Southeast Tines Summer 2023

SOUTHEAST TINES

EFFECTIVE BOTTLE FEEDING

Tips from Woodard Whitetails

Sponsored by Kala

FALLOW DEER

GAINING IN DEMAND AND POPULARITY

SPONSORED BY WOO

PREPARING YOUR BUCKS FOR THE HUNT

Common Sense advice

Sponsored by WOL

PRESIDENT

James “Smitty” Smith

Gum Creek Hunting Preserve 813-714-5045

Jsmith@crossenv.com

www.GumCreekHuntingPreserve.com

VICE PRESIDENT

Dr. Bill Leffler

2 Base Down Farms

PO Box 159

Morriston, FL 32668

561-373-2353

Bleffler2011@gmail.com

Twobasedownfarms@yahoo.com

TREASURER

Dr. Juan Campos

College of Veterinary Medicine

Dept. of Large Animal Clinical Sciences University of Florida

108 Deriso Hall, Gainesville, FL 32610 352-363-0703 / jmcampos@ufl.edu

DIRECTORS

Benny Wilkison

Lil Oak Whitetails

3193 NW 216th St

Lawtey, Fl 904-424-7233

liloakwhitetails@yahoo.com

Mike Hunter

MS Hunter Farm 8479 Puckett Rd Perry, FL 32348 850-843-0881

Mike.Hunter@etranscarriers.com

Louis Scott

Scott’s Game Farm 96769 O’Neil Scott Road

Fernandina Beach, FL 32097 904-557-8940, 904-753-4091

Tim Cromwell

18015 NE CR 1471 Hampton, FL 32044 352-727-9528

FELLOW DEER

FARMERS PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

- JAMES “SMITTY” SMITH

To Fellow Members,

The Spring Fling is behind us now and we at the board wish to thank everyone that helped by consignments, donations, or just being at the auction to make a great event.

We are hoping that with speakers and raffles on both days it made for a better two-day event; we are trying to come up with more ideas to make the event even better.

Also, we want to thank our speakers for all the wealth of information that was passed on by them.

By the time you read this there will be a lot of fawns on the ground (heard about some of them before this was sent to press). Hopefully it will be an awesome season for all.

We are also planning the Summer Picnic and as soon as we lock in the time and date we will let everybody know.

Until next time be “Florida Strong.”

James Smith

Watch for These Symbols

- these are interactive links in the eBook that is sent out to all members

This symbol indicates there is a video linked

This symbol indicates there is a link to an email, website, or facebook page

PREPARING YOUR BUCKS FOR THE HUNT –COMMON SENSE ADVICE

By: Gail Veley • Sponsored by WOL

Preparing your bucks for the hunt begins long before warm and humid summer months turn into cooler and crisper fall days. Although the feeling of autumn ascending upon the earth makes hunters usually think of only one thing – hunting – preserve owners have begun preparing for those hunts months before. In fact, it may feel as though they are always perpetually preparing in one form or another. However, February can be a crucial month in this overall process. “After the hardest part of the winter is over, I start in February making sure I have enough protein available to my bucks in my preserve who were not harvested the year before,” said Brandon Bollinger of 2 Brothers Whitetail in Loranger, Louisiana. “Protein gets them from the rut back into condition. The key is their body condition.”

An essential source of protein can be found in clover plots. “You want to make sure those are ready for spring,” Bollinger, 47, said. “The key to growing big deer is putting a buffet in front on them and as little amount of stress as possible.” Bollinger, who makes a point of closely watching and surveying his bucks all summer, starts rolling his preserve cameras in July, in an effort to

ensure those bucks, currently residing inside, are ingesting enough adequate protein to meet size standards for the upcoming season. Bucks currently residing in pens are also closely monitored as plans progress to stock the preserve. And although Bollinger raises enough of his own bucks to not need to buy more, he feels that selling some of his own while acquiring some from other farms, keeps his inventory varied and perhaps more appealing to hunters.

