Ohio Spring 2024

WDFO CONVENTION

Ohio Trophy & Breeder Auction

Save the Date! August 15 - 16, 2024

ROCKY RIDGE WHITETAILS

Focused on CWD Resistance and Quality Breeding

Sponsored by Rocky Ridge Whitetails

SAFARI CLUB INTERNATIONAL

Helping to Create Benchmarks for Deer Farmers

Sponsored by UDFOM

EFFECTIVE BOTTLE FEEDING TIPS FROM WOODARD WHITETAILS

Sponsored by KALA

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS MESSAGE

Delighted to Deer Farm in Ohio

A Moment with Executive Director Levi Miller

As I work steadfast in my recently appointed position as Executive Director for The Ohio Deer Farmer’s Association, I feel very grateful that Ohio is such a wonderful state for deer farming. Our Ohio Department of Agriculture quite simply couldn’t be better. We are getting fair and decent prices for our stocker bucks and our membership numbers are growing again. New deer farms are starting up and as an association, we have a strong base of support and a lot to be thankful for.

I certainly know that our beloved Terry Klick, who was my best of friends, would have been very proud of the way things are going. In all the good times we spent together duck hunting, goose hunting and fishing he never stopped talking about our association. Sometimes we’d talk so much into the late hours of the day, that restaurants would chase us out. His very favorite thing to talk about was our upcoming Annual Convention this year on August 15th and 16th at The Mount Hope Event Center in Mount Hope, Ohio. Doors will open at 11 a.m. on Thursday. In addition to a stocker and breeder buck auction we are selling tables for eight for $1,000, each table will be guaranteed a gun. One lucky attendee at each of these tables will win the gun. Other prizes will be given away and we look forward to seeing friends from Indiana, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and other states. Terry was so excited about this convention it made me wonder “is this all he ever thinks about?”

In his honor, I encourage the public and everyone in our association to participate and come see what the fun is all about and what we’re all about. Feel free to call me at 330-231-3359 or email me at wdfomiller@gmail.com if you have any questions. God willing, I am prepared to fill this position as your Executive Director as long as I’m needed. Thank you.

Levi Miller

Sterrett Knob Whitetails

PRESIDENT

Andy Nisley (2025)

Dunham Lane Whitetails

2100 Dunham Lane

Fredericksburg, OH 44627

330-317-3995

Executive Director

Levi Miller (2023)

Sterett Knob Whitetails

2395 Harrison Rd

Fredericksburg, OH 44627

wdfomiller@gmail.com 330-231-3359

TREASURER

Gary Maxwell (2026)

Double G Whitetails

2021 West Sterling Rd

Burbank, OH 44214 330-201-1798

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

SECRETARY

Ben Henico (2025)

Timeless Whitetails

4468 E Sterling Rd

Creston, OH .44217

benhenico@yahoo.com 330-73.-0571

BOARD MEMBER

Dan E Miller (2026)

Outback Whitetails

13250 Clay St

Middlefield, OH 44062 440-636 3781

BOARD MEMBER

Jacob Hostetler (2025)

2345 Arbor Rd. Ne

Carrollton, OH 44615

740-543-4274

AUCTION COMMITTEE:

JACOB HOSTETLER

740.543.4274

PAUL TROYER JR

440.476.5743

LONNIE SCHROCK

440.478.3145

ERVIN YODER

330.695.2221

BOARD MEETING INFO

WDFO board meetings are normally held on the third Monday evening of every other month. Past board members are encouraged to attend when possible and serve in an advisory position. Any WDFO member is welcome to attend board meetings. If you would like to attend a meeting please contact any board member.

