The Hunt Michigan Collaborative (HMC) brings together farmers and hunters in a way that benefits both Michigan agriculture and the state’s deer management goals. Each year, Michigan farmers face substantial crop losses—estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars—due to deer damage. Between running farms, managing day jobs, and balancing everyday responsibilities, many farmers simply cannot take on deer management alone.

The Hunt Michigan Collaborative fills this gap by coordinating organized hunts on private farmland. Participating hunters, both new and experienced, help farmers reduce pressure on their fields while contributing to responsible herd management. Hunters can keep their venison or donate it to Hunters Feeding Michigan or Sportsmen Against Hunger, extending the program’s impact even further into the community.

This year, the Michigan National Deer Association State Chapter sponsored three hunters: TJ, Venessa, and Nick, each bringing a unique background.

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TJ Spalding: Building Self‑Sufficiency and Confidence as a Newer Hunter

TJ began hunting five years ago, discovering quickly that the activity meant more to him than simply time in the woods. Hunting became a deeply meaningful way for him to provide food for his family, strengthen his self-sufficiency, and take pride in processing high-quality meat himself.

Eager to grow his skills, TJ reached out to the Field to Fork program to learn from experienced hunters, who shared his contact information with Hunt Michigan Collaborative. When he participated in the HMC/NDA Farm Tour Hunt, the experience surpassed his expectations.

“The experience was amazing, and I would absolutely do it again.”

TJ invited his cousin, Rafael Guizar, to try and get him into hunting and inspire him to start. Even though they did not see any movement for deer, he did enjoy it just as much as TJ and it did inspire him to want to start hunting next season!

For TJ, the experience didn’t just offer access to land; it offered connection, learning, and confidence. He says without hesitation that he would participate again.

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Venessa: A Family Legacy, Connection With Other Women Hunters, and a Welcoming Community

Venessa has been around hunting for about 15 years, starting out by heading into the woods with her dad. She harvested her first deer about a decade ago, and now she shares the experience with her children, her daughter Ava has joined her in the woods since age 3.

Although she was considered too experienced for Field to Fork, Venessa still wanted to grow, especially in processing deer and making use of as much of the animal as possible. When she joined the Hunt Michigan Collaborative, she found exactly the kind of environment she’d been hoping for.

A thoughtful, fully equipped, and empowering experience:
Venessa emphasized how impressed she was with the setup: organized hunt bags stocked with essentials like snacks, flashlights, TP, shooting sticks, and even the Hunting Bible. Everything was prepared and intentional, allowing hunters, especially youth or newer participants, to focus solely on the hunt itself.

What stood out most was the presence of other confident, knowledgeable women hunters.

“No one else around me really hunts besides my dad. Seeing other women who know their stuff was really good.”

From the safety briefing to the camaraderie, from the preparedness to the people, Venessa describes the hunt as not only enjoyable, but inspiring, and says she would absolutely participate again.

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Nick: A Growing Hunter Finding Community, Challenge, and New Traditions

Nick is in his second year of hunting, having taken his hunter safety course a year before his first season. His path into hunting began unexpectedly—after a vivid dream about deer hunting, he bought a crossbow and began immersing himself in the pursuit.

Coming from a family of Iowa farmers who never hunted, Nick is largely self-taught and has relied on coworkers and mentors he met through work. He has even helped his employer with deer issues on their 40-acre tree farm, contributing to management on the property and learning along the way.

The Hunt Michigan Collaborative provided a new opportunity and his first-ever rifle hunt. Conditions were tough—windy, bitterly cold, with a windchill reaching -5°F—and the deer movement simply wasn’t in his favor.

Still, the experience was meaningful. His brother joined him for his first hunt ever, and together they shared time in nature, cold weather and all.

“It’s a really great program, helps the farmers, which is awesome… Going out there with my brother was a lot of fun.”

While he didn’t harvest a deer, Nick remains enthusiastic about the program—and would gladly do it again, hopefully with better weather next time.

The National Deer Association is a funding partner with Hunt Michigan Collaborative.