G2 Whitetails – Embracing a Passion, Solid Future

EMBRACING A PASSION, SOLID FUTURE

By: Gail Veley

On an early beautiful cold, crisp northern Michigan morning, Shelbi Koronka rises and reaches for warm clothes. Grabbing her camera along with her coat, she heads out the door accompanied by eager Australian shepherds to greet the driving force behind her life. Whitetail deer. The deer in turn come up close and greet her, too, in anticipation of breakfast. But wait.

First, she snaps a picture of this beloved sight, one she never tires of.

Nor her husband Garrett.

And although they are both relatively new to the deer industry, Shelbi and Garrett know the secret to deer farming success lies in breeding quality genetics. They leaned heavily on Brad and Paula Sides of Side by Side Whitetails and Gina Bozzer and Chris Hayes of Storm’s End Whitetails to learn the ropes along the way, working at both places as well as boarding deer there. This experience, along with Garrett’s cattle background and Shelbi’s horse background gave them insight into what deer farming could be like. Through it all, Shelbi and Gina forged a strong friendship and are still very close today. “She is my person and I strive to be more like her,” Shelbi said. Garrett, who had been working recently in North Dakota, has moved back home and is excited to have a more hands-on role with the farm, now that he is able. “We are both thrilled for that!” he said. They are striving diligently to cater to the stocking end of the industry with both typical and non-typical deer while infusing genetics from a Storm Express son, G2Stormy their breeding buck, into their herd. This past spring was a phenomenal one for G2 Whitetails with a 67% buck to doe ratio (14 of their 21 fawns born were bucks). Helping to further perpetuate their farm genetics and inventory are does from the Chopper, T-Rex, Big Stitch, and VooDoo Magic lines. Focused on producing looks as well as inches, the Koronka’s hope to sell twoyear-old bucks between 180 and 200+ inches this coming year.

When they have spare time, both Garrett and Shelbi enjoy gun and bow hunting. Future farm goals include high fencing the entire 40 acres and expanding their handling facilities. They are also very grateful to be a part of such a welcoming and passionate industry. “I think the biggest thing is that we could not be here without all the other people in the deer industry who have helped us and even continue to help,” Shelbi said. “It’s just a very close-knit group. Thank you, United Deer Farmers of Michigan, for the chance to pursue this. It’s very rewarding to be a part of it.”

Garrett and Shelbi Koronka 989-390-0003 & 989-370-0900 Email : g2whitetails@gmail.com