Next WDFO Board of Directors Meeting: June 17th @ 3:00pm • Dan E Millers, Middlefield, Ohio

BOARD MEMBER

Pete Miller (2024)

Marsh Valley Whitetails

14141 Old State Rd Middlefield, OH 44062 pete@muforestproducts.com 440-636-2274

BOARD MEMBER

Ervin E. Yoder (2024)

H & E Deer Farm

4485 Township Road 606 Fredericksburg, OH 44637 330-695-2221

BOARD MEMBER

Lonnie Schrock (2024)

Grand River Whitetails 5545 Greenville Rd

West Farmington, OH 44491 440-478-3145

MARTY STARKEY

419.707.2181

EDDIE WEAVER

330.698.5504

NEWSLETTER INFO

Any WDFO member is welcome to submit articles or stories they would like to see published. Articles will be screened by the WDFO board before printing. If you are interested in advertising refer to the Magazine Advertising rates sheet included in this issue.

SPONSOR

$3,000

• FREE Premium Double Booth Space

• FREE Sponsor Table (8 People)

• All Meals Included

• Gun (one lucky winner at your table)

• 8 UTV Tickets

• 8 Cards of Basket Raffle Tickets

• Logo on Event Banner

BRONZE

• Listing on Sponsor Page in 4 Magazines + more free gifts!

$1,500

• FREE Sponsor Table (8 People)

• All Meals Included

• Gun (one lucky winner at your table)

• 8 UTV Tickets

• Supply event with enough pieces to be placed on all tables at the event. These can be Tape Measures, Cups, Key Chains, Etc.

• Logo on Event Banner

• Listing on Sponsor Page in 4 Magazines

• 8 Cards of Basket Raffle Tickets

• Logo on Event Banner

• Listing on Sponsor Page in 4 Magazines

• + other free gifts

* Call Levi Miller for more information on what Item you plan on suppling and he will give you more information on quantity needed. 330-231-3359.

*If you need assistance with your promo product please contact Ink-Scape Print & Promos

DEER CONVENTION

Event Extras

SPONSOR TABLE (8 PEOPLE)

$1000 Table purchase includes all meals for event. Each table wins a gun & gets 8 UTV tickets. 8 cards of basket raffle tickets + other free gifts.

INDIVIDUAL SEATS

Can be purchased for gun tables for $150 per seat. There will also be plenty of free seats available if you do not wish to purchase a table.

VENDOR BOOTHS (10X10)

$250

Booth space will be very limited (no dividers or backdrops will be provided)

Sponsors and Event Extras Contact Information:

Payment Information:

Thank you Event Sponsors for your Support!

OHIO FALL DEER CONVENTION

TABLES (8 PEOPLE)

$1000 Table purchase includes all meals for event.

Each table wins a gun & gets 8 UTV tickets.

8 cards of basket raffle tickets + other free gifts.

INDIVIDUAL SEATS

can be purchased for gun tables for $150 per seat. There will also be plenty of free seats available if you do not wish to purchase a table.

BOOTHS (10X10)

$250

Booth space will be very limited.

LOTS OF RAFFLE PRIZES

Women’s Raffle

Sewing Machine

$500 Cash Mixer

Huge Basket Raffle

Johnny Blind Raffle

Main Raffle

Kawasaki Mule

Stihl HT 135 Pole Saw

Blackstone Griddle

St. Croix Rod & Reel

Solo Stove ‘Bonfire’

Gun Blitz

Draw subject to availability.

Kid’s Gator Raffle

Early Bird Ticket Packet

$500 ticket value for $300

Bring the whole family. There are lots of activities for all.

The cost of the event is free. Consider booking a room and spending a night or two. This event is open to the public. Everyone is welcome.

For more information call Levi at 330-231-3359

Commit to selling 5 or more bucks before July 5th and get a free hotel room for 2 nights.

Not Sure About Selling at a Buck Auction?

Below are a few examples of what good bucks sold for the past 2 years at the Ohio Auction.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 15TH

7:00 AM Booth Setup

9:00 AM Booth Visitation

12:00 Free Lunch

1:00 PM Auction Starts with Elite 25 (Selling Approximately 150 lots)

4:30 PM WDFO Annual Membership Meeting followed by Speakers

5:00-6:30 PM Dinner Served (ticket required)

7:00 PM Donkey Ball Game

10:00 PM Exhibit Hall Closes

FRIDAY, AUGUST 16TH

7:00 AM Doors Open

9:00 AM Auction starts

11:30-12:30 PM Free Lunch

4:30-6:30 PM Dinner Served (ticket required)

6:30 PM WDFO Benefit Auction, followed by Raffle Drawings

App. 9:30 PM Event Ends

Schedule is subject to change. Stay tuned for updates.

