Saturday, December 21, 2024 | Country Acres • Page 1
Country Acres Saturday, December 21, 2024
Volume 11, Edition 18
PHOTO BY RAE LANZRATH
Deven (left) and Karla Lundin smile Nov. 18 at DMDK Reindeer near Dassel. The DMDK Reindeer crew brings reindeer to approximately 30 events per year.
DASSEL — Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph are typically what people think of when they hear “reindeer.” The Lundin family think of the ones living in their barn. DMDK Reindeer near Dassel owns eight reindeer: Lunar, Dozer, Jingles, Sprinkles, Sparkles, Maple, Glitter and Sugar. Karla and Daren Lundin joined forces with their son, Deven, and his wife, Michelle, nearly two years ago to open DMDK Reindeer. “People don’t think reindeer are real; they think it’s a storybook thing,” Deven said. “It’s fun to watch them see reindeer for the first time.” The deer are brought to around 30 events from mid-No-
2 Second Ave S Suite 135 Sauk Rapids MN 56379
Focusing on Today’s Rural Environment
raising
Reindeer
“Males that are castrated Lundin educates, entertains don’t always naturally scratch their velvet off, because they BY RAE LANZRATH STAFF WRITER
PRSRT STD ECR U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #861 Sauk Rapids, MN
vember to the end of the year. Michelle, an elementary school teacher, and the rest of the DMDK Reindeer crew educate the public on the unique deer breed. The family teaches visitors who attend their events about how reindeer are managed, what they eat, how their antlers work and how their fur feels. “We set up a whole educational table,” Karla said. “We bring different sets of antlers so people can feel them with the velvet versus without.” Reindeer, like white-tail deer, lose their antlers in the winter. They grow back with a velvety smooth covering. Reindeer enter the rut, their natural breeding season, when the weather cools, and scratch their antlers on trees or anything they can to remove the velvet and expose the hard bone underneath. The shedding of velvet is the first clue that the rut is approaching.
don’t have the hormonal response to entering the rut,” Karla said. “If it isn’t removed, it causes issues with their antlers in the future, so we help them scratch it off.” Similar to most livestock species, male reindeer are castrated as a management practice to prevent them from breeding females. Castrated males are also less aggressive during the rut, which keeps both them and their human caretakers safe. Though they are similar to white-tail deer in some ways, reindeer are extremely different in other aspects. “Their antlers grow exponentially
faster than a white-tail,” Deven said. “Both male and female reindeer have antlers, and they start growing almost immediately after they’re born.” Lunar, DMDK’s castrated male reindeer, is a prime example of just how fast their antlers can grow. Lunar is 18 months old and has grown his second set of antlers. Last year, Lunar’s antlers were small spikes sticking straight out of his head around 12
inches high. This year, Lunar’s antlers reach closer to 36 inches and have several different tines. Reindeer also differ from other deer breeds when it comes to their temperament. “They’re not flighty like deer — they’re way more docile, almost like a cow,” Karla said.
Lundin page 2
PHOTO SUBMITTED
A reindeer grazes Oct. 17 at DMDK Reindeer near Dassel. Reindeer are extremely sensitive to environmental stressors.
ST R
This month in the
COUNTRY:
7
The newspaper of today is the history of tomorrow.
Watch for the next edition of Country Acres on January 18, 2025
11 Crazy for Corvettes St. Stephen
Publications
5
Evergreens for everyone Morris
15 Learning the business together Osakis
24 Across the acres Q&A
A baking tradition Tiffany Klaphake column
19 Creating creations together Lowry
25 A wagon ride back in time Forest City
23 Country cooking
29 Caring for canines Miltona