Emanuel Weaver (2027) 5373 Kansas Rd Apple Creek Ohio 44606 330-698-5504
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.
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.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS MESSAGE
Whitetail Deer Farmers of Ohio Excited for 2025
Reflections with Executive Director Levi Miller
I think we all need to thank the Good Lord for the warm, spring like weather and the wonderful support we have from our very own Ohio Department of Agriculture. At our recent February meeting with them at the Lighted Lantern, things went very well. The meeting itself was very well attended and focused mainly on genetic markers. We felt the Dept. of AG was very grateful to the WDFO for all the hard work of each and every deer farmer who diligently breeds for resistance. Moving ahead, it can only make us more excited in getting ready for bucks to grow out and the much-anticipated auctions coming up. Ohio looks forward to having a great one this year.
For those of you who still want or need CWD testing kits, they are free of charge and available through the Dept. of AG by calling 614-728-6201. Anyone who gets a testing kit needs to have it turned in by the end of July. And speaking of summer, WDFO is looking forward with great enthusiasm to our annual event August 14th and 15th at the Mount Hope Event Center in Mount Hope, Ohio. Tables sell for $1,200 and are going fast. Event activities start with an open house at the farm of Ivan and Ruby Hochstetler on Wednesday evening, August 13th from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday night will feature a guest speaker followed by the breeder buck auction. We just hope everyone marks their calendars and joins us. We always have a great time.
In closing let me mention two things. Number one: Thank you to everyone who bought a calendar. We nearly sold out. Number two: Our WDFO website is open to Ohio farmers and preserves for complimentary advertising and we think that’s a great thing. Please remember to let yourself be known! Last, but not least, my boys and I recently spent time in Tilton, Texas shooting hogs, coyotes and bobcats. Southern Texas is a welcoming place to visit during winter months, yet nothing beats an Ohio spring and the fawns that come with it! God Bless!
Levi Miller
330-231-3359
wdfomiller@gmail.com
A Message from your WDFO Board of Directors:
Due to factory issues the gun this year will no logner be the XRP400 Winchester, it will be replaced this year with the Brown A Bolt 65 Creedmore. The XRP400 Winchester will now be the 2026 gun.
If you have any questions you can contact Levi Miller (330-231-3359) or any board member.
Preliminary Schedule
as of March 15
Schedule may change yet
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 13
12:00 Event Center Opens for Booth Setup
THURSDAY AUGUST 14
7:00 Doors Open
9:00 Buck Auction Starts
11:30 Free Noon Meal
2:00 Gun Blitz Opens
4:30 Annual WDFO Membership Meeting
5:00 Dinner
6:00 Billy Molls
7:00 Breeder Auction
FRIDAY AUGUST 15
7:00 Doors Open
9:00 Buck Auction Starts
11:30 Free Noon Meal
2:00 Gun Blitz Opens
5:30 Dinner
6:30 Last Man Standing
7:00 WDFO Benefit Auction
All raffles to be drawn immediately after benefit auction ends.
Wednesday Evening Activities
AT DOUBLE H WHITETAILS
4:00 PM Till Dark
Come and enjoy a fun evening at…
Double H Whitetails
Farm Tours
4:00 pm till dark
Food
Enjoy Byler’s BBQ
Entertainment: by New Sound Band (formerly Holmes County Bluegrass)
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
INDIVIDUAL SEATS
Can be purchased for gun tables for $175 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 4010 4x4
Stihl HT 135 Pole Saw
Blackstone Griddle
St. Croix Rod & Reel
Solo Stove ‘Bonfire ’
GUN BLITZ
Draw subject to availability.
TABLES . 8 PEOPLE
$1200 Table purchase includes all meals for event.
Each table wins a Winchester 400 Legend and gets 8 UTV tickets.
8 cards of basket raffle tickets and other free gifts.
