Quest for Michigan’s Best









If you were blessed to know Gina Bozzer, you were blessed to have known one of the most humble and influential people in our industry. Gina’s positivity made a bright difference in the people around her and the organizations she served. Gina was happy to share her knowledge and leave anyone she connected with in a better place than when she found them making her an exceptional leader and person.
From a young age, Gina had a passion for animals: from cats to horses and everything in between. This made her childhood dream of being a vet a very real possibility. However, after graduating high school and starting her college journey at Michigan State University, it was evident that Law was her true calling. She strolled through law school while maintaining a job and helping at a cement plant owned by her family. Gina could always be found working at the plant during the summers, driving truck, laying cement and loading
out raw materials. She would dispatch the drivers and move through the plant picking up any loose ends and neatly completing any task, often out working many of the employees twice her size. Gina never shied away from a hard day’s work whether at the plant or later in life practicing law.
Once she started at Kuhn Rogers law firm based in Traverse City, she quickly rose up the ranks and made Partner prior to her 30th birthday. Gina put in over 20 years for the firm protecting and practicing environmental law. She helped protect our environment from forestry to hazardous chemical operations and any other affiliation that would affect our world. She worked with multinational companies with problems as large as oil spills but was also more than willing to help the “little people “with smaller contract questions or lease agreements to name a few. Her work helped her reach more
people to unknowingly support and bless with her unwavering dedication and passion.
Once finding her true passion, deer, – Gina hit the ground running with her husband, Chris Hayes. After being introduced to deer farming, Gina bought her first doe after only two weeks and launched herself into deer world. Storms End Whitetails was built on her corner of the world shortly thereafter. Storms End boasted over 40 acres of high fenced breeding facilities and a herd that topped at 300+ animals at its height. Gina knew every single one of the animals on her farm. Storms End is known for some of the largest bred northern whitetails in Michigan as well as breeding for CWD resistance that can be seen in her two favorite bucks – SE Red (pictured) and “SE Big Lou”.
Gina is well known through UDFoM as our recent Legislative Chair ending in early 2024. She worked closely with the Department of Agriculture and Michigan
Department of Natural Resources, to shape and guard best practices for continued ease of operations for deer farmers in Michigan as well as the rest of the Nation. Her more silent work will continue to act as framework for our industry in future times and regulations affecting each of us.
From an industry as a whole: we have lost a great asset in Gina, not only as a person, but as a member of the deer farming community. Her knowledge, dedication and passion will continue to be seen through her breeding stock and the regulations she has carved out for us paving the way for our future generations of deer and farmers both.
- Shelbi Koronka
Our legacy is really the lives we touch, the inspiration we give, altering someone’s plan - if even for a moment - and getting them to think, cry, laugh, argue. More than anything, we are remembered for our smiles; the ones we share with our closest and dearest, and the ones we bestow on a total stranger, who needed it right then, and God put you there to deliver.”
- Carrie Hamilton
President – Ken Brown
Pine Ridge Whitetails 117 Ewers Rd.
Leslie, MI 49251
Phone: 517-525-4036
prwhitetails@gmail.com
Vice President – Ryan Halfman
Black Label Whitetails 10525 Frost Rd. Portland, MI 48875
Phone: 517-281-2936
blacklabelwhitetails@gmail.com
Treasurer – Tricia Davis
UDFOM
3981 E. 46 Rd.
Caldilac, MI 49601
Phone: 231-878-2229 (Cell) pedavis69@gmail.com
Political Chair -- Doug Roberts
Conquest Deer Farm 8399 E. Bristol Rd.
Phone: 810-241-9554
droberts@conquestdeerfarm.com
Board Member - Nate Tacoma
Raise ‘Em Up Whitetails, LLC
7814 88th Ave.
