According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), two individuals have been apprehended following the discovery of an illicit operation involving the smuggling of white-tailed deer in Montgomery County, Texas. Texas Game Wardens were responsible for uncovering this illegal activity.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) reported that game wardens apprehended a deer breeder from South Texas and his associate attempting to transport seven deer from a licensed deer breeding facility in East Texas. The duo aimed to smuggle the deer through Montgomery County to Brazoria and Duval Counties, with the alleged intention of releasing them unlawfully into the wild on private property.
According to TPWD, a Game Warden in Montgomery County pulled over a vehicle and discovered that the deer being transported did not have the necessary documentation or identification. Upon further investigation, it was found that there were “significant violations of TPWD statutes and regulations”, as well as additional criminal and traffic violations.
According to reports, law enforcement authorities arrested both men and subsequently booked them into the Montgomery County Jail.
According to TPWD, the deer breeder was charged with a total of 41 offenses. These included 11 violations of the penal code, 29 violations related to deer breeding, and one violation of the traffic code. The individual admitted guilt to all 29 deer breeder violations and three penal code violations.
According to TPWD, the business partner faced charges for two penal code violations and 28 deer breeder violations, resulting in his conviction.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) also reported that both men were found guilty of committing various violations in order to evade disease monitoring and testing protocols. These violations included not conducting pre-mortem chronic wasting disease (CWD) testing, failing to obtain proper transfer permits, removing breeder deer without the necessary identification, and illegally possessing live game animals.
According to TPWD, the men were found guilty of a total of 57 deer breeder violations, along with one alcohol violation and two dangerous drug violations. As a result, they were fined a total of $12,060.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) regulates the possession and movement of deer to prevent the spread of disease and maintain the well-being of captive and free-range populations. For detailed information on these regulations, please visit the TPWD website.
“Flagrant violations, such as intentionally transferring deer without identifiers, hinder Texas’ ability to identify the source of a deer in the event of a disease detection,” said Col. Ronald VanderRoest, TPWD Law Enforcement Director. “This creates the potential for negative impacts to the health of both captive and free ranging deer populations, the deer breeder industry, landowners, hunters and Texas’ outdoor and rural based economies, where white-tailed deer hunting has a $9.6 billion annual economic contribution.”
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) made the difficult decision to euthanize the deer because there was no suitable location to release them and it was deemed too risky due to their unknown disease status. Following protocols for disease testing, the deer were euthanized, and fortunately, no Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) was detected.