LOCATION
Mt Hope Event Center 8076 St Rt 241 Millersburg OH 44654
LODGING
Sleep Inn - Mt Hope 330-294-9977
Ask for WDFO group rate
FEATURED
ROCKY RIDGE WHITETAILS –INVITING ALL DEER FARMERS TO UNITE
By: Gail Veley
John Ervin Stoltzfus is a firm believer that all deer farmers should be united, work together and be open minded for the best long-term interest of our industry. United, the next generation has a great opportunity to also become deer farmers. John Ervin, owner of Rocky Ridge Whitetails in Narvon, Pennsylvania, is a firm believer that every deer farmer should play a part in the solution to CWD. This includes breeding for resistance, working with legislatures to open up state borders and releasing CWD resistant deer into the wild. That is his steadfast vision and goal.
John Ervin started deer farming at 12 years old with his father and has seen some very exciting times in his 28 years of deer farming. Now he has his wife Mary Ann, along with their family of six children (four boys and two girls with the oldest being 13 years old) want them to
have the same opportunity he has had growing up on a deer farm. The most exciting times were when borders were open to most states, and you could sell and move deer easily. Now, due to CWD, many states closed their borders, sadly during a time when great genetic gains were being made regarding antler size. It was unlike anything we had ever seen before, with an auction room full of over 1,000 deer farmers looking to improve their genetics and with it, the ability to buy from virtually any breeder.
Today, we are extremely limited in whom we can buy or sell deer to, as many borders are closed and many states do not allow you to bring in an out-of-state deer if within 15 miles of a CWD positive. For many years it seemed impossible to alleviate regulations without scientific research pointing to eradicating CWD. Thanks to Dr. Seabury, his scientific research has greatly aided in this quest. As our state and national leaders work hard to educate our legislators as to what deer farmers are doing to lower the risk of spreading CWD, we are finally seeing some positive light. This includes Oklahoma passing a bill to release CWD resistant deer into the wild in 2026. This could make deer farming great again! How?
John Ervin believes this could be done by having CWD resistant herds, opening up borders based on having these herds, opening borders in non-deer farming states using resistant genetics and officially legalizing stocking CWD
resistant genetics into the wild as well as lowering the trace period if a CWD positive pops up. John Ervin believes if we work hard and get all those things changed for our future generations, we will see a rebound like never seen before in deer farming history. He believes the way to have laws changed is with the science we now firmly have on CWD resistant genetics. Let’s all work together with the Golden Rule, help each other and see a return to open borders and with it, thousands of deer farmers looking to buy deer at the auctions.
Legalizing the release of CWD resistant deer into the wild may entice owners of larger properties to start a breeding herd and slow release deer into the wild. This could mean having an additional deer pen connected to the breeding pen, with the deer existing as though they are at home and complete with free choice feed, no stress and an open the gate for them
Jumbo Classic @ 2 received 1st palce 2 year old mainframe award at NADEFA in 2021 with a 231” mainframe
Rainbow @ 3 received 1st place 3 year old mainframe award at NADEFA in 2018 with a 251” mainframe
FARM STORY
to roam in and out, until they are fully converted to the wild. This may also possibly open the door to realizing a potential increase in their property value along with quality hunts. Pennsylvania alone has lost more than 600 breeders in the last 12 years mostly due to CWD and CWD regulations. We have a lot of empty deer pens that might be full again if we see the demand getting stronger to release CWD resistant deer into the wild, perhaps also seeing thousands of deer farmers being able to make a full time living on deer farming. What a great way to raise a family - working together on a deer farm that is profitable and enjoyable. John Ervin has a meeting this spring at his farm with several Pennsylvania senators. Dr. Seabury is also scheduled to attend and educate them as to what deer farmers are doing to help the CWD issue. As we know, Dr. Seabury’s research has concluded the lower the GEBV score, including the “SS” allele at codon 96, the less susceptible deer are to CWD. This is exactly what most deer farmers are striving to have. Most Departments of AG are known to encourage deer
farmers to breed CWD resistant deer and now many states are giving grant money for testing GEBV’s. It would only make sense for the Departments of AG to allow the moving of deer with negative GEBV’s and “SS” markers from herds that are within 15 miles of CWD.