Bollinger, in addition to knowing how to raise the most appealing buck, has also learned through the years the most appealing circumstances of introducing bucks into a preserve. “I start in August while they are still in velvet,” he said. “Don’t do it the day before a hunt. Put them in the preserve in August while they are in velvet and learning where they want to be, and they are calm. You also need a 30-day buffer to make sure the medications they need for transport are out of their system.” Preceding these precautions is the most valuable advice: Introduce them into the preserve at night. “You have much less of a chance of losing them because it’s not as hot.” Although some preserve owners prefer a method of introduction referred to as “soft launching” by first placing deer in a large pen inside the preserve, Bollinger finds that “day of” or prompt introductions can work just as well.

In an effort to make this type of introduction as safe as possible, Bollinger also advises to not only have food and water sources located interiorly of your preserve, but all along the fence line as well, as deer tend to gravitate to the fence

and pace and without easily accessible water and food, could dehydrate and die. In also realizing that deer learn the sound of an ATV or truck means food is coming, he makes a habit out of dropping hunters off during hunting season from a vehicle, making it easier for them to slip into advantageous places. Although Bollinger takes every precaution necessary to make sure his deer thrive, fatalities are inevitable. “I always have or carry a 10 buck “buffer” from what I grow compared to what I buy, which is about a 20% buffer overall,” he explained. “We hunt about 60 bucks a year.”

While the thrill of the hunt is the most compelling part of deer farming, feeling compelled to create understood payment terms between seller and buyer is what may keep a deer farmer in business. “When you are buying stockers, you should have a very clear warranty period. This is very important. The general rule is seven days. Should deer purchased not survive beyond seven days, the seller usually compensates the buyer in some form or another, Bollinger said. “Make sure you have an agreement in place.”

Spring FLing photos!

A big thank you to everyone who participated in the spring fling this year!

FALLOW DEER GAINING IN DEMAND AND POPULARITY

By: Gail Veley • Sponsored by WOO

Fallow deer, known for their hardiness, adaptability and apparent resistance to contracting CWD and EHD, are gaining popularity as perhaps a more low-risk animal to raise, compared to whitetails. Although whitetails are and always will remain the Number One animal in North America to hunt, producers and hunters alike are increasingly intrigued by fallow deer with their unique paddle or rack with tines. “I’ve had hunters willing to pay $50,000 to $500,000 for the right fallow buck,” shared Lance Clawson of Caveman Wildlife in Austin, Texas. Credited as being one of the first in the U.S. to raise high-end pedigreed fallow deer, Clawson maintains a herd of approximately 150 in a partnership with Jason Milligan of Cross Canyon Whitetails. Clawson also partners with Chris Ezell on a herd numbering approximately 160 at Ezell’s farm, Dangerous Whitetails of Oklahoma in Adair, Oklahoma.

Originally from Europe, fallow deer were brought to the U.S. during the 19th century as domesticated animals

and as such, no license is currently needed to raise them, said Ezell, who has raised fallow deer for nine years. Having originally bought them to merely help keep the grass “mowed” on his expansive farm, Ezell started appreciating more and more their calmness and their ability to take stressful situations in-stride. Even better was “a combination of three very important things. Their hardiness, they adapt to any environment, are CWD non-susceptible and don’t get EHD,” Ezell emphasized. “They are very efficient animals and usually have only one fawn in June with an unbelievable success rate.”

Clawson, who’s efficiently raised fallow deer for 20 years, first promoted them as a viable choice for hunters from his booth at a Texas Deer Breeders Association show in 2015, after CWD started becoming a more prevalent issue for whitetail breeders in Texas. Pleasantly surprised by the response he received, Clawson said he “just kept going with it.” He began to work steadfast towards developing a registry and later found support through The Exotic Wildlife Association in Kerrville, Texas. “I feel a strong allegiance toward the EWA for coming through for those of us who raise fallows and want to continuously improve them through quality genetics and pedigrees,” Clawson said. More recently, The North American Deer Registry (NADR) began a fallow deer registry as well.

