Unless you've been hiding out in a cave somewhere without a functioning iPhone for the past few months, you've probably been following the goings-on in The Show Me State relating to the issue of captive breeding of deer on farms and preserves.
On Tuesday, July 8, Gov. Jay Nixon, under intense pressure by special interests from both sides, vetoed two bills that would have designated captive deer as livestock instead of wildlife, while shifting management of preserve whitetails from the state Department of Conservation to the Department of Agriculture.
In his veto announcement made during special meeting of the Missouri Conservation Commission, Nixon said the provisions of SB 506 and HB1326 went against longstanding successful conservation practices and violate the Missouri Constitution, which gives exclusive authority over game and wildlife resources to the Conservation Commission.
"For more than 75 years, our Department of Conservation has been held up as a model for wildlife management agencies across the country because of its incredible success," Gov. Nixon said. "Redefining deer as livestock to remove the regulatory role of Department defies both its clear record of achievement as well as common sense. White-tailed deer are wildlife and also game animals - no matter if they're roaming free, or enclosed in a fenced area."
Both measures vetoed by the governor were attached to larger omnibus agriculture bills near the close of the general session, largely under the direction of lobbyists representing the Missouri Whitetail Breeders and Hunting Ranch Association.
In his veto message, the Governor cited the exclusive authority of the Missouri Conservation Commission provided by the Missouri Constitution under Article IV, Section 40(a). He also said that under the stewardship of the Missouri Department of Conservation, the state's population of white-tailed deer has grown from fewer than 2,000 in the early 1930s to an estimated 1.3 million today, and that the 500,000 deer hunters contribute $1 billion to Missouri's economy.
"Growing and managing our deer herd and fostering the hunting opportunities that we enjoy takes hard work and sound science, and the Department of Conservation should be commended for employing both to preserve this important part of our heritage, not stripped of its authority to do so in order to protect narrow interests," the veto message reads.
The Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM), the largest citizens' conservation organization in the state, along with other sportsmen's organizations and deer hunting groups opposed the bills and applauded the governor's action. Among the reasons cited, the groups pointed to the need to prevent the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Missouri, where the only confirmed cases so far have been found at commercial deer-farming operations.
The Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA), one of the main groups that for years has opposed the reclassification of captive deer and their management by state agriculture departments, hailed Gov. Nixon's veto as a huge victory for Missouri's deer hunters.
"The two bills would have changed the classification of captive deer from 'wildlife' to 'livestock', thus reducing the Department of Conservation's oversight and putting free-ranging deer at a greater risk of disease," said Kip Adams, QDMA Director of Education and Outreach.
The leading in-state conservation group was more direct.
"The differences between the two sides of this entire captive cervid issue are many, but it essentially boils down to this: Those opposed are citizen conservationists passionate about wildlife and ethical hunting standards, who give selflessly in support of public resources. Those in favor are financially invested," wrote Brandon Butler, Executive Director of the Conservation Federation of Missouri.
At the present time, it is uncertain whether there are sufficient votes in the Missouri legislature to reverse the governor's action, though groups including the American Cervid Alliance and the Missouri Whitetail Breeders and Hunting Ranch Association are expected to launch an all-out effort aimed at overriding Gov. Nixon's vetoes.
What is certain is the captive deer-breeding industry, with its genetic enhancement, semen trade and for-profit raising of animals to supply high-fence pay-to-hunt operations across the country, is no longer lurking quietly in the shadows. Rather, it's been revealed like something of a crazy uncle the rest of the mainstream hunting public doesn't necessarily want to claim as one of its own family.
As a result of what's happening in Missouri and elsewhere, the deer-breeding industry is being scrutinized by hunters and sportsmen like never before. It will need more than high-end PR agencies and paid lobbyists to win the trust and gain any lasting integrity with America's hunting and wildlife conservation community.
- J.R. Absher
Editor, The Archery Wire
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