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Habitat

5 Easy Steps to Better Deer Forage and Cover

Jan 22, 2025 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

One of the easiest ways to quickly improve forage and cover for deer is to remove a plant that doesn’t belong here. Whether it’s a non-native tree, shrub or vine, the space and resources it…

Hunting

Mature Buck Harvest Rises to Another New U.S. Record

Jan 15, 2025 NDA Staff

U.S. deer hunters took more than 3 million whitetail bucks in the 2023-24 hunting season and set a new record in mature buck harvest, as 43% of those bucks were estimated to be 3½ years…

Deer Science

4 Reasons Mature Bucks Are Critical to Deer Herd Health and Hunting

Jan 8, 2025 Kip Adams

Mature bucks can take your breath away. Whether it’s a frosty fall morning in the woods or a summer evening in an alfalfa field, the mere glimpse of a mature buck will make your heart…

Habitat

A Guide to the Most Important Weather Factors in Prescribed Fire

Jan 7, 2025 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

Prescribed fire is a fantastic deer habitat management tool, and nothing is more important when using it than ensuring a safe, effective and contained burn. By planning and waiting to burn under the right conditions,…

Hunting

8 Worthy Resolutions for Deer Hunters

Jan 1, 2025 Brian Grossman

A new year always brings with it a mix of emotions for me. I’m saddened because it marks the final days of Georgia’s deer season, but at the same time I love the feeling of…

Hunting

I Tagged My Oldest Doe Ever. Was it a Warning Sign?

Dec 18, 2024 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

I was desperate. I was down to my last few days of hunting for the year, and my freezer would have been chirping if it was a smoke detector. The woods seemed desolate, too. I…

NDA Podcasts

Deer Hunting Gear We Can’t Live Without and Retiring the Coffee and Deer Podcast

Dec 18, 2024 NDA Staff

After 87 episodes of the Coffee and Deer podcast, we’ve decided to retire the show and instead focus solely on NDA’s Deer Season 365 podcast. The details behind this decision are explained in this episode….

Deer Science

Weak Excuses and Legitimate Concerns of Late-Season Doe Harvest

Dec 11, 2024 Kip Adams

During my career as a deer biologist, I’ve heard many weak excuses for why hunters pass up opportunities at antlerless deer late in the hunting season. I’m sure you’ve heard some of them, too. Conversely,…

Hunting

The Rut’s Winding Down. Now What?

Dec 4, 2024 Brian Grossman

As deer hunters, we eagerly anticipate the the rut — that magical time of year when deer movement is at its peak, and you never know what may show up in front of your deer…

Venison

How to Make Venison Roast Beast Sandwiches

Dec 3, 2024 Evan Barrett

Editor’s Note: Evan Barrett of Michigan learned to hunt deer through NDA’s Field to Fork program, and he has continued to participate in the program as a mentor to other new hunters. As a professional…

Deer Science

How Long Before You See Bigger Deer After Improving Nutrition?

Nov 20, 2024 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

You were present in your maternal grandmother’s womb. I know this is a strange way to begin a story about deer, but stay with me: It’s the simplest way to explain an important concept of…

NDA Podcasts

Techniques for Hunting the Rut and Beyond With Michael Perry

Nov 20, 2024 Brian Grossman

In this week’s episode of the Deer Season 365 podcast, we discuss rut-hunting strategies with Michael Perry of Alabama as he follows the rut across his home state and beyond. Michael has killed some tremendous…

Hunting

8 Ways Hunters in CWD Zones Can Fight for Healthy Deer

Nov 13, 2024 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

For many deer hunters in North America, chronic wasting disease is the new normal. If you hunt in a county where CWD has been found in deer, you aren’t alone. The disease has been found…

Hunting

Top-10 States in Mature Buck Harvest

Nov 13, 2024 Kip Adams

Deer hunters in the United States are taking more mature bucks than ever in modern history. That’s true both as a percentage of the antlered buck harvest and in actual numbers of bucks harvested. This…

Hunting

Why Bucks “Vanish” When They Are Tending Does, and How to Find Them

Nov 6, 2024 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

I’ve been hunting deer for 40 years, and I’ve never seen it. Only a few of the veteran deer hunters I know have seen it, and even those encounters were fleeting glimpses. Many wildlife biologists…

