There is a growing interest in the holistic nature of harvesting wild game. Previous research has shown that the harvest of game animals is an important tool in environmental conservation and serves as a means for promoting animal biodiversity. Furthermore, additional research suggests the progression of chronic disease in human populations was a result of an evolutionary decline in the consumption of lean and fat tissue from wild grazing ruminants, in favor of commercial industrial animal farming.
Hunters, in collaboration with wildlife clubs and the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, were recruited to deliver their field-harvested game animals to the North Dakota State University (NDSU) meat laboratory in Fargo for processing. Twenty-nine mule deer (MUL), 32 moose and 21 elk were received for analysis. The animals were harvested using bow, rifle or muzzleloader as regulated by the North Dakota Game and Fish licensing laws. Hunters were provided with a heavy-duty plastic bag to retain the entrails to accompany the field-dressed carcass to the NDSU meat laboratory. The carcasses were kept in a 3°C cooler until processing (1 to 3 d). One longissimus muscle (LM) sample (approximately. 454 grams) was taken adjacent the 12th and 13th thoracic vertebra from each carcass for proximate analysis. Each individual muscle sample was frozen, lyophilized and stored at minus-18°C. A portion of each lyophilized LM sample was sent to the USDA Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center for fatty acid analysis based on AOAC #996.06.