Gary Maxwell (2026) Double G Whitetails 2021 West Sterling Rd Burbank, OH 44214 330-201-1798
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
AUCTION COMMITTEE:
740.543.4274
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: Feb 17th • @ Jake Hostetlers • 740-543-4274
2345 ARBOR RD. NE. Carrollton Ohio 44615
BOARD MEMBER
Jacob Hostetler (2025) 2345 Arbor Rd. Ne Carrollton, OH 44615 740-543-4274
Emanuel Weaver (2027) 5373 Kansas Rd Apple Creek Ohio 44606 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.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS MESSAGE
A Time for Gratitude
A Moment of Reflection with Executive Director Levi Miller
Here in Ohio, we felt very grateful for the past seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas. During Thanksgiving, we remembered every blessing that our Good Lord had bestowed upon us. We also awaited with great anticipation the arrival of Christmas, where we celebrated the birth of our risen Savior Jesus Christ. In that quieter time in our busy lives as deer farmers, we paused to appreciate friendships and to renew and refresh our hope for this year that lies ahead.
As many of you know, we are still in the midst of selling our 2025 Gun Raffle Calendars. Each calendar contains a ticket, which upon being filled out and mailed back to me, could make you eligible to win a valuable gun or $500 gift card from Premiere Outdoors sporting goods shop in Mount Hope, Ohio. Calendars cost $50 apiece plus $10 for shipping. Buy a box of 10 and you get two free additional calendars and free shipping. Or you could buy a box of 20 and get five additional calendars plus free shipping. We only sell 2,700 calendars in all, so get yours while you still can. We plan on selling them through March if we don’t sell out sooner.
On a different note, I hope everyone was able to sell their bucks this past year and enjoy a little hunting themselves in our recent glorious fall season. Two of my sons, William and Daniel, and one of my niece’s sons, Caleb, along with Samuel Nisley and I enjoyed an antelope hunt near Casper, Wyoming back in October. The weather could not have been more dry and perfect and my “old bones” felt as though I was a young boy again. We trekked quite a long way to a watering hole and found a treasure of antelopes. What an unforgettable trip. Afterwards, we headed to Texas to hunt boar, bobcat and coyote.
Looking ahead to this summer, the board is already planning to make our 2025 Ohio annual event bigger and better than ever. Even though I don’t think I will ever stop missing Terry, I am very glad to help fulfill his dreams. Mark your calendars and buy a table now if you’re interested. They are going fast! And remember, you can still get free genetic marker kits from The Ohio Department of Agriculture!! God Bless everyone! Looking forward to seeing you soon!!
Levi Miller
330-231-3359
wdfomiller@gmail.com
President’s Message
Winter 2024-25
The Whitetail Deer Farmers of Ohio Excited for 2025
Celebrating the arrival of 2025 with President Andy Nisley
I would like to wish our members of WDFO a very prosperous 2025. With the blessed Christmas season celebrating the birth of our Savior with our beloved families and friends behind us, we look ahead with great expectation for this year and all the opportunities it presents. With our annual Ohio summer event and NADeFA in March to look forward to, we eagerly await the chance to reconnect with friends and business associates.
For all of you who may not have bought a 2025 calendar from our association, you still have a chance. Please contact Levi Miller at 330-231-3359 if you are interested. Calendars are $50 each. Buy 10 and you get two free. Buy 20 and you can get five for free. Supplies are limited so don’t delay! Our calendars are very popular and as most of you already know, they provide a chance to win a gun!
As we look forward to fawning season, we are also looking forward to having our 3rd Grandchild. Our son Joseph and my daughter-in-law Leah are expecting there first baby around that time. We pray for a healthy baby, and also wish everyone healthy fawns. Christmas eve our 2 sons Joseph and Mike, and their wives, Leah and Ann, our 3 daughters, Sara, Sharon, Rebecca, our 2 grand children, my wife Laure and I, all enjoyed a “not so normal “christmas meal, serving steaks and shimp, everyones favorite!
