One of the locations for the Gadianton homeland is “the wilderness.” When Mormon tells us that they are unable to find food except in the wilderness, this would be an accurate description. The Nephites have removed all domesticated animals and all harvestable crops from the area. The land of Zarahemla has been continuously inhabited for hundreds of years, and it is highly unlikely that there would be large concentrations of game in close proximity to the Nephite cities. If there is game, it is in the wilderness areas.
The need for game comes from the lack of domesticated or tended “flocks and herds” that were taken with the Nephites. It would appear that the Gadiantons were counting on the local cities and locations to bolster their supply lines, and the Nephite actions have denied them access to this method of resupply. In the face of the failure of the Nephite cities to resupply them, they could have turned to wild game, but that was also absent from this area.