So do they even breed these exotics, and if so, are the permits for those specific deer affected as they appear to be for the Whitetail stock? Don't tell me. The owner of the permits for the Whitetail stock is this Rich individual. I personally don't agree with any of these ranches creating what I call "mutant" deer simply to make a profit. Guess that's because I've never cared about setting some record by shooting a B&C rack to get my name entered into some record book. I've always hunted deer for their meat. If I was fortunate to shoot a buck with a nice rack, so be it. But at least I knew that deer grew up naturally and earned his distinction by being smart enough to elude predators that kept him alive so long. These exotic ranchers stick these deer in pens, keep breeding them until they get some livestock with these massive racks, then let them get selectively killed by some millionaire who probably couldn't hunt a wild deer to save his life. All they're doing is buying a record. Ultimately it hurts the sport because when you put up all these high fences to keep these exotic breeds in their respective ranches, you're also keeping the normal wild livestock out, which reduces their capability to breed and increase their lineage. So the everyday hunter who wants to lease land from some rancher to hunt the deer season, has to pay higher prices to lease the land, then gets stuck with smaller and inferior livestock. I remember I used to be able to buy 16 oz. of venison jerky for around $8 - $12. Now, you're lucky to find it under $25. Anytime we head over to San Antonio or The Hill Country, we always stop at the Buckee's in Luling for gas and refreshments. They sell various types of jerky, anywhere from beef, buffalo, turkey, elk, and venison. The last time I stopped there I noticed they no longer were selling venison jerky. I asked the clerk why they didn't have any, and she said, "We can't buy it at a price that makes it economically affordable to sell. Based on what we'd have to pay for it on the open market, we'd have to sell it for $45 for 16 oz."
Yes, there are federal permits for all of the exotic animals. And they are pretty stringent about those requirements. There's really no fudging around with that stuff unless you're just looking to lose your multi milliom dollar investment. As mentioned all that documentation is secured with the attorneys just incase.
The only permits that were non renewed were for the state native white tails. Though I'm not sure how it hurts the sport considering the growth the sport has seen. And wild herds don't seem to be in danger of being whiped out anytime soon as long as CWD is kept at bay.
I will say that the majority of hunting/harvesting is done specifically for the meat. Not all of the animals taken are specifically for sport. Many are sold to processors who simply butcher and sell meat, many are sold to these other dime a dozen ranchers.
Animals aren't shot willy nilly style. As mentioned animals are selected when they are ready to be harvested or when its necessary to thin a herd or perhaps if an animal has been shunned from the herd.
