Construction and Operating Costs for Whitetail Deer Farms

Abstract

Commercial whitetail deer farming is a growing industry in the U.S. The size of operations ranges from a few head to hundreds. Management ranges from small, part-time farmers to professionally-managed operations. There is, however, a lack of published information documenting investment costs, operating costs, cash flow, and profitability of whitetail deer enterprises. This article provides that information. Based on interviews with the Board of Directors for Whitetails of Oklahoma, small and mid-sized farms are modeled, providing construction and operating costs for both. Projected cash flow budgets and net present values under various sale price assumptions are also reported. The likelihood of profitability is directly tied to the sale price of bucks. At prices less than $2,750 for a smaller-sized farms and $3,000 for mid-sized farms, profitability is highly unlikely.