UPDATE - Representative Frank Niceley has filed a NEW deer farming bill HB3164 which is written more broadly than last year's bill. HB3164 as written will not only allow for the importation and privatization of white-tailed deer, but it will also allow for the capture of wild Tennessee white-tails and the sale of venison; all to be regulated by the Department of Agriculture. Thus, this bill single-handedly will set back wildlife management in Tennessee nearly a hundred years and reinstate a form of market shooting and sale of Tennessee's wild and public white-tailed deer resource.

The bill is listed below, as well as new information that Chronic Wasting Disease, originally in farmed deer in Missouri, has now been found in WILD white-tailed deer harvest within 2 miles of the farmed-deer facility.

More than Half a Million Meals Provided to Hungry Tennesseans by Local Hunters

The Tennessee Wildlife Federation's Hunters for the Hungry (HFTH) program is reporting another record year, with total venison donations up 13 percent over last season's record. Tennessee deer hunters donated nearly 63 tons of lean, high-protein venison that provided more than half a million meals to their hungry neighbors through local food pantries.

Program support was also up significantly, with grants from the Wal-Mart Foundation and the Plough Foundation funding additional processing quotas and placing new chest freezers at key distribution points.

"The white-tailed deer is a healthy, renewable resource that has to be managed, and this program gives hunters a way to donate venison to be prepared by professional butchers and distributed to food banks and soup kitchens across the state," says Matt Simcox, the Federation's statewide Hunters for the Hungry coordinator. "Tennessee hunting and fishing licenses expire at the end of February, and we hope people will take advantage of the opportunity to give a dollar to Hunters for the Hungry when renewing those licenses. One dollar can provide four meals to hungry Tennesseans."

Based upon available funding, participating processors are allotted a quota for the number of deer that HFTH will subsidize. Grants and local fund-raisers raise funds that pay for processing; beyond the established quotas, hunters pay a reduced processing fee to donate a deer. A $25,000 grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation supported the program statewide, and a $20,000 grant from the Memphis-based Plough Foundation focused on supplying the Mid-South Food Bank with much-needed protein.

Certified Environmental Educator to Oversee Program That Gets Inner-City Kids Outdoors

The Tennessee Wildlife Federation has named Sonya Wood Mahler manager of the Great Outdoors University (GOU) program that provides life-changing outdoor experiences to inner-city children who otherwise may not have the opportunity.

TENNESSEE BRINGS HOME SEVEN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS FROM SCHOLASTIC SHOOTING EVENT
TN Scholastic Clay Target Program’s Teams Outshine 36 Other States with 23 Top Five Finishes

SPARTA, Ill. – Twenty one teams from the Tennessee Scholastic Clay Target Program competed in the sport’s national championship event, held July 12-16 in Sparta, Ill. The result was seven national championships, 23 top-five finishes across all divisions, and the high overall shooter of the tournament.

The new TWF Hummingbird license plate is now available at your local county clerk's office!  Thanks to a generous gift to the Capital Campaign by TWF board member Dan Hammond, TWF  pre-sold the required 1,000 plates to place our new hummingbird plate into production. The artwork was generously provided by renowned wildlife artist Phillip Crowe of Franklin, TN.  The featured ruby-throated hummingbird is one of the most beautiful and commonly found varieties of the species found in Tennessee. 

For more information on getting a specialty plate, click here.  Thanks to all of you that helped support wildlife by pre-purhasing this plate!