Captive deer to stay under control of Conservation

With Gov. Jay Nixon's veto of two bills, captive deer will remain under the control of the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Had the bills been approved, captive cervids (deer) would have been considered livestock, which would give the state's Department of Agriculture control of their care.

Nixon said in a news release today that the change would go against "longstanding successful conservation practices" and would be a violation of the Missouri Constitution, which grants authority over game and wildlife to the Missouri Conservation Commission.

"For more than 75 years, our Department of Conservation has been held up as a model for wildlife management agencies across the country because of its incredible success," he said in the news release. "Redefining deer as livestock to remove the regulatory role of [the] department defies both its clear record of achievement as well as common sense. White-tailed deer are wildlife and also game animals -- no matter if they're roaming free, or enclosed in a fenced area."

Many supported the governor's veto of bills they believed would have reduced the conservation department's ability to protect the state's deer from chronic wasting disease. But those in the deer farming industry were disappointed by Nixon's decision.

Farris Adams is the owner of Rattlesnake Ridge Whitetails, a Cape Girardeau deer farm home to about 40 fawns, does and bucks. He said he has a good relationship with local conservation agents and believes they work well with deer farmers and hunters alike, but still would like to see captive deer become the responsibility of the agriculture department. The problem, he said, is getting caught up in the bureaucracy.

"Our local agents do a very good job, but if they don't have an answer it takes forever to get up the chain of command to get the answer that's needed," Adams said. "Whereas, with the ag department, we've got two people that we make direct contact with that can give us an answer on the spot, pretty much."

Moving to agriculture control also would have avoided expensive regulations proposed by the conservation department. Double fencing and raising fence heights from 8 feet to 10 feet have been suggested as methods to prevent the spread of chronic wasting disease.

Adams said his farm is already double fenced, a personal decision he made to create a buffer zone along his property, but said changing the fencing height would cost thousands of dollars.

"To go back and retrofit two feet of fence, we're either going to have to start from scratch, take everything down and put a 10 foot fence up," he said, "or we're going to have to find a way to add two feet to the top of it, which in turn would financially ruin every deer farmer in the state of Missouri."

Known cases of chronic wasting disease have not crept past a small area in northern Macon and Linn counties in Missouri, but it has become a widespread problem in other states.

His reluctance toward the new regulations doesn't mean he's not concerned about the health and safety of the deer, Adams added. He checks on his deer multiple times a day and is particular about their diet. The feed he uses is high in protein and includes soybeans, corn, oats, wheat and kale.

He also said those involved in deer farming must be knowledgeable about the proper medicine and care deer would need for illnesses and injuries. Just as a cattle rancher becomes close with his herd and learns to recognize abnormal behavior, Adams said he's developed a similar relationship with his deer.

"Of my 40 deer, there's very few that I can't walk within two feet of, if not pet them," he said.

Adams also pointed out that some of his bucks, like many in captivity, grow larger antlers than their counterparts in the wild. While many believe this is a result of steroid use, he said it's actually all about genetics and diet. Wild deer are left to scrounge the wilderness for whatever food they find, while his are provided with a regular diet high in protein. It's just one of the many ways he said captive and wild deer differ.

The pair of bills vetoed by Nixon also contained provisions for a dairy producer insurance premium assistance program, agriculture scholarships and foreign ownership of agricultural land. In the news release from his office, the governor noted "it is unfortunate that the legislature insisted on amending this unconstitutional provision to two pieces of legislation that otherwise contain worthy provisions advancing Missouri agriculture."

The bills are SB506 and HB1326.

srinehart@semissourian.com

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Pertinent address:

384 Lakota Ln, Cape Girardeau, Missouri 63701