“We have worked hard to land in a place where we feel we find the right balance,” while striving to “protect the resources of this state for future generations,” said Commission President James Blair IV. Again, careful planning is critical to the success of an operation. Design your assortment, berries, forage plots, breeding areas and handling facilities in advance. It is best to incorporate plans for future expansion for now. Because deer adapt well to most terrains, the area suitable for deer farming can be relatively inexpensive. Animals that cannot pass through the transportation facility (e.g., antlers) may also need to be restrained and treated for various procedures. This requires the use of sedatives. Tranquilizers may be administered to an animal by means of a pneumatic or casing gun or, if possible, by injection with a syringe. Contact your veterinarian to monitor sedation protocols to ensure that you are following all laws regarding the use of prescription drugs and controlled substances. In addition, withdrawal times must be carefully weighed if venison is to be consumed by an animal that has already been sedated or medicated. It is strongly recommended that anyone who sleeps and handles deer undergo training in the safe handling of animals. These courses are offered regularly by Penn State and other educational institutions. The captive deer industry is a hot topic.
Some people support it. Many others oppose it. In other words, it is currently up to States to decide whether this is a legal practice or not. In addition, it is up to them to decide how deer and moose in captivity are classified. Here, we go through each classification, explaining what they mean and which states fall into each category. Missouri state lawmakers, frustrated by the conservation agency`s proposed regulations, tried to address the issue themselves by passing a law in May defining captured deer as “livestock.” This could have deprived the nature conservation authority of its power to regulate them. But Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed the bill, and in September lawmakers fell one vote short of the two-thirds majority needed to override the veto. Whether large or small, every deer company should have some sort of transshipment facility. This installation may include runways, mazes, drop or compression chutes and requires a housing suitable for storage for transport, observation during health testing phases or quarantine. Those who do not build transshipment facilities must be prepared and trained to calm their deer. Those who are not properly trained must be prepared to accept the potential morality associated with beating deer.
In Montana, hunters deploy to two large tracts of land in the state to shoot deer tested for chronic wasting disease (CWD). The disease was first detected last fall in wild deer populations in Montana, marking the steady advance of CWD across the country. CWD is still deadly to its deer victims and has no cure. Deer farms have proven to be breeding grounds for the disease and may be responsible for its rapid spread. White-tailed deer farming has become an established and growing industry over the past two decades. The white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) is a species of ruminant in the family Cervididae. White-tailed deer have long been prized by hunters for their antlers, flesh and skin. In the United States, 13 to 14 million hunting licenses are sold each year, in Pennsylvania alone, between 900,000 and one million. Without a cure, the best hope for controlling this disease is to stop the spread of CWD to populations that are currently free of CWD. Conservation-minded athletes understand this, and many traditional hunting organizations, such as the Boone and Crockett Club (based in Montana), oppose commercial deer farms and captive hunts in part because of the risk of CWD transmission. Prior to the discovery of CWD in Montana`s wild deer population, voters in that state — led by a largely hunter group — recognized the danger captured deer farms pose to wild populations and led efforts to pass a voting initiative to ban captive hunting and stop the creation of new captive deer farms in the state. However, other states have not been as forward-looking and, despite CWD outbreaks, have not taken meaningful steps to stop the raw commercialization of wildlife and phase out deer farms in the country.
Some states do not allow (or at least greatly discourage) the captured deer industry to operate within their borders. For these states, the captured deer industry is either absent or illegal, or both. When installing a rotational grazing system, deer rotate from pasture to pasture and can be guided to the work chute using four-wheeled vehicles, a feed cart, or even a bucket of feed. Depending on the budget of the breeders and especially their goals, the work facilities can be as simple as a livestock facility with 8-foot fences or as complex as fully enclosed buildings designed specifically for deer. If the farmer only needs one facility to vaccinate and certify their animals, a simple layout and livestock slide are often effective. However, if they plan to cut velvet or develop a genetic program with artificial insemination, or ET, a more complex facility is recommended to manage deer.