Business Profile: Flatrock Whitetails

A few years ago when Brian Bergen didn’t land the prized buck he had wanted during deer season he lamented he would have to wait another nine months for another chance.

Then, he had an idea.

He would become a deer farmer.

Bergen and his wife, Tina, were first introduced to the idea of deer farming several years ago when they stumbled across a farm that piqued their interest. Of course, at the time, it was a dream the couple would put on the back burner for maybe sometime down the road.

“We were fascinated and intrigued,” Tina says. “It had always been in the back of our minds that it was something we would like to try one day if it ever came about.”

Up to that point, Tina had zero interest in hunting. However, when the discussion came around to possibly raising deer, well, that was something else.

In 2018, the couple took the plunge and established Flat Rock River Whitetails on their property in Flat Rock.

The couple, who are both semi-retired, says becoming deer farmers has been an enjoyable adventure with its unique lessons and learning curve.

Straight away, the couple was warned by other deer farmers that it doesn’t take long to get a herd. They weren’t kidding.

“Deer normally have their first birth at age of one, which is a single fawn, and then the rest of their life they normally can give twins,” Brian says. “It doesn’t take long to multiply and continue to grow. We started with two four years ago and we got up to 100 this past summer, of course, we have sold some and current numbers are down to 50.”

The farm currently has 10 pens for the deer with another addition on the horizon.

“I have one big pen along State Road 9 that is five acres,” Brian says. “But we are in the process of transitioning that to four pens.”

The ultimate goal of any deer farmer is to have that one “really big beautiful buck” with a nice antler expression that can mate with the does, Brian says.

When one raises horses, cattle or sheep there is a certain amount of required acreage needed, but with deer it isn’t nearly as much as one would think, Brian says.

“You can start raising deer with less than a quarter of an acre,” he says. “We started with three pens on two and a half to three acres then we expanded to six and expanded again another five. So we are close to 12 acres now total. We aren’t utilizing all that space but we are preparing ourselves for future growth.”

When done correctly it can take about three years to a see a return on one’s investment, Brian says, whereas with other forms of farming the return takes closer to five years or longer to come to fruition.

The couple says the farm affords them income, but also an opportunity to educate visitors and dispel some of the misconceptions associated with this niche market. Granted, deer farming is nothing new, however, the renewed interest is what’s fueling the current growth of this market.

People are also realizing the health benefits of adding venison to their diet, Brian says, so the demand is growing for quality deer meat.

Not too long ago, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) regulated the market, however, as interest in venison grew the Department of Agriculture got involved and now regulates the deer farms just as they do farms that raise cattle, sheep or goats, Brian says.

Guidelines for raising deer are not as stringent as it is for other livestock and the process to get started is fairly simple, Brian adds.

Potential deer farmers simply fill out a short application, pay a processing fee and await an inspection of their property. Raising deer requires the installation of eight-foot tall fencing, Brian explains.

“A state veterinarian will be assigned to your district and they will come out to confirm you have a fence up,” Brian says. “They will then issue a herd and premise number. Once you get that you make the decision if you want to farm commercially or do it as a hobby.”

The caveat being, if you opt for hobby farming, you cannot sell to anyone.

Keeping an operation like the Bergens’ running is a full-time job – especially in the spring, they say.

Deer aren’t too picky when it comes down to it. It takes about $3 or $4 per day to raise deer, Brian says. They don’t mind when they eat as long as they get fed, however, the Bergens say they still try to keep the deer on a regular feeding schedule. Of course, when spring rolls around things tend to get hectic – especially when you bottle feed the little does.

“You don’t bottle feed the bucks because they will be moving on,” Tina says.

“If you are going to be bottle feeding, you are strapped for four months,” Brian adds. “You have to do it every single day. It starts out four or five times a day then down to three then two and eventually at around 13 or 14 weeks you are down to one time a day. It takes a lot of time.”

