# of deer vs profits

taking my passion to the next level and starting a farm problem is i dont know how big to go. At what size should i start out at and with what deer? bred does, fawns, breeder buck or ai first few years. money for start up not that big of a deal willing to do what it takes but cant pay for two years of feed and ect.after that without money coming back while my herd grows. would like some advice on how many deer to start with. not looking to fill the bank just pay for feed vet bills and all other cost that would keep my deer healthy. im simple terms i need it to be self sufficient. thanks in advanced

Curt, Great question but it really has alot of variables to it all....................For me to see it as "profitable" I need to run 20-30 does to have an "average" of 15-25 bucks yearly to have for shooters.............The bad part is moving excess fawns and or does each year.

What size shooters should i be having at 15-25 a year? I know bigger is always better and more money. Just trying to figure out what to compare that too. would those same number be profitable at 150-175'' bucks or would i have to have 200'' +

Wayne


Why do you need 15-25 shooters a year?


Thanks

Wayne is right, it would be nice to have a lot of shooters, however if space is limited you can be self sufficient with 5-10 quality bucks a year. I sold 5 bucks last year and that covered all the feed bills plus more. I have a herd of 30-40 deer each spring (before counting the new fawn crop) I usually live breed anywhere from 8-12 does a year to one or two different breeder bucks. A herd this size will cost me at least 8,000 $ a year to feed. That's counting my breeding herd, a couple doe fawns that I hold over, a pen of yearling buck, pen of button bucks, pens of 2 & 3 year old bucks.

A lot of guys highly recommend starting with a few high quality bred does, that a great option. I personally started with three does and a breeder buck. It worked well for me, but it still took me three years until I had deer to sell. Be prepared to wait for at least three years to sell some stocker bucks.

My Best advice to you, if you have the funds available now, take some farm tours, ask lots of questions, then get busy building pens this summer. As soon as you get deer your going to wish you did it years ago, it's a lot of fun, lol.

Good luck, keep the questions rolling. The best way to research is to ask questions. If your in PA or close by your welcome to visit my farm anytime.

DJ Johnson908411395146030



Wayne


Why do you need 15-25 shooters a year?


Thanks




 


Antlershed, Hit the nail on the head! If you are only breaking even you are struggling............IF its your main paycheck!  If I had stayed away from the breeding market from the start................ I wouldn't be playing catch up now 4 or 5 qaulity shooters is ok and it pays the bills but I'm done playing the breeder market the last few years and soley working my herd for big framey bucks year in and year out.


Putting 20+ shooters on the ground will pay the feed bills and leave a fair profit. Deer Farming is like no other business cost input is more critical now than ever.


High input and minimum return has weeded out more than one Deer Farmer and it will continue to until we realize were you and your animals are ultimately headed ?


 


Best of Luck

What do yall do with doe fawns every year and who do I target to sell those other breeders? Also what size shooters should I be looking to have first few years or how big would his rack have to be to be a shooter? And last what would my price range per doe cost me at that class thats proven to produce? Thanks again for all the advice

(40,40,40); Curt,


First, I'm not an expert but I have started small and have been slowly increasing my herd with some of the best genetics in the country.  I didn't want to get into debt so I started with one doe.  That's probably too small because when you are breeding animals, you can't speed things up or work harder to produce faster results.  I would start with a bred doe or two if I were to do it again. That would have put me ahead by two years.  This is the first year I will be able to regain some of my costs through deer sales.  However, it gave me time to learn about the industry and that first doe I got produced a very large yearling for me last year.


 


What do yall do with doe fawns every year and who do I target to sell those other breeders? 0000ffThat's a very good question.  In order to sell the doe fawns, they have to be from top notch genetics or very marketable.  That's one reason some farms always breed with the latest "flavor of the week".  The problem is, you may have great doe fawns but little brand recognition because you are new and you may not be able to sell the fawns for as much as you like.  That's a problem because you will have a lot of money invested in the fawn's mother and the semen that she was bred with.  Some people fill their freezers with those deer rather than practically give them away.


Also what size shooters should I be looking to have first few years or how big would his rack have to be to be a shooter? 0000ffMost farms aim to achieve 200" at 2.  If you sell them at 2, you have less risk because they could die between 2 and 3 years of age.  And last what would my price range per doe cost me at that class thats proven to produce? 0000ff  I think this varies greatly and you could probably get a thousand different answers.  I would say you could pick up a decent bred doe for 2-5K but some will say you can do it for far less. Thanks again for all the advice


 


0000ffAgain this is just my opinion.