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Hunting

USDA Aims to Eradicate Feral Hogs In These States

May 14, 2026 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

Feral hogs are one of the world’s worst invasive species, and the damage they cause to wildlife, habitat and agriculture here in the United States is severe. Their explosive reproductive rate and assistance from people…

Habitat

This Alternative to Summer Food Plots for Deer Makes More Sense

May 6, 2026 Kip Adams

I’m a huge food plot fan. I grew up on a farm, and food plots have always been a tie to my childhood. I like growing food for deer, the connection to the land, and…

Hunting

Long-Distance Movements of Feral Hogs Are Coming From These Key States

May 5, 2026 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

It’s no secret that the biggest driver of the feral hog problem in the United States is people who trap and relocate live pigs for money or hunting opportunity. Now we have a roadmap of…

Deer Science

Fight Feral Hogs With Fire: What New Science Reveals

Apr 29, 2026 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

I’m just back from the International Wild Pig Conference, and I have bad news: feral hogs, wild pigs, invasive swine, or whatever you prefer to call them, are still a major problem. Shocker, I know….

NDA Podcasts

The State of the Whitetail and NDA’s 2026 Deer Report with Kip Adams

Apr 29, 2026 NDA Staff

In this episode of the Deer Season 365 podcast, we’re talking with NDA’s own Kip Adams about the State of the Whitetail and NDA’s 2026 Deer Report that highlights current deer harvest data and trends…

Habitat

How to Stop Deer From Eating Your Plants: What Actually Works (and What Doesn’t)

Apr 22, 2026 Matt Ross

Are you constantly frustrated with deer eating the plants in your garden, flowerbeds or the landscaping around the yard? Welcome to the club. You’re part of a group that counts its membership in the millions of…

Deer Science

What Makes Deer Grow Larger in Some Areas?

Apr 15, 2026 Mark Turner

Most deer hunters learn early in their hunting career that some locations produce larger deer than others. Hunters in Iowa and Kansas, for example, have a much different impression of what constitutes a big buck…

Deer Science

The Screwworm Fly is Back and Approaching Texas, Threatening Deer

Apr 8, 2026 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

A monster that eats live deer, which we thought we defeated decades ago, is on the rise. Once chased all the way back down to South America, the New World screwworm fly is staging a…

Habitat

Food Plots are Overrated. Do This Instead.

Apr 1, 2026 Brian Grossman

Before you hit send on that email questioning my sanity, let me start by saying that I love food plots as much as the next person. There’s something extremely satisfying about working the ground, planting…

Hunting

Shoot or Pass This Buck? New Wisconsin Study Paints a Portrait of the Picky Deer Hunter

Mar 25, 2026 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

Between the sound of the alarm clock and the punching of a buck tag, there’s a series of decisions for every deer hunter. Do I go hunting today? Yes. Is that a deer I see?…

Hunting

Hunters Aren’t Eating Enough Deer to Manage Populations. Here Are The Solutions.

Mar 18, 2026 Kip Adams

Hunters are enjoying near record-high deer populations across much of the whitetail’s range. The antlered buck harvest has only topped 3 million three times this century, and they’ve all been since 2020. However, the national…

Hunting

New States Climb into the Top-10 in Mature Buck Harvest

Mar 11, 2026 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

I keep thinking whitetail hunters can’t get any more selective when it comes to buck harvest, and then every year when NDA’s Deer Report compiles all the data from around the nation – we do….

Hunting

How Long Does it Take the Average Hunter to Harvest a Deer?

Mar 4, 2026 Cole Gander

For many hunters, myself included, harvesting a deer is the culmination of many months of hard work, preparation and countless hours spent afield. Sometimes everything falls into place perfectly, and a hunt ends with a…

Deer Science

How Do Whitetails Survive Harsh Winters? The Answer Might Surprise You.

