JEFFERSON CITY — Hunting with a former state representative yesterday on his Pulaski County farm, Gov. Jay Nixon shot a deer.

The outing with Democrat Bill Ransdall was Nixon’s second try. He spent opening day of deer season hunting ^[1]in Clark County.

Ransdall, of Waynesville, is a member of the State Tax Commission, having received that plum appointment from Nixon earlier this month.

The venison from Nixon’s quarry will go to food banks and homeless shelters, reinforcing Nixon’s push for the Share the Harvest program.

Under the program, hunters can take their deer to an approved processor and donate the entire deer or a few pounds. The Conservation Federation of Missouri pays part of the processing cost.

Earlier, Nixon helped expand the program to more processors by awarding the federation $200,000 in neighborhood assistance program tax credits.