Texas Game Wardens Uncover Massive Black-Market Deer Trade, 1,200 Charges Pending

AUSTIN – A recent investigation by Texas Game Wardens resulted in approximately 1,200 pending charges and 22 suspects from across the state involved in the deer breeding industry and black-market wildlife trade.

The suspects and charges are associated with three deer breeding facilities, ten release sites, one deer management pen and three illegal facilities not registered in the Texas Wildlife Information Management Services (TWIMS) database, meaning they were operating or receiving deer in violation of registration requirements and disease monitoring protocols.

"The hard work and commitment of our Texas Game Wardens to uncover these violations cannot be overstated," said TPWD Executive Director David Yoskowitz. "Their pivotal role in conservation law enforcement helps ensure the health of all deer populations in the state. These violations don’t just break the law—they undermine the very foundation of responsible wildlife management in Texas."

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) has referred the cases to prosecutors’ offices in 11 Texas counties.

The cases stem from a prior investigation involving the illegal smuggling of captive white-tailed deer, ultimately leading wardens to uncover this much larger network of alleged offenders after the arrest and conviction of two individuals that occurred in Montgomery County.

The investigation uncovered approximately 500 Class C charges, 700 Class B charges, 22 Class A charges and multiple state jail felony charges. Due to the ongoing nature of this case, the final number of charges filed may vary.

"I am incredibly proud of the dedication and diligence Texas Game Wardens devoted to this case," said Col. Ronald VanderRoest, TPWD law enforcement director. "An operation of this size and scope did not develop overnight and the widespread violations may have continued unchecked, posing an even greater threat to Texas’ deer populations and the integrity of the deer breeding industry, if not for their hard work.”

TPWD has established science-based regulations and procedures to both manage deer breeding in Texas and prevent major disease outbreak, all with the goal of ensuring the long-term sustainability of native and captive deer in Texas.

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a fatal neurological disease and can devastate deer populations by silently spreading through direct animal contact and contaminated environments. Without close monitoring, illegal movement of captive deer increases the risk of introducing CWD to areas it is not known to exist, potentially leading to widespread outbreaks which will impact more than just the health of Texas deer.

Yoskowitz also noted that with many rural Texans depending on hunting as their full or supplemental income, a large-scale outbreak of CWD could pose a significant threat to white-tailed deer hunting, which has a $9.6 billion annual economic contribution and could irreversibly alter Texas’ rich outdoor heritage.

By circumventing requirements, disregarding regulations and falsifying official records, the suspects in this case intentionally placed the state's entire deer population at risk, explained VanderRoest.

"These individuals and ranches operated with impunity, repeatedly violating established laws designed to protect Texas’ natural resources and safeguard the state’s wildlife against disease transmission," VanderRoest said. "Systematic abuse of the regulatory framework governing the deer breeding industry will not be tolerated as we focus on our mission of conservation law enforcement."

Class C pending charges include transferring deer without valid antemortem CWD tests, lack of identifying tattoos or valid transfer permits, failure to report mortality within the required seven-day period following detection and failure to submit CWD samples within seven days of collection. Additional pending charges include illegally selling and purchasing wild white-tailed deer and hunting deer in a closed season to falsify and circumvent CWD testing requirements by submitting samples from free-ranging wild white-tailed deer in place of breeder deer.

Class B pending charges include possession of wild deer in breeder facilities to replace dead breeder deer, multiple Trap, Transport and Transplant (TTT) permit violations and criminal mischief for the destruction of county and state property. 

TTT charges stem from the illegal trapping, transporting and transplanting of free-ranging white-tailed deer for release for hunting, trapping previously released wild deer and reselling them, illegal operation of unregistered facilities participating in the same TTT activities and the undocumented and unauthorized transportation and release of unidentified fawns. 

Suspects face Class A charges for taking white-tailed deer without landowner consent and for hunting exotic animals from a public roadway or right of way. 

Pending state jail felony charges include tampering with government records falsifying information in TWIMS reports, which were certified as accurate. These incidents include falsifying tests through the submission of tissue samples from poached wild deer for CWD testing in place of the samples of breeder deer, tag swapping between breeder deer, and swapping tags between breeder deer and replacement deer captured in the wild.

TPWD remains committed to enforcing these laws and will hold violators accountable. Texas Game Wardens will continue to pursue those who disregard regulations and illegally exploit Texas’ natural resources, putting both captive and native populations at risk.