Zeeland, MI 49464
Phone: 616-283-8154
nate.reuwhitetails@gmail.com
Board Member - Dr. Anthony Klingler
Concord Veterinary Clinic 2495 E Mosherville Rd
Jonesville, MI 49250
Phone: 517-227-0517
concordvet04@gmail.com
Secretary – Mathias Dekker
Thunder Bay Whitetails, LLC
23825 Rea Rd.
Hillman, MI 49746
Phone: 989-415-6201
mathiasdekker@gmail.com
Covention Chair – Kristi Dalton
Iron Mill Whitetails
Manchester, MI, 48158
Pone: 734 -637-2318
daltonkristi5@gmail.com
Scholarship Chair--Jason Kanouse
Beaver Creek Whitetails 14813 210th Ave
LeRoy, MI 49655
Phone: 231-342-9642 jrk8_98@yahoo.com
The Pac Chair – Merle Shepard Buckriver / Buckfalls 9897 Carter Allen Park, MI 48101
Phone: 313-268-1727
scishep@aol.com
Board Member -- Mason Rickle
PR2 Whitetails 163 Ewers Rd.
Leslie, MI 49251
Phone: 517-525-4295 pr2whitetails@gmail.com
Board Member – John Wilson
Platinum Whitetails
7852 Cook Ave. Marion, MI 49665
Phone: 989-324-0543
platinumwhitetails@yahoo.com
uniteddeerfarmersofmichigan.com
uniteddeerfarmersofmi@gmail.com facebook.com/UDFOM
Hello to all. As I sit here writing this letter Mother Nature is being pretty cruel. I just got off the phone with Jeff from Nold Farms in Missouri and he said that they believe they were hit with a tornado last night. The same thing happened to us here at PR Whitetails in Leslie Michigan a few days ago. We were hit with an F1 tornado or 80 mile an hour straight line winds. Either way the destruction is quite severe with over 50 plus trees uprooted and our hay barn completely gone. All this happening the day after the entire north of lower Michigan was hit with a monumental ice storm. We were in Gaylord at BR2 Whitetails helping to secure fence and cut trees and could not believe the devastation. Worse thing I have seen in my life time. With everything considered to my knowledge no friends or family have been hurt or lost their lives. God is watching over us!!
I want to take this moment to thank all of the sponsors and those that donated to this year’s convention. With an outstanding attendance, this year could go down as one of the best. I also would like to welcome our new board member Kristi Dalton. As always it takes a lot of time and effort to put together such a great event and I want to thank everyone one involved.
It is that time of year again where we will be going to Washington to meet with various legislators and congressman to ask for their continued support. This year Mathias Decker and Nate Tacoma will be going to represent the United Deer Farmers of Michigan. We should have information from their trip in an upcoming magazine.
In closing it is with great heartache to say that we lost one of our own, a longtime board member Gina Bozzer. She was a great asset to the board. Please be sure to read the article inside put together by Shelbi Koronka and Gary Edwards in Ginas memory.
Thank you. God bless
Ken Brown
President UDFoM
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Ken Brown, 53, President of the United Deer Farmers of Michigan (UDFOM) for two years, has also proudly worn the hat of Vice President and Board Member for the UDFOM. A native of Leslie, Michigan and an avid hunter and lover of the outdoors, Ken is just as passionate about conservation as he is honored to fulfill his role with the board. It is with great gratitude that he partakes in his duties as President, doing anything it takes to make UDFOM successful, even if it means spending long hours spreading linens across tables and erecting poles for booth assembly for the annual March Michigan convention and fundraiser, or overseeing the auction catalog or gun raffle. His wife Casey strongly supports Ken as he strives, along with other members of the board, to work hand-inhand with state legislatures to ensure a future where deer farming is still alive and going strong. While his day job involves owning and managing his own bathroom and kitchen remodeling business, he sees a day when he can be a full-time deer farmer at his farm, PR Whitetails. He enjoys spending whatever leisure time that might come his way with his wife, daughter Julie, his son-in-law Mason and his one-year-old granddaughter, Marvella.
Ryan Halfman, 39, Vice President of the UDFOM, has humbly served in this role for two years. Owner of Black Label Whitetails, his duties to serve as vice president are not taken lightly as he makes a regular practice out of taking off his Black Label hat, to face and deal with the struggles that many Michigan deer farmers face. Ryan, originally from Fowler, Michigan, truly cares about the direction the industry may head at any given time. He takes his role in influencing the future environment of the deer industry in Michigan very seriously. When he isn’t working full-time at his own construction company, he enjoys traveling and camping with his wife Samantha and their three children Teaghan, Baylor and Briar. Ryan also serves as the 1st Vice President of NADeFA, and as such, maintains a pulse on challenges facing the industry nation-wide.