NDA Podcasts

Buck Behavior During the Rut With Wildlife Photographer Tes Randle Jolly

Nov 6, 2024 Brian Grossman

In this episode of the Deer Season 365 podcast, we talk with wildlife photographer Tes Randle Jolly all about her observations of various buck (and doe) behavior leading up to and during the rut. Tes…

Hunting

Hunting Deer Out of State Means Different Planning in the CWD Age

Nov 5, 2024 Bruce and Elaine Ingram

On a recent Saturday during one of West Virginia’s antlerless deer firearm seasons, I drove 56 miles from my Virginia home to my Monroe County, West Virginia land, which I bought in 2008 so I…

Deer Science

Does Weather Impact Deer Movement? Here’s What We Know

Oct 30, 2024 Brian Grossman

As hunters, we’re always looking for the slightest edge we can gain to improve our odds of success in the field. We buy the latest gear, read up on all the latest hunting tips and…

NDA Podcasts

Rut Hunting Techniques for Whitetails You May Not Have Thought of With Nick Pinizzotto and Mike Groman

Oct 30, 2024 NDA Staff

It’s the most magical time in the deer woods, the rut! If you’re still holding a buck tag you know the best is yet to come in terms of overall deer activity and you’re probably…

Deer Science

Three Reliable Ways to Test Deer for CWD

Oct 28, 2024 Dr. Jenn Ballard

While the full impact of chronic wasting disease (CWD) on wildlife populations, hunting culture and conservation continues to come to light, it is already clear that this disease will be part of a new normal…

Hunting

How Much Venison Can You Expect From Your Deer?

Oct 23, 2024 Elizabeth Kligge

From scouting, to the thrill of the hunt itself, to the food we are able to procure, deer hunting is a year-round source of enjoyment. And when it comes to putting venison in the freezer,…

Habitat

How to Fix Overgrazed Food Plots, Now and Later

Oct 23, 2024 Mark Turner

I’ve visited many properties managed for deer across the eastern United States, and the number one most consistent problem I see is overabundant deer populations. This problem becomes apparent quickly when you step into an…

NDA Podcasts

How to Consistently Kill Mature Bucks Where You Hunt With Dan Infalt, Andy May, Jeremy Aron, and More

Oct 23, 2024 NDA Staff

In this week’s episode of the Deer Season 365 podcast, we tap into over three years worth of episodes to provide you with the best deer hunting advice we’ve received along the way. We cover…

Habitat

Deer Are King, But Deer Habitat is Great for Another Monarch

Oct 21, 2024 Kip Adams

As hunters who manage wildlife habitat, one of the biggest satisfactions we get is seeing deer and other animals using it. Well, one species that uses it and can really use our help is the…

Deer Science

6 Facts You Really Need to Know About Buck Home Ranges, and 1 You Don’t

Oct 16, 2024 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

We know a lot about whitetail buck home ranges, those phantom zones on the landscape where bucks spend most of their lives. We may even know too much about them. In a review of the…

Deer Science

Cryptorchid Bucks, Antlered Does, And Other Rare Deer Defy the Ordinary

Oct 16, 2024 Cole Gander

Every year a lucky few deer hunters are fortunate enough to encounter rare deer that defy the usual patterns of antler growth and reproductive biology. These include cryptorchid bucks, does with antlers, and other unusual…

Hunting Land Liability Insurance Don't put yourself or your family at risk!

Whether you are a landowner, or a hunter who leases land or is a member of a hunting club, hunting land liability insurance is essential because both parties assume some legal risk while on a property.

Landowners have a duty to guests and those paying to hunt (leaseholders). Hunters need liability insurance to protect themselves, other members of their hunting group, and even guests against acts for which they could be held legally responsible.

It is simply not worth risking your personal assets or your family’s financial security for unfortunate accidents or acts of others on the property you hunt.

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Advocating for wild deer and hunting

The NDA regularly engages on important conservation issues impacting wild deer and deer hunting at the local, state and federal levels. We ask all our members and followers to get engaged with these important policy issues to help us ensure the future of wild deer, wildlife habitat and hunting.

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How State Wildlife Agencies Are Funded, and What It Means for Deer Hunters

Dec 10, 2024 Catherine Appling-Pooler

As deer hunters, we have a direct stake in how our state wildlife agencies are funded. These agencies play a crucial role in managing wildlife populations, protecting habitats, and promoting sustainable hunting practices. However, recent…

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Many of the greatest joys in my life have come amidst deer, deer hunters, and deer habitat, so my decision to support the National Deer Association is an easy one.