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Whitetails Unlimited’s My First Deer Program Looking For Successful Hunters in 2009
Program celebrates a life-long memory – a hunter’s first deer.

Whitetails Unlimited

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin --(AmmoLand.com)-A hunter’s first white-tailed deer is an important part of their personal hunting heritage, and Whitetails Unlimited’s My First Deer program is ready to celebrate that rite of passage with them.

As this year’s deer seasons approach, when you (or someone you know) take that first deer, remember to go to the Whitetails Unlimited web site and join a special group of hunters.

The My First Deer program celebrates a life-long memory – a hunter’s first deer. While oriented strongly toward youth, the program acknowledges a hunter of any age entering into a very special hunting fraternity of sportsmen and women. This special group of hunters can trace its roots all the way back to the Native Americans and early European settlers in North America.

To participate, a hunter need only submit a photo of their first deer, along with a short narrative (250 word maximum) about the hunt that resulted in their first deer.

To mark the occasion, Whitetails Unlimited will provide the successful deer hunter with a personalized color certificate, suitable for framing, and a custom WTU shooter’s cap to wear with pride. In addition, everyone who participates will be entered into a drawing for one of three gift cards, generously donated by Cabela’s. First prize is a $300 Cabela’s gift card, second prize is a $200 Cabela’s gift card, and third prize is a $100 Cabela’s gift card. The drawing will be held January 5, 2010, with winners posted on the WTU web site.

“This is a great way to mark this special deer hunting experience, and provide the successful hunter with a permanent reminder of that memorable day,” said Kevin Devault, WTU’s manager of conservation funding. “It’s a day and a moment in a hunter’s life that I promise they will never forget.”

Whitetails Unlimited introduced My First Deer as a pilot program in the last part of 2008, and it was an immediate success. As a result, WTU is running the program for the entire year in 2009.

“Just ask any deer hunter, young or old, about their first deer and they will relive the entire experience as if it just happened yesterday,” said Devault. “Responsible hunters today, as in the past, continue to play a vital role in determining the fate of our nation’s deer population and the sport of regulated hunting. Honest, ethical hunters are the true conservationists in today’s society.”

For complete details on the My First Deer program, visit the WTU website at www.whitetailsunlimited.com.

About:
Founded in 1982, Whitetails Unlimited is a national nonprofit conservation organization. Our mission is to raise funds in support of education, habitat enhancement and acquisition, and the preservation of the hunting tradition for the benefit of the white-tailed deer and other wildlife. When it comes to the whitetail and its environment, WTU’s degree of professionalism and dedication has earned us the reputation of being the nation’s premier whitetail organization.

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Whitetails Unlimited Supports Innovative Ohio Project Looking to Connect Hunters and Farmers
Web-based plan will allow farmers to select hunters to help reduce crop damage.

HuntOhioFarms.com

Whitetails Unlimited

Ohio --(AmmoLand.com)- An innovative project in Ohio, supported in part by Whitetails Unlimited, will use the internet this fall to match up hunters looking for places to hunt with farmers who want to reduce the deer population on their land.

The new program is designed as a mechanism for farmers to reduce the number of deer on their land, because the deer are damaging their crops. The plan is to have hunters fill out an online questionnaire of their hunting preferences, such as whether the hunter is willing to shoot does, which season the hunter prefers, what days of the week the hunter will hunt, and the hunter’s choice of hunting implement. The farmer will then be able to review those hunter preferences and initiate contact with specific hunters.

“The program will give hunters the chance at new hunting areas, but still enable farmers to control who is hunting on their land,” said Ohio WTU Field Director Denny Malloy. “Farmers said that they didn’t want a constant stream of calls, and the survey will give them the information they need to be able preselect hunters who will fit into their needs, such as when the hunts occur and whether the hunters will be using firearms or archery.”

A pilot program is being implemented this year in four of Ohio’s 88 counties – Harrison, Jefferson, Tuscarawas and Carroll, all of which produce impressive numbers of deer.
Hunters interested in participating can fill out the questionnaire at www.huntohiofarms.com.

The program is a joint venture of the Ohio Division of Wildlife and the Ohio Farm Bureau, with additional support being provided by Whitetails Unlimited and the Quality Deer Management Association.

“This seems like a great idea,” said Malloy, “and we’re watching this program closely to see how it actually works out. This could be a model for other places in the country, and even for other game species. Anytime you can open access to land for responsible hunters it’s good not only for the hunters, but also for landowners and wildlife.”

For more information on the Hunt Ohio Farms project, visit www.huntohiofarms.com.
For more information on Whitetails Unlimited’s existing hunter-landowner Project POLITE, or other programs offered by WTU, such as Kids on Target, My First Deer, Whitetail Watch, or Comprehensive Deer Management program, visit www.whitetailsunlimited.com.

About:
Founded in 1982, Whitetails Unlimited is a national nonprofit conservation organization. Our mission is to raise funds in support of education, habitat enhancement and acquisition, and the preservation of the hunting tradition for the benefit of the white-tailed deer and other wildlife. When it comes to the whitetail and its environment, WTU’s degree of professionalism and dedication has earned us the reputation of being the nation’s premier whitetail organization.

Filed under: Hunting News by Ammoland No Comments »