Tricia, 56, UDFOM treasurer since 2019, is considered by President Ken Brown to be the backbone of the UDFOM. Her accounting expertise in overseeing every financial auction detail, balancing books and doing taxes makes her an extremely important and perhaps irreplaceable asset to the association. She even created an access databased computer program (along with a co-worker) years ago to “live clerk” at auctions, greatly aiding in the collecting and distributing of funds and accurate record keeping. Originally from San Diego, California, Tricia and her family moved to Cadillac, Michigan when she was a young girl. Having spent a considerable number of years with her former husband running a Michigan deer farm, Tricia deeply understands the passion, drive and close-knit community that the deer industry is. She fondly remembers the days when a newly acquired doe fawn decided her daughter Morgann’s bed was more comfortable than anywhere else in the world. When she isn’t working at her full-time job of 37 years, Rexair, Tricia enjoys spending time with her husband Scott rock hunting, riding on their Harley, being lakeside or enjoying a campfire with their dog Renegade. Her steadfast commitment to her job and family mirrors the same dedication and commitment she has to the UDFOM. She plans to keep that commitment as long as she is needed.
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On January 3, 2025, the 119th Congress began with Republicans controlling the House, Senate, and White House. The Republican trifecta positions them to influence significant pieces of legislation but also allows them to take the lead on key issues that must pass this year, including Government Funding, Reconciliation, the expiring Trump Tax Cuts, and the debt ceiling.
Congress still needs to pass the FY25 appropriations bill while simultaneously beginning the FY26 appropriations season. To recap, last December, Congress passed a second continuing resolution (CR) to extend federal spending and avert a government shutdown through March 14, 2025. The bipartisan CR passed the U.S. House and Senate by bipartisan votes hours before midnight when the first stopgap measure was set to expire (December 20). However, with the new Congress, congressional spending has been lumped into a list of priorities that Republican leadership must resolve before the March deadline.
Republicans have secured control of the House, Senate, and White House positioning them to influence significant legislation, particularly tax reform and the extension of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), which will be a major focus in the coming year. To facilitate this, they are likely to use a process called budget reconciliation, which allows legislation to bypass the Senate filibuster—a procedural process requiring 60 votes to overcome—and pass with a simple majority. This process, established by the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, streamlines revenue, spending, and debt limit measures outlined in the budget resolution. However, it’s important to note that the “Byrd Rule” limits what can be included in a reconciliation bill, excluding policy changes that do not impact spending or revenue or allow changes that would increase the deficit outside the budget window.
At the top of Republicans’ 100-day agenda is the plan to renew $4 trillion in expiring tax cuts. Many provisions of the TCJA expire at the end of the year, especially the individual tax cuts for most
Americans. These provisions were the most significant changes to the Internal Revenue Code in more than 30 years, many of which reduced income taxes for individuals and businesses. Republicans will have to figure out what to prioritize and how to pay for it, as the Treasury estimated that fully extending the individual and estate tax provisions of the TCJA would cost $4.2 trillion between 2026 and 2035, which could climb if several already-expired provisions were restored. Congress will have to make difficult choices, namely, how to pay for the tax cuts as the federal debt sits at over $36 trillion. Republicans have a very slim majority in the House, leaving no room for dissent to push it through.
The debt ceiling, the $36 trillion federal government debt limit, was reinstated on January 1, 2025. The Treasury must immediately resume accounting maneuvers known as “extraordinary measures” to temporarily keep the government from defaulting on its debt. Congress will have to come together to find a solution, and if they do not by the time that extraordinary measures lapse, the federal government may be at risk of defaulting on its debt. Even a shortterm breach in the debt limit could have significant economic implications- reducing the gross domestic product, wiping out trillions of dollars in U.S. household wealth, and losing millions of jobs. Although Republicans control Capitol Hill, they remain divided over how to address the debt ceiling, as they still have to pass a government funding bill for the fiscal year 2025, and a temporary spending measure.
