NDA Celebrates Introduction of CDW Research and Management Act in Senate

April 29, 2022 – The National Deer Association (NDA) applauds Thursday’s introduction of the Chronic Wasting Disease Research and Management Act in the United States Senate. The bill’s introduction serves as a companion to the House of Representatives version, which passed the House in December. The NDA is proud to endorse the legislation, joining a strong group of conservation and industry organizations. The Act will support management efforts and research to combat chronic wasting disease (CWD), which is a contagious, neurological disease affecting deer, elk and moose that is always fatal. 

“We appreciate the initiative taken by Senators John Hoeven (R-ND) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) in introducing comprehensive CWD legislation that will support state and federal research and management of the disease,” said Nick Pinizzotto, NDA President and CEO. “CWD represents the most significant threat to deer and deer hunting, and managing it requires a comprehensive effort by hunters at the grassroots level as well as local, state, and federal agencies and decision makers. Passage of this bill would be helpful in that regard.”

Like the House bill, the Senate companion authorizes $70 million annually from Fiscal Year 2022 through Fiscal Year 2028 for research and management of CWD, with the money to be split evenly between research and management. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will administer the funds through cooperative agreements. The bill also includes authorization for USDA and state and tribal agencies to develop educational materials to inform the public on CWD and directs USDA to review its herd certification program (HCP) within 18 months of the bill’s passage.

NDA’s mission is to ensure the future of wild deer, wildlife habitat and hunting, and deer diseases is outlined as a critical focus area. Slowing the spread of CWD is of primary concern as the disease is one of the largest threats to wildlife conservation that we have encountered over the last century. Through our extensive work on this issue across North America, we know that proactive research and monitoring is critically important to the management of the disease and wild deer, elk, and moose herds. To accomplish this, we welcome federal support to assist with research and testing efforts by wildlife managers.

The introduction of the Chronic Wasting Disease Research and Management Act in the Senate following quick House passage last fall is a huge step towards increasing federal leadership and assistance in combating CWD. Strong bipartisan support and quick movement in both chambers is proof of the importance of wild deer to the American people and the direness of this always-fatal disease. The NDA will continue advocate for the bill’s passage in the Senate and signing by the President.

About the National Deer Association

Formally launched on November 10, 2020, the National Deer Association is a non-profit deer conservation group that leads efforts to ensure the future of wild deer, wildlife habitat and hunting. Formed by combining the strengths of two long-serving, successful organizations, the National Deer Association has a combined 38 years of action that has changed deer management for the betterment of hunting and protected North America’s most vital and admired game species for future generations. Visit DeerAssociation.com or follow @deerassociation on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok.

NDA Calls for Pennsylvania Game Commission to Oversee Captive Deer Shooting Facilities

April 27, 2022 – The National Deer Association is calling for full authority over Pennsylvania’s captive deer shooting facilities to be transferred from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) to the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC).

On April 11, PGC announced the creation of a new chronic wasting disease management area (DMA) and the expansion of two existing DMAs. The new DMA 7 was created when CWD was detected at a captive deer facility in Lycoming County. The DMA represents the fifth of seven DMAs to be created due to a captive facility.

“Each CWD-positive facility negatively impacts tens of thousands of hunters and Pennsylvania’s wild deer,” said Kip Adams, NDA’s Chief Conservation Officer. “PGC has the biological and law enforcement staff necessary for captive deer shooting facility oversight, and full authority over these facilities would help protect the state’s wild deer resource and the $1.6 billion that hunting contributes to Pennsylvania’s economy annually.”

Captive deer facilities in Pennsylvania must be enrolled in the PDA’s herd monitoring program (HMP). According to PDA, the HMP is a mandatory program of surveillance and related actions designed to monitor farmed or captive deer and elk herds for CWD. There is also a more rigorous, but voluntary, herd certification program (HCP). Most of the state’s 723 captive shooting facilities are in the HMP. Unfortunately, 10 herds in the HCP and 25 herds in the HMP are now CWD-positive, and the number continues to climb. Eighteen of those captive facilities still have deer on them. This is completely unacceptable from a disease management standpoint, and it continues to threaten Pennsylvania’s wild deer resource and all the Keystone State’s deer and elk enthusiasts. For more information on PDA programs and CWD-positive facilities click here.

