The National Deer Association is pleased to name Doug Duren of Cazenovia, Wisconsin as its 2023 NDA Deer Manager of the Year Award winner, an award presented to a person or persons who demonstrate outstanding commitment to sound management of deer habitat and populations.
“Doug is a leader in CWD education and outreach and hunter recruitment efforts in Wisconsin and beyond,” said Kip Adams, NDA’s Chief Conservation Officer. “He organizes CWD sampling sites, doe derbies and more for Wisconsin’s hunters, and in doing so leads the charge for sound deer and disease management in the Badger State.”
Doug Duren is a passionate hunter, farmer, land manager and conservationist. He is the owner of Lone Oak Interests, LLC, specializing in site and land management consulting and contracting services throughout Wisconsin and the Driftless Area.
Doug manages the Duren Family Farm near Cazenovia, Wisconsin where he has been working and hunting for over 45 years. The farm has been in the Duren family for 115 years. He is also a frequent guest on the MeatEater podcast and TV show, where he shares his expertise and insights on hunting, conservation, and land stewardship. He advocates for the core message of “It’s not ours, it’s just our turn”, which means we should care for the natural resources we have inherited from previous generations and pass them on to future ones.
Read Doug’s article, Why Every Hunter Should Care About CWD.
Doug also recognized a need to connect deer hunters that need a place to go with landowners that could use assistance with reducing deer numbers, farm chores or general land management activities, so he founded Sharing the Land, a “Conservation Cooperators Network,” that pairs farmers, ranchers and rural property owners with private land access seekers for the purpose of stewarding and enjoying healthier lands together, all under a shared conservation ethic.
Doug has worked on a variety of projects with several public and private conservation organizations including American Forest Foundation, Aldo Leopold Foundation, Pheasants Forever, Wisconsin DNR, and others.