The 119th Congress’s tasks are clear through bipartisan effort or reconciliation, but other priorities like immigration and energy legislation are also key issues that Republicans have to consider in their must-pass priorities. It will be interesting how they seek to pass the FY25 funding bill, begin the FY26 appropriation bill, work on a budget reconciliation, pass tax reform, and extend the debt ceiling, all with a thin majority in both chambers.
See you next year!
If you would like your farm or business featured on our business card pages, email a digital pdf file or scanned image (must be readable resolution) of your business card
By: Gail Veley • Sponsored by the Kentucky Alternative Livestock Association
When deer farmers tell Kevin Calmes “I know my deer,” he responds with “yes, but you don’t know the insides of your deer.” Calmes, who is a consultant and product shipper for Advanced Deer Genetics as well as the North American Small Ruminant Manager and Coordinator for Sexing Technologies, believes his specific recommendations for A.I. breeding and embryo flushing will provide a deer farmer with a safer and perhaps a more successful outcome.
Embryo flushing, often used to allow recipient does to carry the offspring of does with superior genetics, can be an efficient way to produce a uniformly high-quality herd. It all starts with placing CIDR’s in does with superior genetics, followed by follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) shots 11 days later and subsequently inducing multiple ovulations. In his years of experience travelling all over the world to work with cervids, Calmes has found that does, when run through a chute for any type of breeding procedure, tend to fight ovulation. “The stress put upon the doe by running them in a chute causes them to shut down in a sense,” Calmes, 57, explained. The better solution? “I prefer to run the deer into a facility, separated by ages, and blow dart FSH to get them to super ovulate,” he said.
Calmes has found that does who are darted with a specially designed 2.5 cc syringe with an 18 or 19gauge one inch needle shot out of a small pistol, absorb all of the FSH hormone and don’t even know they’ve been hit, since the small size of the needle and force of the pistol is so minimal. “The first time I’m in
there they might be nervous, but by the second or third time they aren’t because they don’t know something hit them,” he said, referring to the dart which was designed years ago by Chinese scientists. And while the hormone can also be administered in a chute with a pole injection, very often you will have backflow and wasted product, decreasing your chances of fertilization success.
After two to eight FSH hormone shots have been administered, depending on protocols, CIDRS’s are pulled on day 14 and followed up with a hormone shot of pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG.) The next step involves laparoscopic artificial insemination (A.I.) ideally performed 57-58 hours later. Approximately six to eight days after that, embryos are flushed (as though it were another laparoscopic surgery in terms of preparation) however they are under sedation longer. After flushing and retrieval, embryos are placed in a petri dish and graded on a scale of one to three by an embryo specialist. Grade one embryos, considered the better ones, are either placed immediately into recipient does or frozen for later use. Grade two and three embryos, considered not as hearty as grade one, need to be placed into recipient does immediately as they may not retain their viability should they be frozen and used later.
While a small percentage of does whose embryos are flushed may retain one or two and carry them to a full-term pregnancy “I suggest rebreeding her that same year naturally, to help break up the scar tissue from the previous procedures and not put any additional stress on her,” Calmes said. “We push these animals so much. And whether it’s the chemicals sprayed on what we feed them or a lack of chelated absorbable vitamins and minerals in their diets, I have also found in my work that our semen quality is driven down year after year. On average, ten years ago we had 4-6 billion cells per buck per collection, and today it’s 2 to 3 billion cells per collection. Given that deer genetics are held in such high regard, I believe the industry as a whole needs to sit down and look at this.”
By: Gail Veley • Sponsored by the Pennsylvania Deer Farmers Association
It was a beautiful cool May morning this past spring, when Adam Lindsey casually walked past the pen of a doe who had just given birth at his farm Size Matters Whitetail, in Bronson, Michigan. He glanced over and immediately stopped to refocus on the new fawns, still wet, pure black and glistening, curled up on the ground. Holding his breath, he couldn’t stop staring. Literally blown away that their breeding efforts had come to fruition, he then ran to his wife Ashley to announce the great news. They now had two melanistic fawns, one buck and one doe.