While Clawson, 54, admits he may not be a professional at marketing his fallow deer, he appears to be a professional at producing world-record bucks. “We are creating a species that has never been seen before” said Clawson, whose farm sports

“The 400” Club” with the likes of American Made, Lightening and Bullwinkle, the fallow buck unofficial world record holder. “Everyone who visits our farm immediately wants to go and see Bullwinkle,” Clawson said. “They are immediately drawn to him and intrigued by his size and stature.”

Under the right setting and super genetics, fallow deer racks (or palmate racks as they are called) can be four to six inches wide, Ezell said. “With superior genetics, they could be 10 to 15 inches wide. Fallow deer can also be a variety of coat colors and look different from each other.” Since he began promoting his fallow deer, Ezell has shipped them to states such as Missouri, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maine, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois. Using embryo transfer, he and Clawson and Milligan have helped improve the genetics on both of their farms in a continuous effort to make a science out of raising fallow deer. “They are also good eating and big for the meat industry,” Ezell said. “The future for fallow deer is very bright.”

WHAT DEER FARMERS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT NO-SEE-UMS

What is a no-see-um?

• No-see-ums are small blood-feeding flies.

• They are also called ”Culicoides”, “biting midges” or ”sand flies”.

• No-see-ums belong to the fly family Ceratopogonidae, which means “horned beard”.

Where do no-see-ums come from?

• No-see-um larvae look like tiny worms and do not have legs or wings.

• Most no-see-um larvae live in muddy areas at the edges of marshes, ponds, puddles, or streams.

• No-see-um larvae do not occur in open water.

Common no-see-um larval habitats

How big is a no-see-um?

• Most no-see-ums are tiny - less than 1/8 inch.

• No-see-ums are much smaller than mosquitoes.

The black grid below is standard window screen, which no-see-ums can easily pass through.

Edges of streams

Edges of forest pools

Wet rot-hole in tree Wet areas of pasture

• No-see-um larvae feed on microscopic organisms such as bacteria, nematodes, tardigrades or other insects.

• When the larval stage is complete, the larva transforms into pupa.

• After a few days, the adult no-see-um emerges as an adult (biting midge).

How many kinds of no-see-ums are there?

• More than 50 different no-see-ums species occur in Florida, but only a handful of them are important as pests or in the transmission of disease agents.

• Culicoides insignis transmits BTV in southern Florida.

• Culicoides stellifer is a common pest on deer farms and may transmit hemorrhagic disease viruses.

• Culicoides venustus is also suspected of transmitting EHDV in Florida.

• The wings of no-see-ums (see below) have distinctive patterns that are useful for identifying each species.

Why deer farmers care about no-see-ums?

• Some no-see-um species in North America can carry viruses that are dangerous for deer, sheep, and many other ruminant animals.

• Certain species of no-see-ums can transmit viruses that cause hemorrhagic disease in deer.

• Hemorrhagic disease (HD) is a serious ailment affecting ruminants such as deer and cattle.

• HD is caused by Bluetongue virus (BTV) and Epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV).

• White-tailed deer are very susceptible to HD.

• Signs of hemorrhagic disease include fever, anorexia, lethargy, respiratory distress, severe swelling of the face, tongue, and neck.

• Death can occur quickly in infected animals, sometimes within 2 days of first symptoms.

White-tailed deer

Transmission of BTV and EHDV

How to manage HD and no-see-ums?

• A successful strategy to combat HD will require Integrated Pest Management for no-see-ums.

• EHDV vaccines are now available in Florida.

No-see-um ?

• CHeRI scientists are actively working to develop sustainable and efficient pest management tools accessible to deer farmers.

Authors: Nathan Burkett-Cadena, PhD & Vilma

Montenegro, MS. University of Florida, Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, Vero Beach, FL

For more information:

wec.ifas.ufl.edu/cheri

Photo not to scale

EFFECTIVE BOTTLE FEEDING – TIPS FROM WOODARD WHITETAILS

By: Gail Veley • Sponsored by Kala

Dustin

Blosser

enters the fawning facility at Woodard Whitetails and kneels beside their latest spring arrivals. Blosser, a young West Virginia native, may only be 24, but his experience growing up on a pig, cattle and whitetail deer farm, combined with his maturity, has found him in the role of Farm Manager since September of 2021. Now, nestled inside a calving hutch, curious, eager and hungry fawns come forward, some nibbling at Blosser’s arms, jeans and well-worn leather boots. Sticking his face down to their level, he rubs his hair on their heads to make them realize they are fine. They are safe. Then, with hands outstretched, he carefully gathers one in his arms and offers a bottle, precision filled with milk, and attached to a one-inch goat kid nipple, to what he hopes is a fawn who grows up to live a very healthy life.

