NDA's Coffee and Deer

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. Also, Nick and The Doctor decided to do their final show by keeping it fun and discussing what items they take to the deer woods that they just can’t live without. Some of their choices will be...

It’s the most magical time in the deer woods, the rut! If you’re still holding a buck tag you know the best is yet to come in terms of overall deer activity and you’re probably overflowing with optimism. Just because it’s the rut certainly doesn’t guarantee success and there are plenty of things you can do to swing the odds in your favor. While some tactics have been proven effective during this t...

When you talk to the most successful deer hunters, most agree that controlling human odor is the primary factor determining success. Simply put, you can do everything else right but if you are lackadaisical with scent control you are dramatically hurting your odds. In this episode, Sam Burgeson, President of Wildlife Research Center, joins us to talk scent control and how his company has approache...

Seeing the forest for the trees. That can be a challenge in today’s busy world where simply finding time to be in the woods deer hunting is a welcome reprieve. Arguably, being in a hurry in the deer woods isn’t part of the best recipe for success considering how much we’re probably missing because we’re laser-focused on getting to a stand or blind without regard for the greater environment around...

It’s time to hunt deer! With hunting seasons in or about to start in most places in the country, it’s time to talk deer hunting. In this episode, we’re joined by Zach Scheidegger and Joe Pendergrass of ALPS OutdoorZ to discuss early-season whitetail hunting strategies. You’ll hear perspectives from the group about both public and private land, and how the approach might be different. Also in this...

In this episode, learn about how wildlife conservation is being robbed by Pittman-Roberson Act and Dingell-Johnson Act excise tax slippage due to foreign product production and international e-commerce. Dan Forster, Chief Conservation Officer at Archery Trade Association, joins Nick and The Doctor to explain this complex issue and how it is hurting businesses and ultimately wildlife in the United...

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and we’re celebrating by bringing you our 2024 deer season preview special. With a combined 200 years of deer hunting experience, our panel of Kip Adams, Brian Grossman, Mike Groman, Nick Pinizzotto, and Lindsay Thomas, Jr. share their gear setups, hunting approaches, goals for the upcoming season, and much more. This is a unique opportunity to learn about...

Hiring a habitat consultant to help you meet your land management and hunting goals might be just what you need to turn the corner on your land, but if you’ve never done this before you might not know what to expect. In this episode, Zack Vucurevich, the founder of Whetstone Habitat, LLC, joins Nick and the Doctor to talk about why hiring a consultant might be right for you while also answering qu...

Saddle hunting has grown steadily in popularity in recent years. More and more hunters are setting their climbing and fixed position stands aside, instead opting for the lightweight versatility of a saddle. Still, saddle hunting remains a mystery to many hunters and can be intimidating at first glance. In this episode, experienced saddle hunter Josh Hilliard of Tethrd joins Nick and the Doctor, wh...

Finding yourself in a tussle with a grizzly bear isn’t something anyone imagines for themselves and even with top training on how to deal with that situation, the outcome is typically not good. That’s exactly the position Amber Kornak found herself in just as her career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was getting started, but her quick thinking and determination helped her survive the inci...

Research shows that if you don’t grow up in a family of hunters or you’re not close to someone who does, chances are you won't become a hunter yourself. It can be an even bigger barrier if many around you are opposed to hunting and living a vegetarian lifestyle. NDA’s Pennsylvania Field to Fork Coordinator, Elizabeth Kligge, not only overcame those obstacles, she developed a love for hunting and w...

Just about everyone is fascinated with antlers, even those who don’t hunt deer. Not only are they cool to look at and get excited about as a hunter, but a ton can be learned from them even when they’ve been dropped to the ground by shedding bucks. In this episode, Nick and The Doctor are joined by Brian Peterson, Coordinator of the Master of Science Biology Online Program at the University of Nebr...

In our previous episode, our guest Kip Adams talked about the need for hunters to shoot more deer in many areas of the country, and one of the obstacles hunters face is not needing additional venison for themselves. We invited Jeremy Brown from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and Ronnie Ritter from Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry to talk about their unique venison snack stick program and...