Feb 25, 2026 Kip Adams

February is the perfect month for ice fishing, winter habitat work, and watching a highly-anticipated football game. It’s also the month that after a few hours of good outdoor exercise my dogs sleep more soundly…

Hunting

Shed Hunting Public Land: Timing, Pressure and Tactics That Work

Feb 18, 2026 Brian Grossman

Shed hunting was created for hunters like me who can’t stand the thought of spending three long months indoors between deer and turkey season. Sometimes I need an excuse to hit the woods and stretch…

Habitat

What is Forest Stand Improvement? A Starting Guide for Deer Habitat

Feb 11, 2026 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

On a drive home from Thanksgiving with family, a trip that took me through several eastern states, I spent a lot of time looking out the window at bad deer habitat. Acre after acre in…

Venison

Kick Off Your Super Bowl Party With These Venison Crowd-Pleasers

Feb 4, 2026 Ben Westfall

My wife and I are always experimenting with new venison recipes, especially ones our toddlers and non-hunting friends and family will enjoy as well. Appetizers and small plates are a great way to introduce venison…

Habitat

The Best Timing and Frequency of Prescribed Fire for Deer Habitat

Jan 28, 2026 Mark Turner and Craig Harper

Prescribed fire is the most effective and efficient tool to manage and improve deer habitat in most areas. Fire can be used to improve food and cover in ways that other practices cannot, and fire…

Habitat

Firebreaks First: How to Plan a Safe Prescribed Burn on Your Property

Jan 21, 2026 Brian Grossman

Prescribed fire is one of the most effective tools we have for improving wildlife habitat — but it’s also one that can go wrong fast if it isn’t planned carefully. During my time with the…

Hunting

Deer Report: Doe Harvest Jumps, Mature Buck Harvest Sets Another Record

Jan 9, 2026 NDA Staff

U.S. deer hunters gave the antlerless deer harvest a much-needed boost in the 2024-25 season, putting the total back above 3 million for only the third time in 11 years and ahead of the antlered…

Venison

How to Make Venison Sausage Like a Professional Chef

Jan 7, 2026 Evan Barrett

Please allow me to be frank. Making sausage is fun, easy, and once you know the basics, the possibilities seem limitless. As a professional chef who became a deer hunter through NDA’s Field to Fork…

Hunting

NDA’s Best Late-Season Deer Hunting Advice

Dec 17, 2025 NDA Staff

The late days of hunting season are a challenging time to fill deer tags. Deer are moving less as the rut becomes a memory. They’re wary and elusive after weeks of dodging hunters. Meanwhile, we…

NDA Podcasts

Rubs, Scrapes, and UV Light: What Deer See That We Don’t, with Daniel DeRose-Broeckert

Dec 15, 2025 NDA Staff

In this episode of the Deer Season 365 podcast, we’re talking with University of Georgia graduate student Daniel DeRose-Broeckert about his fascinating new deer vision research. What Daniel discovered is that rubs and scrapes actually…

Deer Science

This “Frosty” Silver Buck Has Biologists Stumped. See the Photos.

Dec 10, 2025 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

For three seasons now, Kevin O’Brien and his uncle and cousins, who all hunt in the same area of northwest Wisconsin, have been seeing and photographing a ghostly deer. Lots of whitetail bucks “ghost” us,…

Deer Science

Bucks, Does, and Dewclaws: Clearing Up One of Hunting’s Biggest Myths

Dec 3, 2025 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

At NDA, we frequently share emerging science that sometimes shatters old beliefs about deer, so we’re accustomed to hearing from skeptical hunters who are reluctant to let go of time-honored ideas. Lots of hunters have…

Hunting

Two Does, One Lesson: The Value of CWD Testing

Dec 1, 2025 Nick Pinizzotto

It was one of those evenings when you just feel like something good is about to happen. While I would have obviously taken a shot opportunity on a mature buck if presented, my focus was…

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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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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Increase Access and Hunting Opportunity in Delaware by Supporting HB 278

May 6, 2026 Catherine Appling-Pooler

The National Deer Association (NDA) supports Delaware House Bill 278 (HB278), a commonsense measure that would expand hunting opportunities on public lands by giving authority to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control…

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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.