The Bergens say they get a lot of assistance from their 15-year-old daughter, Kailee, and other area deer farmers when extra help is needed. Unfortunately, since not too many veterinarians will work on deer due to lack of experience, finding help in times of crisis can add to the chaos if you don’t have back-up.

“The majority of deer farmers out there have to do a lot by themselves,” Brian says. “Kailee helps me administer meds, suture cuts and assist with an occasional breech birth. There have been a couple of frantic moments when something has happened and we had no one to rely on than other deer farmers.”

All the stress associated with deer farming is worth it, though.

After all, deer are just like big dogs, Tina says. And each has its own personality.

“You can go outside into the pen and they will come up and lick on you and look for a treat,” Tina says.

She adds she learned early on just how razor-sharp deer hooves can be, especially when they’re little.

“If you are bottle feeding in the summer, don’t wear flip-flops,” she cautions. “The deer get excited about getting their bottles and their little hooves will crush your feet.”

Brian adds that as the deer age they don’t lose their enthusiasm about feeding and play time, so it isn’t uncommon for them to jump around and inadvertently rip your jeans if you aren’t careful.

In addition to the help of their daughter, the Bergens also rely on the help of three great white Pyrenees dogs named Sissy, Shaggy and Angel. When bought as pups and introduced to the deer early-on the dogs bond quickly and understand their role, the Bergens say.

“They’re just amazing and the deer are calm around them,” Brian says. “The dogs know instinctively they are there to protect the deer, so when predators come around the deer will run to one end of the pen and the dog will run to the other and take care of business.”

When very young deer are being bottle fed and require frequent feedings, it is easier to keep them close, Tina says. And, yes, for some of the lucky little ones that means staying in the house with carpeting, booties for their hooves, a diaper and, if they’re lucky, Netflix. And when it is time to go to sleep, they have their own playpen, Tina says.

One lesson the couple has learned is how beneficial it is to keep the does calm. And they say they’ve witnessed first-hand the effect a calm demeanor has on the rest of the herd.

“If you bottle feed your does and get them used to human scent and interaction, what will happen is when you put them back in with the bucks, they will see that calmness in the does,” Brian says. “It will make your overall herd less stressed. Stress is a huge precursor for ailments and illnesses in deer. So we try to keep our herd as calm as possible.”

Ironically, Brian says raising deer has made him a better and more informed hunter. Now, when he spots deer in the wild he is better able to gauge their age, he says. And if a doe has little ones with her or is very young he won’t take the shot, he says.

The couple says learning to handle the inherent skittish nature of deer when it comes to humans has been one of the greatest challenges, they say.

“You cannot coral them like you can cattle or sheep,” Brian says. “So a lot of times moving them from Point A to Point B can stress them out and lead to them injuring themselves.”

And if a deer manages to somehow escape the pen, Brian says they will try to jump the fence and get back in because they know that is where their food and water are.

Generally, deer are hearty, healthy animals, but can be masters of keeping secrets.

“When they are sick you don’t know,” Tina says. “You have to really keep a close eye on your herd. Pneumonia is the biggest one that if they get it you don’t really notice until it is almost too late to try to save them.”

As a hunter, Brian says he was accustomed to the quiet, graceful nature of deer, but since raising them he has found he didn’t know them as well as he thought.

“I get caught up on how they belch a lot,” he says. “They will sneeze and cough. I don’t ever remember hearing that in the woods. They have four stomachs so all the eating and regurgitating their cud creates methane gas and there are only two ways it can come out: through the bottom or the top.”

He adds he’s always known deer are agile creatures, however, like humans, they test gravity, too.

“When you see them playing they will stumble, fall or crash into one another,” he says. “You never see the clumsy side of the deer out in the wild very often.”

The Bergens say they encourage anyone who is interested in deer or deer farming to visit their farm. They say they wouldn’t change a thing and encourage others to discover the joy of deer farming.

“I would encourage people who are looking for a source of income and doing something they really enjoy that can be family-friendly to at least look into it and visit different farms,” Brian says. “If you do it right, it can be a very lucrative business.”