He noted that in the last year, Peter Gerl–founder and the first WTU executive director–retired and was replaced by Dave Hawkey, the longtime VP of field operations. Hawkey was replaced by Mike DeCheck, a former Army helicopter pilot who earned a master’s degree while in the Army, and then a law degree. “With all the other chaos going on, we had major staff changes, and you know, nobody missed a beat,” Schinkten said. “We were able to take a step back, look at everything we do, recommit to the areas where we had strengths, improve some areas where we could do better, and bring in some new ideas that are already working out well. Pete is still very involved as a board member, and we’re all thrilled with the direction of the organization.”

• Whitetails Unlimited was founded July 1, 1982, and the Gerl’s dining room became the board room for meetings and provided space for organizational duties. Joe Weber left soon after, but his shoes were quickly filled by Jeff Schinkten, another high school friend, who currently serves as the president of the organization.
• With the groundwork established, an initial membership brochure was mailed to local hunters. The first associate membership was purchased in November by Greg Ebel of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. An article about WTU in the National Rifle Association magazine gave the fledgling organization a boost with exposure to about two million readers. The story led directly to the signing of 1,200 new members.
• In April 1983, Pete and four others (one of whom was Dave Hawkey, the organization’s current Executive Director) packed into a car that wasn’t big enough to be comfortable and drove seven hours to the Minnesota Deer Classic in Minneapolis. Towing a trailer full of materials and a booth for set up at the show, the car overheated and they made the last leg with all the windows open and the heater running full-blast in an attempt to keep the engine cool.
• Bringing Whitetails Unlimited to the public involved a lot of extra hours and hard work. It was an established routine to get off work, pack the pickup, and drive off to talk about deer and WTU. There were long trips to banquets and organizational meetings where sometimes few people attended. One morning while returning from a long trip, the steering wheel of the pickup came off in the driver’s hands. But major problems were the exception, and word-of-mouth was the best advertising.
• The dining room was soon too small for the burgeoning operation and an office location was found in September 1983, just in time for the first banquet in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, attended by 75 people.
• February 1984 saw the first issue of The Deer Trail, the official publication of Whitetails Unlimited. Ethics, sportsmanship, and respect for private property and game were strong themes that were expounded in the newletter being published five times a year.
• The first WTU grant check for $1,646.74 went to Wisconsin’s Marshfield Chapter for a local project. The first public education program started in July 1984, which evolved into the DEER program (Developing Educational and Environmental Resources) which is still active today.
• Pete Gerl became the first full-time employee of Whitetails Unlimited in 1985. With two small children, leaving a secure full-time job for the relative unknown of running a non-profit corporation was a daunting move for the entire family. That year also saw the first deer hunter clinic and Buck Fever Night in Marinette, Wisconsin.
• Connections with the hunting and sporting goods industry have been important as Whitetails Unlimited has grown. In 1985, renowned wildlife artist Michael Seive was commissioned to paint a whitetail print for the organization. This print, “Last Glance at Trail’s End,” was sold at retail and to galleries, giving the organization a big financial boost. The Astro Bow Company designed the first WTU commemorative bow in 1986. That year also saw a quarter-million dollars raised for various projects during the year.
• WTU continued to grow as the fifth anniversary came in 1987. Project POLITE was developed and designed to improve hunter-landowner relations. Federal Cartridge Company agreed to provide financial assistance to support the program, and this allowed millions of ID cards and brochures to be printed. The next year, the mission statement was revised to include efforts to educate the public about hunting and the hunting tradition, to combat the vocal anti-hunting community.
• In 1988, returning 50% of net proceeds to the local chapter was formalized as policy. Whitetails Unlimited is unique among national conservation organizations in returning this much for local use, within the broad WTU missions of education, habitat conservation, and preservation of the hunting tradition.
• Lyme disease emerged as a national issue, and in 1989 WTU pledged financial support for research. In Wisconsin, LeRoy Schultz was hired as the first field director, a program that now includes 20 field directors covering 27 states.
• A major milestone was reached in 1990, with more than one million dollars in gross revenue. Project POLITE was expanded that year to include signs for participating landowners.
• Wiley Whitetail joined the junior member program as the official mascot in 1991, and a new corporate logo was developed. This seemed an appropriate time to refresh WTU’s slogan from “Dedicated to Sound Deer Management” to “Working For An American Tradition.”