ROCKY RIDGE WHITETAILS

FOCUSED ON CWD RESISTANCE AND QUALITY BREEDING

By: Gail Veley

When asking John Ervin Stoltzfus at Rocky Ridge Whitetails what he breeds for, his answer always begins the same way. “I don’t take short cuts. I breed for super large mainframes, such as beam length, tine length, width, and solid mass,” he said. He feels confident in his decisions and validated by the fact he is consistently winning antler competition awards at NADeFA. “I really like the “wow factor” when you get those antlers in your hands,” he added.

John Ervin likes to breed a variety of deer for his customers to choose from, such as large clean typicals, large typical mainframes with extras to help increase score and give more character. Close to 15% of his herd he breeds for 500”+ and 600”+ giant nontypical’s with a focus on large balanced mainframes. In addition to breeding for a variety of antler types, he also breeds for health, body size and proven “pass down” genetics. “All of these factors have been a high priority for many years at Rocky Ridge Whitetails

emphasized. However, his focus has also shifted to another unavoidable trait in the quest to produce quality deer, breeding for CWD resistance.

Scientific research by experts such as Dr. Haley, Dr. Seabury and numerous research facilities like the one found in Aimes, Iowa has paved the way for a future potentially void of CWD. “I’ve always had a passion and fascination to study, breed, watch and follow genetics and pedigrees in whitetail deer,” John Ervin said. “About 6 years ago when I heard about Dr. Haley’s research in whitetails on CWD resistant genes, it got my attention. I always had a feeling that nature has a way of taking its course and the weak will die off. But the strong genes will survive and reproduce. If they could breed out sheep scrapies, then why couldn’t deer farmers breed deer CWD resistant deer, since both are a prion disease.”

John Ervin also feels optimistic about a genetic test first introduced three years ago by Dr. Seabury, a 50K Genomic Estimated Breeding

resistance. Continued research will include updating this genomic test through CWD positive herd research. “I believe CWD research needs to be continued especially since it’s a regulated disease,” John Ervin explained. “I am grateful to Dr. Seabury and to NADR for updating GEBV research annually. NADR is now doing the GEBV and codon marker test.” As a result of this test, recommendations now include breeding away from codon 96 GG and instead breeding the combination codon 96 SS and lower negative number GEBV’s, which is proving successful in making deer less susceptible to contracting CWD.

John Ervin feels determining breeding markers is easy and while that itself may not take long, breeding lower and lower GEBV numbers will take a lot more time if your goal is to have your whole herd at the lowest GEBV numbers possible in spite of variables such as prion contamination exposure. “I find it very interesting on GEBV pass down,” John Ervin said, and explains

“You would expect that in breeding a 200” class doe to a 400” buck, that the sons should be close to the middle at 300”. But anyone that has been breeding deer long enough knows that isn’t nearly the case, with some being under 200” and some being somewhere between 200” to 400”. And sometimes you get that one that is even bigger and better then both parents. And, naturally the desire is to breed the bigger and better deer, if you are striving to improve and take your herd to the next level.”

In the 27 years that John Ervin has spent raising whitetails, he has seen and appreciated the efforts of deer farmers striving to produce their next level of deer. He is hopeful the industry will see the same thing happen with GEBV’s and that CWD will cease to exist on deer farms. He understands the numbers have continued to rise for CWD positives and CWD trace-out quarantines in his home state of Pennsylvania and for many other states. “There has been a lot of CWD found in the wild in the recent years and it seems to have an effect on many deer farms going CWD positive,” John Ervin shared. “Our Pennsylvania Game Commission does a good job at supplying the records on tracking CWD in the wild herds, but they don’t have a good solution to eradicate CWD. The following are reports on the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s website for Bedford and Lancaster Counties.