Our great state of Ohio is a wonderful place to raise deer. We feel very grateful and encourage anyone who is interested in buying a table at our upcoming annual event, to let us know right away. Tables sell for $1,200. We look forward to seeing you and also enjoying a prosperous new year. I extend a sincere thank you to all of our members and those who support us!
God Bless!
Andy Nisley
330-317-3995
Email: nisleyconcrete78@gmail.com
August 14th-15th, 2025
Location: Mount Hope Event Center
Ohio Fall Deer Convention
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FEATURED
ROCKY RIDGE WHITETAILS –DEDICATED
By: Gail Veley
TO OVERCOMING CWD
John Ervin Stoltzfus has an unwavering passion to help all deer farmers be successful. Through the ability to run CWD susceptibility genetic tests on deer, John Ervin, 40, owner of Rocky Ridge Whitetails in Narvon, Pennsylvania, feels success may now be more easily attainable for anyone in the deer industry who is striving to raise healthy CWD free herds. Now in his 28th year as a deer farmer, Stoltzfus has felt the pressure over the years from CWD regulations, leading him to find genetic solutions for his farm that could be modeled by anyone.
“Since Dr. Christopher Seabury has done research to determine genes that reduce CWD susceptibility, The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is finally looking
at solutions which include not depopulating an entire herd if a CWD positive is detected,” John Ervin said. After being introduced to Dr. Haley from Midwest University eight years ago, he started breeding for resistance markers after it was subsequently determined that “GG” deer are those most susceptible to contracting CWD. In recent years, Dr. Seabury finalized his research from many CWD positive deer farms, choosing the more highly infected herds that appeared to be positive for a longer period of time. In 2020, when Dr. Seabury made his 50,000 genetic markers genomic test (GEBV) publicly available, John Ervin immediately got his breeder bucks and doe tested and continued his campaign to breed toward less CWD susceptible deer. While he
understands this genetic test isn’t 100% bullet proof, he is hopeful once he has a complete herd with all “GG” markers removed and better GEBV’s, he will have low risk on his farm of any deer contracting CWD. He has never had CWD positive detection on his farm and he is trying to do everything in his power to keep it that way. The closest wild deer positive detection is currently more than 50 miles away. However, the closest detection of CWD in a captive facility happened within 15 miles from Rocky Ridge Whitetails on February 5th, 2020, causing a ban on John Ervin’s ability to move deer to some states. This coming February 5th, 2025 marks the mandatory five year waiting period upon which afterwards, John Ervin can move deer again into Ohio and
FARM STORY
several more states. This will be a breath of fresh air once it happens.
John Ervin has experienced and has seen a lot of ups and downs in his 28 years of raising whitetails. He remembers a time in 2001 or 2002, when new rules came into effect requiring all deer to be five years CWD certified before they could be sold across state lines. “What a blow that was,” he said. “So, nearly everyone started to test 100% back then. After 5 years of testing around 2006 and 2007, most farms in Pennsylvania had become CWD certified and could move deer across state lines again. It showed in the auctions again that with more freedom, came better prices to sell deer to other breeders across state lines. There was no CWD found in Pennsylvania after testing for nearly 10 years, until 2012.” “I’m now so thankful we have the ability to run these susceptibility tests,” he said. “I also hope in the near future that states with closed borders will allow deer into states that have met the CWD resistant threshold with codon 96 SS and a GEBV -0.0560 or lower like the CWD Genetic Improvement program in Oklahoma to release deer into the wild.
John Ervin became hooked on deer farming when attending his first deer auction in the year 2000 with his father at Redoy Acres in Ohio. With breeder bucks selling for as high as $56,000, John Ervin believes that very day is the day when the deer breeding industry started to get a lot of attention, and whitetails started to get in very high demand. It was also around that time that the industry “pioneers” started collecting semen to use in A.I. “Back then, the World Record whitetail bucks were still in the wild, but soon after that
we saw tremendous genetic gains made and in early 2000’s,” John Ervin reflected. “I remember the first two-year-old buck that scored 200”, the first ever 300” farm raised buck and soon after that the first ever 400” buck. I also remember the first ever 350” buck that sold as a stocker buck and was hunted for $150,000. Back then that was the new World Record buck that was ever harvested. Records were also being set each year on antler sizes and prices.”