• After ten years as an organization, an office building was purchased in 1992, and WTU participated in its first Challenge Cost-Share project with the USDA Forest Service in the Shawnee National Forest. The organization’s second full-time field director was hired to serve the state of Michigan.
• Education has always been a central mission of Whitetails Unlimited, and in 1993 a formal university scholarship program was established.
• The $2 million mark in gross revenue happened in 1994, doubling from the million mark in just four years. This year also saw the establishment of the “Hall of Fame” at the national headquarters, and a third field director was hired to serve chapters in Iowa.
• Grassroots II was launched in 1995, and WTU also sponsored the Governor’s Symposium in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
• Two national programs in 1996 attracted sponsorship from WTU, the Becoming an Outdoors Woman and the NRA’s Eddie Eagle Gun Safety program for kids. A fourth field director (the second in Michigan) and a fifth to cover Illinois were hired. WTU also expanded efforts in outdoor skills through the DEER program. Miller Inc. joined as a corporate sponsor to expand HOPE for Wildlife.
• The Kids on Target program started in 2008 as a way to introduce youngsters to the shooting sports, and potentially increase the number of future hunters. This is an important factor considering that  hunting participation is on the decline in many states.
• Expansion continued in 1997 when a 1,000-square-foot warehouse facility was constructed at the national headquarters. WTU also entered into a 5-year contract with the Wisconsin DNR for the Hampden Marsh Project.
• WTU joined the emerging internet in 1998 with a website at www.whitetailsunlimited.com. The World of the Whitetail program was also established. In addition, the USDA-Forest Service WHIP program and various “Hunt for the Hungry” programs were expanded.
• 1999 saw WTU break the one million dollar mark in project revenue for Grassroots projects. There were 15 full-time employees that year, and the Project POLITE program saw more than 1.5 million cards in circulation.
• Whitetails Unlimited celebrated 20 years of service in 2002. The Comprehensive Deer Management (CDM) program is implemented on a national level. There were 22 full-time employees, in the field and at the national headquarters.
• In 2003, Sports Afield Magazine named Whitetails Unlimited as one of the ten best conservation organizations in the country.
• WTU completed construction on a new national headquarters in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, in 2004. This new building provided more efficient operations, storage, fulfillment, and room for expansion.
• WTU entered the third decade of supporting the 4-H Shooting Sports program in 2011, after a 20-year string of continuous support (which continues to this day). WTU views that support as essential to the future of hunting and the shooting sports.
• The Dream Sheds Partnership with Whitetails Unlimited, the Drury Brothers, and the Catch-A-Dream Foundation started in 2012, and was an unqualified success, raising more than $130,000 in grants that first year to benefit Catch-A-Dream.
• An expansion of the WTU national headquarters was completed in 2017 to provide increased efficiency for program services, membership processing, and product receiving and outbound shipping services for events in the fulfillment center.
• A major milestone was reached in 2019 when a total of more than $100 million generated from WTU fundraising activities and cost-share partnerships was returned to local groups and used for projects since the organization’s founding in 1982.
• The Archery Trade Association recognized WTU’s support of archery and bowhunting with their 2022 Impact Award. In just the short time from 2017 to 2021,WTU provided 830 grants that totaled $1,576,000 for projects with “archery” in the title. This did not include grants for things like youth outdoor days with archery as a component, or other combined activities like wounded warrior hunts, 4-H Shooting Sports, or Boy Scout shooting programs that also include archery components.
• The Tree Stand Safety Awareness Foundation recognized WTU’s efforts to reduce injuries to hunters when using elevated hunting stands in 2021 with an award presented by Glen Mayhew, founding president of TSSA. WTU made tree stand safety a special initiative program and worked with TSSA to educate hunters on the issue that causes the most injuries to hunters every year.
• WTU founder and Executive Director Peter Gerl retired at the end of 2021, but continues serving as a member of the executive board of directors. David Hawkey, longtime VP of field operations replaced Gerl as executive director.
• WTU is celebrating the 40th year of operations in 2022.

There have been a lot of milestones, successes, and celebrations for Whitetails Unlimited in the last 40 years, and all of those achievements are due completely to the support of our members, volunteers, supporters, and staff. We’re looking forward to the future, and confident that the teamwork that has worked so well in the past will lead us to even greater success in the future. Thank you to everyone who has traveled with us, and good luck this season!