this is a new one for me. I was up in Michigan fishing and they have several deer breeders up there. there aren't many "game preserves", but fishing guide who is also avid deer hunter said the free range outfitters buy these deer to have a few extra quality bucks around their clients.

it makes sense to me, especially since legal in Michigan. I'm wondering if legal and practiced in Texas too, but it has to be! state shouldn't care if you buy deer for your high fence or low fence. heck, many high fence deer escape on their own.

have you heard of free range ranches in Texas buying a few extra breeder bucks? what a risk for the ranch, but if you have huge ranch, then you could have high confidence you could still keep buck on property.

A lot do it.

It's even done on some timber company leases....native genetics overwhelm the imports.

A person ought to be free to waste their money however they see fit. Now that you have brought this to light to the "nannies" on here, expect an effort to make a new stupid law....

Just curious, if you had a 5000 acre ranch or larger would you still consider it a waste of money? If so why?

Yes. I hunt on 6500 acres, lease the neighbors 1k acres and have access to the 3500 acres of our ranch that isn't hunted. First, the deer do not stay on our place. Neighbors have pictures of many of our mature deer and the range is extensive. Also, a few exceptional bucks will not change the genetics of the herd. The debate is no different than the one over shooting culls. Shooting culls will not eliminate the gene from the herd, just determines which deer make it to maturity. Adding a new gene will not create a herd with more potential, just a few deer with the possibility of showing those traits. Over time, the native genetics will suppress the introduced animals unless extensive management was included and more than a "few" were added.

I would think you would need to add one "import" bred doe for every "native" doe you had on your place to make a difference and with fawn survival rates iffy at best, I'm not sure importing bred does is a very smart idea under free range conditions. I guess if you got more money than sense, then it don't matter much though.

I don't think those releasing pen raised deer into the LF wild are concerned in the least way about genetics.

x2 and they probably make their money back + some as soon as he stumbles up to the first feeder.

Where is this place anyway? Just curious.

Yes. You can't significantly change native genetics by releasing improved genetics into a native herd.

And for those who think they aren't trying to change genetics. IMO it's still a waste of money because I don't believe all the released deer will get killed. Some might but some won't, and the ones that don't get killed are going to not only be reduced in antler size the next year or two but they are probably going to be more susceptible to predation and injury stress.

we have several does running on our ranch that escaped from the high fence place next door...The are all ear tagged from the previous landowner and are off limits to our hunters..Obviously they were brought in as breeder does and have 2 years now of fawns...

Why are they off limits? They are no better mommas (probably worse) than your native does. Are they going next door during mating seasons and breeding with penned breeder bucks? Like all women, they are only as good as the man that......oh never mind.