purchased for $13.99 at River Run Books in Portsmouth; at The Water Street Bookstore in Exeter; at Gibson's Bookstore in Concord; or on-line at amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com.