You may have heard about the new pro deer baiting and feeding group Voices of Wisconsin (VOW), and you might think they represent the interests of deer hunters and outdoor enthusiasts. However looks can be very deceiving. The fact is VOW has used the deer baiting and feeding issue as a battle cry to get people the join their group, but in reality they are only interested in one thing, MONEY. Their true motivations are as obvious as their founder's occupations - Deer Farmer, Feed Mill Owner, and Guide.

Wherever you stand on the baiting and feeding issue, you owe it to yourself to take a closer look at VOW. These people want nothing more than to continue to exploit our deer resource and shape DNR policy to suit themselves as business owners, not deer hunters. In fact many of the things they want to do will ultimately hurt deer hunting for everyone, as their agenda goes well beyond baiting and feeding. They even went so far as to collaborate with animal rights groups to support their cause.

Deer Farms almost certainly brought CWD to this state, and have always denied any responsibility. Their industry fought mandatory disease testing for 8 years, all the while freely importing animals from all over the country. When CWD was discovered here they first said it's never been found on any game farm in Wisconsin, but that only lasted until we started testing their facilities. Then they said their animals never got out, until they killed an escaped buck that was loose for 6 months that tested positive for CWD. Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) has also been found on 6 Wisconsin game farms in the last 6 years, including one animal that always tested negative and still came down with the disease. Lucky for our dairy industry that hasn't got out...yet. It has in Michigan and Canada and has cost their agriculture industry and government over a billion dollars.

One of VOW's stated missions are "To assure the health and welfare of our beautiful whitetail resource." How can an industry responsible for spreading diseases around the country that directly threaten our wild deer herd make that claim? Yet more proof of VOW's desire to deceive the public. In addition many game farms also sell canned "hunts" where wealthy people pay large sums of money to shoot deer inside a fence. The game farm industry was even quoted as saying they viewed CWD in wild deer as an opportunity, as this would make their fenced hunts even more desirable. Is this what we want to promote as hunting?

Feed Mills just see profits and in doing so disregard any potential harm to the resource or the agriculture industry. Unfortunately they have lost money due to the baiting and feeding ban, and no one wants to see people lose their business. But the fact is the DNR wanted to outlaw this well before they became dependant on the market. Perhaps the legislators who fought the DNR for so long should pay them damages. The real question is do we want to risk the billion dollar deer hunting industry just so a few people can earn a living?

As you can see VOW is not in it for the deer hunter or the senior citizens who feed deer, they are only in it to make money for themselves. They have been misleading the public all along by blaming the DNR for things their own people did, and trying to create public confusion as to the source and causes of CWD by intentionally misrepresenting the facts. One way they deceived the public is by touting their own CWD "expert", Dr. Kroll who just happens to own one of the largest deer farms in the country, and whose claim to fame is research on breeding and raising trophy bucks for wealthy people to shoot inside a fence. He has not published or even conducted any research on CWD. In fact Dr. Kroll is the guest speaker at this year's Wisconsin deer farmer's association annual meeting.

VOW's website has no information on deer diseases or anything to back up their claims. As a matter of fact a link off their site to the Texas Deer Association web site says this:

"Supplemental feeding of wild elk and deer, however, concentrates the animals and may contribute to disease spread."

Thus proving that this isn't about proof that baiting and feeding spread CWD or protecting your right to bait or feed deer, it's all about money. What should concern every hunter are VOW's plans to take over other deer management issues too. They plan to "Obtain independent auditing of the DNR figures including deer counts, license sales and hunting results" and "Continue to have a voice in all areas of our natural resources." They want the DNR secretary to be an elected official so that politics, not science will govern wildlife issues. If this were to happen there is the potential that an anti-hunter could be elected DNR secretary.

VOW supports Citizens Against Irrational Deer Slaughter (CAIDS), which is a thinly disguised animal rights group. Their founder, Dr. John Barnes, also runs the Alliance for Animals, which is an animal rights group in Madison that is openly against such things as bear baiting and hunting with dogs. They are even opposed to trapping rats and mice! They also support PETA, the most anti-hunting organization in America.

Speakers at VOW public meetings have stated that everyone should withdraw their memberships in the WI Bowhunters and Whitetails Unlimited and give the money to VOW. They also called WI Outdoors News editor Dean Bortz a communist working for DNR. One even stated that the DNR was a bunch of communist dictators and that the Legislature should get rid of the DNR. He went so far as to say this means war.

VOW wants to eliminate the DNR and take away input on deer management from hunting organizations. What more proof do you need of their true motivations? Is this a group you really want to be associated with? They have pulled of perhaps the greatest deception ever on hunters and wildlife enthusiasts in this state, and they pose an extreme threat to our deer herd and deer hunting. It's your right to advocate whatever you believe in, and that includes deer baiting and feeding. But by all means consider what you are supporting when you join VOW.

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