“We were proactively trying and that was our hope and dream to have melanistic fawns,” Lindsey said. “But we’d never had one born before then.” Melanistic deer, first discovered and recorded in 1929, are the rarest known form of whitetail deer. Their morphologically dark bodies contain a high deposition of the dark pigment known as melanin, caused by specialized cells called melanocytes responsible for producing the darker pigmentation. A rare genetic recessive gene mutation can produce a melanistic deer, with a believed average of
a one in every 10,000 chance. In addition to melanistic whitetails, melanistic fallow deer and mule deer have been spotted in the wild. And unlike albino deer, whose life spans tend to be shorter, melanism is not believed to hinder a deer’s lifespan, nor do melanistic deer appear to be more susceptible to typical whitetail ailments.
Melanistic whitetail deer have been found in states such as Mississippi, Michigan, Virginia, Texas, South Carolina and Pennsylvania. In a quest to add to their uniqueness, Mick
and Mike Goodman of Goodman’s Whitetail Haven in New Stanton, Pennsylvania, are creating their own melanistic piebald deer herd. “I always loved piebald,” Mick said. “About 10 to 12 years I really started pushing them and wanted to breed the melanistic deer into them. After a lot of effort, we now have melanistic piebalds.”
The Goodman’s and Lindsey credit Bob Rosebrock of Rosebrock Whitetails in Lott, Texas for allowing them to follow their dream. Goodman subsequently produced
his breeding buck “Black Velvet,” their very first melanistic piebald. While melanistic deer can be every bit as hardy and substantial in terms of frame as their brown and white pelage counterparts, piebalds can be smaller bodied. Goodman’s future breeding plans include breeding “Outstanding,” one of the top piebalds in the country right now, whose 317” and 7 x 7 typical main frame includes a little extra, in order to continue producing piebalds who are every bit as large and hearty as brown whitetails.
“Looking ahead, I feel the market should be really good for melanistic deer,” Lindsey said. “I have had a lot of interest in people wanting to buy those babies. Both are “SS” with negative GEBV values. That will be a plus side for the industry. But you can’t necessarily get more melanistic deer just from breeding them to those that are melanistic. As we predictably breed, we can increase those chances over time. At our farm, the goal in to breed for 75 percent brown deer and 25 percent melanistic.”
Goodman feels that while the market for melanistic deer has yet to be officially established, it looks very promising. “Never give up on your dreams,” he said. “Although it may be more difficult to produce melanistic deer, we went after what we wanted and are very happy with the results. We look forward to more success.”
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Shanks are perfect for this stew. All that connective tissue breaks down and adds body to the spicy broth. It also looks amazing with the cross cut bone. You could leave the shanks whole if you can fit them in your pot, and you could use a neck or shoulder roast instead of shanks.
• 2-4 venison shanks, cross cut
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 guajillo peppers, dried
• 8 ancho chili peppers, dried
• 1 tsp mexican oregano, dried
• 1 tsp cumin, ground
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 small stick cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 12 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 2 quart stock
• 1/2 cup pork lard
• Cilantro
• Onion
1. Preheat oven to 300F.
Recipe shared by: Elevated Wild elevatedwild.com
2. Combine all ingredients except venison in a large saucepan, simmer for 15-30 minutes. Remove bay leaves and cinnamon. Blend remaining liquid, set aside.
3. Season venison with salt and pepper, sear both sides over medium high heat in a dutch oven. Add puree, cover and place in the preheated oven. Cook for 4-6 hours until fork tender.
4. Skim some of the fat from the top, garnish with cilantro, raw onions and lime. Serve with some tortillas on the side.
Notes:
This recipe calls for the addition of pork lard. The fat really makes this dish pop. It’s ok without it, but the fat really makes the dish. Duck or bear fat would be the first choice for substitutes, but you could also use beef tallow. It’ll have a much thicker mouthfeel, or if you like the “waxiness” of deer tallow, you could use that. You’ll also want to eat this stew hot, because the fat will thicken as it cools.
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By: Gail Veley • Sponsored by the Whitetail Deer Farmers of Ohio
he Whitetail Deer Farmer’s Association of Ohio (WDFO) is well-known for two things, putting on a memorable annual event and choosing a worthy organization each year to receive a donation from event proceeds. In 2024, the ODFA donated $20,400 to Christian Aid Ministries (CAM), a national volunteer search and rescue organization with a team based out of Millersburg, Ohio. “It’s extremely helpful to us to receive this donation,” said Ohio CAM Search and Rescue (SAR) Coordinator Marcus Miller. “We don’t receive grants and so we rely heavily on donations from churches, individuals and a bit from businesses to keep us going.”