For example, if a deer farmer has a CWD free certified herd with “SS” and negative GEBV’s and his neighbor within 15 miles doesn’t care and/or doesn’t breed for CWD resistance and subsequently gets a CWD positive, that penalizes all the breeders within 15 miles to sell to most states. Why wouldn’t our Departments of AG change the rules that all “SS” deer that make the GEBV cutoff benchmark of -0.056 or lower, be allowed to move across state lines again in the same manner they are allowing farmed deer to be released into the wild in Oklahoma?
If a deer farmer currently has a rare and hard to find breeder that is -0.20 SS or lower or even -0.40 SS or better, why shouldn’t they not be allowed to bring that buck from within 15 miles of a confirmed CWD positive from a CWD free certified herd to help the resistance perpetuate faster? Breeding with a buck of that caliber of resistance could do just that while helping a farm move more rapidly towards resistance. Some farms can’t or don’t A.I. Why not allow these purchased bucks to live breed 20 plus does each year so our industry, as a whole, can move toward resistance much faster? This could also help a deer farmer whose herd is not within a favorable GEBV range, or whose markers may be less desirable for breeding (which poses a bigger CWD threat to their herd.)
John Ervin’s ultimate suggestion is to have good healthy discussions with your very own Department of AG, along with senators and regulators on what makes sense on how to improve regulations, using the latest scientific research that points to lowering the risk of contracting CWD. The faster we get there, the better for all of us. The faster that resistant herds get established within our industry, with more and more proof that breeding for resistance is working, the better chance we have to get our anti deer farming wildlife agencies on our side and pave the way for new deer farming states to flourish. John Ervin is optimistic about Pennsylvania’s deer farming future and has just started his third farm in Lancaster County, with all doublemarkered embryo’s whose parents have negative GEBV’s with no deer trace connection from his other two farms. He is trying not to have his eggs or deer all in one basket or farm, so should a quarantine
Oceanwide @ 2 received 1st palce 2 year old mainframe award at NADEFA in 2025 with a 260” 6x7 mainframe
Continued on page 12...
Navigator @ 4 received 1st place mature mainframe award at NADEFA in 2024 with a 272” mainframe
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Disclaimer: The information contained in this advertisement is general in nature and is intended for use as an informational aid. It does not cover all possible uses, actions, precautions, side effects, or interactions of the medications shown, nor is the information intended as medical advice or for making an evaluation as to the risks and benefits of using a particular medication. You should consult with your veterinarian about diagnosis and treatment of any health problems. Information and statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), nor has the FDA approved the medications to diagnose, cure or prevent disease. Medications compounded by Mixlab are prepared at the direction of a veterinarian. Mixlab compounded veterinary preparations are not intended for use in food and food-producing animals. Mixlab does not recommend, endorse or make any representation about the efficacy, appropriateness or suitability of any specific dosing, products, procedures, treatments, services, opinions, veterinary care providers, or other information that may be contained in this advertisement. Mixlab is not responsible nor liable for any advice, course of treatment, diagnosis or any other information, services or products that you obtain through this advertisement.
Benefits of CWD Predictive Genetics in Regulatory Medicine
Author: Dr. Liane Davila-Martin, DVM, MPH – Ohio Department of Agriculture, Veterinary Epidemiologist
This March, I had the honor of presenting at the NADeFA conference in French Lick, IN, where I discussed the advantages of genetic testing in cervid herds. I highlighted a recent traceback investigation involving a possible CWD-exposed farm-an unprecedented case for us at ODA. Thanks to the growing use of genetic testing among producers, we were able to significantly reduce quarantine times while avoiding unnecessary animal losses, leading to a substantial economic benefit. The availability of genetic data played a crucial role in this investigation, allowing us to make scientific-based regulatory decisions that support both disease control and the sustainability of the industry.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Division of Animal Health works to protect and support the farmed cervid industry. Since 2022, ODA has received funding from the USDA-APHIS VS Farmed Cervid Funding Opportunity to cover genetic testing. This testing uses Dr. Seabury’s DNA-based test, performed through the North American Deer Registry (NADR). The goal of this project is to help reduce the risk of CWD in Ohio’s herds by improving genetics through codon 96 testing and Genomic Estimated Breeding Values (GEBV).
