As states across the country increase regulations on captive cervid facilities in efforts to curb the spread of deadly wildlife diseases, specifically Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), your Missouri Senate has voted to transfer the control of captive cervids from the Department of Conservation to the Department of Agriculture under the precise premise of relaxing captive cervid control.
Here are some facts to consider. In 2013, there were 1,277,791 resident deer hunting licenses issued in Missouri. Those licenses generated $9,050,694. There were also 39,792 non-resident deer hunting licenses issued in 2013, which generated another $5,965,736. In 2013, Missouri public deer hunting licenses generated $15,016,430.
That's a lot of money, but it's a drop in the bucket when it comes to the total amount of money hunters spend annually on the pursuit of wildlife. A 2011 survey by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported that in Missouri, hunters spent $1.6 billion on equipment, licenses, trips and more. Yes, billion, with a "B." Nationwide hunters spent $38.3 billion. With a little simple math, you can see, Missouri is a leading state in hunting related expenditures.
Yet, 23 of your state Senators chose to ignore those numbers. They chose to ignore the public deer hunters, the Missourians who accounted for 1,317,583 deer permits in 2013. Instead, they were influenced by and voted for the captive deer breeding and high fenced hunting lobby. There are 39 high fenced hunting facilities currently permitted in Missouri and just over 200 deer breeders. This tiny industry lobbied incredibly hard, even treating legislators to a venison dinner at the Capitol. It worked. The masses were ignored.
Senator Mike Parson recently released a newsletter that acknowledges the Senate's vote on the captive deer transfer. The senator wrote, "With guided hunts on private reserves becoming a growing segment of the tourism industry, Missouri could become a leader in this field."
Senator Parson's attempt at putting a positive spin on our state becoming a leader of killing deer behind a fence is misguided at best. What about the fact that we are already a leader in economic revenue generate by the pursuit of wild whitetails? What about the motels across rural Missouri that are booked every night through the month of November? What about the sleepy little restaurants that are jam-packed during opening weekend of deer season? What about the gas stations, sporting goods stores, grocery stores, hardware stores and all the other rural community businesses that benefit from the economic boom of deer season? How does a minute smattering of private high fenced deer hunting facilities benefit rural business owners, their employees and local economies? The answer is they don't.
And as these facilities haul disease into our state, our wild deer population will become less and less valuable. No one wants to kill and eat a diseased deer, so public hunters, both resident and non-resident, will begin to disappear. But hey, at least Missouri will be a leader in providing a tiny population of rich folks the opportunity to shoot genetically mutated, giant bucks behind a fence.
Senator Parson wrote, "Even though the breeding and raising of captive deer is a growing industry, the Department of Conservation has made no secret they would like to put those producers out of business."
The MDC recently announced their plans for new regulations on captive facilities. Actually, these regulations stop short of what some Missourians deem necessary for controlling the spread of CWD.
Even though double fencing these captive facilities is the only way to keep captive animals from spreading disease to wild deer contacted through a single fence, the new MDC regulations "grandfather" in existing high fence facilities, so those properties don't have to double fence until they are sold to the next permit holder. New facilities do have to double fence.
The new regulations would ban the importation of captive cervids into Missouri, thus ending the legal transfer of deadly diseases, like CWD, into our state. The regulations still allow for instate transfer and say nothing about stopping the breeding or killing of captive deer.
The regulations also call for testing of all mortality on these facilities. Every deer that dies needs to be tested for disease. This is necessary to find out if the captive herd is diseased.
How these regulations imply, "the Department of Conservation has made no secret they would like to put those producers out of business," is beyond my understanding.
Senator Parson wrote, "Captive elk are already classified as livestock in Missouri. It only makes sense to do the same for deer and let the industry continue to create jobs and markets for another superior Missouri agricultural product."
The reason elk are classified as livestock in Missouri is because until a few years ago, there were no wild elk in Missouri, so those in captivity were considered an exotic species. Now that elk are once again a wildlife species in Missouri, as nature always intended, it is time to reclassify them as wildlife and transfer control to the Department of Conservation, who was granted, by the people, the constitutional responsibility of protecting and managing all wildlife in Missouri, including those living behind a fence.
And, the Department of Agriculture testified in a Senate hearing that they do not want control of captive cervids transferred to them. They gave the same testimony in a House hearing. MDC wants to keep control, Ag doesn't want it, yet your Senate voted to force the transfer.
"Likely" thanks to a high fenced hunting ranch in Macon County (it can't officially be proven Missouri's CWD outbreak originated there), Chronic Wasting Disease has already made its way into our 1.5 million wild whitetails. Now, Missouri must do all we can to stop the spread of this deadly disease. If we don't act now, future generations won't have the chance to hunt deer in Missouri the way you. Relaxing the regulations on these facilities is counterintuitive to efforts across the country. There are 23 states that have already closed their borders, and some of those are not even CWD positive. Missouri is, yet our Senate voted to relax regulations.
Senators Chappelle-Nadal, Dempsey, Justus, Keaveny, Pearce, Schmitt, Sifton, Silvey and Walsh voted against the bill. They stood against the majority. They should be commended for their vote in favor of the conservationists, public hunters and wildlife of Missouri. If you don't see your senator's name, well, then you know how they voted.
This legislation has passed the Senate, but now it must pass the House before going before the Governor. There is still time to stop this atrocity. If you are opposed to this legislation, then as a citizen, you have the right contact your state representative and let them know you are opposed to House Bill 2031.
For more information on Chronic Wasting Disease in Missouri, visit www.NoMoCWD.org.
See you down the trail...
Brandon Butler can be reached at [email protected].