“We have seen supply catch up to demand in Pennsylvania and surrounding states,” John Ervin pointed out. “We’ve also seen more and more CWD positives and quarantines and have had a lot of deer farmers going out of business, selling out or downsizing. There became an oversupply of deer and prices were dropping each year. Plus, there have been anti-deer farming groups spreading some misleading information about deer farming, shedding an unfavorable light on the hard work we’ve done and what we’ve achieved to help all farmed deer, and perhaps even wild deer.”
Pennsylvania had close to 1,200
Oceanwide @ 2
licensed deer farms when CWD hit. Afterwards, those numbers began to drop. Recently the Pennsylvania Dept. of AG reported the number of deer farms to be closer to 600. “I have experienced so many disappointments of deer farming friends who have gone out of business in my state and in some other states over the past 10 years due to CWD positives, CWD tracebacks or CWD regulations,”
John Ervin said. “I am sure you can understand why I’m so excited to finally have a tool (breeding CWD resistance) to fight this disease with the hope that my friends who are still in business and all newcomers, will use this tool now to fight this disease, along with the most recent science to back it up.”
Continued on page 16...
In addition, John Ervin said he has already seen a big shift towards less CWD susceptible genetics in his semen sales, embryo sales and breeding stock sales. “I’ve also had hunting ranches tell me that less CWD susceptible genes will not make a difference to their hunters as long as the deer are fat and healthy, but they said it will make a difference if they are bringing in less CWD susceptible deer and lower their overall CWD risk,” he said. When looking at Bedford County, Pennsylvania, the CWD positive rate of wild deer appears to be rising each year, with a 37% positive rate in the 2023/2024 hunting season. Bedford County is approximately a three-hour drive from Rocky Ridge and located closer to Ohio than his farm. John Ervin keeps wondering what the CWD Hot Spot in Bedford County will look like in another 10 years on both sides of the fence, if inside the fence of a deer farm has all codon 96 G’s bred out and GEBV’s averaging -.2 or -.3 or better. “With Oklahoma passing legislation to stock CWD resistant deer into wild populations, is it a possibility in the future of Pennsylvania that our Game Commission might allow the same?” John Ervin asks.
He still remembers when as a young boy, the Game Commission was selling wild fawns to his neighbor’s deer farm for $100 each. “We all know at one point deer were brought in from the wild, just like our cattle and horses were years ago,” John Ervin said. “For many years since then it’s been illegal to bring wild deer into breeder pens. In Pennsylvania they stock fish and pheasants. Why not stock deer into the wild that could help
FEATURED FARM STORY
their genetics?” While John Ervin has always bred highly marketable deer, his top priority now includes breeding for markers and GEBV’s along with width, beam length, tine length and solid mass (large mainframe). Rocky Ridge breeds 10% to 20% of their deer for super large non-typicals and 10% to 20% for clean typical, as well as large percent for a super large mainframe. Whether they are clean or they have extras, John Ervin is fine with that as long as they have a large mainframe. For example, Rocky Ridge raised the largest non-typical harvested deer in the SCI record books. Dream Ridge Whitetails, who uses Rocky Ridge genetics, received 2nd place for a non-typical harvested deer. Rocky Ridge also received 1st and 3rd place for a typical harvested deer in SCI Record Books. Rocky Ridge has received nearly 100 awards at the DBC and NADeFA in their scoring books, validating the breeding decisions and genetics he so strongly believes in.
