CKWRI research featured in documentary film "Origins"

🎬 ORIGINS | A HuntStand Original Film

Long before quality deer management became a movement, it was an idea taking shape in the brush country of South Texas.

Origins traces the roots of modern whitetail management back to the people, places, and ideas that changed the way America understands white-tailed deer. At the heart of the story are the pioneers who challenged conventional thinking and began building a new understanding of deer, habitat, population management, and responsible stewardship.

Guided by Brian Murphy, a lifelong whitetail devotee, alongside HuntStand's Josh Dahlke and Will Cooper, the journey moves through the South Texas landscape where many of these ideas first took hold. The story is centered around Al Brothers -- widely recognized as the "godfather of quality deer management" -- and his groundbreaking book, "Producing Quality Whitetails." Dr. Charlie DeYoung, one of the foundational figures in South Texas wildlife research and management, shares the knowledge and experiences that helped shape an entirely new era of whitetail stewardship. Dr. Mickey Hellickson, Donnie Draeger, Alan Cain, and Bruce Roberts add perspectives forged through decades of wildlife research, field management, conservation, and hands-on experience with Texas' whitetail resource.

From population surveys and selective harvest to habitat, research, ranch management, and the pursuit of mature whitetails, Origins explores more than the history of deer management. It's a story about the people who dared to question what had always been done, the South Texas landscape that became a proving ground for new ideas, and a legacy that would ultimately influence whitetail management far beyond the brush country where it began.

Because before there was a movement, there was an idea.

And it started in South Texas.

Origins airs LIVE on the Waypoint TV channel at 9pm on 9/15 or watch it on-demand at waypointtv.com.