Over recent years, the hunting industry has been seeing a steady decline in interest. Every year there have been fewer hunters who obtained the necessary licensing and visited the hunting grounds in the state. While large parts of the population still include meat as part of their regular diet, the days when you had to go out to hunt for the food you needed to eat are long gone. Today you can simply go to your nearest grocery store and find all the meaty delights your appetite might crave, vacuum-sealed and ready to go in-store. Hunting turned into an activity where those involved were more focused on the size of the trophy, they can mount onto their walls than even enjoying the experience in the field. Regardless of all efforts made by the industry like lowering fees and making hunting licences more affordable, nothing brought about the turn-around in the trend the industry required. This was until locavore deer hunting took off and now the industry is in an upward trend.

“While hunting for food is part of man’s history from the very beginning, it was no longer necessary for most people to kill the food they wanted to eat. Now locavore deer hunting is gaining popularity as you kill to provide premium quality healthy and natural meat to yourself and your friends. Deer meat is excellent as the animals roam freely and the meat is completely free from any chemical. Locavore hunting made hunting exciting again beyond the fact that you’ll have a trophy to show off and therefore people are turning to hunt again,” says Steven Carroll, the lodge manager at Westervelt Lodge. Westervelt Lodge is one of the largest hunting grounds in Alabama with more than 12,000 acres of land. The lodge is dating back to 1951 when the first hunt took place here.

Carroll also expands on the fact that a large part of the population felt that hunting animals for mere fun is cruel. This is now also changing as it is far more socially acceptable to hunt animals, such as deer, for food. “What we are seeing is happening in the hunting industry is basically that completely archaic hunting practices are now becoming popular again. The true reason for hunting is making a comeback into the minds of even the wider population. It creates a greater interest in our field that results in higher numbers of people keen on hunting for the first time,” Carrol further explained.

About Us:
Our hunting history at the Westervelt Lodge dates back as far as 1951 when we hosted our first deer hunting trip. On that day in November 78 hunters and six dogs gathered and in total, they managed to take down three bucks. Yet, although we still remember the exact weight of these bucks, it wasn’t what stuck with us. No, it was the fun and the amazing experience we shared in the field out hunting. It is the same amazing hunting experience that we still offer today to our visiting hunters and it is what keeps them returning year after year. You can visit our website at https://westerveltlodge.com/ or contact us and see how we can assist to make your hunting dreams a reality.