With the powerful proven doe lines Rocky Ridge has built over the years he believes one of the most important things in growing big bucks is having a strong doe foundation. As a fulltime deer farmer whose income is 100% dependent on his farm, he is grateful for the help of his wife Mary Ann and their five young children. “Bottle feeding fawns is a highlight of working together as a family,” he said. With more than 200 deer on two properties, it keeps them very busy. Joey Harrington, with whom John Ervin has a deep friendship and strong partnership for 18 years, also has 36 deer on the farm. John Ervin is also partners on more than 100 deer at eight different farms in several different states. “Each year I feel like a kid on Christmas morning opening presents when I got my GEBV and codon markers results back from NADR on my fawns,” he shared. “After lots of time, hard work and money put into genetic improvements, it’s rewarding to see the genetic gains made.”
Previously purchased Value Added Memberships will expire after the Summer magazine.
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.
REPORT
HOW TRUMP’S VICTORY SPARKS A UNIFIED REPUBLICAN
AGENDA IN THE 2024 ELECTION
2024 ELECTIONS
2024 Elections
The 2024 election is widely regarded as one of the most pivotal in modern history. Republicans have gained control of both the White House and the Senate, and have secured their majority in the House of Representatives. This marks the first unified Republican government since 2017. They plan to leverage President-elect Donald Trump’s unexpected and decisive victory to push through as many of their legislative priorities as possible before the 2026 midterm elections, where they will likely face a challenging fight to retain their congressional majorities.
Presidential
On Tuesday, November 5, 2024, former President Donald Trump (R) and Ohio Senator JD Vance (R) defeated Vice President Kamala Harris (D) and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) in the Presidential election, securing the 270 electoral votes required for victory, with the final tally being 312-226.
Senate
With all races called, Republicans will control the Senate with a 53-47 majority. Republicans gained control of the Senate by flipping seats in Ohio, Montana, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Although Democrats lost the majority, they retained key seats after several high-profile retirements in Maryland, Michigan, and Arizona. Additionally, as Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) will become Vice President and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) is set to be the next Secretary of State, their respective Governors must appoint a replacement.
House
As of Friday, November 15, the House will have 59 new members, 30 freshman Republicans, and 29 freshman Democrats. House Republicans defended their majority with the current tally being 218-209. With 8 outstanding races,
these numbers are expected to change. On November 13, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) resigned from Congress, triggering a special election for his open seat.
Trump First 100 Days Priorities
President-elect Trump has voiced ambitious policies that are set to be enacted on Day 1 of his second term, especially with a Republican trifecta. These include:
Immigration
President Trump is expected to quickly implement mass deportation of illegal immigrants, a key promise since his first term and during the campaign trail. The Trump administration will be seeking to undo Biden-era executive orders (EOs) that reversed some of his first-term policies such as the Remain in Mexico policy on asylum seekers and halting the flow of migrants through the Darien Gap from South America, in which negotiations with Panama are needed. President Trump announced Tom Homan, his former Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director to be Border Czar and be in charge of the Southern border and has made Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy. President Trump has also discussed invoking the Alien Enemies Act, a law from 1798 that allows the President to deport anyone who is not an American citizen and is from a country that the U.S. has “declared war” on matters of national security.
Tariffs
On his most recent campaign trail, President Trump promised to impose notably large tariffs; 20% on all foreign goods and 60% on Chinese goods. As President, he will be authorized to do so without Congressional consultation through a 1977 law that allows duties in cases of “unusual and extraordinary threat.”
CAPITOL HILL REPORT
Tariffs are expected to launch at varying times, targeting specific countries and goods. There is speculation that he may utilize the threat of tariffs as a point of negotiation with competitors. Though his position on the subject is clear, opinions within his administration may differ.
Taxes
Taxes remain a key priority for President Trump as he looks to extend expiring provisions from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). President Trump plans to extend all personal income tax cuts and further reduce the corporate tax rate, as well as lift the cap on State and Local Tax (SALT) deductions, which paid for the TCJA bill. Additionally, on the campaign trail, he promised to eliminate taxes on tips, overtime, and social security checks. Tax reform will require Congressional approval, and a Republican trifecta will aid President Trump as he pursues his tax proposals.
