KALA FARM FEATURE
DUSTIN BLOSSER • WOODARD WHITETAILS OF KY Written By: Mrs. Kathy Brooks
B
eing obsessed with something isn’t always a good thing; but, for Dustin Blosser, falling in love with Whitetail deer has turned into his dream job. Dustin was introduced to the deer farming industry in 2012, when while he was a teenager, his family added deer farming to their already existing livestock operation on a small farm in West Virginia. He was immediately hooked and knew that he wanted deer farming to become a big part of his life. While being heavily involved in the day-to-day work on his dad’s farm, Dustin also enjoyed researching the genetics and the true potential of deer; so, when he went to college, he originally planned to get a Veterinarian degree and specialize in deer. However, in order to start working with deer earlier than the eight years it would take to get his vet degree, he decided not to apply to Vet School. Rather, he chose to finish his degree in Animal Nutritional Sciences while gaining valuable hands-on experience through summer internships on a Whitetail ranch. This revised plan would propel him into his career much earlier. During Dustin’s second year of college, he applied to a few summer internships with larger deer operations in an effort to gain experience while doing what he enjoyed. When none of those internships materialized, he compensated by working for a nearby hunting ranch that summer. The next year, he applied to over 30 Whitetail internships from Michigan
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to south Texas and accepted a summer internship at Keeper Ranch, a 1900-acre Whitetail & Fallow operation in Texas. While working toward his degree, Dustin had an opportunity to travel on an AI tour with his farm veterinarian and visited several Whitetail farms in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Missouri, Indiana, and Kentucky. It was while on this tour that he became acquainted with the owners and staff of Woodard Whitetails in Glasgow, KY, not knowing that this deer farm would one day play a big role in his future. After graduation from WVU, Dustin returned to Texas and continued his work at Keeper Ranch. While working there, his deer farm dream was solidified. It was here that Dustin realized that he could have a career working with deer without owning his own farm. Because he wanted to avoid returning to West Virginia’s cold climate and didn’t plan to stay in the Texas heat indefinitely, Dustin had a yearning to work in Kentucky where the climate was milder. When he discovered a job posting for a Ranch Manager at Woodard Whitetails, he applied and, just a few months after graduation, was awarded the coveted position. This job was a sooner-than-expected fulfillment of Dustin’s dream to have a career working with deer.
Through his experience and research, Dustin has learned much about the deer industry and advises anyone interested in becoming involved in deer farming to do their homework. He recommends that you visit as many farms as you can, help them with treating animals, and ask plenty of questions. If your situation allows, he proposes that you consider working an internship as a way of learning how to raise deer while also finding out if it is right for you. Dustin also suggests that it is best to start with quality rather than quantity. Buying from a trusted farmer and purchasing deer who have been DNA tested and matched to their pedigrees is critical to your success in his opinion. “You get what you pay for,” said Dustin. He wishes that he would have known earlier that it is important to have animals with proven genetics that are DNA-confirmed on NADAR. He also advocates that both prospective and current
