Deer Farming in Montana

Is deer farming legal in Montana?

dont think so! should be changed only my opinion ,might be dont know.Dc

No new deer farms are allowed in Montana. Only those that were in business at the time of the 2000 initiative which stopped all new game farms are in business. We are not able to harvest these private owned animals in high fence harvest facilities in our State. Even though this was the most humane way for an animal being raised for food to die. Just the American way and our government at work in Montana. Life is grand and green in Montana.

what do you do with them if you cant harvest them?

Rene'

We try to sell them in other States to places that do allow their import and allow the harvest of these animals. I believe there are only 25 game farms left in the state. The other 24 farms raise elk or should I say look at them as the elk industry is still hurting and sales are not very profitable as elk eat so much. I sold about 100 elk this year which sounds good but really only recovered my feed and tax's back. Montana charges $32. a head on every elk or deer you have. You had better love these animals in my State because it is now just a hobby but I do love what I do.

i personally do NOT understand the states and gov't mentality that deer, elk, etc are not farmed animals like cows and pigs.......or pond raised catfish like we have down here ALL OVER. If a person owns their land, has proper containment intact (suitable for the type of animal) and does not ABUSE or NEGLECT them, who is to tell them what they can or cannot raise? Except in the case of nuisance (as in feral pigs and coyotes down here) animals. Folks raise alligators, snakes, and other exotics......WTH ?? who determines and is that determination based on their PERSONAL VIEWS?



I am not even getting into the "high fence hunts" or "preserves", as i dont have a dog in that fight,,,,,just the aspect of raising animals for FOOD. to me, that is the basis of the so called GOING GREEN Enviromentally......



my husband and i dont eat deer meat. I can cook the devil out of it, but we just dont care for it, but my son eats almost NO BEEF, just venison in place of it....

Common sense is not very common.

Jack,



My brother lives in Bozeman Mt. and buys a buffalo every year to havest with thre other families. They each fill up a small deep freeze with meat. They go out to a guys ranch and shoot it themselves. What is the difference?

BamaMom said:

....If a person owns their land, has proper containment intact (suitable for the type of animal) and does not ABUSE or NEGLECT them, who is to tell them what they can or cannot raise? Except in the case of nuisance (as in feral pigs and coyotes down here) animals. .... who determines and is that determination based on their PERSONAL VIEWS?

....

Click to expand...

Rene,

I agree almost completely with you. But here it is. You stated above raise what you want as long as you have "proper containment intact", but then you went on to exclude "nuisance animals".

You yourself went and threw in your personal view and decided it would be ok in your mind to make that distinction. What if someone wants to raise coyotes? As long as they have suitable containment what really is the difference?

These stupid laws are very often made because someone had a personal axe to grind against someone or some group. Or because someone lobbied in favor of some ban or limitations being imposed on whatever the case may be.



I have always said it shouldn't matter if some guy owns a 1/2 acre of land and he wants to let someone shoot a deer in that small pen. If the guy pays for it and they aren't torturing the animal for fun and games so be it. Why do we have to have a minimum size hunting ranch in order to allow someone the right to harvest a deer?

But then we fall into the "it looks bad to the anti's" argument and many are quick to leave some hanging out to dry and go along with making size limitations. I say let free enterprise decide who stays in business and who doesn't. If someone has a small pen and they can't stay in business selling deer that way they will go out of business and the places providing a quality experience will get the business.

But we as an industry are so past that point now because years ago some sold their souls to try and make deals to keep the industry going. So now here we are. Soon those size limits will be tested and maybe the size will be even larger. Or worse yet, we will all be shutdown regardless of size.

I don't think the ballot recently in North Dakota said anything about size of the place did it? It was cut and dried, yes or no. We got lucky there.



I wasn't trying to pick on you Rene

Thanks for the information. Im sad to hear this. My wife and I have been enaging the idea that one day we'd like to move to Montana, and potentially start a deer farm. I guess the deer farm part will be out unless they change the law.

Too much California thinking has moved into Montana. LOL

The antis are always going to be anti, they won't change.Those in favour of game reserves are not likely to change their view either.The true battle is for the minds of Mr & Mrs average who really haven't got an opinion,or get to them before they form a negative one.The acceptability of the industry is important to winning the hearts of these folks & the politicians will jump through hoops when you have that . Don't expect people to use common sense.Conservation is is the money shot these days,raise the positives for bio-diversity,& how readily achievable it is, through the establishment of game reserves.People who invest in game reserves are "doing conservation" not just talking it,they are protecting habitat for wildlife with all the collateral benefits to bio-diversity that brings.I see the media there raise the same negatives about reserves as every where else. You have to manage these issues or you will continually be chopped up.The big issues for Mr & Mrs average will be fair chase,size of enclosures(canned hunting)& people creating O.v.frankenstienus,(where will the size race end?when its an animal welfare issue?).There is a lot of fertile ground for us going after the psudo conservationists,you will probably find most of these wildlife nazis spend more time reading Karl Marx,than studying conservation. Take conservation back for hunters & fishermen & you've disarmed the antis.The only way forward for game reserves is to recognise where you are on the continuum of public acceptability & improve your position.Sorry to be so blunt.

We finally got the social's out of government here in Saskatchewan, some of them must have been peeing in the water that flows south to the Socialist Republic of Montana....Blue Sky Country

Split-hoof,

Your right there really is no difference between a cow, buffalo or deer, at least to a reasonable man. They are being killed for food humanely and that really is all that should count. Too many special interest groups and agendas going on with people who want to run everyones lives and force their ethics as the standard.

How many reasonable men & women voted against this recent bill? The only reasoning was, how it would effect them. If they thought it would raise their popularity it would have been a landslide in favour,thats their reasoning.

no offense taken ! the reason that i called "coyotes and feral pigs" out as a nusuance is because they are not native here....BUT i will defend the right of anyone to raise them as long as they are properly handled....does that makes sense? lol