The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission at its Nov. 5 public hearing adopted interim rules for captive deer movement requirements.
The measures were adopted to provide the deer breeding industry with continuity and consistency through the 2015-16 hunting season.
The rules will replace emergency rules in effect that were developed as appropriate measures to protect white-tailed and mule deer in Texas in response to the discovery of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in a captive deer breeding facility in Medina County, near San Antonio, this summer.
Those rules would have expired prior to the end of deer season.
The new rules allow all deer breeders that met previous movement qualifications, except a CWD-positive facility, the opportunity to continue to move and release breeder deer.
There needs to be a balance in the needs of landowners, management and deer hunting interests in the state as said in a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department press release.
The interim rules will increase the probability of detecting CWD in permitted facilities and release sites where it exists – all to implement a response plan to contain the disease. Read more in the weekend Bowie News.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. (Logo provided by the TPWD, used with permission)