Breeder or Shooter Market

All good points! I too raise cattle and know how it works. About 20% of your yearly income is "salvage", you sell off the old non producers at a very low price to move them and they end up at MCds or the cheap steak buffet. This keeps cattle numbers down. I agree there needs to be more focus on culling does and removing them from the breedign circle. I think the culture of deer farming needs to embrace it and go that way as cattle people have. I have paid $1500 for a cow and bred her 5 years and sold her for hamburger at $500, you cannot see that as loss, you have to figure the 5 offspring she produced covered the loss.



This may not work but what if someone put in a ranch to just shoot does and everyone donated unwanted deer to the ranch, they would be shot by kids or some kind of disabled people or something like that that could be considered a non profit tax deduction. I think if we could come up with a way people could donate the does and still gain something on the taxes, people would do it.( and also help kids and others...)

This is why we as an industry need to push for a meat market for our deer. the venison as we all know is better for you than beef and if marketed right could open up a new end market for our cull does. It seems that there isn't much of an interest to explore this option though and have always wondered why.

Dennis I'm not absolutely certain but I think it is against the law in Alabama to sell venison.

It is against the law it would not be if our breeders were under ag. ADA dont wont that.

Are I should say some of them dont wont that some do.

Yeah guys I realize that it is but if we as an industry would look into it further and pushed the right buttons I'm certian we could get it legalized...Cattle were wild animals at one time too.....we as an industry would just need to do more homework and find out how to get it pushed through...of course then we would have to deal with the USDA along with the Dept of Ag......i guess we don't need anymore people to deal with with all the testing we have to do already!!

Hey guys there is a new thread started in the Members section to continue this discussion.

Yeah Dennis post on the right thread. You have to excuse him he is a little slow or what some call it mentaly challenged. He can't help it so pleaseforgive him.

That cut deep virgil.....really Deep!!

Yes, that's what they call me! Our deer will eat cookies from my hand...a sight to see for sure and I'm a woman.

I'm the ranch manager and part owner of "Brazos Valley Deer Ranch".

I have definite "theories on how to obtain" that Trophy buck. We have one of the largest pure Texas deer, Hugo, and one of his son's, Homer" may be bigger....we'll see this year.



My question is: Are any of you "rancher's" out there as convinced as I am that nutrition varies at different times of the year, meaning allot.



Many think it's only protein, protein, protein......

crudasill, we use the weed screenings from grain to add to our pellet , they are a big part of the browse that deer eat.

I know Im late to the party but what is the venison market like for these does that will not sell as breeding stock? Or have things changed so much since this thread that the information is dated?

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