Friday, January 20, 2012
9:12:05 AM
BossWhitetail
Posts: 72
you know its funny Macy, just yesterday I was reading all about this after seeing some of the new guns from the Shot Show. The new 300 black out rounds 223 grain bullets shoot a little over 1000 feet per second. crazy. I was watching some youtube clips and with a little help with some south texas wind at a hundred yards there is no way they are hearing that shot. But I think the accuracy is just at a hundred yards, these sub sonic rounds dont carry any distance.
If you check out this website and click on blog - you can see some of the toys that these owners have got. Let me say some of this stuff is pretty cool. Always going to be pros and cons. It surely could help thin out the population a little more but your right Macy when you invite new technology in, some bad eggs use them for the wrong reason.
http://advanced-armament.com/default.aspx?pageId=3
One shot is all I need!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
8:09:03 PM
ccrock
Posts: 462
It currently takes a class 3 ffl license to manufacture and/or sale suppressors or "cans". The class 3 ffl is a lot of red tape. Also if joe on the street wants a "can" the price will run $600.00-$1300.00 just for the can and takes up to 6 months to clear background and paperwork process. Then you have to purchase a tax stamp of $200.00 to get your can and paperwork completed. So that will deter a lot of hunters and sportsmen.
On a second note we have "air rifles" or pellet guns capable of harvesting hogs. I would think $300.00 for a fast .177 caliber 1200 fps with noise reduction and muzzle break gun would be more useful for varmints like coons, skunks and even pigs to a degree. I think the concept is unique but unpractical in most situations.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
6:36:25 PM
Macy
Posts: 2992
Anyone have any comments on this issue? Is it a free meal ticket for poachers? Does it now make the game wardens useless as they spend all night parked on a hill listening for shots in the night? Does it give a neighbor an "unfair" advantage over another if the deer can't hear the boom of the rifle? Will this make a positive difference for hunters hunting on the edge of town? Wonder if this will make deer more skitish than before? Do you think more folks will harvest more deer at once and therefore hunt fewer days? Do you think this will increase wounded losses since sub-sonic ammo is NOT like standard ammo? Did you realize most supressed rifles shoot drastically different before and after the supressor is attached? Will this make more poor shots and wounded animals in a suburban area and will that lead to further need to legislate common sense? Are three legged deer better than hearing the loud boom just before a deer is humanely harvested?
How will this affect standard ammo prices in your area? Will more folks begin reloading sub-sonic rounds because of this? Will this impact the feral hog population because now you may can harvest more in one sitting? What is a "non-nuisance" species anyways? If I am a farmer raising wheat, a deer is a pain in my nuisance! Is a feral hog a nuisance to everyone or just some of us? If I am selling bowhunts on my land, a feral hog is a cash generator and NOT a nuisance to me? Can we shoot coons at our deer feeders because i feel most here would call them nuisance animals. Is a porcupine a nuisance animal if I own five retrievers? Is a javelina (native game animal) a nuisance if I own those same quail dogs?
Lots to discuss and learn on this big of legislation for sure. I have NOT looked into the details but I certainly have more questions than answers.
Macy
Thursday, January 19, 2012
2:35:46 PM
chrisWD
Posts: 1801
From the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action:
Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission to Consider Rule Change to Allow Hunting with Suppressors
Thursday, January 19, 2012
At its next meeting on Wednesday, January 25, the Regulations Committee of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission will present proposed amendments to the 2012-2013 Statewide Hunting Proclamation. It will seek permission for them to be published in the Texas Register for public comment. These amendments include a regulatory change that would expand the use of lawfully-possessed suppressors on firearms while hunting non-nuisance species. This common sense reform will help prevent hearing loss and mitigate noise complaints against sportsmen in the Lone Star State. Importantly, reducing noise complaints will help to keep hunting opportunities open well into the future.
Testimony will not be heard at this committee meeting on January 25, or at the full Commission meeting the following day. We will report back to you with instructions on how to weigh-in on this proposal after it has been formally submitted for public comment.
To view a copy of this proposed rule change, please click here and scroll down to Committee Agenda Item No. 2, Exhibit A.
For more information on suppressors and their advantages, please click here .
Find this item at: http://www.NRAILA.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?ID=7254
Tuesday, August 02, 2011
9:04:54 AM
chrisWD
Posts: 1801
News Release
Media Contact: Steve Lightfoot, 512-389-4701, steve.lightfoot@tpwd.state.tx.us
Aug. 1, 2011
Deer Disease Test Results Come Back Clean
AUSTIN –Chronic Wasting Disease and Bovine Tuberculosis were not detected in more than 300 deer held illegally on an East Texas deer breeding facility, according to findings at the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory.
