Deer Management Permit

Program Information


The following information is a summary of Texas Parks and Wildlife code and regulations concerning the Deer Management Permit. Complete information is contained in Texas Parks and Wildlife Code (Chapter 43, Subchapter R) and regulations (31 TAC §65.131 - §65.138 and §65.91-§65.94).

GENERAL INFORMATION


The Deer Management Permit (DMP) authorizes owners of high-fenced properties to temporarily detain whitetailed deer in breeding pens located on the property for the purpose of natural breeding. Deer may not be detained for purposes that do not include natural breeding (i.e. "soft release" of bred TTT deer).

All facilities must be completed prior to submitting the application and deer management plan in  Texas Wildlife Information Management Services (TWIMS)  for review and approval by the local biologist. The application and deer management plan must be approved in TWIMS by an authorized Wildlife Division Biologist or Technician.

Participation in the DMP program requires a DMP application and associated Deer Management Plan to be completed electronically on the  Texas Wildlife Information Management Services (TWIMS) . The Deer Management Plan provides the details of the proposed breeding operation. Only DMP applications submitted through TWIMS will be accepted.

There is a non-refundable application processing fee of $1000. Applications for a Deer Management Permit must be made in consultation with an authorized TPWD Wildlife Division Biologist/Technician. Applicants are encouraged to complete the permit application in TWIMS several weeks prior to the ecoregion trapping deadline (see Table 2) to allow adequate time for permit approval and issuance.

Find a Wildlife Biologist This link takes you away from the TWIMS Private Lands application.


Breeding pens must be between five and 100 acres in size and contain 50,000 square feet of natural vegetative cover. There may be multiple breeding pens on a property.

Breeding pens less than five acres in size or with less than 50,000 square feet of natural vegetative cover are "grandfathered" provided the pen was authorized as of August 31, 2010 and was included in the permittee's DMP application for the 2011 permit year. And, the property for which the DMP is sought is owned by 1) the same person who owned the property as of September 1, 2011, or 2) a spouse or child (including a legal entity through which a spouse or child has an ownership interest in the property) of the person who owned the property as of September 1, 2011, if the spouse or child obtained their ownership interest in the property by inheritance, will, intestate succession, gift, transfer, or sale from the person who owned the property as of September 1, 2011.

Up to 20 does and one buck may be detained in each breeding pen. The following types of deer may be placed into the breeding pen: (1) wild deer captured on the high-fenced property, (2) wild unbred deer transported under a valid TTT permit from an approved ranch, (3) deer purchased from a permitted deer breeding facility that will be liberated on the property after breeding, and (4) buck deer from a permitted deer breeding facility that will be temporarily placed into the pen for breeding and subsequently returned to the deer breeding facility (breeder does must always be liberated after breeding in a DMP pen).

Due to the recent discovery of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in a permitted deer breeding facility, TPWD has adopted new rules (31 TAC §65.91 - §65.94) that affect the use of breeder deer in a DMP pen. Effective October 5, 2015:
  • a) If deer originate from a TC3 deer breeding facility, the DMP release site becomes a Class III Release Site.
  • b) If deer originate from a TC2 deer breeding facility, the DMP release site becomes a Class II Release Site.
  • c) If deer originate from a Tier 1 deer breeding facility, the DMP release site becomes a Class III Release Site.
  • d) Class II and Class III Release Sites are required to comply with specific CWD testing requirements on hunter-harvested deer.
  • e) CWD testing requirements resulting from DMP activities involving breeder deer go into effect the next hunting season.
  • f) If a breeder buck returns to a deer breeding facility (i.e., not released) from a DMP facility of a lower status, the deer breeding facility automatically assumes the numeric status of the DMP facility. For example, if a breeder deer is transferred to a TC2 deer breeding facility from a Level 3 DMP facility, the deer breeding facility becomes a TC3 breeding facility.
  • g) Any breeder deer going to a DMP facility associated with a Class III Release Site must be tagged with an RFID or NUES tag prior to entering the DMP pen.
  • Specific information regarding the CWD testing requirements of Class II and Class III Release Sites can be found here: Explanation of New Transfer Permit and Release Site Requirements.


Wild unbred deer from the high-fenced property may be trapped and placed in the breeding facility between September 1 and December 14 depending on ecoregion (see Table 2).

Deer may be transported from another ranch directly into DMP pens with a valid TTT permit between October 1 and December 14 depending on ecoregion (see Table 2).

A buck deer that dies in a DMP pen after being lawfully introduced may be replaced no later than January 31 of the current permit year. Before the buck may be replaced the DMP permittee or designated agent must notify the Department electronically on the  Texas Wildlife Information Management Services (TWIMS)  of the death of the buck and acknowledge whether the buck will be replaced.

To facilitate release, a minimum of 20 feet of fence or gate must be removed and all supplemental food and water must be removed from the pen for at least 30 days. Pens may contain multiple openings to meet this 20-ft requirement; however, no such opening may be less than 10 feet in width. Each gate or fence opening to facilitate release of deer from the DMP pen must open directly to the pasture from which they were captured (except for deer that entered the DMP facility via TTT permit) and not through another pen. Deer that entered the DMP facility via TTT must be released directly to the release site indicated on the TTT Release Site form, and not through another pen. All deer shall be released on or before the release date specified for the facility by the Department and deer must be released no later than 45 days prior to the trapping deadline of the subsequent DMP trapping season.

The DMP permittee or designated agent shall notify the Department of the release date of deer from DMP pen(s) no later than 48 hours following the release of deer. Notification of release shall be completed electronically on the  Texas Wildlife Information Management Services (TWIMS) .

The DMP permit shall expire when any deer are released from any DMP pen(s) for which the permit is issued.

All mortalities must be kept in an edible condition and donated to a charitable institution.

Accurate records documenting the number and origin of deer in breeding pens must be maintained by the permittee. Deer Management Plan facilities and records may be inspected by an authorized TPWD employee at any time and without warrant.

Violations of Deer Management Permit code, regulations, and/or permit conditions constitute Class C Parks and Wildlife Code misdemeanors. The killing or allowing the killing of deer in a breeding pen constitutes a Class A Parks and Wildlife Code misdemeanor.

The Department may refuse to issue a permit or permit renewal to any person who within five years of applying for a permit has been convicted of or received deferred adjudication for a violation of Parks and Wildlife Code, Chapter 43, Subchapters C, E, L, or R; a violation of Parks and Wildlife Code that is a Class A misdemeanor, a Class B misdemeanor, or felony; or a violation of Parks and Wildlife Code §63.002.

Table 1. County names and designated ecoregions.

Table 2. DMP Trapping Deadlines by Ecoregion (based on TPWD breeding chronology data (1991-94))

EcoregionTrapping DeadlineRelease Deadline
Cross Timbers and PrairiesNovember 5September 21
Edwards PlateauNovember 16October 2
Gulf Prairies and MarshesOctober 21September 6
PineywoodsNovember 11September 27
Post Oak SavannahOctober 27September 12
Rolling PlainsNovember 25October 11
South Texas PlainsDecember 14October 30
Trans PecosNovember 28October 14
Blackland PrairiesOctober 27September 12
High PlainsNovember 25October 11