16 minute read
Is Texas Deer Hunting Hanging in the Balance?
An age-old sheep disease threatens to erode Texas deer hunting. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is developing stringent controls for scrapie, which has been found in Texas deer. The disease has shown no effect on deer herds or human health. However, these controls have the potential to diminish deer hunting at a time when deer are thriving and expanding, and deer hunting recreation is at an all-time high. The intentions are good, but the results are bad.
A disease team at USDA in Ames, Iowa, has found using Western blotting that chronic wasting disease (CWD) and scrapie have the same molecular profile—PrPSc—which indicates CWD is either scrapie, or a variant of scrapie. CWD is considered an “insidious and deadly” disease of cervids, and TPWD has declared war on CWD/scrapie at the expense of landowners, deer hunters, and deer breeders. Truth is, CWD has never existed. It has always been scrapie.
Texas whitetails have been expanding over the 100 million acres of deer habitat since the state began regulating hunting in the early 1920s. There has been no evidence of any deer disease affecting reproduction or survival. Any losses from the known diseases, except anthrax, are replaced 10-fold by natural reproduction. The state’s whitetail herds have grown by a half-million since CWD/scrape was discovered.
Scrapie isn’t new to American agriculture. The disease has been around since Christopher Columbus brought sheep to the West Indies in 1492 and the colonists brought sheep to the East Coast in 1609. Sheep raising spread through the Colonies and Mexico, and then the rest of the United States. Most sheep were raised for wool, but people east of the Mississippi liked the meat, or mutton, of young lambs.
CWD/scrapie was discovered in wild whitetails in Wisconsin in 2002. The disease had been previously found in a research pen at Colorado State, and named chronic wasting disease by the research team, which had no knowledge that they had found scrapie in a mule deer. Cervids were not known to be susceptible to scrapie in 1967.
Sheep have a long history in the United States. By 1840, the states west of the Rocky Mountains had millions of sheep, and sheep were used to control grass and weeds in the eastern states. In 1828, sheep even grazed the White House lawn.
Texas has long been first in sheep production, but it’s interesting to note Wisconsin, where CWD/ scrapie was discovered in wild whitetails, was the second highest sheep raising state in the nation. Since CWD is scrapie, with the same molecular profile, it’s easy to see why the disease was discovered in wild deer in the second highest sheep raising state in the nation. In 1940, there were 55 million sheep in the United States.
TPWD is a highly credible state agency that administers outdoor activities to millions of Texans. I worked there for 33 years in the wildlife division, and was the white-tailed deer program leader for 11 years. Like me, all deer hunters should be concerned when Texas deer hunting is unnecessarily threatened by a sheep disease first reported in 1732 in the British Colonies.
TPWD, with an exemplary record of achievements, has embarked on a mission that threatens Texas’ most valuable hunting sport. Large, multi-county containment/surveillance zones, carved around a single CWD/scrapie positive found on a Texas ranch, have the potential of creating untenable conditions for landowners and deer hunters. At present, these zones encompass parts of 28 counties, amounting to millions of acres of deer habitat. More recently, positive tests for
Part I
TPWD, with an exemplary record of achievements, has embarked on a mission that threatens Texas’ most valuable hunting sport. Large, multi-county containment/ surveillance zones, carved around a single CWD/ scrapie positive found on a Texas ranch, have the potential of creating untenable conditions for landowners and deer hunters. At present, these zones encompass parts of 28 counties, amounting to millions of acres of deer habitat. More recently, positive tests for scrapie have been found in breeder pens in Llano and Gillespie Counties, two of the three major deer hunting counties in the state.
Editorial by Horace Gore, wildlife biologist
These zones, as large as 644 square miles are meant to control scrapie, but unintentionally evoke hardships on landowners, deer hunters, deer breeders, and rural communities—a situation that’s unnecessary and intolerable. Deer hunting communities, as well as landowners and hunters, are looking for relief from the large containment zones.
SCRAPIE: A DISEASE AS OLD AS THE HILLS
Scrapie is not new to American agriculture. The disease has been known in sheep for 300 years. Now, a disease test called Western blotting has shown scrapie is also a disease in deer, elk, moose, and other cervids. Western blotting was developed in 1979, and allows scientists to look at molecular profiles of TSEs, transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, such as scrapie.
What was previously diagnosed as an “insidious and deadly “deer disease called CWD has now been revealed by Western blotting to be scrapie, a slow, clinically selective disease in sheep that has been known for three centuries. Although deadly to the animal that gets it, scrapie is rare, with little importance to wild cervids. It should be noted that scrapie has never been known to have any effect on Texas deer herds or human health.
TPWD’s wildlife division has developed a program for controlling scrapie in deer, and the newest approach is large containment/ surveillance zones where a single positive is found. No deer, or any parts of deer, can be removed from the zones unless it has been taken to a check station and tested for CWD/scrapie. The nature and rules for these large zones are a source of concern for the future of Texas deer hunting, since the zones could eventually cover all of the state’s deer habitat where thousands of sheep once grazed.
