If the deer is eating your weed, is the venison, um, enhanced?
Texas deer breeding, hunting, and their support infrastructure generate $1billion+ annually. It's very lucrative even for some of the smaller ranches. Here's an older report.
Article says they were using 3 helicopters to herd deer to catch them.
I have heard of that but i dont know much about it. I would guess counting is more frequent than netting. At least in TX. Probably moving exotic species that were sold.
My understanding is was to capture whitetail deer for breeding.
Maybe so, but I am unaware of circumstances under which that would be legal in Texas. Unless it was done at the behest of TPWD.
All deer activities are highly regulated in TX and this method of capture requires a TPWD permit. But it is used quite a bit on certain ranches. Keep in mind though, unless a whitetail has an ID tattoo/tag/chip it is still considered wild and property of the state of TX, even in a privately owned enclosed high-fenced area.
