This should throw Boone & Crocket, Pope & Young scorers into a tizzy.....cloning deer for bigger racks....
http://www.thebatt.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/02/18/3e51d42de7974
Deer cloning aims to bring in bigger bucks
By Lecia Baker
February 18, 2003
Texas A&M began a white-tail deer cloning project last fall intended to increase scientists' knowledge of white-tail deer genetics, said Dr. Mark E. Westhusin, associate professor of the Veterinary Medicine Department.
The project is focused on the combination of feed and genetic background needed to produce large bucks, he said.
The information gathered from the cloning project could be used to produce larger bucks with bigger antlers that would appeal to Texas hunters, Westhusin said.
"We want to know how much the antler growth is dependent on genetics," Westhusin said.
The project addresses the task of conserving the genetic material from deer
"We need to collect cells or semen from unusually large deer to conserve the genetic basis before they die," Westhusin said. "We have the technologies to clone the animal, and we don't want to lose the genetic pool out of the population."
Widespread interest in the project stems from the huge impact of the hunting industry on Texas and the entire United States, Westhusin said.
Nate Nichols, a senior industrial distribution major, said he would prefer hunting to remain more natural, rather than hunting genetically-enhanced deer that would allow him to mount a bigger set of antlers in his home.
Cloning would take the fun and the sport out of hunting, he said.
Fellow hunter and senior finance major Landon Stone said he felt cloning large deer would attract more people to hunting.
Texas has more than 1.2 million licensed hunters, which is one out of every 18 Texas residents, said Dr. Billy Higginbotham, professor and extension wildlife and fisheries specialist for A&M. Hunters in Texas spend more than $3.6 billion annually, according to the Congressional Sportsman's Foundation.
"Hunting as an industry in Texas provides 31,711 jobs, salaries and wages of over $864 million, and generates $93 million in state sales tax revenue," Higginbotham said.
Although Texas has the largest deer herd of any state, at an estimate of three to four million head, it does not mean the entire range in Texas is over-populated, Higginbotham said. Some regions in Texas have larger deer populations than others, he said.
Important reasons Texans give for going hunting are family and friendship networks, obtaining meat and escaping urban environments, he said.
"Pursuit of trophies ranked way down on the list as a reason given by Texans to hunt," Higgenbotham said. "Quality hunting experiences revolve around the hunt, not the kill."
A trophy is something that should be worked for, involving skill and persistence, he said. If the pursuit of the trophy is reduced because large deer and big antlers can be cloned, the essence of pursuing that trophy is lost in the process, Higginbotham said.
In Feb. 2002, A&M scientists produced the world's first cloned cat, nicknamed "Cc" for "carbon copy." Last November, A&M announced the end of its "Missyplicity Project," an unsuccesful attempt to clone Arizona businessman John Sperling's pet dog.
Westhusin said all the deer clones have been implanted in the surrogate mothers and the timeline of the project will remain unknown until the first deer clone has been born.