While you can track each county on the PA Game Commission website for wild deer, John Ervin picked the first county (Bedford) where CWD was found in 2012 and his own county (Lancaster) where his farm is. While he is thankful no CWD was ever found in his county in wild deer to this date, he does understand that could change in the future with wild deer CWD positive appearing on the other side of his farm fence, and he wants to be prepared with a resistant herd if that would ever happen. And while his farm is double fenced, he understands as do all deer farmers, that there are also other ways to spread CWD. John Ervin also already seen a tremendous shift in those desiring CWD resistance genetics in the amount of

semen he sells, as well as his embryo and breeding stock sales. He has also heard first-hand from hunting ranches that while CWD resistance genes will not make a difference to hunters, it will make a difference for stocking preserves if CWD resistant deer lower the risk of bringing the disease onto their property. “Because

of this, I believe we have the potential for a very bright future and great opportunities for our next generation,” he said. “I’m so happy to be sharing my passion with my wife Mary Ann and our five precious children, and to be meeting the genetic demands of my customers and their clients.”

Becky / 78117 Custom Made DW / 205575

Jumbo / 117787

R.R. RED 611 / 218685

R.R. Janet / 117808

A Moment with Publisher Kathy Giesen

REFLECTIONS ON “THE BEST YEAR YET” IN THE DEER INDUSTRY

Hello!

In the deer industry, we are in the midst of my favorite months of the year, January - March. Many of you might recall that I like to refer to these months as “Membership Drive Months”. Several of the state associations we service have renewal dates in this time frame and our team is here to help promote. As I reflect back on 2023 and look ahead in 2024, I’d have to say that because of our Membership Drive in 2023, that it was “the best year yet” for our ever strong and growing deer industry. Last year, we were able to raise more than $5,000 worth of membership money to support 15 state associations. At most state association events, you will find our Multi State Booth, decorated in honor of every deer association we represent. That reminds me, I’d like to also give a warm welcome to Alabama and Ohio, the latest state associations to be taken under our wing, bringing our membership drive now to 17 state associations.

While it’s important to join and support your specific state association, you can also join others and in doing so, receive that state association’s magazine each quarter. What a productive way to stay on top of the latest trends or current events! This year, by joining four state associations from January - March, you were entered into a drawing for a very valuable and useful donation. Thank you, Lester Eicher of Springfield Whitetails, for a donation of one semen straw, of The Ace. More information to come on our winners for the 2024 drawings!

In addition to staying active in your association through your membership and event participation, is the renewal (or perhaps the beginning) of advertising in our magazines. Advertising allows you to establish your product or service and to remain front and center with those that need what you’re offering. Advertising has been proven time and again to be most effective when done consistently and regularly. When others consistently see your ad, they remember you and feel compelled to reach out when the time is right. It may not happen the first time, but can happen with regular advertising or perhaps the recognition remains mindful during sales and auctions.

Through our state association magazines, we offer a great service for getting your information out, interesting content and a really good product. We provide the connections necessary to keep you and your customers in the loop. I’m grateful for our team. Customer Care Representative Sam Uchytil, Journalist Gail Veley, Our Publishing Team and for our Shipping Associates that see to it that your magazines reach your mailboxes each quarter. We realize how blessed we are to be involved in such a great industry. And in the deer industry, we stick together!

It’s hard to believe things could get any better. Yet, we are never surprised when they do! Let’s all get excited for 2024 and for the adventures that lie ahead! And remember to renew your membership and advertising!! We are counting on you! Thank you!

Kathy Giesen

TOP 30 NORTH AND SOUTH AND CHUPP’S AUCTIONS

OFFER VALUABLE NETWORKING VENUES

By: Gail Veley • Sponsored by Whitetails of Oklahoma

The annual Chupp Auction and the Top 30 North and South Auctions not only provide opportunities to promote a farm or product, they are vitally important to keeping the enthusiasm for the deer industry going. The Chupp Auction, thought of by some as the “springboard” to Top 30 “encourages farms to put their best stuff in,” offers Ivan Hochstetler of Double D Whitetails in Dundee, Ohio. “It gives people the incentive to keep breeding ‘up’ with the best genetics they can afford and gets them more excited for Top 30.”