All is not quiet on the Texas home front. Landowners and private entrepreneurs have been at odds with the wildlife division over scrapie regulations that hinder quality deer management. Containment zones, check stations, and rules that prevent deer breeding and transfer of deer from one property to another—all related to scrapie—are the center of conflict. The over-sized containment/surveillance zones are a thorn in the side of ranchers, and may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
Many Texas ranches have management plans developed by private wildlife biologists. A new era in quality deer has emerged through progressive breeding, harvest, and feeding techniques that is not accepted by the wildlife division and the white-tailed deer advisory committee—thus, a turf battle. The Texas Wildlife Association, created years ago to help landowners, has shown no interest in the CWD/scrapie matter.
CWD was first observed in a mule deer at Colorado State University in 1967. This discovery meant little to the hunting world, until CWD was discovered in wild whitetails in Wisconsin in 2002, and deer hunters went berserk. All kinds of false information was publicized, with no scientific evidence to warrant the wild accusations about CWD.
In 1978, the techniques used by Dr. Elizabeth Williams in her continued study of the malady in mule deer were not capable of distinguishing the molecular profiles of TSEs. Dr. Williams, who later named the disease chronic wasting disease, had no way of knowing that she had found scrapie in mule deer—something new to the wildlife world. The science she used did not show her the “new” disease was Old-World scrapie.
Is scrapie an historic disease of cervids, and was simply detected in a research herd of animals at Colorado State, or has scrapie mutated to cervids from sheep? There is no evidence whatsoever scrapie is new to cervids, or that scrapie is a problem to cervid herds or human health. Therefore, scrapie should be treated as one of the many deer diseases of Texas deer.
So, is there a problem? Not one deer is known to have ever died from scrapie. Deer populations are thriving, and millions of pounds of venison are consumed each year by hunting families. State agencies are taking a meaningless gamble by putting the future of deer hunting up against an old sheep disease that has shown no adverse effects on human society.
FOCUS ON DEER BREEDERS
Texas biologists began checking dead deer for CWD, and in 2012, a mule deer with symptoms was killed in Hudspeth County, near the New Mexico line. This finding caused a surge of new regulations
from the wildlife division, and started a program that harassed landowners, deer breeders, deer managers, and hunters that continues today. There’s a lot of money involved, and to coin a phrase, the wildlife division has a tiger by the tail, and those who are making the money are singing, “Hold That Tiger.”
TPWD needed to test a lot of deer, and gave immediate attention to deer breeders, because all deer were penned and easy to examine. We won’t say that TPWD wanted to find some way to eliminate deer breeders—but they found a way. CWD/scrapie was found in several breeder pens, and thousands of deer were depopulated—killed—on orders from the Texas Animal Health Commission. No one bothered to determine if TAHC had authority to direct TPWD to kill breeder deer, and now we know TAHC has no authority over whitetails or mule deer.
It should be noted states with radical CWD/scrape testing programs are states with a large number of deer breeders. Other deer hunting states with few or no breeders treat CWD/scrapie as one of the many deer diseases that take a natural toll on deer herds.
So, the finding of CWD/scrapie in breeder pens continues, with TAHC, sans authority, ordering TPWD to destroy the deer. The result has been the killing of thousands of valuable breeder deer in their pens—deer that were susceptible to scrapie. A court case is pending for one deer breeder who has challenged TPWD and TAHC after orders to destroy his 500 whitetails, the first such case in Texas.
In Part II we will look at the similarities of CWD and scrapie, the USDA research team’s findings about CWD and scrapie, and how containment zones for scrapie have the potential for degrading deer hunting. Don’t miss it in the MarchApril issue.
A much younger Meghan with her father, Ken Sharber, and her first buck.
STORY
Muy Grande is a name with a variety of images in Freer, Texas. It represents the oldest and largest deer contest in the world, a restaurant, a gas station, and the foundation of white-tailed deer hunting in South Texas since 1965. Founded by my grandfather, Leonel R. Garza, also known as “Muy,” the Muy Grande Deer Contest has not only impacted thousands of hunters worldwide, but emphasizes the value of “family,” or in this case, the Muy Grande family.
As a little girl, I spent most of my time at the original Muy Grande Headquarters and store. After school, my brother, Riley Sharber, and I would do our homework there, eat a snack, and then help around the store in any way we could. Riley was 7 and I was 5, and customers would see us cleaning, playing outside, or watching Grandpa “Muy” score another “Muy Grande” white-tailed deer.
I was the little girl who loved to talk and must admit that I probably conversed with every customer that entered the store. Seeing my grandpa welcome everyone was admirable and I wanted to be just like him. While I have many fond memories of growing up with Muy Grande and my grandfather, there is one I will never forget.
Freer, Texas, is known to host the Miss Freer pageant, where the pageant winners represent Freer and the annual Rattlesnake Round-Up. As a first grader, I qualified to participate in the 2007 Little Miss Freer pageant, and at the time I had absolutely no intention of doing so, until my grandpa found out.
“I’ll make you a deal,” my grandpa said. “If you participate in the pageant and win, I will take you on your first deer hunting trip, but you have to win.”
