Missouri - Embracing Improved Regulations and a Bright Future

EMBRACING IMPROVED REGULATIONS AND A BRIGHTER FUTURE

By: Gail Veley • Sponsored by Missouri Deer Association

Deer 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 profi t 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 benefi t 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.” 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 diffi culties of running captive cervid operations under the old system, explained Dr. Sherri Russell, Wildlife Veterinarian for The MDC. As a result of these eff orts, 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: Confi ned 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 fulfi ll the record keeping requirements of the Wildlife

Code and simplify compliance with the CWD Herd Certifi cation

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.

● Every cervid must have a unique and readable tag such as Yellow 7.1 or 7.2 or 7.3. Under previous regulations, having three “Yellow 7’s” was acceptable. ● For Breeders: Each deer/elk must have a unique USDA identification number and a dangle tag that has a unique number for the animal within the herd. Any animal born in the facility must be tagged by March 31 each year (the year after birth). ● For BGHP’s: One tag must be retained at release. A dangle tag is not required and can be removed so long as the second identification remains in the animal. If an animal is harvested in a BGHP without a tag, the MDC issued leg seal/band can serve as the Unique ID. (This is to accommodate natural additions within the BGHP) ● Reminder: At a minimum, a USDA official ID is required for movement within the state no matter the age of the animal.

5. MOVEMENT: (These new regulations establish the conditions for obtaining and maintaining

Movement Qualified Status for Class

III breeders and Hunt Qualified Status for BGHP’s.) ● All Class III deer or elk moving into a BGHP must have a movement certificate issued through the

Department of Conservation. ● Movement certificates and movement authorization numbers will be generated using the online system by the seller, the seller’s veterinarian, the sellers authorized agent or (as a last resort) by calling the Missouri

Department of Conservation to receive an authorization number over the phone between 11 am and 2 pm weekdays (movement inventory information would be provided orally). ● All online records will automatically be transferred to the Missouri

Department of Agriculture once the animals are accepted by the new herd owner (buyer) to meet MDA’s CWD program requirements. ● All other deer (non-native deer) and Class III-exempt elk must have a movement certificate issued by the MDA or may use the online movement system which issues a joint MDA/MDC movement certificate. ● An inventory document that demonstrates the original identification of a Missouri born elk (for example, must be listed at age one on CWD herd inventory) on the originating herd’s inventory will meet the requirement of proving origin, or record of birth in Missouri. ● All permitted facilities will start with movement qualified status for 2021. ● Facilities remain as “Hunt Qualified

Status” when in compliance with identification, inventory, testing, and fencing requirements detailed in the

Wildlife Code.

Maintaining Qualified Movement Status is dependent upon compliance with identification, inventory, testing and fencing requirements.

6. CWD TESTING FOR

BREEDERS:

● Certified Collectors can collect CWD samples (program administered by

MDA and MDC.) ● Requirement for testing changed from all mortalities over 6 months to all mortalities over 1 year. ● A minimum number of samples must be provided annually, either from natural mortalities or animals harvested in BGHP’s and test results connected to animal record. (Number of cervids on March 31st x 2.5% and rounding up this number.) ● Facilities with less than 10 cervids on March 31 must submit one valid sample every 2 years. ● Facilities with less than 5 cervids and that do not meet minimum are not revoked but cannot move animals. ● 80% of samples must produce valid test results. ● If minimum test levels are not met, replacement samples can be submitted with various options. ● Submit CWD results through the software program (preferred) or directly to the state Wildlife

Veterinarian. ● Any animals missing from an inventory will counted as a mortality.

7. CWD TESTING FOR BGHPS:

● All BGHPs will begin with Tier 1 status. ● Any existing permit holder as of July 1st, 2021 that can demonstrate the testing of 100% of all mortalities (male and female at least 6 months of age) in the prior year will be moved to

Tier 2 status. ● BGHPs with Tier 1 status must test 100% of all males cervid (all species) mortalities 12 months or older. ● BGHPs with Tier 2 status must test 50% of all male cervids 12 or older. To begin in Tier 2 status the BGHP must prove that they complied with prior regulation and tested all mortalities. ● 80% of all samples must produce valid test results. ● Submit CWD results through the software (preferred) or directly to the state Wildlife Veterinarian. Questions regarding compliance with the Wildlife Code can be directed to a member of the Commercial Wildlife

Unit (CWU) at MDC Protection Branch.

In the hope and expectation that all deer farmers and preserve owners will comply across the board with these new Phase I regulations, Phase II plans may be considered down the road, an idea brought forth at the last round table discussion by deer industry leaders. Particulars in regards to Phase II plans might be openly talked about at a later date, however, the current focus is specifically on “monitoring the total compliance of all deer farmers to these new regulations in order to move forward on any other topic,” Houf emphasized. “It’s a work in progress.”

Missouri Deer Association Vice President Amy Nold is optimistic that all Missouri Deer Farmers stand eager to comply. “Everyone suffers if the rules aren’t followed,” she said. “I do hope it leads to a more incentive based program for those following the regulations. We’ll see a bright future and have a lot to look forward to.”