While raising a healthy group of fawns requires vaccinations and meticulous care, among other things, it also requires an extensive knowledge on the best and safest way to bottle feed, should your farm practice bottle feeding. After receiving colostrum

from their mother for 24 hours, bottle fed doe fawns are typically pulled and placed on a regimented milking schedule, along with struggling buck fawns and sometimes, a third fawn. While every farm may have it’s preferences on feeding times, Woodard Whitetails suggests bottle feeding at 7 a.m., 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. for the first seven days. And although fawns will drink as much as you choose to offer, problems can occur if you feed them too much, Blosser explained. “We start out with two to three ounces four times a day during the first week,” he said. “They’ll drink whatever amount you give them and if they have too much, they can bloat or milk can overflow into their rumen, and you can kill them. You want to develop their rumen and they won’t if they aren’t eating and just getting all the milk they can ask for. Another important factor is that from Day One we have water and dirt from their pens inside their hutches to help build their immunities.”

Building a fawn’s immunities along with their desire to eat solid food begins slowly during week two, when the schedule shifts to three times a day at 7 a.m., 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. and more milk is gradually offered to the eventual tune of 12 to 13 ounces per feeding. “By the time week three comes around, we are feeding twice a day at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. and they are eating more solid food,” Blosser said. “Sometimes they don’t make it all the way through week three because they are getting antsy. We make a practice out of giving them a bottle in whatever will become their permanent pen so that they aren’t losing two things at once while also being put somewhere unfamiliar. If you want to keep them really calm,

it’s better this way.” While most fawns adapt immediately to bottle feeding, occasionally there are fawns that don’t. “Rather than putting stress on them by trying to catch them and force the bottle, I just put them back out with Mom and they do fine,” Blosser said. Regardless of how they were raised from birth, Blosser keeps track of each fawn, taking note of their appetite, stool quality or overall health. Should a fawn have diarrhea, Blosser finds that three cc’s of pumpkin baby food usually straightens it out. “You need to watch being too invasive with antibiotics and overcorrecting things,” he emphasized. “It might just kill all the bacteria in their gut. I like to start at the least invasive point and work my way up and see if it’s working first.”

Fawn survival rate at Woodard Whitetails is usually around 95%, said Owner Henry Woodard. “We may lose 5%. This count includes every fawn whether they were born sick or not. Raising fawns is a labor of love and you are handling them and basically replacing their mother and you become attached. If they are sick and you save them, you felt a bond with them. We wouldn’t have a chance to save them otherwise and bottle feeding can give us the best opportunity to stay on top of things.”

Science that delivers the health & productivity you require

™

G FORC E

SCIENTIFICALLY FORMULATED NATURAL SUPPLEMENT TO HELP GROW LARGE, HEALTHY DEER AND BIG ANTLERS!

Nutrient rich formula contains highly bioavailable ingredients, including our proprietary calcium/phosphorous complex with Antler D TM, that are required to support body and bone growth, especially for fast growing bucks

Contains probiotics and targeted enzymes to support gut health and proper digestion

Available in pellet or powder that can be top dressed or mixed in feed. Great for antler growing season and young bucks, too

PeaceMaker™

PRECISELY FORMULATED TO HELP MAINTAIN A NORMAL AND RELAXED DISPOSITION IN ALL CERVIDS

Provides optimal levels of magnesium, Vitamin B1 and inositol to promote calmness and provide help for restless animals

Contains no herbals, tryptophan or chemicals, eliminating concerns of unwanted side effects

Use PeaceMaker to “keep the peace” during pre-rut, rut, transportation, weaning and anytime destructive behavior may occur

