Hello this is my first post on this forum but have been doing a lot of reading for awhile now. I have really enjoyed the forum and have learned a lot. I live in the south west corner of Missouri and am considering starting a deer farm. My question to all of u is if there is one thing looking back u would change or have done different what is it?. And also the one thing u would not change or have not done different.
Joined Apr 2009
1,428 Posts | 0+
Northeast Wisconsin
First a question of you - are you planning to do this as a hobby or as a business? Do you intend to have a hunting preserve or just raise a few deer? What is your goal?
Joined Apr 2009
624 Posts | 0+
Clinton, PA
As for buying deer I would have gone to a couple auctions and bought 2 or 3 of the best bred doe I could reasonably afford. One thing I wouldnt change is I started small and it gives you a chance to feel it out and see if its for you and also so you dont have an overwhelming feed bill either.
Thanks for the replies so far. I plan on doing it as a business on the side for now and just starting out small with a couple of deer. I hope to b able to go to a couple different farms here soon
Joined Apr 2009
2,617 Posts | 0+
Edgar, WI
What I would do differently:
I would have learned more about deer and the industry before putting the first post in the ground.
More money was wasted because we had to do things over to make them correct that could have been better spent.
What I would not change or do differently:
I would stay focused on quality and not quantity.
In my OPINION quality still rules over quantity because it gives you better options for marketing, selling and future growth. Anyone can raise deer, but not everyone raises good deer. Be the later.
I would have learned more about deer and the industry before putting the first post in the ground.
More money was wasted because we had to do things over to make them correct that could have been better spent.
What I would not change or do differently:
I would stay focused on quality and not quantity.
In my OPINION quality still rules over quantity because it gives you better options for marketing, selling and future growth. Anyone can raise deer, but not everyone raises good deer. Be the later.
Joined Oct 2009
3,165 Posts | 1+
upstate ny
They dont need to come all the way to pa...They have many great farms in their state that will show them anything they want to see.If you need some numbers pm me and i will be glad to give you some!!!
Joined May 2009
2,369 Posts | 0+
Chillicothe, Missouri
What would I do differently or change ?...................................NOTHING!
I did my homework,talked to all the farms in my area and others,visited farms and let my pens set empty for 2 years while I wondered if this was for ME! I bought "starter deer" started out and thought I new more than anybody else,Thought this was EASY and ..........BOY when I had bad luck I had a lot of it! But I was determined to be a "DEER FARMER" and I feel "GREAT" about my INDUSTRY and the majority of the PEOPLE in it!
The one major flaw I see in "NEW" deerfarmers is most don't really know the direction they want to go or spend alot of money chasing "HYPE" One of the best pieces of advice I recieved was the one Roger is talking about .........Don't EVER get your Q's mixed up.......Qaunity over Qaulity is a sure fire recipe for disaster! And NO ....I'm not bragging or boasting in this post! I have made mistakes and needed re-do's...........But you don't get a second chance so make the most of the GOOD and the BAD on your deerfarm,learn from it and make strides to be the best you can be at it. And one last thing ............IF you want this "BUSSINESS" of deerfarming to be a sucsess don't be side tracked by the "negative" some will choose to throw at you and others..............Stay focused on why YOU .........Love being a DEERFARMER!
Best of Luck!
I did my homework,talked to all the farms in my area and others,visited farms and let my pens set empty for 2 years while I wondered if this was for ME! I bought "starter deer" started out and thought I new more than anybody else,Thought this was EASY and ..........BOY when I had bad luck I had a lot of it! But I was determined to be a "DEER FARMER" and I feel "GREAT" about my INDUSTRY and the majority of the PEOPLE in it!
The one major flaw I see in "NEW" deerfarmers is most don't really know the direction they want to go or spend alot of money chasing "HYPE" One of the best pieces of advice I recieved was the one Roger is talking about .........Don't EVER get your Q's mixed up.......Qaunity over Qaulity is a sure fire recipe for disaster! And NO ....I'm not bragging or boasting in this post! I have made mistakes and needed re-do's...........But you don't get a second chance so make the most of the GOOD and the BAD on your deerfarm,learn from it and make strides to be the best you can be at it. And one last thing ............IF you want this "BUSSINESS" of deerfarming to be a sucsess don't be side tracked by the "negative" some will choose to throw at you and others..............Stay focused on why YOU .........Love being a DEERFARMER!
Best of Luck!
I would have took a longer look at my pen set up and would have made sure that every pen would have been able to inner connect to each other via an alleyway. While I am pleased that I divided my 10 acers into 10 seperate pens I find I have 3 that can only get to my alley way by going through an adjacent pen. We've worked around it but it takes alot of planning. Rick
Thank you guys and very very well put Whitetail Sanctuary. There is alot of very helpful info in the reply's i have received so far. So again thank you
Joined Nov 2010
704 Posts | 0+
Annville, PA
Wetfeet said:
When you are ready to get going, call me, I sell fence and many more items for deer farming and I would be glad to assist you in your needs.