Red Deer Farm Rolling Hills

We loved the red deer farm. The kids thought it was great and they got to see, feed and pet the friendly deer. The owners were so cute and old fashioned. The man reminded me of my grandfather. The price was great also. Decent charges. Feed for 1.00 was awesome also. Think it was well worth it. Some people complain about it being a farm, but we do the same for chicken and cattle… Why not deer? I have no issues with it!

It’s a hay ride around a bunch of fields with a bunch of red deer. (red deer look more like elk than white tails for people who don’t know) The deer are raised and bred to be bigger and healthier and grow massive antlers. While on the ride you stop a few times to feed the deer. They walk over to you and you can give them treats and touch them. It’s pretty neat.
It is a farm though, so eventually probably ever deer will end up as food as some point in time. They do offer hunts which are quite expensive and they do not require you to have a hunting license. As a hunter, I wouldn’t really compare it to a real hunt and wouldn’t recommend the hunt. But I’m sure it’s how they get a ton of money because some people want those trophies. I just don’t see it as a trophy, you don’t really work for it, you pay for it.
Anyway, it’s cool to go out and feed the deer.

This is quite possibly the most morbid place I have ever been to, or even heard of. Before going to feed/​kiss/​play with the deer, was aware of (and uncomfortable with) the fact that this place was a farm, and therefore that the deer probably ended up as jerky or wall art when the people were done petting them. What I did not know, however, is that the farm holds «hunts» every winter, that require nothing more than a chunk of money, and the desire to end a life in cold blood. And no, I didn’t forget to type «license,» their website specifically states that one is totally unnecessary. I understand that hunting is a sport, and unfortunately a quite popular one, but how is pre-​selecting a tagged (and often named) deer to shoot, who has been trained and conditioned to approach and trust humans, any kind of a sport? Would you raise a bunch of goldfish, dump them in a baby pool, hook one, and call that fishing? Probably not. I truly don’t understand how this place hasn’t been shut down, or the kind of deranged individuals it caters to, but if you are an animal lover at any level (which I think is safe to assume of those who drive to the middle of nowhere to feed and pet deer), I’d steer clear. There is no sense in financially supporting a place like this.