LUBBOCK, Texas — On Wednesday, Game Warden Lt. Aaron Sims shared his concerns after finding two dead mule deer near Ransom Canyon on Sunday, Nov. 17.
Not only did the find raise concerns about poaching, but also illegal dumping and other game violations, he said.
“You can’t just kill something for the fun of it,” Sims said.
The two mule deer were found near CR 3600 and CR 7000. The wardens at the scene collected evidence to help with their investigation.
Sims also said killing deer prior to mule deer season affects the ecosystem.
“Our wildlife division works very hard to do a census of mule deer and other game species in the area and sets the specific bag limit and seasons for these [mule deer],” Sims said. “It really affects those populations of mule deer.”
Sims said hunting season for mule deer begins November 23 and lasts nine days until December 1.
Sims said the two deer were also illegally dumped, which raises the offense to a felony level.
“Were these mule deer taken in New Mexcio? And then these carcasses dumped over here?” Sims said. “Well, that’s another issue. There, a state that has chronic wasting disease.”
Sims said the deer were also left unharvested.
“In this case it was the two hindquarters,” he said. “That’s salvageable meat.”
Sims said in response to finding the dead deer, there will be saturation patrols in place.
“We have a saturation patrol,” Sims said. “We do this every year. We bring in other state assets from across the state, game wardens, air craft and we saturate the area for those nine days.”
Sims said he believes the exposure will lead to some answers.
“Some of these cases start out kind of simple, but then they start growing into bigger cases,” Sims said.
TPWD also would like to remind hunters in Lynn County, effective in the county, prohibits the harvest of any mule deer buck with main beam outside spread of less than 20 inches.
Persons with information regarding this case are asked to call 800-792-GAME.
