Texas Deer Association Applauds New Texas Farm Bureau Position
OutdoorHub 12.13.13
The state’s largest association dedicated to whitetail and mule deer, the Texas Deer Association (TDA), announces is support for the decision by the Texas Farm Bureau to remove spring release-only language from its Texas Farm Bureau Policy Book.
During the Texas Farm Bureau 80th Annual Meeting recently held in San Antonio, delegates from across the state voted to eliminate a previously published position that called for changing deer release regulations that have been in place for more than 80 years in favor of spring release-only.
“We are very pleased with the Texas Farm Bureau’s decision to strike the spring release language from its policy book,” says Karl Kinsel, executive director of the Texas Deer Association.”Whenever there are changes made to long-standing legislation, there can always be unintended consequences. We have always advocated for private property rights and we trust land owners to determine the most appropriate release management practices for their ranch. The policy correction clearly demonstrates that the Texas Farm Bureau and we both agree on the importance of supporting private property rights, and we’re looking forward to working more closely with TFB in the future on a variety of other issues.”
The current 10-Day statute in Texas has guided release dates for whitetail deer since 1933 and hunting and breeding industries across the state were developed around the statute. There currently is no scientific evidence or administrative cases that suggest changing the statute is needed at this time. Nor is any detailed study available that documents and verifies a better option for the deer or the industry.
Founded in 1999, the TDA is the only non-profit organization solely committed to improving the quality of whitetail and mule deer herds through better habitat practices, modern harvest strategies and use of managed deer to enhance the herds. As a part of its public education efforts, the TDA produces a full-color bimonthly publication, Tracks Magazine, which updates TDA members on current industry news, deer genetics and game management issues.
For more information on the Texas Deer Association, visit www.texasdeerassociation.com or call 210.767.8300.