Conclusion
Congress has about five legislative session weeks remaining before the Christmas break, with several key policy issues to address in that time. Upon returning to Washington, lawmakers will face two critical pieces of legislation: the FY 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a government funding package, and an extension of the current Farm Bill. Amidst this looming uncertainty, CHCG will remain engaged and continue to advocate for support of NADeFA’s priorities in the coming 119th Congress.
STRAIGHT SHOOTER
GAME FENCING
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MOBILE-FRIENDLY, WEB APPLICATION GMS NOW AVAILABLE THROUGH NADR
By: Gail Veley • Sponsored by the Iowa Whitetail Deer Association
Managing a deer herd has become abundantly easier through the introduction and availability of a new and improved GMS software program unveiled in April of 2024 by the North American Deer Registry (NADR). Originally created by fellow deer breeder Mike Owens in 2004 (and subsequently owned by NADeFA for several years) the GMS program was purchased by NADR in the fall of 2023. While the new system still essentially offers the same reliable features, it is now also mobile-friendly and web based which allows breeders to utilize technology, to create a more efficient process from sample submission to the receiving of results.
“We have around 75 users so far (and counting) that have purchased or migrated to the new software,” shared NADR Software and Support Specialist Sara Bohannon. “New GMS clients include both new and longtime breeders of whitetail deer and other cervid and exotic species. In addition, all existing GMS clients have been invited to demo and migrate to the new version. Like the original GMS system “this is a breeder’s personal and private database that can be used as sparingly or as abundantly as you’d like,” Bohannon added. “Conveniently, the new GMS system also allows for a much faster input of herd data, because of the immediate link to NADR. For existing NADR registered animals, you can import full lineage and genetic data directly from NADR.”
It also offers the heavily requested “Dream Deer” feature which answers the question ‘What If?’ “It allows you to create a visual representation of a dreamsimulated pedigree. “Breeder feedback has confirmed this tool plays a crucial role in making good breeding decisions,” Bohannon said.
The new system also allows the user to transfer phone pictures into the appropriate GMS data section to display on lineages and track annual antler growth or other events. “You can also input animals from any pedigree source and build their own lineage page by assigning a sire and dam for each generation without depending specifically on NADR information,” Bohannon said. In addition, deer farm and preserve owners and their employees could all have congruent access, with their individual phones to this information through a single shared sign-on password. “We may add a feature in the future allowing for different levels of information sharing or limited rights to employees or others,” Bohannon explained.
Overall, the new system, the only one of its kind, allows for a more specific tracking of animals for the purpose of state reporting. “In every state that allows deer farming it’s crucial to have your records maintained properly and to be able to reconcile them as quickly and accurately as possible,” Bohannon said.
“NADR continues to work hard to provide the very best tools and the most valuable information in our GMS software program and genetic registry,” said NADR Executive Director Gary Cook. “We are ever continuing to seek ways to use technology to provide knowledge and state of the art services to our customers.” You may reach NADR staff by calling 405-513-7228, faxing them at 405-513-7238, sending an email to nadr@deerregistry. com or visiting their website at www:deerregistry.com. NADR is located at 1601 Medical Center Drive, Suite 1, Edmond, OK, 73034.
The New GMS System Features:
Herd Inventory -
Track all aspects of a herd, including tags, names, State I.D., birth weight, sires, dams, etc. Track pen assignments, display unlimited pictures and record medications of each animal.
DNA Submittal & Retrieval -
Online submittal requests for DNA testing can be created with just a few clicks. When the specimen has been processed, retrieve the lineage and DNA information back into GMS.
GEBV/Codons -
Receive and store GEBV scores and Codon values from NADR for each animal.
Dream Deer –
Input Details here to simulate potential breeding outcomes. Create a visual representation of a dream pedigree including detail such as scores, genetic profile and custom comments. An estimated bloodline percentage calculation is displayed along with breeding history for both the sire and dam. Sire and dam pairings can be saved as good matches for future reference and reporting.
Lineage/Pedigree
-
The fully interactive lineage screen displays lineage and pictures for each animal. Optionally, you can display the GEBV score.
