Elk NetworkHunters Motivated by Meat, Elk Does A Body Good

Why Do You Hunt?New research conducted by Responsive Management shows more of us arise well before the crack of dawn and head into the woods, mountains, prairies or to a favorite stretch of water in a quest to fill the freezer.Researchers conducting the scientific nationwide telephone survey reached out to Americans 18 years of age and older and asked them “What is the single most important reason you hunted in 2012?” They offered a list of possible answers including spending time with family and friends, being close to nature, for the sport/recreation, for the meat or for a trophy.Thirty-five percent of hunters chose “for the meat,” which is a 13 percent increase since a similar nationwide survey in 2006Members of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and elk lovers everywhere will tell you there is no leaner, healthier meat than the wild wapiti taken off its native range. You won’t get an argument from the U.S. Department of Agriculture either. USDA statistics show elk has a higher percentage of protein and a lower percentage of fat than grass-fed beef, pork, lamb, duck, whitetail deer or antelope (see chart here). Elk also wins the cholesterol battle while topping the list for the fewest calories per pound category. By comparison, moose and wild turkey put up the best fight.And then there’s the taste test. Elk rules the barbecue too. A cross-tabulation by gender of the data from the nationwide survey shows that females are even more pro-meat: 55% compared to 27% of male hunters. So there you have it. Not only is meat the choice of hunters across the country, but elk meat does a body good and tastes great too. We don’t need a study to tell you thatWhat about you? Why do you Elk Hunt?