New Products Enter the Northeast Market
It was July of 2014 when we made the decision to partner with Nutra Deer to be their exclusive Distributor in the Northeast. Nutra Deer is a brand of feed and attractants that is nutritionally balanced and has a very powerful aroma for attracting deer from long distances. Nutra Deer Pro Antler was University tested by Dr. James C. Kroll then Iendorsed by him in August 2011. Dr. Kroll also endorses Nutra Deer's trace mineral premix, aroma enhancer and feed flavoring which are used when manufacturing feeds to the finest standards.
During the investigation and testing phase it was decided that we wanted to have the entire product line offering, but we would only start with the items that would be cost effective at the dealer and at the retail level. Unfortunately at first there were several logistical issues that were prohibiting us from bringing these great products to our Northeastern Market. It was at that time that we knew if we wanted to offer those products and be successful in the Northeast we needed to manufacture those products in the Northeast and made the decision to source a CFD Member mill to toll mill these products for us. The first item we began manufacturing in the Northeast late last fall is Nutra Deer Power Corn. Power Corn is a flavor enhanced whole corn in a 50# bag. The Nutra Deer Power Corn companion item is Power Spray. Power Spray is a 28oz RTU liquid spray attractant with the same smell and attracting ability without the food. The deer will eat any plant you spray this on..... With the help and dedication of Dr. Eric Reid (CFD Nutritionist) the Nutritionist at Nutra Deer and Dr. James Kroll (Dr. Deer) we began the process of formulating the 20% Pro Antler Nutra Deer Pellet. This product took a bit longer (6 months) of formulation testing and changes and finally we got everything right and met the approval of both the deer and Dr. Kroll and the Northeast 20% Pro Antler Nutra Deer Pellet was introduced early this spring. We have received several testimonials from dealers that the deer prefer the Nutra Deer to the competitive products their customers WERE feeding. The long and the short of it is the best nutritional package in the world is useless if you can't get the deer to eat it. Our field testing came back time and time again that deer preferred Nutra Deer to competitive products.
Now that we had the perfect deer feed, the next challenge was to determine a way to feed it to wild deer without compromising the pellets integrity. How do we do that? Most wildlife feeders are designed to dispense the feed in a radius around the feeder on the ground. Because of weather conditions and climate differences, we needed something different. We sought out to find a commercial grade feeder that’s was tried and true. We needed something that had been tested and developed specifically with whitetail deer in mind. With the recommendation of Dr. James C. Kroll and with much research and homework we partnered with Boss Buck feeders. They were the perfect solution to our challenge. The gravity feeder has a 200 or 350# hopper with 3 feed ports where the feed flows into the feed ports and the deer eat the feed out of these ports (depending on the feeder size they also offer a 4 way spout). The feed never touches the ground so the pellet never loses its integrity. The hopper’s lid is designed to keep the elements out, but also allows the feed to breath, preventing overheating and molding. Boss Buck Feeders went the extra mile to in the design work too. They determined the perfect height from the ground, the most preferred sized spout, and the proper spacing of the spouts. Dr James C. Kroll’s article in Wildlife Management News Publication goes into further detail regarding his scientific research.
CFD now offers Boss Buck Feeders in 2 sizes - 200# and 350# and in 3 styles - gravity (protein) feeder, a 12 volt spinner feeder or a combo unit with both the 12 volt and gravity feed heads included. CFD also has nearly the full product line of Nutra Deer Products. Contact Mark Peretore or Jim Holbert at 570-432-0912 to find your local stocking dealer.
