In Vergas, Tarzan is in his last days

Is shooting a fenced-in animal sport?

The question comes in the wake of WDAY’s story about a Minnesota deer farm that raises the bucks and feeds them, then lets hunters come in and shoot them.

Mike Summers, who owns Summers Game Ranch, has posted on Craigslist that for $9,400, you can take a shot at the prize buck. It shouldn’t be too hard; there’s only 25 acres at the ranch.

It’ll be different than most hunts; you get to know the name of the deer before you kill it. In this case, it’s Tarzan, whose development has been well documented on the ranch’s Facebook page.

Tarzan was a breeder buck but he’s all bred out.

The picture accompanying the Craigslist ad suggests Tarzan is all ready to go.

Great whitetail buck! Would make a beautiful mount for your home or office. Over 20 points. Should score over 200″. (Last year’s official score was 241″.) Call for more information. 218-841-5012 no emails please.

“A lot of people who have the time and want something on the wall, instead of a picture, they want a mount on there,” Mr. Summers told WDAY.

“I guess if it is legal, that is one thing; but for the true hunter, would not want to do something like that,” John Young, a hunter from Hawley, said, passing on the invitation.

Commenters on the Facebook page heaped shame on Summers, who fired back. “We understand that you feel that way,” he wrote. “We can only assume that you would feel the same about cows, pigs, turkeys, etc. These animals were born in captivity and will remain in captivity.

They are livestock and although they are cared for with the highest level of decency, they will eventually be killed. We do understand that this type of business is not for everyone and we respect the opinions of others.”