ENTERIC HEALTH FORMULA

POWERFUL SOLUTION FOR HEALTH & PRODUCTIVITY

Helps maintain digestive health and productivity

Contains micro-encapsulated probiotics, targeted enzymes and a novel fiber complex

Use in does before fawning, during lactation and all cervids during times of environmental stress

FAWN ARRIVAL™ POWDER & PASTE

HELPS PRODUCE HEALTHY, FAST GROWING FAWNS

Helps maintain normal digestive health

Supports a healthy immune system

Feed powder for 14 days to bottle fed fawns

Paste is ideal for fawns left on does

™

FAWN & DEER XTR

ROBUST FAST RESPONSE FOR FAWNS & OLDER DEER

Innovative formula delivers max digestive support, especially in newborns

Rapidly delivers help for GI health and a functioning immune system

May also be used post-tranquilization to support healthy recovery

SUDOKU

The rules for sudoku are simple.

A 9×9 square must be filled in with numbers from 1-9 with no repeated numbers in each line, horizontally or vertically.

To challenge you more, there are 3×3 squares marked out in the grid, and each of these squares can’t have any repeat numbers either.

Coloring Activity!

Send in this picture with your child / grand child name and age for a chance to be featured in the next magazine or on our facebook page!

All ages welcome to participate!

Pictures can be emailed to deerassociations@gmail.com or mailed to Samantha Uchytil

19291 59th St NE New London, MN 56273

SETDA Scholarship Fund

SETDA is taking steps to ensure that the deer industry remains a sustainable and viable lifestyle for future generations. Scholarship funds are acquired through money made at state association auctions as well as donations from members.

Qualifications for consideration for those wishing to apply for the scholarship include the intention to attend or to be presently enrolled in a college located in the southeast portion of the US. An applicant’s career plans should include involvement int he deer industry among other stipulations such as prior experience in a wildlife field pertaining to deer, academic excellence, financial need, letters of recommendation, and involvement in agricultural- related activities and organizations.

Those interested in donating to the SETDA Scholarship Fund or interested in applying please contact:

Accurate wildlife counts are critical to any operation. Lafourche Drone Services provides accurate, reliable, and affordable surveying and tracking for any type of land.

Instead of surveying from the ground we utilize drones equipped with state-of-the-art thermal sensor capability that allows us to accurately track the movement of wildlife with up to 96% precision.

Because we survey from above we never disturb the wildlife in their natural environment or disturb your land.

985-200-4280

No matter how large your land is or how many animals you may have, tracking wildlife is tough.

Our location reports provide a visual interpretation of what’s happening on the ground.

SPRING SUPPLEMENTAL FEEDING FOR CAPTIVE WHITETAIL HERDS

By: NexGen Pharmaceuticals

Part of the planning and preparation for a bountiful season with your whitetailed deer herd lies in providing them with the right resources at the proper times. One of the best ways to ensure that you’re helping to maximize their potential for the upcoming year is with a spring supplemental feeding plan.

While white-tailed deer are ruminants like cows, their optimal diet is very different. Cattle are grass-roughage eaters, whereas white-tailed deer are known as concentrate selectors.1 What this means is that their rumen is smaller relative to their body size as compared to cattle; thus, they’re not as well-suited to processing as much fiber. This is likely a function of their need to be on-themove, sometimes very quickly to avoid predation. Conversely, a bison (which can tolerate more fibrous fare) is better suited to standing its ground against predators than a deer.

Whitetail Digestion Dynamics

White-tailed deer and other browsers have evolved to digest the leaves and stems of trees, shrubs and broadleaf herbaceous plants. In the wild, their diet typically consists of 80% or more of these materials, and less than 5% grasses. Whitetails also consume about 15% of other native plants, such as fruits,

acorns and mushrooms.2

Deer typically need to consume about 2% of their body mass/day in forages that are more than 65% digestible. For maintaining muscle, they need a diet consisting of around 6% crude protein. For growth and reproduction, they need to forage 3%-5% of their body mass/day, with a protein concentration of 12% to 15%.1

Spring whitetail feeding should also address the special needs of bucks and does during the transitioning period from winter. With bucks starting antler growth and does preparing for the rearing of fawns, we need to be mindful that these changes require specific nutrients, rather than just an increase in their maintenance diet. Protein is also critical for the proper development of fawns.

