Recent Content

Habitat

Top 5 Map Layers for Habitat Management You’ve Probably Overlooked

Apr 23, 2025 Matt Ross

Two of the biggest limitations in managing deer habitat are a lack of knowledge and time. Not everyone has formal land management training or experience, and we all do our best to balance life’s other…

Hunting

The Deer Hunting Fail That Put Me On a Path to Physical and Mental Fitness

Apr 16, 2025 Nick Pinizzotto

The unseasonably warm start to the 2013 Ohio archery deer season made it difficult for me to get motivated, and it didn’t help that I had lost my mental focus. After making more than enough…

Venison

How to Make Venison Scotch Eggs

Apr 16, 2025 Megan Postol

This delicious way to use venison requires so few ingredients, it’s almost hard to believe. Venison Scotch Eggs are a simple, hearty, and fun way to use our favorite wild game. They reheat well too,…

NDA Podcasts

Inside the Penn Vet Study on Deer Mortality and CWD With Dr. Erick Gagne and Dr. Jennifer Hoy-Petersen

Apr 16, 2025 NDA Staff

Through the Wildlife Futures Program, the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) is conducting a study to explore leading causes of mortality in deer with and without CWD within a CWD-endemic area….

Hunting

The Joys of Serving Others Through Doe Harvest

Apr 8, 2025 Elizabeth Kligge

It’s really hard to find time to hunt deer when your job revolves around giving other people opportunities to hunt deer. As NDA’s Director of Hunter Recruitment, I make plans to get out there for…

Deer Science

Top 3 Factors Influencing Deer-Vehicle Collisions

Apr 7, 2025 Casey Rotenberger

In my home state of Pennsylvania, everyone has either hit a deer with their vehicle or knows someone who has. The Keystone State was identified as “high-risk” in 2024 by State Farm, with the likelihood…

Habitat

How to Take a Food Plot Soil Sample

Apr 2, 2025 Cheyne Matzenbacher

A soil sample test can be the difference between a quality deer food plot and a failed food plot. This simple test can save you time, energy and of course money by determining your actual…

NDA Podcasts

Behind the Badge: A Look Inside the Life of a Conservation Warden with Michael Burns

Apr 2, 2025 NDA Staff

In our latest episode of the Deer Season 365 podcast, we talk with Michael Burns of Wisconsin all about his career as a Conservation Warden. Michael dives into the job’s responsibilities, dispels some common misconceptions,…

Habitat

4 Important Lessons Learned From Managing and Hunting a Small Property

Mar 26, 2025 Brian Grossman

Purchasing a small hunting property has been one of the most rewarding decisions I’ve made. Not only is it nice to occasionally hunt right out the back door, but being able to implement changes to…

Hunting

How to Secure Permission to Hunt Deer on Private Land

Mar 19, 2025 Autumn McEntee

Mentoring a new hunter at an NDA Field to Fork event is about as rewarding as it gets. Time spent in the blind is especially interesting because new hunters are full of questions about anything…

Habitat

Hinge, Girdle, Fell or Leave? A Guide to 50 Tree Species in Deer Habitat Management

Mar 12, 2025 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

So, you read an article or watched a video about Forest Stand Improvement for deer habitat, and now you’re standing in the woods ready to work. You hold a chainsaw in one hand and a…

Deer Science

Meet the Smallest Deer in North America, Florida’s Key Deer

Mar 5, 2025 Ben Westfall

What do you picture when you think of deer? The iconic whitetail is likely what comes to mind for most of us, but there are several other deer species found in the wild lands of…

Habitat

Do Deer Use Hinge-Cut Bedding Blocks? New Study Results Out

Feb 26, 2025 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

Dr. Craig Harper and his students at the University of Tennessee seem to love fact-checking untested but long-held assumptions about deer habitat. Their scientific work confirmed some popular theories and crushed many others. The latest…

Habitat

Beat Cabin Fever: 8 Offseason Tasks for Deer Hunters

Feb 19, 2025 Brian Grossman

Deer season may be over, but if you’re like me, the itch to be in the woods hasn’t gone away. Instead of sitting around waiting for next fall, though, this time of year is perfect…

Habitat

5 Takeaways From My First Growing-Season Prescribed Fire

Feb 12, 2025 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

With a growing body of science urging deer managers to diversify the timing of prescribed fire, I planned and lit my first growing-season fire on June 14 last year. It was a success, and I…

Venison

Venison Steamed Buns

Feb 11, 2025 NDA Staff

Craving a flavorful twist on a classic favorite? These venison steamed buns from Elevated Wild are the perfect blend of tender, juicy venison and soft, pillowy dough. Packed with rich, savory flavors and a touch…

Deer Science

How Far Apart Do Bucks Drop Their Antlers? Shed Hunting Tips From New Science

Feb 5, 2025 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

You just found a nice shed antler. How far away is the matching side? How likely are you to find it? We now have scientific data to help answer these questions, thanks to a new…

Hunting

6 Reasons to Leave Your Trail-Cameras Out Post Deer Season

Jan 29, 2025 Brian Grossman

For years, I’d put my trail-cameras out a couple months prior to deer season, watch them intently through the rut, and as soon as the season wrapped up, I’d venture back out to pull them…

NDA Podcasts

Talking Deer and Habitat Management With Jeb Burton of Crossroads with the Burtons

Jan 29, 2025 NDA Staff

On this episode of the Deer Season 365 podcast, host Brian Grossman is joined by NDA CEO, Nick Pinizzotto; NDA Chief Conservation Officer, Kip Adams; and special guest, Jeb Burton, of Crossroads with the Burtons to discuss…

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….

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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Wildlife is a Public Resource – Oppose Alabama HB509

Apr 8, 2025 Catherine Appling-Pooler

A significant threat to wildlife management has been introduced into the Alabama General Assembly. House Bill 509 (HB509) would prohibit state agencies from killing, testing, and prohibiting the transfer of captive deer due to disease…

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