Summary of Genetic Improvement Plan (FY22-23): Over the past two years, this project has successfully tested 1,600 white-tailed deer—about 40% of the farmed cervid population in Ohio. This collaboration has helped improve the genetics of farmed deer, increasing their resistance to CWD. It has also strengthened relationships with Ohio’s cervid farmers and used the latest research to guide genetic selection. These efforts support herd health and ensure the long-term success of Ohio’s cervid industry.
We are excited to continue to offer genetic tests to more producers in Ohio. If you would like your genetic testing costs covered, please reach out to us. We provide all necessary materials, instructions, and test kits, with testing performed by NADR. This project’s funding is available through August 2025, so to ensure ODA covers your costs, all samples must be sent to NADR before the end of July. Don’t miss this opportunity – funding is not guaranteed beyond this grant period, so take advantage while it lasts!
For more information, reach out at Liane.Davila-Martin@agri.ohio.gov or (614) 593-9952.
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.
ALABAMA DEER FARMERS STRIVE FOR EFFECTIVE INSECT CONTROL
By: Gail Veley • Sponsored by The Alabama Deer Farmers Association
Without a doubt, “insect infestation affects the growth of deer antlers,” offers Dr. Dan Moore, DVM and owner of The Natural Vet, a supplement supply company based out of Unicoi, Tennessee. As a recent attendee of the 2024 Alabama Deer Farmers Association annual convention, Dr. Moore is well-versed in the types of insects that plague deer farmers in southern states such as Alabama and Tennessee. Insects such as mosquitoes, ticks and midge flies “also carry the threat of disease in deer, leading to stress, weight loss, deficient antler growth, anemia and even death in more severe cases,” added Dr. Moore, 68, a retired veterinarian and former owner of two vet practices.
For deer farmers, protecting their deer from disease is akin to protecting their very own families, Dr. Moore has learned. “This is how much deer farmers love their deer. I even knew a farmer once who had two fawns at his wedding just for the sake of having them there,” he said. For the sake of running a successful operation, prevention is the main focus in disease management. While Alabama itself is home to several predatory animals that can harm adult deer and fawns
such as opossums, hawks, coyotes, alligators, raccoons and feral hogs, to name a few, insects cannot be held back by sturdier fences, traps or legal, seasonal hunting practices.
In the warmer, moist and more humid climate found in Alabama “insects must be managed yearround,” Dr. Moore said. These insects predominately include midge flies which can carry Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD), horse flies which live on host blood and deliver painful and stressful bites, ticks which can carry Lyme Disease and mosquitoes which can carry a vast amount of diseases such as Eastern Equine Encephalitis, West Nile virus and other diseases that can also affect both deer and humans. Alabama is home to approximately 60 species of mosquitoes that are attracted to water puddles, watering holes, ditches and other waterways.
Eradication methods include fogging with misting systems, insect deterrent sprays such as fly spray and supplements added to feed to make livestock unpalatable to preying insects who depend on their host blood for survival. Understanding which insects are most prevalent at your deer farm can help guide decisions such as which time of day is most effective for fogging, or when to mow or not now grass, or simply leave
it as grazing land. However, without careful scrutiny and monitoring, these practices could cause misfortune to other wildlife species, floral and fauna that are not harmful to deer.
Many deer supplement products, available from a wide variety of local and on-line feed stores, were primarily derived from Dr. Moore’s horse products after it was discovered that deer found them appealing. “They can provide deer farmers with natural solutions to common problems,” Dr. Moore said. “My father went through threeyear illness during which I lost faith in traditional medicine. I felt that there could be better and more natural ways to propagate health for ourselves and our domestic animals.”
“I highly recommend that all deer farmers investigate natural solutions for the dilemmas they face in raising their deer,” Dr. Moore. “This can also include more natural dewormers, insect sprays and feed management practices. Considering the big picture, I think this is the best thing to do.”
