Legends Ranch: Where Life Is Deer

We began this incredible endeavor in 2005, after visiting various deer farms and ranches. Being avid sportsmen ourselves and animal lovers, it was something that we had always found very intriguing. And so began Legends Ranch.

Why deer? Why not? We have raised every other kind of animal from horses, cows to geese. We started out with five and have had as many as sixty at a one time. We never imagined Whitetail deer being such a major part of our lives, but that is what happened. We have learned that our deer aren’t just animals, they are a part of our ever expanding family.

Each one has its own unique personality that is instilled at birth. It has been an absolute breath taking experience to raise these unique animals. From bottle feeding each fawn to watching them grow up with huge antlers, and also the does having little ones of their own is so amazing.

One of our main goals at this time is the genetic aspect. At Legends Ranch we are breeding the best available genetics into our herd. In doing so, we have achieved bigger antler size in our bucks, for starters, heavier body weight in our deer, and does that continue to have sets of twins and triplet fawns.

Starting a deer farm isn’t as hard as one would think. There are certain requirements that must be met. You have to first get a game farm license permit from the Florida Wildlife Commission. (If you reside in Florida; for other states contact your State Wildlife Commission)

The average game license cost fifty dollars per year. Before you get a license you must make sure the area you have chosen is up to the state’s requirements. You must have an eight foot tall game fence. Dome brands of fencing wire are solid lock and tight lock, which can be purchased at a local farm supply store. The pen has to be be a certain size in square feet: for example, you must have a minimum of 800 sq. ft. for two deer and for each additional deer you must add another 200 sq. ft.

In addition to the fence and space requirements, the area that the deer will be living in must have a three-sided shelter of some type for the animals to use in bad weather conditions, and must also have automatic waters. Then the Department of Agriculture will come out and inspect your farm.

The cost of purchasing your breeder deer varies tremendously. A buck for example is judged in price by his rack size, shape, spread of his antlers, and number of points. A price would be from one thousand dollars and up per animal. Some breeder bucks can be as high as one hundred thousand. It all depends on your goals. The average cost for raising and maintaining a deer per year depends on their age and size. A good estimate is between three and five hundred dollars per animal per year. Most of the time they take care of themselves, as far as grooming and hygiene.

Deer eat a variety of things. They love to eat acorns, grass, and varieties of different weeds, but at our ranch we have food plots year-round for them to enjoy and thrive on. We also feed them a special mix made at a local grainery. In our mix you find oats, cracked corn, soy bean meal, cotton seed hulls, molasses, and minerals. Aside from their everyday food they also love treats. We give them carrot treats, sliced apples, sweet potatoes and over the years we have found that they love cereals such as Lucky Charms and Fruity Pebbles.

Fawn season usually starts in April and continues through September.  Fawn season can be very exciting, but also very hectic. On average we have between ten and twenty five fawns per year. On our farm we bottle feed every fawn, which in the beginning starts out at six feedings per day per fawn. In bottle feeding our fawns we have learned that it makes it easier to maintain their medical needs should they need attention. We can transport them most of the time without using tranquilizing drugs, which would be impossible if they were not tame. The only drawback from bottle raising the fawns is that you get very attached to each and every one, and when the time comes to sell they are very hard to part with.

Some unique challenges that we have faced in our endeavor is the lack of veterinarians that will treat whitetail deer. At this time there are only a few located in the state. Most of the time we treat our deer ourselves, which involves worming and medicating for certain types of sickness. My advice in becoming a deer farmer is to do a lot of research before you start. Since starting our deer farm we have grown to respect and love these magnificent animals. In doing so we have also met a great variety of people that have visited our ranch for tours and also to purchase deer from us for their own farms. This has helped us make a lot of new friends along the way. This type of farming isn’t for everyone but we sure do enjoy it, and a person will never know until they try it.

Casey Jones (Legends Ranch)

http://www.legendsdeerranch.com