Keith Warren Speaks Out on Texas Deer Bill
OutdoorHub 03.26.13
One of the most celebrated personalities in the outdoor television industry, Keith Warren is speaking out against pending wildlife legislation in Texas that could threaten the lives of thousands of deer across the state.
House Bill 2433 and Senate Bill 1412 were introduced recently into the Texas 83rd Legislative Session and changes the usual September release period, which has been in effect for more than 80 years, to a release period that requires moving deer in July.
“I’m for whatever is best for the deer and this bill is definitely not good for the deer,” says Keith Warren, executive producer and show host of Deer & Wildlife Stories on the Pursuit Channel. “I don’t often speak up on political issues but this bill, if passed into law, will force deer breeders to move deer when it’s more than 100 degrees outside. It will needlessly kill a lot of deer and I don’t see how anyone can support that and actually look at themselves in the mirror every day.”
Warren explains that deer are very susceptible to stress and moving the animals under conditions where there is excessive body heat, such is common in Texas during the summer months, can cause the deer to suffer myopathic conditions, such as heart damage, cardiac arrest and death.
The current Texas statute, known as the 10-Day Rule, has regulated release dates for whitetail deer since 1933 and it is a cornerstone regulation for the hunting and breeding industries which now provide nearly one billion dollars annually for the Texas economy. In the 1990s, elements of the 1933 law were also incorporated into the current Texas Parks & Wildlife Code to address breeder deer.
A veteran of outdoor television programming for 25 years, Warren and his programs have enjoyed huge support are seen weekly on the Pursuit Channel. His current productions include The High Road with Keith Warren and Deer & Wildlife Stories.
Keith Warren’s Deer & Wildlife Stories airs four times a week, Mondays at 8pm, Tuesdays at 2:30pm, Wednesdays at 7:30pm; Saturday at 3pm. The High Road with Keith Warren also airs three times a week on Sundays at 8:30 p.m.; Mondays at 3 p.m., Thursdays at 12 a.m. and Saturdays at 7:30 a.m. Both shows run on the Pursuit Channel (DirecTV 604 and Dish 240), and all times are EST.