Doe Line -
Customizable field for each animal to record anchor doe detail to display on reports or grouping.
Pen and Group Management
-
Create and assign as many pens or groups as desired. Pen and group detail included in inventory reports allows for sorting and reviewing animals by pen or group.
Reporting:
Several reports are available such as Herd Status, Removal History, Pen and Group reports, Medication History as well as Doe Line. A customizable Animal Search Report will filter and sort on any data fields associated with an animal. These reports can be printed or exported to excel or PDF.
Designed for All SpeciesNADR has spent countless hours with people in the industry to develop a program that will work for all Cervid species as well as Exotics.
More to Come!
–
NADR will be rolling out more features in the coming year such as Animal Transfers, Customizable Reporting and Email Notification of updates.
TOHIO CHRISTIAN AID MINISTRIES SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAM
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.”
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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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Contains micro-encapsulated probiotics, targeted enzymes and a novel fiber complex
Use in does before fawning, during lactation and all cervids during times of environmental stress
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Supports a healthy immune system
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Paste is ideal for fawns left on does
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Magazine Deadlines / Event Calendar
MELANISTIC DEER
SHOWING A PRESENCE ON DEER FARMS
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.”
OKLAHOMA FIRST STATE TO RELEASE FARMED DEER TO COMBAT CWD IN WILD HERDS
By: Tim Condict • Sponsored by Whitetails of Oklahoma
During the last legislative session in Oklahoma, Representative Nick Archer introduced House Bill 3462 called The Chronic Wasting Disease Genetic Improvement Act, and Senator Grant Green carried the legislation in the Senate. HB3462 is designed to address the urgent threat posed by Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) to our Oklahoma native deer population. With leveraging groundbreaking research, including that of Dr. Chris Seabury, this legislation proposes a scientifically informed, innovative approach to enhance the genetic resilience of our native deer against CWD.
HB3462 also represents a proactive, comprehensive strategy to mitigate the impact of CWD, by establishing a pilot program focused on genetic improvement and resistance breeding within our states whitetail population. This pilot program is based on many years of genetic research targeting the SS allele at codon 96, which is associated with reducing the susceptibility to CWD. It is widely known that combining Dr. Seabury’s genomic estimated breeding values (GEBV’s) with the SS allele, builds the most durable and CWD resistant deer possible.
This research underpins the bill’s strategy of utilizing CWD genetically durable deer to bolster the durability of Oklahoma’s native deer population against CWD. The Legislature required the rules to be prepared by November 1st of 2024, through the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture working together with the Oklahoma deer industry and the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife was also required to gather 1,000 whitetail deer DNA tissue samples from across the different deer zones throughout
Oklahoma to establish a baseline. This type of bill needs to be passed across the country.
The only reason any agency or association might oppose this type of legislation is because they know it will work. I believe they fear our research efforts will lead to the end of their CWD slush fund and expose state wildlife agencies across the country for culling valuable multi-million dollar farmed deer herds, destroying the farmers income and dreams. I think it’s past time to get started on working to pass this in your own state by attending the Leadership Meeting on Saturday afternoon February 8th, 2025, at the Whitetails of Oklahoma Convention and Southern Top 30 Auction.
The following is an outline of how our program works:
35:15-44-22. Chronic Wasting Disease Genetic Improvement Program (CWDGIP)
(a) The CWDGIP is only available to whitetailed deer producers who are Oklahoma Farmed Cervidae licensees.
(b) Producers choosing to participate in the CWDGIP shall register with the Animal Industry Services Division (AIS) of Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry (ODAFF or The Department) and remit a fee of $100 per year, payable no later than January 1.
(1) A late fee of $100 will be assessed for payment after February 1.
(c) An inventory of all participating deer shall be submitted to AIS at the time of registration.
(1) Participating deer shall be identified with an official USDA ear tag.
(2) Genetic testing information for the individual deer shall be submitted at the time of registration.
