Deer farm sues laboratory for negligence

By Jane Beathard

Staff Writer

A Madison County captive deer farm recently sued a Hilliard veterinarian and his Wisconsin-based genetics laboratory for negligence in drawing and handling semen from its nationally recognized white-tailed bucks, according to court documents filed in Wisconsin’s Langlade County.

Waldvogel Whitetails, Inc., which operates captive deer farms in both Wisconsin and at 4070 Tradersville-Brighton Road, north of London, filed a lawsuit against Dr. Dennis Gourley, Elite Genetics, Inc. and Gourley’s liability insurer in October last year.

The suit seeks undetermined financial damages, court and attorney fees and other compensation.

The suit charges Gourley with professional negligence and breach of contract in drawing semen from the farm’s bucks in October 2006, then mixing and contaminating those draws. The suit also charges Gourley with drawing excess semen and failing to identify which samples were saleable.

In a response filed Nov. 16, Gourley denied most of Waldvogel’s accusations or said he lacked knowledge of their truthfulness.

Gourley admitted that he lived in Wisconsin from 2003 to 2010 and drew the semen in question at the company’s Wisconsin facility.

However, he denied representing himself as capable of extracting deer semen for sale or insemination. He also denied Waldvogel’s claim of “substantial financial loss, including loss of business profits and damage to reputation” as a result of the 2006 draws.

Gourley’s response requested dismissal of the lawsuit, saying the statute of limitations expired on Waldvogel’s claim and the breeder contributed to any breach of contract. It also noted Waldvogel failed to mitigate its damages.

According to the company’s Web site, Waldvogel sells semen from its stable of big-rack sires to other deer farmers. It also sells bred does, fawns and breeder bucks. The company’s reputation for breeding bucks with racks in the 300 to 400-inch class rests on good genetics. Those genetics spring primarily from a buck named “Max,” born in 1997.

“What made Max special was his ability to sire sons that set the standard for all whitetail bucks,” the site says. “Max lived a long and productive life at Waldvogel Whitetails. His legacy will live on forever through his sons, daughters and their sons and daughters.”

Many Waldvogel products end up in private hunting preserves across the country.

The company did not respond to a request for comment.