Winter has been brutal this year across the nation with many struggling with ice, deep snow, and bitter cold temperatures.   Even Florida saw the white stuff this year, but compared to our Northern friends, our animals and us were truly blessed.  

For many, Spring will not come soon enough.  Simply ask any teenager or college  student where they plan on heading for spring break, and Florida will be at the top of  the list.  Remember the old saying, “ HAPPY WIFE, HAPPY LIFE”.   So why not make your  kids and wife happy and join us at one of Florida’s biggest events, the Southeast Trophy Deer Association’s Spring Fling Fundraising Auction this March 6-7, in Orlando.   (Please see our website for details)

As the deer industry continues to change, the board of directors and I, have been dedicated to keeping you informed and up to date, so that you may be best prepared for any challenges that may arise.   In this  issue, you will find articles from two doctors,  Dr. Joe Ables and Dr. Chris Ashworth, which will do just that.  Their topics cover the latest advancements in caring for your animals.  By the way, you will be able to meet and hear both speaking this March at our upcoming Spring Fling.

In Part 8 of the series, The Truth About CWD, you will discover why THE NUMBERS DON’T ADD UP,  and how the greatest change and advancement to man’s processing of information and problem solving with the help of AI, is something that Federal and State agencies will come to fear.  They can no longer hide the truth with lies......just ask AI !

The 2025 Annual Meeting of Members to elect board members was held Saturday  January 10, 2026 at the Tucker Hill Pavillion off Croom Road in Brooksville, Florida.  I want to thank all those who voted.  Three board of directors were elected who’s term will begin March 7th at the conclusion of the 2026 Spring Fling.   Benny Wilkison and Tim Cromwell were both re-elected for another 3 year term,  while Les Simon, was elected to serve the remaining two years of my term.

It has been my great honor to serve on this board and to ensure that ALL Florida deer farmers, from the smallest to the largest, were represented.  To the best of my abilities, I have tried to promote and market Florida’s deer and to assist others in doing the same.  As well as, to help educate, and keep all those who were interested, informed of the latest advancements in caring for deer, regardless if they were deer farmers or not, and to ensure that our members were kept abreast of any plans and  changes that FWC and the Florida Dept. of AG were proposing which could affect them, and to make sure that they heard our concerns,  and to be the best steward of your trust and funds as possible.   Every member should be proud that what once was a dream has become a reality, and for the 3rd year in a row, we will be awarding a Scholarship recipient at the Spring Fling.  

Always remember, myself and your board are here to serve you.  If you have any  questions or concerns, please let us know.  We all may not always see eye to eye, but your input is valued, and your voice will always be respectfully listened to.

A good friend of mine once said, “It’s not the path we walk, but those we meet along the way that make the journey oh so rewarding”.

As always, stay Safe and Florida Strong,

Sincerely,

Dr. Bill Leffler

It’s that time of year once again, where we see the fruits of our labor. Our fawns are weaned and does are ready for breeding. Our bucks are big, beautiful, hard horned, and now dangerous to each other and ourselves. Those that have not already been sold as stockers should have their temperament greatly improved or their antlers removed. In this issue you will read an article, To Cut or Not To Cut, and make your own opinion.

It’s also that time of year when deer farmers’ plans for the future are put into action. You can’t change or improve the genetics standing on your farm unless you buy different deer, embryos, or semen. Regardless if you intend to Al or live breed, try to relax, take a deep breath, and remember it’s in God’s hands.

In part 7 of the series, The Truth About CWD, you will read about the second case of CWD being confirmed in Florida and part of my discussion with Steve Padgett who owns a preserve in the “quarantine zone”. I was only too happy to send him all the information I could about CWD so that he was fully prepared for a meeting with FWC.

This year’s Summer Picnic held at the Austin Carey Learning Center was again a huge success. SETDA’s primary goal for the event as always was to help educate deer farmers., and boy did we. Thanks to the help of Dr. Diane Kitchens with FDACS, Ken Holmes with FWC, and the incredible team from CHeRI. The great folks at CHeRI were kind and allowed me to use their data and slides for a presentation that I gave at Pennsylvania’s Deer Fundraising Auction in September. I was asked to be a speaker and help educate our northern friends about hemorrhagic diseases. The timing was unfortunately a few months too late as many states were being ravished by EHD and BTV with heartbreaking losses.