Putting it All Together

So, how does all this translate into formulating a viable spring supplemental feeding plan? Obviously, in the case of deer farming (as opposed to the supplemental feeding of wild deer, which may or may not be legal where you are), it’s more of a question of diet composition versus feeding methods. According to those in the field and the available studies, an increase in protein is the key to successful spring supplemental feeding. In addition to the forage you’re making available year-round, experienced farmers and biologists alike recommend supplementing with a higher-protein deer feed than you may already be using. While the whitetails’ macro- and micromineral needs can be filled by vegetation or eating the soil in natural licks, you can’t go wrong with a feed that has a higher mineral content as well. Looking to results, one Texas study found that bucks fed a 16% crude protein diet grew antlers that scored 20 inches

higher than bucks fed 8% crude protein.2 Some veterinarians also recommend alfalfa pellets or a combination pellet to supplement a hay diet, and many advise against overfeeding grain. The whitetail’s digestive system is not adapted to highlyfermentable grains, and enterotoxemia has been seen in deer fed only 1% grain.3 What’s worse is that larger, more aggressive deer may engorge on the grain, increasing their risk for enterotoxemia.

Finally, it’s important to remember that the protein requirements of deer also depend on things like age and sex. A combination of habitat management practices and maintaining reasonable population deer densities can always help in sustaining whitetails in top condition. There should be a herd management component to pretty much every aspect of deer farm management; how your age and sex ratios factor into any diet plan should be included in this. Mature adult deer don’t have protein requirements that are quite as high as what fawns and young bucks need when they’re growing, so you’re likely to have some latitude with the numbers we’ve discussed here.1

1Hofmann, R., 1988. Anatomy of the Gastro-Intestinal Tract. Pages 14-43 In: The Ruminant Animal. Digestive Physiology and Nutrition. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

2Hewitt, D.G. Biology and Management of White-tailed Deer. Danvers, MA: Taylor & Francis Publishing, 2011.

3Ullrey D.E., et. al. Dietary husbandry of captive white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the Northern USA and Canada must consider effects of day length, age, and gender on tissue energy reserves. In: Proceedings of the Sixth Conference on Zoo and Wildlife Nutrition, AZA Nutrition Advisory Group, Omaha, NE., 2005.

...bucks fed a 16% crude protein diet grew antlers that scored 20 inches higher than bucks fed 8% crude protein.

A big thank you to everyone who participated in the spring fling this year!

Spring Fling photos!

Antler Competition Winners

SETDA MEMBERS BUSINESS CARD SPREAD

Welcome to our SeTDA members Business card spread.

This is not just FREE advertising but a way members, both old and new, can reach out to each other for your services or to buy and sell deer.

Again, if interested in getting into future business card spreads, send your Farm or Business Cards to; info@southeasttrophydeerassociation.com.

The SeTDA wants to hear from you and show new and established deer farms and preserves who you are and where in Florida you are located. We look forward to hearing from you and creating a great advertising spread for our members!

Thank You, SeTDA BOD’s

Spring Fling photos!

A big thank you to everyone who participated in the spring fling this year!

FEEDING DIRECTIONS: WHITE-TAILED DEER:

• Fawns up to 1 week of age: Feed 16 oz. of formula daily, divided into 4 – 6 feeding.

• Fawns 1 week to 1 month of age: Feed 24 to 30 oz. of formula daily, divided into 4 feedings.

• Fawns 1 month to 2 months of age: Feed 30 to 35 oz. of formula daily, divided into 2 to 3 feedings.

• Fawns 2 months to weaning: Gradually decrease formula and number of feedings to approximately 15 oz. of formula once daily until fawn is fully weaned at 12 to 14 weeks of age. Provide a weaning diet and fresh clean water to the fawn. For oral use only. These feeding directions are guidelines. As each animal is an individual, the feeding rate may be increased or decreased according to the needs of the neonate.

