DNR busts Galesville deer farm

DNR says Brush Ranch lured trophy bucks for easy kills.

The DNR has lowered the boom on a deer farm in Trempealeau County. 

The Wisconsin natural resources agency has announced a bust of the owner and an employee at Brush Ranch Outfitters in Galesville. 

The agency says the outfit lured deer into the farm with bait.  A scheme, basically, to sell opportunities for hunters to bag a trophy buck in a controlled setting. 

The state’s agriculture department contends, beyond the illegal baiting aspect of the case, there was also a disease risk by mixing wild and captive deer.  A situation that could have a negative impact on the deer population as a whole.  

The Wisconsin deer farming industry is regulated by both the agriculture department and the DNR.  

Brush Ranch owner Travis Brush and employee Randall Hoff face criminal charges as well as civil penalties. 

An investigation started on the farm when members of the public reported suspicious activity there.