Posted: 5/30/06
Hunting preserve OKed
Commissioners turn down revised hog lot permit
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
The Houston County Planning Commission approved one controversial conditional use permit and denied another on May 25.
The seven-member board unanimously approved the permit for Larry Ledebuhr, Mound Prairie Township, to run an outdoor commercial recreation area-hunting preserve.
They denied the application of Scott Sanness to expand an animal feedlot up to 480 animal units and construct a manure storage basin.
Planning commission members visited Ledebuhrís 300-acre parcel on May 23 to get a first-hand look at it. Ledebuhr plans to have two parcels surrounded by an 8'-high fence topped with a strand of barbed wire. A 120-acre parcel will hold 20 deer and a 240-250-acre parcel will hold 40 deer. Hunters will be able to hunt in the enclosures from July 1-January 31.
Testimony ran both ways at the hearing, which lasted more than two hours. About 20 people attended it in the basement of the courthouse.
Disease, public safety, and hunting ethics were the three main concerns that were addressed by both proponents and opponents.
Planning commission chairman Bruce Lee raised the possibility of the deer in the enclosures transmitting Chronic Wasting Disease, either by escaping, by nose-to-nose contact through the fence, or by soil contamination and water run-off.
Carl Denkinger, a regulatory specialist with the Minnesota Board of Animal Health, said that the deer herd is closely monitored and regulated. For example, all deer that hunters shoot in the preserve have to be processed at an approved locker plant. ìYou cannot so much as even gut it [on site],î he said.
Minnesota has about 750 deer farms. The state considers such deer domestic animals. ìYou have to look at it like a cow, sheep, or pig,î he said.
Denkinger and several other people noted other health regulations, such as annual inspections, careful inventory of deer, and enrollment in the stateís CWD program. Every deer will have an identification tag that must be visible from 50 yards away. If a deer escapes, the DNR must be notified within 24 hours and the animal must be captured and killed.
Dave Corcoran, who serves on both the planning commission and county board, said the hunting aspect is what people are objecting to. ìWeíve had herds in this county for quite some time,î he said.
Planning commissioner Glenn Kruse asked who would maintain the fence if CWD is found and the animals have to be destroyed. Denkinger said there are no rules on that, and it might be something to look at.
ìThis is a dangerous issue,î Kruse said.
Ed Heberlein of La Crescent, who used to have a deer farm, wondered why a permit was needed for Ledebuhr when people who lease their land to hunters do not need permits.
If CWD is really an issue, authorities should look at the nearby Wiscoy Valley, where there are 175 deer per square mile, Heberlein said.
Neighbors object
Several neighbors voiced opposition to the plan. Jim Bakkum said the county should put a moratorium on the idea until Wisconsin gets a lid on its CWD problem. He said with the deep ditches on Ledebuhrís land, no one can guaranteed that the deer will be contained. ìTheyíll get in and out,î he said.
Bakkum also worried about stray bullets. He said houses at the Valley High sub-division would be in the line of fire, and the bullets could travel that far.
Ledebuhr disagreed with that. He said that all hunting stands would be 10-12' high and facing inward so bullets would not go outside the property.
Would there be shooting from the ground, Mike Beckman asked? ìI suppose itís possible,î Ledebuhr answered.
Skip Wieser, Ledebuhrís attorney, said in his opening remarks that the hunt would be regulated and controlled. ìItís not going to be the wild wild west as some people have portrayed it to be, he said.
Kent Holen, a member of the Bluffland Whitetails Association, questioned the ethics of the plan. ìOur disagreement is simply on philosophy,î he said.
Wieser said the rough, hilly terrain would not make for an easy harvest. ìBy no means is this a planned or canned hunt.î
Dawn Huebner, an adjoining landowner, felt the preserve would limit where she could built a house. ìI should be able to build where I want on my land,î she said.
Judy Gernander gave commissioners copies of newspaper letters to the editor from people opposing the plan. She also gave them petitions that she said were signed by about 450 people opposing the preserve.
Sanness denied again
Sannessí application was a smaller version of a plan that commissioners and the planning commission and county board voted down earlier this year.
The planning commission recommended denial of the application because of ìpotentialî water quality issues, odor issues, and property devaluation.
The county board has final say on conditional use permits. They will discuss these at the June 6 meeting.
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