RANCHING Wildlife
Common Sense Goals for Texas Deer Breeding
An essay by Tom Vandivier and David Yeates, provided by Texas Wildlife Association
T
HE 84TH REGULAR TEXAS LEGISLATIVE SESSION WILL begin on Jan. 13, 2015. Here at Texas Wildlife Association (TWA), we have been preparing for
many months to address several key issues during the upcoming session. We are working with perennial advocacy partners
Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) and Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) on core private property rights issues such as eminent domain reform and groundwater matters. TWA will also be focusing on wildlife matters. One
specifi c wildlife issue that has been a source of fric- tion over the last few sessions is the matter of captive deer breeding. It is a complex issue that can easily be misunderstood or misrepresented. We thought it would be helpful to provide an outline of the legislative his- tory and TWA’s positions on captive deer breeding in hopes of clearing up some misconceptions. TWA proudly stands for private property rights,
preserving our hunting heritage and keeping wildlife wild. Nearly 30 years ago, TWA was formed to fi ght proposed legislation to ban the use of “game proof” high fences in Texas. TWA defeated that legislation and we continue to
support the use of high fencing as an option for land- owners and wildlife managers on property of all sizes.
tscra.org TWA is absolutely not opposed to captive deer breed-
ing. However, TWA does have animal and human health concerns arising from the increasingly intense and progressive practices used in the captive deer breeding industry. We have been working diligently toward sensible
regulatory solutions with as many partners and diverse viewpoints as possible (deer breeding trade groups and state agencies, for example) and we will continue to pursue that goal in the upcoming 84th session of the Texas Legislature. We often hear this described as a “private property
rights” issue. However, the Texas Constitution desig- nates wildlife as a public trust resource, meaning that all native wildlife (including whitetail deer) of Texas belongs to the public. Deer breeder permits are issued by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) after an application process, as a revocable privilege to the applicant. So in fact, the practice of captive deer breed- ing does not concern private property and is not a right. We also hear the need for compromise on this issue
mentioned often; that we as hunters need to form a uni- fi ed front against those who are opposed to hunting. We at TWA could not agree more. Compromise and
unity are important, but so is self-governance. As hunt- ers and wildlife stewards we have no greater duty than
January 2015 The Cattleman 69
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