Registration is open for the Deer Exchange, a program at Nebraska Game and Parks Commission that matches hunters with people who would like to receive venison.

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Last year, the first year of the program, hunters donated 300 deer, which is the equivalent of 60,000 quarter-pound servings of venison. Officials are hoping that at least 1,000 deer will be donated this year.

To participate, either as a donor or as a recipient of a deer, call Game and Parks at (402) 471-0641 or go to the Web page http://www.ngpc.state.ne.us/hunting/programs/deerexchange/ and provide your name and contact information. The program will be available through Feb. 2010.

Hunters and recipients must contact each other to arrange the transfer of the deer, which needs to be registered and field dressed by the hunter. The donation of further processed venison is also welcome. No money may be exchanged for the deer or the processed venison.

"I think the Deer Exchange is an excellent opportunity to provide food for the needy and to increase the harvest of an overabundant resource," said Scott Hygnstrom, a wildlife ecologist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's School of Natural Resources. "People in other states are looking at Nebraska now because of this unique new matchmaking program."

Hygnstrom and his technician, Aaron Hildreth, are helping Game and Parks promote and analyze the program. Game and Parks officials are working to provide a valuable service while keeping costs low.