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FEEDING DIRECTIONS: WHITE-TAILED DEER:
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THE MANY USES FOR DEER ANTLERS
By: Gail Veley • Sponsored by the Pennsylvania Deer Farmers Association
Nate Nisley started making antler chandeliers in 2013, one year after his dad, Joe Nisley, passed away. “My parents had been raising and breeding whitetails since 1998,” Nate shared. “Dad had been saving most of his antlers over the years and often mentioned wanting to make a chandelier out of them someday. After he passed away in 2012, I thought I would try to make one out of his saved antlers in remembrance of him.”
One simple chandelier soon led to Nate, owner along with his wife Diane of Antlers by Design, taking a week-long, hands-on course in Montana, learning from an expert on how to create antler lighting and other antler decor. “After that I just kept making chandeliers and selling them,” he said. “I still have the first one I ever made. The quality has come a long way since then. Building chandeliers out of natural antlers is considered an art and takes a lot of time. A good builder will take a lot of pride in his work.”
Having access to a reputable antler supplier and high-quality material to work with is paramount, as antler quality can vary depending on where and when they are found. “Antlers, like a piece of wood, have a lot of moisture inside,” explained Heath Merry, owner of Antlers 4 Me out
of Salina, Kansas. “If they are found in a pretty timely manner in the spring and kept inside, they can last forever,” he said. “If they are kept outside, they dry out and lose a lot of color. Anything made with antlers and kept outside will eventually need to be replaced.”
While Merry caters to a wide variety of customers, up to 75% of the antlers he sells are shipped to western states such as Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Colorado and used for furniture, necklaces and rustic cabin décor, while lower grade antlers often end up in rock gardens. “There is an end market for every type of antler,” Merry said. Both Merry and Nisley spend considerable time travelling to pick up antlers, power washing them (with water only) and properly storing them. This typically happens more abundantly after the hunting season ends in the early fall, and as orders for Christmas supplies and gifts start flooding in.
To maintain lasting quality on products created by antlers, Nisley recommends buying only Grade A or good, solid antlers. “Whether they are cutoffs or shed antlers, I usually pay the same price as the demand for antlers has gone up for me,” he said. “Most sheds that come from wild deer hold a little higher value because more of them have a little
better look and darker color than farmed deer. I try to stay away from antlers that are very weathered, dried out, cracked or have a bleached look.” Likewise, cutoff antlers that have excessive velvet still hanging on them and as such, possibly never completed drying out before being removed from a buck’s head, also hold little value for him.
Through the years, Merry has experienced the expected ebbs and flows of an antler market that can be fickle yet has built a solid reputation and plenty of fallback business. His customers also include those who simply want a full set of antlers to hang inside their house, store or office. “That might cost around $1,000,” he said. “A lot of people could not afford to go out and shoot something that nice for the same price, and it’s the closest they’ll ever come.”
CONGRESSIONAL PRIORITIES FOR 2025 CAPITOL HILL UPDATE
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.
Government Funding
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.
Reconciliation
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.
Expiring Trump Tax Cuts
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.
Debt Ceiling
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.
In Summary
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.
Venison Shank Birria Stew
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.
Ingredients
• 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
Instructions
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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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
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Use PeaceMaker to “keep the peace” during pre-rut, rut, transportation, weaning and anytime destructive behavior may occur
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Use in does before fawning, during lactation and all cervids during times of environmental stress
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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.
Skill Level: Difficult
Last Issues Puzzles ~ Answer Key ~
Answers to puzzles will be available in the next issue, or can be found on our website: www.deersites.com
QUALIFYING FOR A CONSIGNMENT SALE WHAT EVERY DEER FARMER SHOULD KNOW
By: Gail Veley • Sponsored by IDEFA
Building your farm name through consignment sale participation is one of the smartest moves a deer farmer can make, offers Chris Ezell, co-owner of Whitetail Sales Auction LLC based out of Urich, Missouri. Although some consignment sales such as Top 30 (North and South) may be more exclusive and feature only the country’s top 30 breeders for that particular area, others such as Chupp auctions and NADeFA’s annual consignment auction offer opportunities for quality livestock or valuable and useful items to be featured and sold from a wider pool of consigners.
