MISSOURI
EMBRACING IMPROVED REGULATIONS AND A BRIGHTER FUTURE By: Gail Veley • Sponsored by Missouri Deer Association
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eer farmers and preserve owners in Missouri have been granted a more appealing opportunity to raise and harvest captive cervids with a recently revised Wildlife Code and rule adjusting through the Missouri Conservation Commission. Provided that transparency is at the forefront in operating breeding farms or big game hunting preserves, deer farmers may now realize increased profit margins and greater time management abilities. In the fall of 2019, sitting together at the same table, much more as friends than adversaries, representatives from the deer industry, The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and The Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) came together to develop new provisions and regulations for deer farmers. When it was all said and done, a revised Wildlife Code was recently amended and approved. “I really appreciate that deer farmers are grateful for the new regulations and code changes,” said Todd Houf, Commercial Wildlife Unit Supervisor for the Missouri Department of Conservation. “A key part was that the deer industry representatives were part of putting it together. A lot of folks including our administration, along with The Missouri Department of Agriculture stepped up to this Code change and worked together. That’s the benefit with sitting at the same table and developing these new regulations. Everybody from our department and The Missouri Department of Agriculture were working with the deer farmers on how to move forward with all stakeholders involved.”
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Donald Hill, Missouri Deer Association board member and owner of Oak Creek Whitetail Ranch in Bland, Missouri, feels the new regulations will greatly ease the burden of day-to-day operations, especially when it comes to CWD testing. Under the old regulations, any deer over six months of age that died was required to be tested for CWD. This often involves “dropping everything” and spending the better part of a day taking the freshly expired deer to the veterinarian, as well as spending $250 on the test itself. However, new regulations now require that deer 12 months of age or older be tested for CWD should they expire. “This is a huge money and time saver since a lot of fawns die between six months and a year old,” Hill emphasized. “This obviously makes things much easier for all of us.” Although changing the regulations was akin to “turning a huge ship around,” deer industry representatives strove diligently to encourage the departments of conservation and agriculture to reimagine the system and accept the difficulties of running captive cervid operations under the old system, explained Dr. Sherri Russell, Wildlife Veterinarian for The MDC. As a result of these efforts, the following Phase I Regulations were created and are presented here in a compressed summary. Title 3 – Department of Conservation, Division 10 – Conservation Commission, Chapter 9 – Wildlife Code: Confined Wildlife, Privileges, Permits, Standards.
1. A New Class III Wildlife Breeder
Permit was established for whitetail deer, mule deer and hybrids. ● Permit Cost: $50. Leg bands are also
required for every cervid eligible for harvest. ● Hunting Preserve Permits: $250 ● New or Renewed Class I breeder permit will be valid from July 1 through August 30 and then a new Class III permit will be issued to begin August 30th, 2021. ● Big Game Hunting Preserves (BGHP’s) who have an associated breeder operation will need to obtain a Class III permit. This is to allow for movement, inventory, and isolation of the operations. Details on the renewal and application process have been provided in individual letters to all permit holders.
2. Elk that are not commingled with
white tailed deer and mule deer and raised for human consumption continue to be exempt from permit requirements. (This is not changing from the way it was previously). ● All BGHP’s are still required to prove the animals they buy were raised in Missouri. (There is to be no importing of elk into BGHP from out of state sources).
3. INVENTORY:
● An online system is being created to unify, simplify and fulfill the record keeping requirements of the Wildlife Code and simplify compliance with the CWD Herd Certification Plan administered by the Missouri Department of Agriculture. ● Paper inventory systems are still legal, but the online system should resolve many of the frustrations associated with keeping multiple inventories to satisfy permit and CWD/HCP requirements. ● Inventories must remain up to date. Births still need to be recorded on the inventory prior to tagging.
