Birdman
09-17-2004, 10:13 AM
Deer farm issue not yet resolved
By Phil Bloom, Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette, Thursday, September 16, 2004
CULVER - State lawmakers were hoping to hear Wednesday that disagreements over deer farms and high-fenced shooting operations had been resolved by interested parties, but instead found the issue land back in their laps.
After a four-hour morning meeting of the Natural Resources Study Committee in which no solutions were proposed, Sen. Tom Weatherwax, R-Logansport, told deer farmers and their opponents, "We kind of trusted you folks to give us
those good ideas."
The committee heard testimony from deer farmers, conservation groups and Department of Natural Resources Director John Goss, including review of an advisory group's report on its nine-month study of the captive deer industry
in Indiana. "Everybody has tried to give it a good effort," Goss said of the advisory group. "We do not have a recommendation. I wish we did."
The key issue in the stalemate is high-fenced shooting operations. "First, we have to decide the ethical thing to do," said Rep. Phyllis Pond, R-New Haven. "Are we going to allow the fenced-in hunting or aren't we? "I had thought all along that we should just leave them alone and leave the canned hunting alone. After this, I don't know. The more I learn about it, the more I'm undecided. It's a difficult decision."
Conservation group representatives told lawmakers they are not opposed to deer farms but said they don't approve of high-fenced shooting facilities, adding that 15 other states have banned the practice. "It is the wrong thing to do," said Chuck Bauer of the Indiana chapter of Izaak Walton League of America. "It is not sportsmanlike. It is not ethical. It should be banned. There is no room for give on that position."
Domestic farming of whitetail deer is allowed in Indiana under game breeder permits issued by the DNR. The permit authorizes the possession, breeding and sale of captive deer but does not allow individual deer to be sold for purposes of hunting. "Domestic whitetail deer are the most highly regulated animal in our industry," said deer farm supporter David Dimmich of Lafayette. "Our only desire is that our industry be respected instead of being constantly ridiculed."
Eddie Ray Borkholder, a deer farmer from Bremen, told the committee that high-fenced shooting facilities are a necessary outlet for captive-raised deer.
"Most of my deer are sold for breeder purposes," he said. "As you know, not every deer turns out as a breeder. The only thing you can do is sell it as a shooter. This whole deer farming is based on the shooting end, but currently you can't sell it for shooting purposes unless you sell it as a breeder.
"If this hunting part dies, it would be like ostrich farms. It would be history. The hunting thing is the only thing that keeps the breeding people alive."
Deer and elk farmers said they want their animals classified as livestock not wildlife, but Paula Yeager, Indiana Wildlife Federation executive director, told the committee that farmers often flip-flop on the titles. "When they're talking to customers, it's called hunting," she said. "When they talk to the DNR or the state board of animal health about their animals, it's livestock and the DNR should have no authority. "When they sell or promote their business on brochures or promotional videos, all of a sudden they're wild animals again, which has made this issue intensely complicated to those who see it only now and then."
Frank Keaton, of the Indiana Elk Breeders Association, said there are 435 deer or elk farms in Indiana, but the DNR counts 10 or fewer that offer high-fenced shooting. The operators circumvent the prohibition on selling captive deer for hunting by charging clients a "bed and breakfast" or "trespass" fee.
Russ Bellar, owner of the largest deer farm in the state with about 1,200 deer on more than 1,100 fenced acres near Peru, is facing a 38-count federal indictment. He is charged with facilitating hunts for unlicensed clients using illegal weapons outside of regulated season and exceeding bag limits. He also is accused of illegally drugging those deer to measure their antlers and then charging clients as much as $20,000 based on the deer's antler size. His trial is scheduled for Jan. 4 in federal court in South Bend.
By Phil Bloom, Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette, Thursday, September 16, 2004
CULVER - State lawmakers were hoping to hear Wednesday that disagreements over deer farms and high-fenced shooting operations had been resolved by interested parties, but instead found the issue land back in their laps.
After a four-hour morning meeting of the Natural Resources Study Committee in which no solutions were proposed, Sen. Tom Weatherwax, R-Logansport, told deer farmers and their opponents, "We kind of trusted you folks to give us
those good ideas."
The committee heard testimony from deer farmers, conservation groups and Department of Natural Resources Director John Goss, including review of an advisory group's report on its nine-month study of the captive deer industry
in Indiana. "Everybody has tried to give it a good effort," Goss said of the advisory group. "We do not have a recommendation. I wish we did."
The key issue in the stalemate is high-fenced shooting operations. "First, we have to decide the ethical thing to do," said Rep. Phyllis Pond, R-New Haven. "Are we going to allow the fenced-in hunting or aren't we? "I had thought all along that we should just leave them alone and leave the canned hunting alone. After this, I don't know. The more I learn about it, the more I'm undecided. It's a difficult decision."
Conservation group representatives told lawmakers they are not opposed to deer farms but said they don't approve of high-fenced shooting facilities, adding that 15 other states have banned the practice. "It is the wrong thing to do," said Chuck Bauer of the Indiana chapter of Izaak Walton League of America. "It is not sportsmanlike. It is not ethical. It should be banned. There is no room for give on that position."
Domestic farming of whitetail deer is allowed in Indiana under game breeder permits issued by the DNR. The permit authorizes the possession, breeding and sale of captive deer but does not allow individual deer to be sold for purposes of hunting. "Domestic whitetail deer are the most highly regulated animal in our industry," said deer farm supporter David Dimmich of Lafayette. "Our only desire is that our industry be respected instead of being constantly ridiculed."
Eddie Ray Borkholder, a deer farmer from Bremen, told the committee that high-fenced shooting facilities are a necessary outlet for captive-raised deer.
"Most of my deer are sold for breeder purposes," he said. "As you know, not every deer turns out as a breeder. The only thing you can do is sell it as a shooter. This whole deer farming is based on the shooting end, but currently you can't sell it for shooting purposes unless you sell it as a breeder.
"If this hunting part dies, it would be like ostrich farms. It would be history. The hunting thing is the only thing that keeps the breeding people alive."
Deer and elk farmers said they want their animals classified as livestock not wildlife, but Paula Yeager, Indiana Wildlife Federation executive director, told the committee that farmers often flip-flop on the titles. "When they're talking to customers, it's called hunting," she said. "When they talk to the DNR or the state board of animal health about their animals, it's livestock and the DNR should have no authority. "When they sell or promote their business on brochures or promotional videos, all of a sudden they're wild animals again, which has made this issue intensely complicated to those who see it only now and then."
Frank Keaton, of the Indiana Elk Breeders Association, said there are 435 deer or elk farms in Indiana, but the DNR counts 10 or fewer that offer high-fenced shooting. The operators circumvent the prohibition on selling captive deer for hunting by charging clients a "bed and breakfast" or "trespass" fee.
Russ Bellar, owner of the largest deer farm in the state with about 1,200 deer on more than 1,100 fenced acres near Peru, is facing a 38-count federal indictment. He is charged with facilitating hunts for unlicensed clients using illegal weapons outside of regulated season and exceeding bag limits. He also is accused of illegally drugging those deer to measure their antlers and then charging clients as much as $20,000 based on the deer's antler size. His trial is scheduled for Jan. 4 in federal court in South Bend.