Feeding directions for other species can be found on our website.

2023 Elections Committee

Dear SeTDA Member:

The Board of Directors (Board) for the Southeast Trophy Deer Association (SeTDA) has several Board positions set to expire. Therefore, the SeTDA will be holding an election for the expiring Board positions. The SeTDA is looking for HARD WORKING individuals who will devote the necessary time and energy to accomplish the following mission of the SeTDA:

• To promote the business of raising and marketing Whitetail Deer in the State of FLORIDA.

• To provide educational opportunities for members of the Corporation and other interested people through the sharing of information concerning Whitetail Deer.

• To serve as a collective voice in governmental issues that affect whitetail deer producers, so as to enhance the Whitetail Deer industry.

• To promote high ethical standards in the care, handling and harvesting of Whitetail Deer.

• To require members of the Corporation to operate in a legal, honest and forthright manner with fellow members, other Whitetail Deer producers and the general public.

If you are interested in running for one of the expiring Board positions, please answer the questions in the attached document and e-mail to stuffette@bellsouth.net.

CANDIDATE QUESTIONS FOR THE SETDA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

1. Please describe yourself and what you do outside of the cervid industry.

2. Please describe your operation. (How long have you been raising deer? Where is your farm located? What species are in your breeding program? What are your primary markets? Etc.)

3. Describe any roles you have served in (committee member, officer, etc.) for your state and/or national association (NADEFA).

4. Describe your position on open borders for your state of residence, as well as from a national perspective.

5. Why do you want to serve as a SETDA Director?

Mail to:

Dr. Bill Leffler 2 Base Down Farms

PO Box 159 Morriston, FL 32668

Sudoku

Fill in the boxes so that each row, column, and 3x3 box contains all of the numbers 1 through 9

Vanity Plate CALQL8

Fill in the boxes so that each row, column, and 3x3 box contains all of the numbers 1 through 9.

ter to Win a FREE MEAL!

ll in the boxes so that each w, column, and 3x3 box ontains all of the numbers 1 hrough 9

and drop it in the box at the CC Main Desk by the 10th) Phone # ontains the word PRIMARY

article contains the word

ter to Win a FREE MEAL! and drop it in the box at the CC Main Desk by the 10th)

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value of up to $15 00 for one (1) event

Answers to Sudoku and Crossword puzzles will be available in the next issue, or can be found on our website: www.deersites.com

5 00 for one (1) event

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RACCOON ON DEER FARMS

By Mark Neely

Alot of people see raccoons and immediately say, “oh, look how cute.” Then out come their phones to get a good picture. Next thing you know they are trying to see how close they can get, or even turning their backs to the animal to get a selfie. The really foolish one’s next move is to see if they can pet this cute, friendly animal. Too many people don’t believe wild animals will attack them, and when they do, it’s too late.

Do I think raccoons are cute? I think they’re beautiful animals, as I do most everything in nature, but I also understand what the term wild animal means. Not only are they dangerous, but they also carry diseases that can be transmitted to other animals & humans. Lets take a look at these guys and see why you don’t want them around your deer farms.

Raccoons are mesopredators, meaning they are mid-level, not Apex predators. Raccoons will prey on most anything they can catch, but larger predators will prey on them. Raccoons eat animals, reptiles, insects, plants etc... Birds & eggs are

among their favorites. They will spend hours around and inside your trough feeders, and growl, hiss, harass and even attack other animals that come in to feed. They are not aggressive because they are gangsters; they’ll just do whatever they have to in order to survive. Raccoons also carry diseases that can make your animals sick.

As mentioned earlier, these guys will spend a lot of time in any of your feeders that they can climb in to. As they sit there and eat, there mouths will get frothy and it will dribble out into your deer feed. I’ve heard this referred to as spit balls and you can sometimes see it in the feed. When your deer unknowingly eat these, it could easily make them ill. Not to mention that these same “oh so cute” raccoons will urinate & defecate in your feeders also. This will contaminate your deer feed and won’t be good for your animals either.

