how to get started?

[Idaho man]

What kind of sheer coast does it take to get started? land not included. just a small herd like 15-20, fencing, feed, tools needed. What steps should I take to insure I am ready and have the knowledg that I need to take care of the deer and rear a nice herd? What kind of profits can I expect, weather I sell the bucks or weather I do a hunting opperation of my own?

[AWMDA Administrator]

Great question - I'm just the 'website guy' but I'll forward your question to our members to get answer for you. Keep in mind we're up here in Alberta, Canada but the costs should be somewhat similar. You can also check out the Deer Farming 101 section our website which has a bit more info: http://www.albertadeer.com/DeerFarming101.php

[Stephanie Smith]

No question is silly. I will try my best to answer your questions. I am asking a few of our members the break down on costs with fencing and feed. The first thing that you will need to do is contact your state Agriculture Department and find out what their regulations are for game farming. As I am in Alberta Canada our regulations will be different than yours. But some of the things to ask about are fees involved with game farming, any per head costs for registration, fencing requirements, facility/handling requirements, tagging requirements and minimum area that needs to be fenced for a herd of 15-20 anmials.

[Idaho man]

Hey thanks so much for your inputs, i am just about to finish med school and i hope that with the money i make i can turn this into a nice hobbie for myself. any help is much appreciated!!

[Jason Smith]

To start with the cost of animals varies alot. You could by some females with 5 years CWD servailance that are in the top 75% of deer for about $1000.00 per animal. You can buy them for more or less but these would be a very good base heard of does. A breeding buck would cost you $4000.00 to $10000.00 for good stuff. Fencing would cost about $15000.00 to $20000.00 if you went 12 to 15 acres depending on lay of land and how many gates that you put into the property. A facility will cost from $15000.00 to the high end of 50000.00 . You can get pretty fancy if you want. The cost will depend on how much work you do your self. I would recomend that you visit a couple of farms to get a handle on how others do it. There are so many varibles on building a proper farm that I could spend days e-mailing back and forth to just scratch the surface. I would come to a convention or do a few farm tours. As far a expected profits and weather our not to start a hunt ranch that is also a very lengthy topic. Your best way to ensure that your animals are sold is to run your own ranch. This is not something that you should enter into lightly. If you are a hunter or are very familier with hunting and you are buisness orieantated you will do fine with a ranch. I have run one for about 5 years it has been a long road but a very rewarding one.The economic state that we are in now has slowed it a little but I am very confident that things will come back very strong. If you do not start a ranch you must make sure that you have a few contacts that you will be able to sell to. A 150 class buck is worth $1000.00 a 170 class buck is worth $3500.00 a deer that goes between 200 - 210 will bring 10000.00 . You can see that the larger the deer you raise the more you will be able to make. I know this is just scratching the surface but I hope I have answered some of your questions. If you would like to be contacted or contact one of the board members or set up a tour please let us know and we will be glad to help you out.