Keep our Texas wildlife wild
We have all heard the stories.
The so-called “hunter” picks out a deer on the Internet to kill for its prized antlers. The “hunter” flies in on his corporate jet to a Texas ranch, hops in a jeep and drives up to a genetically engineered trophy buck, released from captivity as little as 10 days prior.
The “hunter” shoots the deer, loads up the antlers, gives the meat to whoever will take it and gets back on his plane.
With more than 4 million wild deer in Texas, how can we justify these extreme factory farming and put-and-take shooting practices? Hunters and Texans agree, this is not hunting.
Deer breeding in Texas is a cottage industry backed by big dollars and focused on producing the biggest antlers.
There are fewer than 1,300 deer breeders in the state, but in the past decade they have spent millions on lobbying efforts seeking more liberty with the people’s deer.
With the 84th Legislature commencing in January, deer breeders are expected to file bills that will seek to further deregulate their industry.
Texans for Saving Our Hunting Heritage is a group of concerned sportsmen and landowners formed to expose practices that we believe threaten the future of hunting:
Very few of the commonly used drugs are labeled for white-tailed deer. And unlike the strict controls on pharmaceutical administration and withdrawal intervals in the livestock industry, there is no recognized authority that protects the consumer from potential drug residues in liberated breeder deer.
This poses threats to food safety because of unknown pharmaceutical withdrawal intervals in liberated breeder deer and promotes a perception of “canned hunting” that most hunters and most Texans cannot support.
Hunters deserve transparency regarding the origin and potential pharmaceutical history of the deer they harvest.
Hunting is part of the fabric of Texas. It is about camaraderie, family values, conservation and tradition.
Please join us as we “Hunt Real. Hunt Wild. Hunt Texas Proud.”
Jenny Sanders is the executive director of Texans for Saving Our Hunting Heritage. https://www.facebook.com/texanshuntingheritage