Authorities say the 22 suspects are associated with three deer breeding facilities, ten release sites, one deer management pen, and three \u201cillegal facilities\u201d that were not registered with the state and were operating well outside of the law. A TPWD spokesperson told Outdoor Life Friday that the agency cannot release any names of the suspects or facilities, as the investigation is ongoing.<\/p>\n
The report issued Thursday, however, breaks down some of the charges that have already been filed. These include:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Transferring deer without valid CWD tests, identifying tattoos, or transfer permits<\/li>\n
- Illegally selling and purchasing wild whitetail deer<\/li>\n
- Hunting deer in a closed season<\/li>\n
- Possessing wild deer in breeder facilities to replace dead breeder deer<\/li>\n
- Trapping and moving free-range whitetails for release for hunting<\/li>\n
- Trapping previously released wild deer and reselling them<\/li>\n
- Taking whitetail deer without landowner consent<\/li>\n
- Hunting exotic animals from a public road way<\/li>\n
- Tampering with government records<\/li>\n
- Falsifying CWD tests by swapping tissue samples from poached wild deer with tissue samples from breeder deer<\/li>\n
- Swapping tags between breeder deer, and swapping tags between breeder deer and replacement deer captured in the wild<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Deer breeders have always had to follow specific regulations around raising, transporting, and releasing whitetails, since high-fenced deer are still considered a public resource in Texas \u2014 even in captivity. As CWD continues to spread, those breeders are facing increasingly strict rules regarding the sale and transportation of deer from high-fence operations, which have proven to be hotbeds for the neurological disease.<\/p>\n
This includes preventative measures, like the establishment of CWD containment zones, where breeders are required to test their animals before transporting them. In worst-case scenarios, when captive facilities experience full-on outbreaks of CWD, wildlife managers have killed off entire herds.<\/p>\n
The Texas deer breeding industry, valued around $1.6 billion, has complained and fought against these stricter rules, saying they are burdensome and bad for business. At the same time, many Texas deer hunters and wildlife managers say the CWD rules and firewalls in place are necessary to protect the state\u2019s free-range deer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese individuals and ranches operated with impunity, repeatedly violating established laws designed to protect Texas\u2019 natural resources and safeguard the state\u2019s wildlife against disease transmission,\u201d VanderRoest said. \u201cSystematic abuse of the regulatory framework governing the deer breeding industry will not be tolerated as we focus on our mission of conservation law enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n
This article<\/a> by Dac Collins was first published by Outdoor Life on 28 February 2025. Lead Image: Authorities say that by falsifying records, circumventing requirements, and disregarding regulations, the 22 suspects were putting the state’s entire deer population at risk. Photo by Nick de la Torre for the Houston Chronicle \/ Getty Images.
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