According to Whitetail Sales and Service co-owner Chris Ezell “we had a great turnout this year at Top 30,” he said. “We want everyone to realize how necessary it is to make time for events like these. This is almost as important as attending the annual NADeFA convention.”

Hochstetler, who has spent the last 14 years breeding deer, has been in the Top 30 North auction for the past 10 years, offering an auction lot of three bred does. “I’m extremely happy with what I got this year for my lot,” he said. “It’s very meaningful to be included. We are grateful to Kevin Grace who started it all.”

When Eddie Ray Borkholder and his wife Diane prepare to participate in the Top 30 North auction, loading up to come includes more than packing a suitcase and deciding which three of his treasured Patrick-line does will be sold. It also includes a production of baking “Fry Pies” started long before the actual auction date. “This year we brought 300 pies,” Eddie Ray said. “We give them away at our booth. It’s a half-moon glazed pie filled with blueberries, strawberries, coconut or apple. We never have any trouble attracting people to our booth. That’s one of the best things about auctions like Top 30. Meeting all the people who attend. A lot of the guys in it back then are gone and it’s a whole different group of people now talking about deer. We love it. We are very thankful to Kevin Grace and the Chupp brothers for starting these auctions, and to Chris Ezell and Lester Eicher for keeping it going.”

Like Hochstetler, Eddie Ray, who has been participating in Top 30 North since 2001, was also extremely happy with what his auction lot brought in this year. “The atmosphere of the auction and the excitement of bidding might entice someone to pay more for what you’re selling compared to if you

were just selling the same deer off of your farm,” Ezell said. “That’s another great aspect about being involved.”

Getting into the Top 30 as a consignor is not quite as daunting of a task as it might seem, Hochstetler, 67, shared. Along with the Top 30 North or South is also the Select 20, a secondary group of auction participants. Each year, the top five Select 20 auction winners take the place of the lowest Top 30 auction participants when the next Top 30 Auction North or South occurs. “This makes way for newcomers and encourages everyone to bring their best,” he added.

“Every deer farmer should do whatever it takes to be a part of these auctions,” Ezell said. Dates, times and places for each and every auction (as well as advertising deadlines) can be easily found by visiting https://www. whitetailsalesauctionllc.com, or talking with Eicher or Ezell. A percentage of the profits from auctions often end up being donated to a worthy cause such as nonprofit organizations that support hunting or land conservation.

NADeFA ANNUAL WASHINGTON DC FLY-IN

By: Sam Holley

The 2024 North American Deer Farmers Washington DC annual fly-in with Capitol Hill Consulting is in the books for another year. Being part of our national organization is what bring the power of a strong voice to Washington DC. While each individual state is what brings the power within the power. Our numbers as a group are seen as a force with the USDA, Congressional Sportsman’s Caucus, NRA and SCI, but it is the actual constituents from each individual state that add the votes for supporting our programs in Congress. This year we had a total of 16 participants and 10 states represented. The week started off with meetings with the USDA APHIS and the Congressional Sportsman’s Caucus and then off to “The Hill” to bring our request to as many Senators and Representatives as possible in two days.

The USDA APHIS meeting is our chance to review with their leadership the concerns we have with existing standards and in detail define these concerns. Also, sharing with them the advances made in the science and how these changes will be reflected in the future standards. They also provide us with updates on their research and facilities along with any shortcomings

they are experiencing with funding or otherwise. Many times, these deficiencies are translated into our request when we hit “The Hill” the next several days.

The Congressional Sportsman’s Caucus is a bi-partisan outdoor, hunting and fishing congress members working together for conservation. NADeFA supports this group each year with a donated hunting trip for their annual fundraiser and also by providing venison for the meal about every third year. They are one of the groups we worked with on writing the CWD Research and Management Act that was passed in 2022. We are also working beside them again this year to try and get this authorized Act funded at a seed level to get the research started.

meetings. Most of these meetings were met with favorable reactions. Hopefully, if they can ever settle on a budget, we will find that they were able to carve out a small amount for the cervid industry.

