Believe it or not, these guys are twins. Born and raised at Wildwood Whitetails, a deer ranch in Naples, the large bucks are the progeny of a white doe bred with a brown buck. They’re big, thanks to superior genetics and a high-protein diet. The New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets provides regular check-ups.
“Deer farming is one of the fastest growing industries in rural America,” says the website of the North American Deer Farmers Association, a 22-year-old trade group in Canton, Ohio. “It generates $3 billion for the U.S. economy and supports tens of thousands of jobs in communities across the country.”
The ranch sells semen and live deer to farmers to improve their herds, but Wildwood Whitetails is more of a hobby than anything else, explains Dennis North, one of the ranch’s founders. “During the summer, every day is like Christmas. When we check on the bucks, sometimes their antlers have grown several inches over the span of a day. We simply love raising them and seeing how big they can get.”
North loves to show them off. To schedule a visit, call 585-374-5020.
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