Now keeping raccoons out of your pens is going to be close to impossible. They can dig under easily, squeeze through your fence or climb over with very little effort. Burying a layer of rock or fence along the outside of your pen could stop the digging. Running a

squeezing through or climbing, but how will this affect your deer. Not only could these pest be a problem, they could be a costly one. What can we do you may ask? Well let’s look at a couple of options.

Shooting on site is an option, but you’ll want to use a small caliber (.22) or even

one of the modern 1200 fps pellet rifles. Keep one close by and maybe even carry one in your cart or UTV. Always take an extra second to look around behind your target for safety.

Trapping in my opinion is a better choice. Traps for raccoons are easy to use and once set, you just leave them in place. Most states have laws as to how often your traps must be checked; I know that Florida requires a visual check every 24 hours. The two easiest traps for raccoons are cage traps and dog proof (DP) traps. Cages are just what they seem; a cage with a trap door that closes when the animal triggers it. Dog proof traps are specialized for raccoons to exploit their ability to close their front paws and grab things.

DP traps are basically a pipe with a trigger in the bottom that when the coon eats all the bait down to the trigger, he’ll grab and pull up ultimately tripping the trap and being caught on

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his front leg. Some DP traps are built with a push/pull trigger that can be triggered by pushing down also. These traps are not so specialized and will catch any animal that can put his paw into the small diameter pipe and apply downward pressure while trying to get the bait out. I prefer and use the pull only trigger traps because I am usually specifically after raccoons. DP traps are also known by a couple of other names such as, Coon Cuffs & Coon Daggers.

I would use both of these traps (Cage and DP) outside of your pens, maybe inside any walk-ways around your pens. Look for places where the raccoons are entering your pens or use the trails where they are coming back and forth to your pens as good set locations. If you feel the need to set inside your pens, I would only use the cages. If a raccoon is caught in a DP trap by one leg, he can still attack your animals with his teeth.

Tip for Floridians:

It is legal to use a cage trap anywhere by anyone, but a DP trap needs a free FWC Steel Trap Permit for use.

Cage traps are easily set, baited in the back and then put into place. Dog Proof traps can be used basically anywhere a cage can be set. I start off by setting my trap, then pouring in the bait (I use dry cat food) ensuring some goes below the trigger and pushing the stake into the ground. Never ever for any reason should you stick your finger into a DP trap. Lastly, be sure you tie off your DP trap because the coon can easily walk off with it on his paw.

Keep an eye out for the next article in Neeleys Preditor Trapping Series!

One last thought about Raccoons on Deer Farms. When you catch a raccoon, no matter which trap he is in, make sure he is fully dispatched before removing them from the trap.

This juicy Elk Burger recipe is a lean but flavorful alternative to a traditional beef burger. Whether you purchase your elk meat from the store or you have it ground fresh, you can make them juicy and delicious with just a few simple steps!

IngredIents

• 1 pound ground elk meat (blended with fat)

• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

• ½ teaspoon black pepper

• ½ teaspoon paprika

• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 4 hamburger buns

• Your favorite hamburger toppings

InstructIons

Gently mix the ingredients together in a large bowl. Overmixing can make the meat tough, so just mix it until the seasoning is evenly distributed.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 372 kcal

Divide the meat into four equal portions, and shape each into a ½-inch-thick patty.

Press an indention into the center of the patty. This gives the meat room to expand and helps them to keep their shape as they cook. It also helps the patties to cook more evenly.

Grease your pan or grill grates so that the lean meat does not stick. I use butter when cooking on the stove, and rub the grates with oil when cooking on a grill.

Whether cooking your burger patties in a pan or on a grill, use medium heat. Cook the patty for 4 minutes, then flip it over and cook an additional 4 minutes. Cheese can be added a couple of minutes after flipping the burger.

Your elk burger is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 140°F. Using a thermometer is helpful for this, as cooking to this temperature will help you have a juicy burger.

Top your burger with your favorite hamburger toppings. While some elk burger aficionados say that ketchup and mustard don’t belong, it really is about designing a burger that you think is delicious.

My personal preference is to top the elk burger with caramelized onions and garlic aioli! It is also delicious with bacon and an over-easy egg.