Been watching Keith Warrens TV show where he goes around the country visiting and promoting deer farms. It's VERY interesting what the farms are doing to raise "Championship" deer.

Just like breeding hunting dogs and racehorses.

Pretty good show...Chuck Fraizer at Lone Wolf Whitetails is a character.

I can’t stand that show!

I watched a show with keith Warren ..maybe the same one some time ago..the big bucks looked deformed as the racks were so large. However, I enjoyed watching how the deer ranchers were raising the special bucks. The show made me want to go visit a ranch personally. I always wanted to save a few big wider bucks each year to help solve the 12-13 inch buck problems as each year seems as though we are developing a higher percentage of small narrow bucks. P&W needs to have a plan to help or else we will not be able to control those narrow racks . We are having to feed those small narrow horned bucks as they are illegal to hunt..they just keep breeding more. I recommend we should issue special tags for these bucks as we do for does. We just need to acknowledge the problem and develop a path forward to help with control . The AR counties will be seeing more inferior bucks not reaching over 13 inches as they are being bred each year. Hunters are harvesting some bigger thicker 12" racks, we shouldn't have to break the law to control these bucks.
Sorry, I didn't mean to get off the subject, this problem continues to grow...

The more breeders out there, the more prices will decline for bigger bucks. Used to cost more then a new truck to shoot a really big whitetail, now it's cheaper to shoot a 200 inch farm buck then it is to pay for a good quality low fence hunt without any guarantee of seeing anything.

In 1999 the landowner we leased from shot a 150" deer somewhere down around Cotulla on a paid package hunt. He paid $5k for the deer and the hunt. Today, that same hunt is still $5k and can be had cheaper depending on which ranch you go.


The breeding business has its place in the world of whitetails. I've been to countless breeding operations and combo hunting ranches and they are not all created equal. A bad one is just that.....a bad experience. A good one can be a wonderful experience and you can take an animal you can be proud to hang on your wall. They do offer great benefits to folks buying property in otherwise poor deer country who want to give the native quality a boost. I can't say for sure that if I bought a ranch in a pretty area but had poor genetics ( Fayette and Colorado/Lavaca County come to mind ) that I wouldn't throw up a fence and bring in some nice typical genetics so my family and friends could come out and shoot a truly big deer.

I like to watch the show, Keith has changed a lot. He’s good for our sport. Having said that I don’t care for the freaky genetics that are pretty apparent they came from a breeder. I would prefer a clean , symmetrical 150” 8 point over a 200” farm raised any day .

what if the 200" deer is a clean 10......then what?

What if a frog had wings?

The genetics for big deer in Fayette Colorado and Lavaca county are still there. However the antler restrictions truly caused a top grading of the better bucks. 160's to 170's are still taken every year in these counties but are not made public. I personally do not much care for "deer farms" but I would rather see that then the rampant subdividing of ranches that is occurring in these counties, which only leads to more hunters on smaller acreage. I could go on....

Then I would love to hunt it , my point was I don’t care for the freaky genetics that look farm raised. My personal preference is in clean symmetry. I know a lot of guys like the mega racks , I don’t. Good news is everyone can choose to hunt what they want where they want

AR’s might not be perfect, but it’s a lot better now than when 90% of the buck harvest was yearling deer.

Subdividing is an ongoing issue and it will not get better in our lifetime, but can actually lead to less hunters on the landscape, as many owners of small tracts don’t hunt or hunt very sparingly.

A big ranch with a ton of lease hunters impacts game and wildlife numbers more than several smaller landholdings that feed and water and are selective with deer harvest. However, it’s not ideal to have a lot of micro habitats.

That is the real issue needing to be addressed, not the deer breeders that are buying and selling to private individuals

I never said deer farms were the issue. I just do not care for man made big bucks and the embellishment they receive. Fact is that the deer farms in the area keep the larger acreages together farming deer when others went broke on cattle resulting in subdividing and selling off. Big changes have come to these areas and the AR's have improved things. I remember the years when seeing three does a morning was a great hunt and an eight point buck was big.

There are 2 paces that border me. One was 160 acres and the other 130 acres. Both were bought and sold off in around 20-acre tracks. I used to see deer in there all the time. I have not even seen a single doe much less a buck in there since deer season ended.

Ide say it’s an even money bet this thread will stay about deer farming or will lean to ARs or subdividing ranchetts.
All mainstay hot topics on here.

Rumor has it then they would've bump their [censored] when they jump.

I just can’t watch Keith Warren. Deer farming is not my cup of tea. Labeling it as farming, from an Ag perspective, it makes economic sense to me when I compare the $/animal traditional ranchers make. I am motivated more by the prospect of buying and shooting a cow than buying a genetically engineered pen raised deer. I am not criticizing those who are into it and feel a sense of accomplishment. It just does not excite me.

I prefer a symmetrical rack also...

200 farm raised, that is not hunting.

This!

This again ^^^^

Interesting things indeed

My $0.02 for what it's worth. Farm raising is BS in my eyes....cannot stand the madness hunting is becoming. High fences, farming and exotics ruining hunting for the average hard working man. If you have deep pockets or excuse that "it is cheaper to pay for a tied up deer and not a lease", more power to you. Keith Warren is a tool in my eyes as well, but to each his own. Not meant to spur any sort of argument....just my lowly opinion.

Rest assured, hunter density weather on a large lease or a lot of smaller places will determine the deer density. TPWD should set the pace for deer density. However, the ability for TPWD to determine the density is impossible task. TPWD rely what hunters tell them and what count they reach. Each lease should count their deer with the most accurate method...I use cameras with a proven process. Normally, the low density is not determined until it is too late.

After this video, I quit believing anything Keith Warren had to say:

.50 BMG sucks doe’s eyes out