Transferring responsibilities for administering and enforcing statutes and rules related to captive deer shooting facilities from PDA to PGC will ensure uniformity and efficiency in managing deer and CWD in the state. Currently, PDA has authority over captive deer, while PGC has authority over wild deer. Transfer of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s authority over captive deer shooting facilities to the Pennsylvania Game Commission will help protect Pennsylvania’s wildlife resources and limit the spread of CWD and the number of sportsmen and women negatively impacted by it.

About the National Deer Association

Formally launched on November 10, 2020, the National Deer Association is a non-profit deer conservation group that leads efforts to ensure the future of wild deer, wildlife habitat and hunting. Formed by combining the strengths of two long-serving, successful organizations, the National Deer Association has a combined 38 years of action that has changed deer management for the betterment of hunting and protected North America’s most vital and admired game species for future generations. Visit DeerAssociation.com or follow @deerassociation on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok.

National Deer Association Looks for New Deer Hunters in Under-Represented Communities

April 19, 2022 – The National Deer Association (NDA) released a video documentary of a groundbreaking Field to Fork hunter-recruitment event held last year aimed at diversifying deer hunting, providing equitable access to underrepresented communities, and shoring up conservation funding. The video is now available on NDA’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/deerassociation.

According to a national survey that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducts every five years, the number of people who participate in hunting has been declining since the 1980s, even as the human population continues to rise. The same data show that of the approximately 11.5 million licensed hunters in the United States, 90% are male and 97% are Caucasian.
This trajectory and imbalance are problematic because the country's entire wildlife conservation system is heavily dependent on sportsmen and women for funding. Money generated from license fees and excise taxes provides more than 60% of the funding for state wildlife agencies like the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, which manage most of the wildlife in the United States. Thus, losing hunters equates to a crisis for all wildlife. 

To reverse this trend and help save conservation-funding, there is a growing movement in the outdoor industry to provide equitable access to underrepresented communities and diversify hunting. In November 2021, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), New York Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Hunters of Color, New York Department of Environmental Conservation and the National Deer Association came together to host a Field to Fork mentored hunting event for aspiring hunters from the Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) community. 

“We wanted to make sure this program was specific, and having groups that target and work with [underrepresented] communities was critical,” said Paul Gallery, TNC Steward Coordinator.

The event was hosted on TNC’s Hannacroix Preserve, roughly 30 minutes outside Albany, and financial support was provided by the NSSF Hunting Heritage Trust grant program. Participants ranged in age from 34-62 and were given the opportunity to go through New York Hunter Education, learn about deer biology and behavior through NDA’s Deer Hunting 101 online course, gain experience shooting, go on multiple hunts with an experienced mentor by their side, and enjoy the fellowship and camaraderie found in many New York deer camps each fall under a safe and welcoming environment.

“I estimated that it would have been at least two years before I would even venture out to go hunting,” said Avery Toledo, one of the hunt participants who is featured in the new video. “On the route that I was going before, studying and reading, you have all these questions, but you’re confined to what you’re reading and don’t have someone to ask. I was able to ask those questions, get immediate feedback and not only that, after I leave here, we’re going to stay connected.” 

“Our ultimate goal is that [Field to Fork hunt participants] self-identify as a hunter, to say ‘I am a hunter, this is something can do and I’m gonna do it’,” said Hank Forester, NDA Director of Hunting. “But what creates that is the community, camaraderie and the social support that pushes them along in their journey as a hunter.”

“It’s totally possible to teach yourself how to hunt, but these programs are so important because you’re learning from experts, you’re learning from people who want you to be there as well,” said Lydia Parker, Executive Director and co-founder of Hunters of Color. “So, we call it creating a surrogate family at Hunters of Color.”

Plans are underway for more events that will help lower barriers to women and minorities and increase deer hunting participation through representation.

To watch the six-minute video: Finding New Deer Hunters in Under-Represented Communities

For more information on NDA’s Field to Fork program: www.deerassociation.com/fieldtofork

Join NDA and support their mission today, or sign up for their free e-newsletter to receive the latest on deer hunting and management at DeerAssociation.com

About the National Deer Association

Formally launched on November 10, 2020, the National Deer Association is a non-profit deer conservation group that leads efforts to ensure the future of wild deer, wildlife habitat and hunting. Formed by combining the strengths of two long-serving, successful organizations, the National Deer Association has a combined 38 years of action that has changed deer management for the betterment of hunting and protected North America’s most vital and admired game species for future generations. Visit DeerAssociation.com or follow @deerassociation on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.