Missouri governor's veto strikes a blow to state's deer-breeding and fenced-hunting industry

The deer breeding and fenced hunting industry, which costs taxpayers millions of dollars to supply the rich with private fenced-in locations to hunt and has raised concerns about spread of disease from hauling animals across state lines, took a major hit in Missouri, Ryan Sabalow reports for The Indianapolis Star. Last week Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon "vetoed legislation that would have transferred oversight of the state's deer breeders from wildlife officials to Missouri's agriculture department." Twenty-one states have already banned the importation of captive deer. (Star photo)

The governor said in his veto message, "White-tailed deer are wildlife, and they are also a game animal. Putting them behind a fence does not change that fact." Sabalow writes, "That's the same argument made by Indiana wildlife officials who tried to shut down the state's high-fence hunting operations a decade ago. And it's expected to be part of the debate when Indiana lawmakers convene a summer study session on the subject in the coming weeks."

"Wildlife advocates and deer breeders across the country—including those running Indiana's 400 deer farms—have been watching the battle play out in Missouri," Sabalow writes. "Operators of fenced-hunting ranches want to be regulated by agricultural officials to avoid tighter rules proposed by wildlife agencies."

Captive deer are a $1 billion industry in North America, consisting of 10,000 farms and hunting preserves, Sabalow writes. And the industry "has enjoyed considerable lobbying clout in many states because it offers small landowners a lucrative alternative agricultural market. Some top breeding animals fetch six-figure prices, and it's not uncommon for a big antlered 'shooter' buck to sell for $10,000 or more." (Read more)