I did not hesitate to agree to the offer and immediately began to prepare. While it is the dream of many little girls to receive a crown, I was focused on getting to hunt for my very first “Muy Grande” buck.
On April 7, 2007, I won the title of Little Miss Freer, and my hunting trip was officially marked on the calendar. When hunting season arrived, my father and co-owner of the Muy Grande, Kenneth Sharber, and my grandpa took me to the T14 Ranch to fulfill the hunt I was promised.
Owned by Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL quarterback Ty Detmer, the T14 Ranch was a very special place for me to take my first buck. My grandmother, Elda Garza, said she always admired the friendship between Leonel and the late Sonny Detmer, Ty’s dad.
“Your grandpa became friends with Sonny when Ty and his brother Koy were little boys,” she said. “We watched them grow up and I remember how proud your grandpa was when Ty won the Heisman.”
I clearly remember waking up around 4 a.m., the morning of the deer hunt, without feeling an ounce of exhaustion. It was a cold winter morning, but as my grandpa said, “This is perfect hunting weather,” which indeed it was because after a few hours, I got my first white-tailed buck—an eight-point!
While this story may be portrayed as just a deal I made with my grandpa, it represents to me who he was as a person. Whether I had won the pageant or not, he more than likely would have taken me hunting either way. My grandpa believed in people, even when they did not believe in themselves. He could see potential in everyone, and if he felt you were not doing your best, he would encourage you until you did, which is what he always did for me.
The success from my hunting trip seemed to never fade. I remember telling everyone at school about it and even empha-
Meghan’s grandfather, Leonel “Muy” Garza (right), promised to take her on her first deer hunting trip if she won in the 2007 Little Miss Freer pageant. She kept her part of the deal.
sized that I only needed one single bullet for my hunt. Although that buck highlighted my entire world, I was later caught off guard with even bigger news that would change our lives forever—a new Muy Grande store!
The new store would be built on the corner of U.S. 59 and Texas State Highway 16, with the opening date set for fall 2008. This was an exciting time for the entire family, but everyone understood the amount of work ahead.
Construction began immediately and while the old store was still running, a new store was quickly being built. After school, I remember scraping paint off the floors, following my parents around as they planned the use of each section of the building, and just simply being amazed at the store’s potential, as we would soon witness.
When the new store was complete, the atmosphere was the same, just in a more “Grande” setting. I was so invested in this new chapter of the business that I used a mini clipboard to take notes on the progress of the new store. The store was big, and although it was harder for me to converse with every customer, little Meghan still tried. But when I was in the fourth grade, I made a lifelong friend.
Horace Gore, editor of The Journal of the Texas Trophy Hunters, stopped by the store and instead of this being a normal day after school for me, my parents and I ended up having dinner with him. I learned about his friendship with my grandpa and the many stories about Texas Trophy Hunters. To say I was fascinated with Mr. Gore would be an understatement. He gave me my very first TTHA magazine and from that day, I knew I wanted to become a journalist.
Memories like these are constant when I reflect on growing up with the Muy Grande, but to be honest, I know I am not the only one who can agree. There is a “Muy Grande experience” my grandfather established that continues to this very day. From sitting down to eat a meal at the store to having a Muy Grande deer scored while a crowd of people surround to watch, all of this can be done with your friends or family. It’s not a coincidence my grandpa was nicknamed, “The Hunter’s Friend,” because it was the memories he made with his friends and family he valued and emphasized its importance the most. Of course, there were times he may have only met someone once, but to him, that was enough to recognize you as a friend.
Growing up in the Muy Grande family has been a blessing. The encouragement from my grandpa never quit as I later earned the title of Freer’s First Triple-Crown Winner, after winning Little Miss Freer in 2007, Junior Miss Freer in 2013, and then Miss Freer in 2015, during the pageant’s 50th Anniversary.
Meghan with her buddy Horace Gore. His friendship inspired her to become a journalist.
If it hadn’t been for my grandpa believing in me, I don’t think these three wins would have ever happened. I also graduated from Texas A&M University on May 13, 2022, with a degree in communication, and of course, a minor in journalism. It was an uphill climb, but like anything that’s worthwhile, I worked extremely hard. I know it had something to do with the foundation my grandpa instilled in our family, the Muy Grande family. Today, my family continues to actively contribute to the history of Muy Grande. My parents, Kenneth and Imelda Sharber, are the current owners of the business. My cousin, Alyssa Benavides, is the Muy Grande store manager, and helps organize the annual deer contest. Each family member contributes to the Muy Grande in various ways with the motivation my grandpa instilled in us all. My grandpa passed away July 16, 2022. He will always be part of the main foundation of the hunting industry. The ideas we witness today were created because of a genuine admiration he had for the outdoors. I will always recognize him as the mastermind behind it all. Our Muy Grande family is large and goes beyond immediate members. The family is everyone who enters the store, participates in the deer contest, or even those who simply say “hello” on our social media posts. My grandpa taught our family and me the importance of working hard and being strong, while being kind, even when others take advantage of your kindness. There’s no other way I would have wanted to grow up than with Muy Grande, and there’s no other person I admire more than Grandpa “Muy.” I will love and miss him forever.