As with every auction, programs are distributed describing each auction lot. “What deer farmers need to realize is what a great advertising opportunity it is to be in the program,” said Kristy Schwartz, President of Whitetail Marketing Inc., and Graphics/Catalog Designer for Whitetail Sales Auction LLC.
“Even if you aren’t participating as a consignor, you can still advertise. Placing an ad allows people to identify with your brand. Coming to the auctions also allows you to gain insight and guidance from others and make goals for your future. It also helps your state.” Since the early 2000’s, Schwartz, 39, has been at the forefront of
creating auction programs and working hand-in-hand with each consignor to make sure every detail is correct. Dates, times and places for every annual deer auction (as well as all advertising deadlines) can be found by visiting https://www. whitetailsalesauctionllc.com.
Perhaps it could be seen as every deer farmer’s dream to be among the 30 breeders chosen for the Top 30 North or South auction, and to enjoy the prestige that goes along with that. “It all depends on the genetics you have on your farm,” Ezell said. “It might be tougher for a new farmer to initially get in, but possible after some dedication and hard work. It’s a great goal to shoot for.”
The Chupp Auction, always held in Shipshewana, Indiana, generally features consignors from Indiana and closer surrounding areas. Ensuring that the quality of each auction lot falls within certain accepted parameters is in the hands of Ezell and Lester Eicher, who with Ezell, are at the helm of Whitetail Sales Auction LLC. Along with the Chupp Auction is a guaranteed good time with catered food, the unmatched hospitality of the Amish and the charm and culture of Shipshewana itself, a city with an Amish population of close to 90 percent. “If you haven’t been
to this auction, you definitely need to come,” Ezell said.
The NADeFA auction, always held during the annual spring NADeFA convention, offers a chance to bring a wider variety of auction lots and showcase your best animal or most useful or well-crafted item such as a picnic bench (or even a magazine advertisement and article in your own quarterly deer association magazine.) NADeFA, which always draws a sizable and vast crowd from every state that raises deer, also offers a unique and interesting trade show as well as educational classes and the chance to mingle with some of the best producers in the deer industry.
A percentage of profits from auctions often end up being donated to a worthy cause such as nonprofit organizations that support hunting and conservation, various deer associations and even individuals within the deer industry in need of additional support for personal reasons. “The deer industry is full of generous people willing to help others,” Ezell said. “Every deer farmer should make an effort to be a part of these auctions.” Interested auction attendees or participants should contact Ezell or Eicher if they have questions or need more information about deadlines.
CEREE LEDBETTER PHOTOGRAPHY
EAGER TO PROMOTE DEER FARMS AND PRESERVES
EBy: Gail Veley • Sponsored by the West Virginia Deer Farmers Association, Inc.
arly dawn brings soft light to a landscape silhouetted with rolling green and shadowed hills, along with deer who seem to welcome, if not rejoice, at the start of a new day. Ceree Ledbetter quietly kneels, her camera fixed on a large buck stretching high for the treasures found in oak trees. With the touch of her finger, click. The image is permanently captured.
“I knew from the moment I was in fifth grade and held my first blue digital camera that I wanted to be a photographer,” Ceree said, reflecting back on her most treasured birthday gift. “I was so excited and thought at first that it would just be some hobby I would do after school. But when I started showing people my photos and getting their reactions, I realized maybe I had a knack for
this. That this could be something I could do professionally,”
While Ceree may be a mere 20 years old, her love of photography and her experiences are akin to someone well-entrenched and well-versed in their craft. While taking a picture may seem like a simple task “the raw lighting and the angles of the photo contribute heavily to the overall structure of it before editing,” Ceree, a Sandyville, West Virginia native and stepdaughter of Mark Cobb, explained. “Editing is also a substantial part of the process. Developing your eye for a great photo is also key. I’d love to travel to any state and shoot photos on both deer farms and preserves. I’m absolutely not nervous about being in a preserve. I’ve even photographed bison up close.”
Her base fee is $250 per day, not including travelling and lodging fees. “If I could stay in the lodge at someone’s preserve, I wouldn’t need hotel lodging,” Ceree explained. “It would probably take one to two days to shoot all the photos we would need. I would especially love to travel to Texas, Ohio and Florida and take photographs. I enjoy meeting new people. I would just really love to expand my business.”