Most hunters might find it hard to believe that only 41% of licensed deer hunters harvest just one deer. Equally surprising is only 17% of hunters kill more than one deer. You can find these statistics and many more in the NDA 2024 Deer Report, which you can download for free . Not taking enough antlerless deer off the landscape is becoming an increasing problem in many areas of the country, so we...

You’ve heard about WildTail, the first white-tailed deer documentary of its kind. Here’s an opportunity to hear the stories from behind the scenes from Executive Producer Joe Clements and the star of the show, Moriah Murphy. Produced as part of the Southeast Deer Partnership , WildTail offers a candid and sometimes humorous look at how we interact with America’s 30 million white-tailed deer. Featu...

Are you a serious conservationist, deer hunter, or habitat manager and want to get more involved with the National Deer Association? If so, this is a can’t miss episode as Nick and The Doctor are joined by the NDA’s Grassroots Program team, Matt Wilkins, Jason Meekhof, and Megan Postol. The team talks about the importance of volunteers to the organization and describes the process for getting invo...

Admittedly, it’s not a lot of fun to talk about chronic wasting disease (CWD) and its negative impact on deer populations, hunting, and overall wildlife conservation. That doesn’t mean there are no bright spots, however, and our guests on this episode provide some hope in the form of improved testing methodologies to detect the disease. Our hosts are joined by Dr. Michelle Gibison and Dr. Jennifer...

There are many effective ways to plant a food plot but two particular approaches, no-till planting and crimping, continue to gain popularity. In this episode, Paul Hollis, owner of PH Outdoors, joined Nick and The Doctor to talk about these techniques and their benefits. Paul also discussed in detail the no-till planters and crimpers his company manufactures, some of which can be pulled with a sui...

Matt Light played in the NFL for 11 years for the New England Patriots and while there won three Super Bowls, nine division championships, and five conference championships. He played left tackle and protected Tom Brady’s blind side for more than a decade after having done the same for Drew Brees while playing at Purdue in college. While his success on the gridiron is remarkable, he has always had...

The attacks by anti-hunters and animal welfare groups against sportsmen are constant. While groups like the National Deer Association (NDA) and our many conservation partners are working daily to implement conservation measures and policies that benefit fish and wildlife, others are working directly against the effort to put an end to hunting, trapping, and fishing. If you think deer hunting is im...

Did you know there are wildlife health professionals scattered across the country working day and night to keep animals and people safe from wildlife-borne diseases? These good people are truly working on the front lines of wildlife management and it’s likely most people have no idea that it’s happening. That’s why we invited Wildlife Health Technician, Ian Gereg, to join us on this episode to tal...

While assessing tooth replacement and tooth wear can be an effective way to age deer to a certain age, or at least get you close, there’s no more accurate way than having a tooth analyzed under a microscope using the cementum annuli technique. Our guest in this episode is Heather Stevens, owner of Wildlife Analytical Laboratories and founder of deerage.com. She shares with Nick and The Doctor how...

It wasn’t long after Ohio hunter Jason Thomas walked up on his buck of a lifetime that word started getting out that a potential new Ohio typical record may have fallen. A few weeks later a MeatEater headline read, “Ohio Hunter Kills One of World’s Biggest Whitetails,” and Outdoor Life followed with “Ohio Crossbow Hunter Stalks into Position on a Bedded 200-Class Buck.” More would follow from othe...

The winter deer season is here! After weeks of being pursued by hunters, starting with archery equipment and eventually firearms, deer are more cautious than ever, making it even more challenging to get into shooting range. Difficult doesn’t mean impossible though, and in this episode, Nick and The Doctor invited Mark Kenyon of MeatEater and the Wired to Hunt podcast to talk about what it takes to...

Many people watch outdoors television and dream about working in the content creation side of the industry. It’s a question we’re asked about often, so we invited videographer and photographer Dylan Lenz to the podcast to talk about what it takes to be successful in outdoors television and content creation. Dylan’s primary project is creating content with Jeff Sturgis of Wildlife Habitat Solutions...