Let's Go Hunting!!!

Nearly 40 red deer escape from Stoddard, Wis., area farm
By JERRY DAVIS | Freelance Outdoors Writer

Deer hunters, who thought they were seeing exceptionally large deer roaming fields and woods near Stoddard, Wis., in northern Vernon County last fall, were not imagining things.

By John Zernia's best count, he believes no more than 40 red deer escaped from his pens in late September and a few fawns escaped in late December when they were let out of a barn where they were being raised.

Zernia had about 280 red deer contained in several pens, surrounded by 8½-foot fences. Some how a gate was left open and some red deer escaped. The fawns escaped when they were allowed to leave a barn by a person caring for them when Zernia was on vacation. Zernia is not sure how or who left the gate open in September.

Red deer are a subspecies closely related to United States elk. They look like a small elk and are native to Europe. Many deer farms in the United States raise red deer for meat, or to provide breeding stock and trophy animals for shooting preserves.

Red deer are referred to as stags, hinds and fawns. Zernia has had stags that weighed up to 750 pounds, while Wisconsin's native elk bulls top out at about 900 pounds. Red deer cows are smaller.

Calves often weigh up to 40 pounds when they're born.

Zernia said he's in transition from a meat operation to a trophy operation for selling animals to shooting preserves.

Because red deer are not native to Wisconsin and have not established wild populations, they are considered livestock. If such an animal can not be recaptured by the owner, they are fair game for anyone who wants to shoot them for meat, according to state Department of Natural Resources conservation wardens. No license is required, but other hunting and shooting rules must be followed, although carcasses are not registered at check stations.

Many of the escapes were shot. Zernia himself shot some of the escaped deer. So have neighbors and other hunters who have hunted on neighbors' land. They can legally keep the meat.

It's unclear how many red deer have been shot, because not everyone who shot an animal returned the head to Zernia so he can submit it for chronic wasting disease testing.

"The people who shot deer were to bring the heads back to me, but I'm sure some didn't, so we don't know for sure how many deer were shot," Zernia said. "It would have helped to get all the heads back because I'm still under suspension and have been since December because now my census is off.

"I can't account for all the animals, he said. "While the suspension is in place, I can't sell or transport any live animals. Before the suspension, I could move animals anywhere in state and out of state."

Paul McGraw, assistant state veterinarian for the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, said "all animals that escape must be reported to DATCP within 24 hours or the farm is in violation."

The DNR conducted one flight with a fixed wing plane last month to search for red deer still roaming the area near Stoddard. None were observed.

Zernia, the DNR and DATCP would like to know if anyone sees what they believe is a red deer roaming the region. The animal looks like a small elk, may or may not have antlers and will have a different running style and stature compared to a white-tailed deer.


http://www.rivervalleynewspapers.com/articles/2007/02/28/outdoors/01davis.story.txt