noobie with introduction and questions...

First off.. Howdy, I'm a Cattle farmer Named Eric living it up in the hills of south central Kentucky. I have raised about anything from game birds to Red bone **** hounds. I have 3 lovely children ranging in age from 17 to 11 and every one of them enjoy working with animals, hunting and the outdoors in general. My oldest daughter is going off to collage this summer to study Wildlife biology, Agribusiness, and Ag management. My other daughter is following in her footsteps but is leaning more towards wildlife management, Artificial insemination, and other animal husbandry subjects.


 


All of this has led me here...


 


I am not looking at getting rich in deer farming.. AGAIN, I could care less if I make a dime at raising deer. I am looking to start small with a few doe fawns and buying a few straws of semen with decent genetics. When it comes time to breed the does, let them watch and learn. In return, we may or may not get a few bucks to sell for shooters and a doe or two for the table.. 


 


Here is where I'm at on my planning.. I have 2 Rolls of 8' wire ordered along other fencing supplies and a dart gun. I plan on building a chute like the deer farmer has in his operation a few counties over from me which is a family friend.. He is also willing to help me with a loaner buck as a clean up when the time comes to breed the does. He also has let us work with his deer and has offered to be a mentor to us getting the permits and when we have problems.


 


Here is a few questions that he can't answer...


 


I have flat fields, rolling fields and woods mixed.. little ceder tree thickets and about any other terrain you could think of other than desert on our 140 acre farm. Where would be the best place to build my pens? Do they need to be flat and clear? does it matter if it's a hillside? with a few nice shade trees in them?  Fence in a corner with some ceders in it?  


 


Since I already own a Semen tank for storage of the dog semen, Would I be better off looking for straws now? wait until I need them? If I offered to store other deer farmer's straws in my tank in return for a percent of the straws, would their be an interest in this sort of deal?


 


Since our "mentor" hasn't introduced new blood into his heard in a few years, he has advised that we buy doe fawns from another source and use one of his bucks as a clean up to the AI.. Can someone point me in the right direction for finding fawns that we can import into Kentucky?? Only open states that we can import from is Ohio and Indiana right now...


 


I'm sure there will be 100's of questions to follow, but I've rambled on long enough,.


 


Thank you for your time,


Eric 

I'm gonna comment on where to put your pens


If it where me, I would put them on a hillside where they could have woods and field in the same pen. Being on a hill would be great for keeping the ground dry, no low spots to collect water during rains and what not. just a my thought


Being on a hill, depending on the steepness of it, may be hard to walk on carrying feed and such

Eric, Stevens pipe and steel is a real good place to buy fence and gates in your area. There are several farms around London, Glasgow and close by. If you could, visit as many as you can. I would suggest you join our state association. KALA we have several members with a wealth of information.  Right now we can not get deer out of Ohio or Indiana. I would be glad to talk to you anytime if you would like. Good luck.

I agree with building the pens on a slight hill to keep pens dry. I built mine in a flat field and I have some drainage issues. It would also be nice to keep some cedars in the pen for shade and shelter but I would skirt them up some and clear some underbrush. Good luck and enjoy it is very addictive

Hershey's Huntin Haven1012631424954391



Eric, Stevens pipe and steel is a real good place to buy fence and gates in your area. There are several farms around London, Glasgow and close by. If you could, visit as many as you can. I would suggest you join our state association. KALA we have several members with a wealth of information.  Right now we can not get deer out of Ohio or Indiana. I would be glad to talk to you anytime if you would like. Good luck.




I would be interested in talking to you and anyone else that is willing to do so!! I do a lot of business with Stevens pipe and steel. I'm only 3 miles from their office.  I looked up KALA on the web but can't find any membership information on their website. 


 


Thank's to everyone so far for their replies! 

Hey Eric, Click on the members tab and then click on all members. Our association president is Larry Brock in London. Give him a call, he can give you the needed membership info. I will pm you my phone number.