Our Spring Fling Fundraising Auction will once again be held at the Double Tree Hilton by the Orlando airport. You will find information about it, including room discounts, and how you and others can market your deer and products. Members from SETDA’s board of directors will be reaching out to assist you with this and ask for your support. We look forward to seeing everyone there.

Let me introduce you to the newest members of SETDA’s BOD:

Michael “Andrew” Owens, with Whitetail Country Plantation in Live Oak, Florida

Blaine Flynn, with Flynn Farms in Milton, Florida

As always, myself, and your board are here to serve you. Please reach out with any questions or concerns. We will be having announcing the date of the annual meeting to be held prior to January 15th to elect new board members whose term is expiring. Voting members should look forward to receiving a ballot to either be sent by mail or electronically after January 1st.  Those interested in being on the board of directors, will find the application form inside, which must be turned in before the ballots are sent out.

I want to wish everyone in advance, a Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

As always, stay Florida Strong and Safe,

Sincerely,

Dr. Bill Leffler

• 68A-4.0052 Possession and Release of Live Mallards.doc
• 68A-12.006 Sale of Pen-Raised Quail.doc
• 68A-12.011 Regulations Governing Game Farms.doc
• 68A-12.010 Regulations Governing Hunting Preserves.doc
• 68A-1.004 Definitions.doc

The Southeast Trophy Deer Association recently held our annual Spring Fling Fundraiser.  The two-day event provided an opportunity to meet, and ask questions of, and

learn from other deer farmers across the state and country.  We welcomed speakers from Texas, Missouri, and Pennsylvania share their success stories of raising deer and 

concerns.  All agreed that breeding CWD resistance into their herds is critical for the future of deer farming.  The free educational seminars provided vital information on

how to become better stewards for our animals.  The doctors and staff at UF CHeRI shared the newest breakthrough in combating hemorrhagic disease.    Ashley Petersen, 

traveled from South Dakota to update us on Medgene's progress with vaccines.  While Mike Russin from Mixlab, covered various meds for deer immobilization.

This year we presented two Scholarship awards, one to Miranda Imeri and the other to Presli Busby.  We also offered new Florida deer farmers an opportunity to WIN A FREE

DEER, thanks to the generosity of the following sponsors: Dr. Bill Leffler from 2 Base Down Whitetails,  Sam Petersheim from Cresent Ranch, and Mike Vizcaino Deer Farm.  The biggest winners were our audience, those attending in person and online.   

Thanks to our generous sponsors, vendors, lecturers, and all those who placed ads, consignments, and donations for helping to make 2025 SETDA's Spring Fling a huge success.   

Sincerely,

Dr. Bill Leffler

SETDA Pres. 

This bill has been a long time coming and makes the FWC Board more representative of the entire state. It further protects all private landowners rights from FWC coming onto their property without a warrant. Unanimously passed 116 to 0 on April 16th.

CS/CS/HB 1133: Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

View Clip Here

At its February meeting, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved rule changes for hunt preserves and game farms, to enhance public safety, prevent wildlife escapes, align with industry standards, increase accountability and clarify existing regulations.

In 2017, the FWC implemented significant changes to hunt preserve and game farm rules, including enclosure requirements to prevent animal escapes. Over the past seven years, FWC staff and stakeholders have identified areas for further improvement. The revised rules, developed in collaboration with stakeholders, include updates to enclosure requirements, such as water gaps and new gate designs, to better reflect industry needs.

“We appreciate the Commissioners’ recognizing the need for these hunt preserve and game farms rule revisions, said Maj. John Wilke, FWC Captive Wildlife section leader. “These updates will reflect current industry standards, clarify regulations, and improve safety for both wildlife and the public.”

Key changes also include:

A requirement for dissolved facilities to properly dispose of wildlife in their possession.

Increased permit holder accountability for actions taken by their employees.

A prohibition on hunting captive-bred turkeys on hunt preserves.

Key points:

Enclosure requirements – New standards address water gap enclosures and gates, which were not covered in previous rules but are necessary for operation.

Dissolution of facilities – Facilities that lose their permits due to revocation or nonrenewal must legally remove all captive wildlife, ensuring accountability and preventing unlicensed individuals from continuing operations.

Escaped wildlife – Permit holders are required to make reasonable efforts to recapture escaped animals.

