FEATURE STORY

SIZE MATTERS WHITETAIL –PROPELLING A PASSION FOR WHITETAIL DEER

By: Gail Veley

Adam Lindsey doesn’t hesitate when asked what inspires him to raise whitetail deer. Having grown up on a cattle farm with parents devoted to agriculture, he offers “whitetails are the most sought-after big game species in North America. And there’s nothing like a whitetail deer. I love them.” However, it appears to be more than love, but rather dedication, that has kept him in the business with his wife Ashley and their five children for 20 years and counting.

As a deer farmer, his most satisfying moments are seeing the results of his breeding efforts. “My entire breeding operation is about making does,” Adam said. “All of the others are byproducts. I want to create super does who will produce over and over and provide that proven consistency. I have very good production animals and always sell out of deer.” Currently, Size Matters Whitetail is home to approximately 45 deer and 35 fawns. “I have tried to stay with and ahead of what the industry wants and breed deer that survive. As of now I haven’t gone 100 percent CWD resistant, but we are focusing on that, and also what’s important to our customers,” he added.

Located on 15 acres in Bronson, Michigan, Size Matters

Whitetail raises both typical and non-typical deer, yet attributes much of their success to anchor doe Matilda. Matilda, who at 14 is still producing incredibly sizable offspring as well as reliably producing daughters, is responsible for bucks who have grown to 600 inches. A thoughtful combination of line breeding, match breeding and outcrossing, with does capable of mirroring Matilda’s production, has given Size Matters Whitetail a reason to be proud of their bucks. These include Big Money, Cliffhanger, Gone Platinum and Permafrost, to name a few.

Adam, a life-long hunter, enjoys both bow and gun hunting, yet remembers a moment hunting with his son Mason, who was 12 at the time, as perhaps one of his favorite hunting stories. “When he was old enough to go out hunting, I took him out during youth season to bow hunt,” Adam, 39, said. “We were sitting in a tree stand when this 147” buck showed up right on time and he got him. It was one of my coolest moments as a Dad.” Today, that buck is still mounted in Mason’s bedroom.

Overseeing the general health of the deer is Ashley, 34, who also enjoys bottle feeding. In her spare time, she raises and sells “red” Labrador retrievers. While Adam would ultimately like to be a full-time deer farmer, he currently also works in the maintenance department of their local Walmart store. He credits his hard work and Ashley’s as well as the good people in the deer industry, for making them so successful. The Lindsey’s also enjoy attending events such as The United Deer Farmers of Michigan annual convention to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones. “We have a lot of customers we like to talk to,” Adam said. “We like to ask how their deer are doing and how they are. Some of these people are mentors and we all bounce ideas off each other. It’s a great time and we feel very fortunate to be a part of it.”