Texas wildlife officials have named the suspects at the center of a massive smuggling operation to illegally transport whitetail deer across the state–and one of them is on the board of the Texas Deer Association.
These “ghost deer,” as they’ve come to be called, were allegedly transported between breeding facilities in an attempt to skirt the rules designed to limit the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease.
Texas Game Wardens previously announced that 22 suspects had been charged with a total of 1,200 charges in connection to this scheme. But none of the suspects were named, which indicated that the investigation was still ongoing.
Yesterday, the agency revealed that the investigation had reached a “possible conclusion” after two additional suspects turned themselves in on felony charges.
Ken Schlaudt, 64, of San Antonio, the owner of four deer breeding facilities and one release site, along with facility manager Bill Bowers, 55, of San Angelo, surrendered to the Travis County District Attorney’s Office on charges of felony tampering with a governmental record.
They have been accused of entering false information into the Texas Wildlife Information Management System (TWIMS) to facilitate illegal smuggling of whitetail breeding deer. They also face more than 100 misdemeanor charges related to unlawful breeder deer activities in Tom Green County.
“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 the hard work of Texas Game Wardens,” Col. Ron VanderRoest said in a statement.
“We applaud the Texas Game Wardens and the entire Texas Parks and Wildlife Department on this investigation and hope it leads to justice for anyone convicted of putting wild deer and deer hunting at risk for their own profit,” Nick Pinizzotto, President & CEO of the National Deer Association, told MeatEater.
“Captive deer from CWD-positive facilities in Texas have already been transported to numerous other facilities and counties in Texas, some of which later tested positive for this fatal deer disease,” he continued. “Widespread smuggling operations such as these must be investigated and stopped, and captive deer breeding facilities must be regulated to prevent further spread of CWD and greater harm to wild whitetails – a resource that belongs to all Texans.”
But Schlaudt told MeatEater via text message that “we have not had wild deer to smuggle on our ranch in nearly 10 years.”
“We only run exotics on the open ranch. My belief is that they are targeting TDA board members and some of those who have actively lobbied against [the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department],” he said.
Schlaudt’s ranch, Rockin S Ranch in San Angelo, Texas, bills itself as a “prime location for hunting, sightseeing, and premium Exotics and Whitetail genetics.”
The “Whitetails” page of its website describes how the facility has been steadily expanding its whitetail herd as they strive for “big, beautiful typicals.” But the “top bloodlines” they brag about are anything but typical and include massive nontypical sires dubbed Gunslinger, Freeze Frame, High Heat, Triple Crown, and Maxbo.
In a Facebook post from 2022, Schlaudt advertises the sale of does that produced these yearling bucks.
Schlaudt was listed as a board member for Region 1 of the Texas Deer Association (TDA) (which has no affiliation with the National Deer Association), but his name has since been removed from the organization’s website. An organization spokesperson did not respond directly when asked if Schlaudt was still a member of the board.
“If someone, whether they are a TDA member or not, is alleged to have violated the law, TDA believes that proven bad actors should be held accountable,” they said via email. “Every TDA board member has a duty to follow the Code of Ethics and policies of TDA, and any violation will be addressed accordingly by TDA leadership.”
The TDA describes itself as the “unified voice of deer enthusiasts.” They say they promote “the welfare and health of our animals” and pursue “the best methods for the management of deer.”
The group is widely considered to be the advocacy arm of deer breeders in Texas.
The “ghost deer” investigation has uncovered what Texas Game Wardens call “widespread, coordinated deer breeding violations.” They say breeders have smuggled captive breeder deer and free-range whitetail deer between breeder facilities and ranches, and violated rules about Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) testing and other licensing. Officials say they have also leveled misdemeanor and felony drug charges against some breeders relating to the possession and mishandling of prescribed sedation drugs classified as controlled substances.
In total, 24 people have been hit with approximately 1,400 charges in this case.
- Evan Bircher, 59, San Antonio
- Vernon Carr, 55, Corpus Christi
- Jarrod Croaker, 47, Corpus Christi
- Terry Edwards, 54, Angleton
- Joshua Jurecek, 41, Alice
- Justin Leinneweber, 36, Orange Grove
- James Mann, 53, Odem
- Gage McKinzie, 28, Normanna
- Herbert “Tim” McKinzie, 47, Normanna
- Eric Olivares, 47, Corpus Christi
- Bruce Pipkin, 57, Beaumont
- Dustin Reynolds, 38, Robstown
- Kevin Soto, 55, Hockley
- Jared Utter, 52, Pipe Creek
- Reed Vollmering, 32, Orange Grove
- Clint West, 56, Beaumont
- James Whaley, 49, Sevierville, Tenn.
- Ryder Whitstine, 19, Rockport
- Ryker Whitstine, 21, Rockport
- Claude Wilhelm, 52, Orange
Cases are pending adjudication in Bandera, Bee, Brazoria, Duval, Edwards, Jim Wells, Live Oak, Montgomery, Tom Green, Travis and Webb counties.
The Wardens say this is one of the biggest deer smuggling operations in Texas history.
Feature image via Ken Schlaudt Facebook.
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