Levi Miller, Executive Director for the WDFO, recommended CAM to receive a donation after a northeast Ohio family recently lost a loved one due to drowning. After everyone else had essentially given up, CAM stepped in and found them, Levi said. CAM’s search and rescue organization has been helping families reunite or recover loved ones since 2016. There mission isn’t only to save individuals who have been physically lost, but to assist them spiritually as well.
The Ohio CAM SAR team, comprised of 30 members many of whom are Amish and Mennonite, were chosen based on their faith and passion to help others. “We don’t take just anyone off the street who’s looking for an adrenaline rush,” said Marcus Miller, who also teaches the CAM Search and Rescue class. “Our volunteers are put through many
rigorous hours of training and make a huge commitment to be available when we need them.” Training courses include, for example, land navigation, boat operation, radio communications, crime scene preservation, wilderness first aid, rope and knot tying and fire starting. Current Ohio CAM SAR team members range in age from 19 to 56. “We wouldn’t turn anyone down who might be older,” Miller shared. “There’s always something we can find for them to do.”
Although while every SAR team member is hopeful for a successful outcome, it doesn’t always turn out that way. “I think we can all relate to how terrifying it is when a child goes missing,” Miller said. “We’ve found the bodies of children who’ve drowned. Consoling the parents is the toughest part and something we make a point of doing. We also seek to bring those we help closer to a spiritual belief as part of their healing.”
Perhaps one of Miller’s favorite rescue stories involved a young man who had run away from home. “We had no location on him, and we were concerned he may have been picked up by someone,” he said. “But we found him sleeping in the woods, got him back to camp and warmed up and counseled him on ways to cope better with life. We really enjoyed our time with him.”
When rescue situations appear to be risky or dangerous, law enforcement officers typically work alongside CAM, since CAM team members do not carry firearms. CAM teams are also located in Arkansas, Illinois, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Virginia, Minnesota, Mississippi, Michigan, Indiana and Pennsylvania. Depending on the time of year, teams could receive up to four calls per week asking for help. “Sometimes a whole month goes by and nothing,” Miller said. “Spring through mid-fall are the busiest times. Sometimes calls come in at very inconvenient times like Christmas Day or right in the middle of a family gathering. But this is what we signed up for. This is what we committed to, and we are more than glad to help anyone who needs us.”
The rules for sudoku are simple:
A 9x9 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 3x3 squares marked out in the grid, and each of these squares can’t have any repeat numbers either.
Skill Level: Difficult
Everywhen Meldrop
Obelus
Titter
Whippersnapper
Salopettes
Biblioklept
Accubation
Foppish
Flabbergast Cattywampus
Octothorpe
Skirl
Widdershins Festooned
Flibbertigibbet
Fipple
All of these are real words! Look them up in the dictionary for a good laugh!
Answers to puzzles will be available in the next issue, or can be found on our website: www.deersites.com
Last Issues Puzzles ~ Answer Keys ~
• Alabama Deer Association • Illinois Deer Farmers • Indiana Deer And Elk Farmers Association • Iowa Whitetail Deer Association • Kansas Elk and Deer Association • Kentucky Alternative Livestock Association
Minnesota Deer Association
Missouri Deer Association
New York Deer and Elk Farmers Association
North Dakota Deer Ranchers • Pennsylvania Deer Farmers Association
South Dakota Deer & Elk Breeders • Southeast Trophy Deer Association
44 ISSUES FOR 1 YR.
Reaching out to over 2500 members
(11 Publications x 4 quarters)
17 State Associations - Approx. 2500 readers
$189 / Issue ($8316. / Yr) ~ Full Page
$107 / Issue ($4708. / Yr.) ~ Half Page (55-59% Discount off single ad placement)
4 ISSUES FOR 1 YR.
(1 Publication x 4 quarters)
$252/ Issue ($1008. / Yr) ~ Full Page
• Texas Deer Association
• United Deer Farmers of Michigan
• West Virginia Deer Farmers Association
• Whitetail Deer Farmers of Ohio
• Whitetails of Louisiana
• Whitetails of Oklahoma
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