State rankings
Deer Farming Legal States
Deer Farming Legal States: compare 50 US states on 2 metrics.
AgricultureLaw50 states · 2 metricsUpdated Mar 6, 2025Original page
44 sources
- Alabama game breeder fined $750,000 for illegally importing deer - News Channel 9
- AS 03.05.075. Elk Farming - Alaska Legal Resource Center
- Hunters help safeguard Arizona’s deer and elk from chronic wasting disease - Cronkite News
- Keeping captive deer, elk, or other cervids in Arkansas - Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
- Fallow Deer Farming Permits - California Department of Fish and Wildlife
- Fallow Deer and Reindeer - Colorado Department of Agriculture
- Testimony presented to the Environment Committee of The Connecticut General Assembly - State of Connecticut Department of Agriculture
- Chronic Wasting Disease and Cervidae Regulations in North America - Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance
- Game Farms - Florida Fish and Wildlife, Conservation Commission
- How to Become a Deer Farmer in IL - Illinois Deer Farmers Association
- Requirements for keeping whitetail - Iowa Legislation
- Getting Started - KEDA
- How to Become a Deer Farmer in KY - KALAKY
- 2024 Louisiana Laws, Revised Statutes, Title 3 - Justia Law
- Rules for Licensing - Maine Gov
- Maryland Code, Natural Resources § 10-404 - FindLaw
- House Bill 4427 & 4428 - Michigan Legislature
- Deer farms - Minnesota DNR
- Title 40: Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks - Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks
- Captive Cervids in Missouri - Missouri Department of Agriculture
- Deer Farming in Montana - Deer Farmer Forum
- Nebraska Cervid Breeding - Deer Farmer Forum
- 2018 New Hampshire Revised Statutes, Title XVIII, Fish and Game, Chapter 208 - JUSTIA Law
- Information for Farmers - NJ Department of Environmental Protection
- Starting a deer farm in New Mexico - Deer Farmer Forum
- Captive Bred White-tailed Deer License - NY Department of Environmental Conservation
- Veterinary- Farmed Cervid Requirements - North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services
- North Dakota Administrative Code. Title 48.1 - Animal Law
- Captive White-tailed Deer Propagation - Ohio Department of Natural Resources
- Farmed Cervidae Facility Licensing Explained - Oklahoma Department of Agriculture and Forestry
- Private Holding or Propagating of Cervid Species - Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
- Apply for a Cervidae Livestock Operations License - Pennsylvania Gov
- 2024 Rhode Island General Laws, Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife, Chapter 20-15 - Justia Law
- Deer Farming Operation Act - South Carolina Legislature
- 2022 Landowner - South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks
- Wildlife Permits Available - Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
- Deer Breeder Permits & Release Site Info - Texas Parks & Wildlife
- Utah Admin. Code R58-20-10 - Domesticated Elk Harvest Permits - Cornell Law School
- Rules to be considered for Vermont's game farms - Rutland Herald
- Deer: Frequently Asked Questions - Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
- WAC 220-200-110 - Washington State Legislature
- Deer Farming - West Virginia Department of Agriculture
- Deer Farm Frequently Asked Questions - State of Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection
- Possessing Wildlife - Wyoming Game & Fish Department
Deer Farming Legality
3 values across 50 entries
Data
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50 states
 Alabama | Illegal | Alabama law prohibits keeping wild animals as pets. |
 Alaska | License required | Elk farms are legal with license, after an inspection of the elk farming facilities to make sure they are well-maintained and meet the required fencing standards. |
 Arizona | Illegal | — |
 Arkansas | License required | — |
 California | License required | Only fallow deer (Dama dama) may be possessed for deer farming purposes. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and be residents of California. |
 Colorado | License required | Considered wildlife or alternative livestock and require a permit or license issued by United States Department of Agriculture, Colorado Department of Agriculture, or Colorado Parks and Wildlife. |
 Connecticut | Legal | — |
 Delaware | Illegal | — |
 Florida | Legal | — |
 Georgia | License required | Restricted to fallow, sika, and red deer, elk, caribou and their hybrids. |
 Hawaii | License required | Whitetail/White-tailed deer not allowed. |
 Idaho | Legal | Restricted to reindeer, elk and fallow deer. |
 Illinois | Legal | — |
 Indiana | License required | — |
 Iowa | Legal | — |
 Kansas | Legal | — |
 Kentucky | License required | — |
 Louisiana | License required | — |
 Maine | License required | — |
 Maryland | Illegal | — |
 Massachusetts | Legal | Restricted to fallow, sika, and red deer. |
 Michigan | License required | — |
 Minnesota | Legal | — |
 Mississippi | License required | — |
 Missouri | Legal | — |
 Montana | Illegal | No new deer farms are allowed in Montana. Only those that were in business at the time of the 2000 initiative which stopped all new game. |
 Nebraska | Illegal | — |
 Nevada | Illegal | — |
 New Hampshire | Illegal | — |
 New Jersey | License required | — |
 New Mexico | Legal | Restricted to mule deers. |
 New York | License required | This license authorizes individuals to breed captive white-tailed deer and operate a commercial or private deer hunting preserve. |
 North Carolina | License required | — |
 North Dakota | License required | — |
 Ohio | License required | Restricted to white-tailed deers. |
 Oklahoma | License required | — |
 Oregon | License required | — |
 Pennsylvania | License required | — |
 Rhode Island | Illegal | — |
 South Carolina | License required | — |
 South Dakota | License required | — |
 Tennessee | Illegal | — |
 Texas | License required | Restricted to white-tailed and mule deers. |
 Utah | License required | Restricted to elks. |
 Vermont | Illegal | — |
 Virginia | Illegal | Legal only for for wildlife exhibitors and zoos permitted by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. |
 Washington | Illegal | — |
 West Virginia | License required | — |
 Wisconsin | Legal | — |
 Wyoming | Illegal | — |
Quick answers
- Where does this deer farming legal states data come from?
- Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Alabama game breeder fined $750,000 for illegally importing deer - News Channel 9; AS 03.05.075. Elk Farming - Alaska Legal Resource Center; Hunters help safeguard Arizona’s deer and elk from chronic wasting disease - Cronkite News; Keeping captive deer, elk, or other cervids in Arkansas - Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.