Assembly Bill 693 aims to create a new statute that allows for the legal exchange of deer for gift cards or gift certificates to local businesses, specifically when the deer is lawfully taken in designated farmland zones. This bill exempts these deer from existing prohibitions on the sale, purchase, barter, or trade of wild animals, provided that the deer is offered to a meat processing facility. The facility must agree to process the deer and provide the resulting meat to a food distribution service, which is defined as a program operated by a nonprofit organization that supplies food to individuals with low incomes.

The new legal language introduced in the bill specifies the conditions under which the deer can be offered, including the requirement that it be taken from the central or southern farmland zones and the stipulation regarding the exchange for gift cards. This initiative is intended to support local businesses while also contributing to food assistance efforts in the community.