(3) Details of the alleles at Codon 96 and the Genetically Estimated Breeding Value (GEBV) of offspring of participating does shall be submitted to AIS upon receipt of the testing results.
(d) Beginning February 1, 2026 and ending April 15, 2026, white-tailed deer does of any age and bucks that are less than 24 months of age, born and raised in Oklahoma by registered CWDGIP producers may be released onto private land pursuant to the landowner meeting the requirements of Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation regulations as outlined in Section 1.
(1) White-tailed deer shall be released only if:
(A) Their genetic testing proves they have the SS allele at Codon 96.
(B) Their GEBV is at or below -0.0560.
(C) They are identified with one (1) orange bangle ear tag in each ear that is at least 2” X 1 5/8” in size and the previously applied USDA official ear tag shall remain in place.
(2) The White-tailed deer that meet the genetic traits in (1) of this section may be released during the same time frame in subsequent years.
Word Search
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.
Frost
Winter
Season
Evergreen
Frigid
Gourd
Pumpkin
Cornucopia
Autumn
Harvest
Nutmeg
Chestnuts
Cider
Caramel
Equinox
OHIO ANNUAL EVENT DRAWS LARGE NUMBERS OF GENERAL PUBLIC
By: Gail Veley • Sponsored by the Whitetail Deer Farmers of Ohio
There were close to 1,800 people who attended The Whitetail Deer Farmers of Ohio (WDFO) convention in August of 2024. Approximately half were not deer farmers, but the interested and curious general public. The WDFO, a cornerstone of the deer farming community in the Buckeye State, appears to do a very commendable job of sharing their passion with those outside the industry, including hunters, non-hunters, families and children.
“With a mission to educate, unite and support deer farmers, the WDFO also strives to bring the broader public into the fold, helping them understand the nuances and rewards of this unique agricultural pursuit,” said Ivan Hochstetler, owner of Double H Whitetails in Wayne County, Ohio. Hochstetler, who has co-sponsored the annual WDFO event for the last two years, believes their Hallmark Feature and biggest crowd attraction at the annual event is the EXPO, a vibrant gathering Friday evening that includes dinner and a guest speaker. It typically draws both seasoned deer farmers and inquisitive visitors alike. The EXPO also serves as a platform to showcase the industry’s achievements with educational seminars, breeder displays and
interactive demonstrations. “We sold 107 tables at $1,000 a table, and at least half were bought by non-deer farmers,” Hochstetler explained. “An individual at each table won a gun.”
Beyond its focus on deer farming, the event throughout the years has gained a reputation for its community centered activities, including popular gun raffles as well as a special emphasis on honoring the veteran community, who also have their own table at each annual event. Event advertising is done through local newspapers, Facebook and various Ohio sporting goods stores.
“The Expo’s success and spirit of outreach can largely be attributed to the vision and dedication of our late Terry Klick, a passionate advocate for deer farming and a gregarious leader with the WDFO.” Hochstetler reflected. “Terry championed the EXPO as a way to connect deer farmers and the public, ensuring it became a yearly tradition. Being a veteran himself, Terry made certain they felt welcome, along with all the others. It not only advanced the industry but also fostered community camaraderie and goodwill. We gave a small gift to each and every child who attended the convention, 300 total this past year, along with hosting other family activities and the gun raffle that any adult who attended could potentially win.”
When Terry passed away in January of 2024, he left behind a legacy within the WDFO and the wider deer farming community. His leadership and passion continue to inspire those who knew him, and the EXPO stands as a testament to his enduring vision. As the WDFO moves forward, it remains committed to honoring Terry’s memory by growing the EXPO and further strengthening its mission of education, unity and outreach.
“There isn’t a minute that goes by that we aren’t thinking about or planning for our annual event,” said WDFO Executive Director Levi Miller. “As an association, I’d say we are very blessed to live in the great State of Ohio. If anyone reading this hasn’t been to one of our events, you owe it to yourself to come. We’d love to see you.”
“
The Expo’s success and spirit of outreach can largely be attributed to the vision and dedication of our late Terry Klick...
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