PRODUCER PORTRAIT

Doug Horner

Originaly printed in the June / July 2001 issue of Tracking The Industry. . .

It was out there! Unknown to most, perhaps unbelievable to others, few spoke of it. An occasional glimpse by the odd fortunate soul brought only stifled comments. It couldn't be, not here in Saskatchewan...but it was! Lurking in the bushy hills south of Prince Albert, throughout 2000, something was transforming into a monster that would eventually capture the attention and anticipation of an entire association. A two year old whitetail buck was putting together a picture perfect - 151 1/8 inches of heavy "horn". "Buller" was about to put Doug Horner's home on every deerfarmer's road map.

I thought I'd seen ‘em, viewed pictures of ‘em or heard of ‘em all, but big Buller escaped even my phone line last summer. It was with childlike wonder, then, that I held those "horns" at the SWAMDPA convention this winter. Suddenly, Doug Horner was more than just a name on a list I'd seen somewhere. This was a deerfarmer to whom I'd have to pay a little visit, and a buck I'd need to keep tabs on!

Raised on a mixed farm at Blaine Lake, Doug became an Agrologist through the U of S. Farming was in his blood, but this educated farmer saw glitter beyond grain fields and capital beyond cows. He worked on wild rice and rainbow trout production in La Ronge until setting himself up as a game farmer near Prince Albert in ‘95. Doug's wife Val is a school principal while children Jeff and Lisa attend university and high school. The family's 160 acres of rolling hills and trees soon was home to a rather mixed, but intentionally matched group of animals.

Whitetails, mule deer and bison were strategically chosen. Whitetails and mulies (in separate pens) catered to market demands. Bison were intended as pasture pruners. Deer are such selective browsers that pastures are soon a mess of stalks. Bison are very efficient grazers, mow everything down, and leave a clean, fresh growing pen behind. I was quite skeptical about the "clean" as I looked over the dung littered pen the bison presently inhabited, but clean indeed were the other pens that the bison had already circulated through. A quick harrowing really breaks up the dung and leaves behind lush vegetation. Now that's efficient and proficient use of a game farm! Excluding a good number of bucks, the herd now consists of 40 whitetail does, 10 mulie does and 10 bison, plus their arriving offspring.

10 pens (3-10 acres each) feed into a wide, wired corridor. To prevent "wrecks", lots of lumber leads the way into the corral system. An indoor handling system is especially noteworthy. A single circular area almost does it all. With 8' sheeted walls and 2 gates pivoting from a center pole, deer are received from an outside pen and moved into a short series of scale, boxes and squeeze. An elevated walk-way allows a "bird's-eye view" of deer movement. The system makes excellent use of space and seems very user-friendly.

Ah, but what about Buller? Is it breeding, management, or nutrition? I guess it's a combination of factors, but I know it's no "fluke." Nutrition is a high priority for Doug. A year-round pelleted ration (the Horner equivalent of the Chase formula) involves 21% protein levels for bucks and 17% for does (68-70% TDN). Some oats are added to the buck ration in winter. Self-feeders are complemented by mixed legume pastures and some trees. Deer are easily handled, moderately populated, bred at a rate of 12-15 does/buck. Bucks are removed from doe pens after breeding and selected for typical antlers and big body size. Though not a bottle-fed, Buller is an easy-going buck with genetics obviously rounding out the recipe for big buck success. Buller's sire came from an Okanogan game farm, scored 163" @ 4 and died after being put back in with other bucks after breeding. Three half-brothers of Buller are all 5x5 2year olds in the 130's. Hmmmm, something's happening here! Buller's approximate 100" 4x5 yearling rack and 151 1/8" 2 year old rack show the same trend of big brows, tall typical tines and mass throughout. How much "horn" could this animal produce in his 3rd year-- a year of generally great gains? Time will tell, and so will I.....now that I know of this lunker, lurking in the bushy hills of Prince Albert!

Until then, do yourself a favour; for an educational chat and inspirational tour, give Doug a call. Whether you witness the bulk of Buller or not, you're sure to glean from the guy that's putting it all together!

Randy Barks

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