I know there are varying views on hunting high fence and the deer breeding industry, but there is one thing I think every hunter can agree on... the erosion of any hunters rights is an erosion against all of our rights. Regardless of whether you agree with it or not there are benefits that the deer breeding industry brings to all of us, but especially the advancement, the care and the value put into the whitetail deer species. There are certain special interest groups who would like to chip away at the deer breeding industry and Bill 810 is one of their steps. I encourage you to look into this bill and sign this petition below that the TDA is sending to the Senate. The long and short of it is they want and deer raised in a breeders facility to have a visible tag remaining in their ear upon release onto ranches. They will try to pass it off as having the ability to track CWD cases better. But if they suspect CWD in a deer they will have the head to test. If they have the head to test they will also have the ears which must have a tattoo with a unique id number inside of them for tracking such diseases. So that would be a bogus reason. The only reason they are wanting this as a requirement is because they believe hunters will not want to shoot a deer with a tag in their ear. Please consider this for what it is which is another intrusive invasion on business owners to make a living doing what they love to do while bettering the species.



https://texasdeerassociation.com/oppose-senate-bill-810/

Thanks for posting. I have zero interest in this and prefer native whitetail. That’s just me.
Some of the genetics look ridiculous. Who wants to shoot a deer with an ear tag anyway?


That’s just my opinion. No one get mad.

You don't do this often but you just completely missed the point.

Maybe. I’m preoccupied watching chopped.

Inch by inch, anything's a cinch

Yup......

I will sign it. I despise big government intrusion.

Based off of what you wrote I have zero issue and if anything I would support the bill. Why is it a problem to keep ear tags in a deer not born in the wild? Serious question. I also disagree that high fences/breeder operations are good for the sport or good for deer.

Ear tag or not makes little difference to me. We've passed on a couple ear tagged bucks on our LF place and they weren't anything special.

Can someone post a link to the actual bill? I can't find a senate bill with that number for the current session. Thanks!

" If they have the head to test they will also have the ears which must have a tattoo with a unique id number inside of them for tracking such diseases."

That would make it easier to track deer taken illegally. A note to taxidermist's that such and such deer was poached and please respond if it shows up.

Would also be interesting if a deer was entered into a contest with a tattoo.

IMO it's no different than any animals I bought and paid for to raise on my land. You don't have the right or big gov to tell me how if I choose to tag or brand my animals in the first place. Serious answer.

They do when it comes to communicable diseases. Are you familiar with scrapie?

Ranchers have to have ear tags on livestock. They keep extensive records on births and maintenance of the animal throughout their lives. I see no reason to treat pen raised deer any different except the deer do not enter the wider food chain. Bottom line in either scenario, they are tracking disease.
These same intrusive entities help in times of need, ie; vaccines, range improvement, screw fly eradication, cwd.

Agree with Pitchfork Predator. High fence deer are basically livestock. Not my cup of tea, but why is the Gov dictating how a rancher identifies his livestock? More Government sticking it's nose where it does not belong.

Let’s treat them like they are livestock then across the board. Deer ear tagged behind a high fence should have no season and not have any state regulations about how/when they can be hunted. They shouldn’t be treated like a wild animal for harvest purposes and livestock for everything else.

Link to the latest revision of the bill. Looks like there is now a provision for removing the ear tag when the deer is released.

https://legiscan.com/TX/text/SB810/2019


(h) A deer breeder may remove an identification tag from a
breeder deer for liberation purposes only after:
(1) a transfer permit for the breeder deer has been
activated; and
(2) the deer breeder or deer breeder's agent has
verified that the breeder deer bears a tattoo meeting the
requirements of this section.
(i) The person transporting breeder deer must possess an
identification tag that has been removed in accordance with
Subsection (h) from each breeder deer being transported that does
not bear an identification tag in the vehicle used to transport the
breeder deer until the transfer permit has been completed.

well said. exactly what they are doing

No they don’t. Not on their land.

I agree and so do the owners of them

Yes I am and doesn’t change my opinion.

Most of you all arguing are forgetting that the state of texas (and most other states) consider deer state property. Whether bought or sold or in a high fence or low, texas says deer are state property. period. end of discussion.

The cost of admission for buying and breeding state deer inside your high fence is whatever the state says it is. If they say it needs a tag, or tattoo, or whatever, and you want to have deer inside the high fence, then that's the price you have to pay.

If you read into this tagging requirement that they "are hoping people won't shoot deer with tags in their ears", well that's just your take. I personally would have no problem shooting a deer with a tag, but since I don't hunt where deer are tagged I would probably never come across this issue.

Having said that, I am all about keeping the govt out of my business....BUT deer are their business not ours.