Permit holder responsibility – Permit holders are accountable for violations related to their FWC permit committed by employees at the facility.

genomically-estimated-breeding-value.pdf

68A-12.011 Game Farms DRAFT 10-1-24 (1).doc

68A-12.010 Hunt Preserves DRAFT 10-1-24 (2).doc

Vice President’s Message:

It’s funny how a day can change everything. This message was finished and ready for print but is today August 4^th being re-written as Florida prepared for its first hurricane of the 2024 season.  My prayer and best wishers go out to all.

Florida Strong is not just a motto of The Southeast Trophy Deer Association, nor are they just words.  Those two words embrace and describe the deer we grow and our deer farmers in general.  We are tough, no wind, or another 12-20 inches of rain stop us.

Yesterday we had our summer Picnic at the Austin Corey Learning Center outside of Gainesville, where 47 people drove out of or into rain to attend.  We are fortunate to have the folds for CHeRI  provide great education as always.  Ashley from Medgene discussed their newest project, a vaccine for Blue Tounge.

Tim and I were happy to discuss and share some of our secrets of fawn care and bottle-feeding techniques. 

We had our seasonal annual dart gun competition, with a larger target so that everyone would have a much easier chance to win.  Lots of fun and laughs were had by all.  Let’s just say that next year the target may be larger for everyone, that is except for Bella Leffler, she graciously withdrew her shooting core form the competition, allowing June Troy to win.

This generosity was stepped up when “Little John” Entry gave back to SETDA the 270 Caliber Rifle he won in the raffle so that it could be raffled off again at the 2025 Spring Fling.

Thanks to the kind and generous support from “Bosten” Wash with Antler Xtreme Deer Feed, Thomas Hardware, Pneu-Dart, Dan-Inject, and Dr. Ray Favero, and all those in attendance, we were able to raise $2,904.25.

Not to let his son outdo him, John Entry pledged to match that amount, as long as SEDA would put 100% of the funds into a PAC.  It didn’t take but a moment or so for the entire board of directors to unanimously agree.

The BOD and I all agree, that for any PAC to be effective it must represent ALL deer farmers and preserve owners in the state, regardless of if they were part of SETDA, or any other deer association, now or ever.  It is critical that we are all united against a common foe.

In an attempt to do just that, a political action committee is to be formed and called “Florida United Deer Association PAC”, with it’s slogan being SAVE FLORIDA’S DEER.  It is not to be under the control of SETDA nor any one group, but rather will be funded and supported by ALL… (More to come in the future).

FWC is planning a 1 ½ day long meeting the week of August 19^th to discuss new rule changes in light of CWD now being discovered in Florida.  The exact date is not yet posted.  Watch for this news on Facebook, email, and on our website.  It is imperative to have a large attendance.  By the way, they received over $250,000 to surveil (test) wild deer and over $220,000 to surveil (test) captive deer for the 2023 fiscal year, which runs from 10/1/23 through 9/30/24.  Wouldn’t you like to know exactly how those funds, which they received from the Federal Government, are line item budgeted!

In this issue you will find part 3 The Truth About CWD.

A great man once said, doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is INSANITY!

SAVE FLORIDA'S DEER - BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE

From Vice President Bill Leffler: FWC Meeting to Discusses Proposed Rule Changes

UPDATE

FWC Meeting will be September 2nd and 3rd

The meeting is open to the public but the public will not be permitted to speak.  Questions should be given to the TAG team and, time permitting, the TAG team will bring them up on the publics behalf.

This update was made on 8-28-24

Hello everyone,

I was just informed of the date, time, and location for the upcoming meeting between FWC and TAG Team to discuss their proposed rule changes which will affect every deer farmer, preserve owner, land owner, and all Florida citizens.

This meeting, like all of their meetings is open to the public.

It is to be held at the Hilton Ocala on August 20 and 21, from 9 am to 4 pm. It is supposed to be a 1 1/2 day meeting.

As soon as I am informed of the meeting's agenda I will forward it to all. I do not know why FWC waited so long to finalize the meeting, but it gives us such a short time frame to get the word out.

Please help me and post this on your personal social media sites. I hope that Ryan can get it on SETDA'S Facebook page as well. I will get it on our website this morning. We need a big turnout to "Save Florida's Deer".

Hope to see you there.