After our meetings with our partners in DC, we were ready to ascend “The Hill” and begin our meetings with Congress. This year we were focused on requesting funding for the authorized CWD Research and Management Act. Also on our request list was a slight bump in our Cervid Health Program which funds our co-operative agreements. Capitol Hill Consulting had worked the schedules and logistics for us in advance so that each person on our team had as many visits as possible with the legislators from their own state. We also teamed up together with other states so that we entered each meeting with numbers. This allowed us to bring different perspectives for the information we were presenting. This year we had between 85 and 100 scheduled

An interesting observation I had after not attending for just two years was that when you bring up the subject of CWD in an office most people in attendance knew of the disease and at least something about it. This was not the case just two years ago. The importance and priority of this education and research is finally receiving the attention it deserves. Hopefully, this awareness will allow us to receive some much-needed funding.

The fly-in has many benefits for our industry and shows the progress we are making through the help of Capitol Hill Consulting on the federal level. The added value of this trip comes from the personal friendships and bonds you make with the others joining you throughout this event. Good people coming together and sharing their stories of success, failures, and life are truly a benefit above the political scope of the trip.

Trophy Breeder Bucks Showcase Book 2024 Application

All advertisers that are published in our 2024 state associations magazines will have the opportunity to place a single Buck update photo in this September Showcase Book.

Reservation for space and buck info will be due no later than August 14th, 2024. If you have an existing picture ready to go, that will also be due at that time. If you would like to send in a last minute photo of your buck, the cutoff date is September 1st by 8am CST. Placement will be in order of first come first serve. Printing and mailing will start September 4th and be in hand between September 16th-20th. Just in time for semen sales getting ready for Breeding Season.

These will be mailed to members of the 16 state associations we service.

(More information will be mailed out to all current advertisers closer to the date)

Cost: $175.00 each 1/4 page ad or 4 for $650.00 (Pre-register and we will contact you for further information)

PRIME SPOTS WILL BE AUCTIONED

- LOOK FOR DATES TO BE POSTED ON OUR WEBSITE

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.”

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.”

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

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.”

Crossword Puzzle

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

SUDOKU

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.

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

Answers to puzzles will be available in the next issue, or can be found on our website: www.deersites.com Coloring pages can be mailed to “Samantha Uchytil, 19291 59th St NE, New London, MN 56273” for a chance to be featured in the next issue! Your Business

If you would like your card featured on our business card pages please send your card to: Levi Miller • 2395 Harrison Rd

• Fredericksburg, OH 44627

• wdfomiller@gmail.com

• 330-695-7103

This gives Whitetail Deer Farmers of Ohio members a way to reach out to one another for services and to buy or sell deer! There will be limited pages for these card spreads, first come first serve. The overflow would be placed in the next issue and cards will be rotated each quarter according to space availability.

VENISON FAJITAS

The perfect sizzle for your early summer afternoons!

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons seasoned salt

• ¼ teaspoon garlic salt

• ½ teaspoon black pepper

• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1 ½ pounds venison, cut into 2 inch strips

• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 2 inch strips

• 1 medium yellow bell pepper, cut into 2 inch strips

• 1 medium onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges

• 12 fajita size flour tortillas, warmed

Instructions

1. Combine seasoned salt, garlic salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and oregano to make the fajita seasoning. Sprinkle two teaspoons of the seasoning over the sliced venison. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy frying pan. Cook bell peppers and onion until starting to soften, then remove. Pour in remaining oil, then cook venison until browned. Return pepper mixture to the pan, season with remaining fajita seasoning, and reheat. Served with the warmed tortillas.

Do you have a favorite recipe? Email it to deerassociations@gmail.com for a chance to be featured in one of our magazines!

Please list the ingredients, linstructions, and include a photo or two!

(Recipes don’t need to include venison!)