Ceree’s passion for photographing livestock and nature began to flourish in 2020 when she moved to Mark’s farm and “he had so many animals like red deer, elk, horses and chickens and emus,” she said. “People loved seeing the photos I posted on Facebook. I also interned at Woodard Whitetails taking care of fawns, which allowed my love for the ‘veterinarian side’ of the industry to grow.”
Anyone interested in hiring Ceree as their photographer can call or text her at 304-531-7515 or email her at cereelphotography@ gmail.com. While Ceree is open to photographing any livestock you’d prefer, her favorite thing to photograph are bucks in hard antler. “That time of year is one of my favorites,” she said. “So, make sure to give me a call.”
I realized maybe I had a knack for this. That this could be something I could do professionally,” “
INCREASING FAWN SUCCESS
ADVICE FROM EXPERIENCED EXPERTS
By: Gail Veley • Sponsored by WOO
Jodi Ezell quietly pauses outside one of her deer pens in the spring twilight, watching and waiting for signs of does ready to deliver fawns. A few does have already started pacing and instinctively creating a safe haven by chasing off other does. However, Ezell is looking for one specific thing as she shares the cool evening with the herd she and her husband Chris raise at Dangerous Whitetails of Oklahoma in Adair, Oklahoma. She is looking for any does with tails lifted and actively pushing, as this starts the countdown for safe fawn arrival. “I give them about an hour of active pushing,” Ezell explained. “If nothing has happened by then, I go in to assist.” Assisting means reaching deep inside the womb, feeling for fawns and helping to pull them out. While an inevitable set of twins is usually the norm, a doe’s history may point to the potential for triplets or quads or perhaps the rare arrival of quintuplets and the necessity to not stop investigating after two.
As these delicate lives receive their first breath of earthly air, Jodi and Chris, who have been through at least 12 fawning seasons, are already taking stock of each fawn and keeping a watchful eye. After 12 hours next to their mother’s
side to ensure colostrum intake, each fawn has hair pulled for a DNA sample, is tagged and given medication. Afterwards, doe fawns and struggling buck fawns are brought inside the Ezell’s bedroom, placed in baby pens and given additional goat colostrum. They will spend the next week receiving a bottle three times a day before being moved to the farm’s fawning facility. Once there, they are introduced to grain as a supplement to their regular schedule of pasteurized goat’s milk, although other farms may opt to bottle feed formula instead. “Around week three we start to feel like their survival rate is more guaranteed,” Ezell said. “By watching them this close for the first three weeks, we are eliminating some of the potential for Mother Nature to do them harm.” This could include the development of scours or even the failure early on to intake enough colostrum to ensure survival.
While fawn arrival may be one of the most rewarding times of the year for deer farmers, it can also be a time when farmers collectively hold their breath as they work to safeguard their health and survival. Although born precocial and able to ambulate practically from the moment they arrive, fawns can also be extremely fragile and may require dedicated care in order to grow into thriving and healthy adult deer.
In addition to proactive fawn care from the moment they arrive, ensuring fawns get the best head start begins with the care of the expecting doe, explains Matt Owens, owner of After Shock deer supplements and Rack Star Whitetails in Sullivan, Missouri. After having been through nine fawning seasons on his farm, his first preparations involve vaccinating all expectant does on March 15th for pneumonia, fusobacterium and clostridium C and D, common cervid
diseases known to cause herd and fawn mortality. A booster shot given on April 5th for each is another safeguard to increase doe antibody levels and allow for the passive transfer of antibodies from mother to baby, he emphasized. “The most important part of preparing for healthy fawns is to have a proven vaccine program and proven feed program for your expectant does,” Owens emphasized. While these measures certainly point to an increase in fawning success “some fawns are still born sick,” Owens said. “Another measure to decrease these odds is to make sure pregnant does also have a good vitamin and mineral program. When you do, fawns are generally born bigger and healthier. Fawns are born with no immune system and not until the 90-day mark do they really develop one. They need all the protection you can give them, including vaccines, until that 90-day mark.”
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