The test results mean these deadly wildlife diseases have not been discovered in Texas deer, and enable several deer breeding facilities whose stock had co-mingled with the illegally held animals to resume normal operations.
"We are greatly relieved with the results from the disease testing," said Carter Smith, executive director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. “We take disease issues very seriously because of the potential impacts to Texas’ natural resources, the public’s wildlife, and the multi-billion dollar hunting and deer breeding industries.”
While the lab results provide a positive conclusion to an extensive epidemiological investigation by state wildlife officials, they do not moderate the actions of a 77-year-old former deer breeder that led to the need for disease testing.
Billy Powell pleaded guilty on June 14 to the felony offense of smuggling at least 37 white-tailed deer, over a 3-year time span, from Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio into Texas in violation of state and federal laws. CWD has been documented in at least 10 counties in Illinois, posing a direct link for disease risk in Texas as a result of Powell’s illegal importation activities.
"It is regrettable that Mr. Powell forced the state to take this action in the first place,” said Smith. “After he repeatedly smuggled deer illegally into Texas and risked introducing devastating diseases into both wild deer herds and penned deer operations, thereby threatening the state with immense economic harm, the Department had no choice but to step in. Quite simply, the hundreds of thousands of deer hunters who go to the field annually in pursuit of wild game and the thousands of landowners who manage the state’s wildlife responsibly don’t deserve to have their enjoyment of wildlife jeopardized by someone who shows such little regard for the public’s resources."
The implications from a CWD outbreak in Texas’ internationally recognized white-tailed deer population, both free-ranging and captive, would be significant. Deer hunting is an important cultural and recreational component of Texas lifestyle, pursued annually by more than 600,000 sportsmen, and has an economic impact to the state in excess of $2.2 billion a year, according to published reports. In addition, studies show deer breeding activities have an economic impact in Texas of about $650 million annually.
CWD was originally described in captive animals 35 years ago in Colorado. However, during the last five years, the fatal disease has been detected in free-ranging cervids in several surrounding states and Canada. In 2002, a year after Texas closed its borders to importation of deer due to disease risks, CWD was reported in free-ranging deer in South Dakota, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Illinois, and Utah.
Currently, 20 states and Canadian provinces are tagged as having documented CWD in their deer, elk or moose. The progression of the disease into new areas remains persistent. In 2005, West Virginia detected a positive. Virginia got a confirmed case in 2010 and this year Maryland joined the list of infected states.
Further proof that CWD can spread, remain dormant for years and ultimately impact a resource; a shipment of elk from an infected herd in Canada to Korea in 1997 went undetected for nearly 10 years. Despite tracing back the imported animals, which were euthanized for testing in 2005, CWD persists in that country. Last year, one out of three elk slaughtered for human consumption on one farm tested positive for CWD; the entire herd of about 100 animals had to be euthanized. CWD appears to pose no threat to human health.
More than 1,200 permits are issued annually to deer breeders in Texas covering an estimated 80,000 whitetails held in captivity. The vast majority of deer breeders operate within guidelines designed to minimize risk of disease transmission. Since CWD surveillance efforts were initiated in Texas a decade ago, more than 35,000 deer samples have been submitted for testing. TPWD has tested only about 800 illegally-possessed deer from 32 different violators.
“People ask me if I’m confident we don’t have CWD in Texas after testing that many animals, and I tell them my confidence level grows each year,” said Mitch Lockwood, TPWD’s big game program director. “But, that confidence drops to zero every time we learn about a deer being smuggled into the state. The threat is real and the consequences can be substantial; just ask any of those other states that are dealing with CWD in their deer herds.”
SL 2011-08-01
Saturday, October 30, 2010
8:31:50 AM
chrisWD
Posts: 1801
News Release TPWD Announces Big Time Texas Hunts Winners for 2010
Oct. 30, 2010
Media Contact: Steve Lightfoot 512-389-4701, steve.lightfoot@tpwd.state.tx.us
AUSTIN -- Ken Garcia says he has been “poor man hunting” for nearly a half century; chasing mule deer across public land in New Mexico and hunting whitetails in Texas on small leases or by invitation from friends. Not this year.
Garcia will be living a hunter’s dream after being selected this year’s winner of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s ultimate hunting adventure, the Texas Grand Slam.
As the lucky winner of this year’s Big Time Texas Hunts crown jewel, the Texas Grand Slam hunt package, Garcia receives four separate guided hunts for Texas’ most prized big game animals — desert bighorn sheep, white-tailed deer, pronghorn antelope and mule deer.
“I’ve been entering since the start of the program,” said Garcia, who turns 62 on Thanksgiving. “When I got the call and she asked if I was sitting down I knew it was something special. I figured maybe I’d won one of the whitetail hunts, but getting to hunt a bighorn sheep is amazing.”
Garcia, who recently came out of retirement to work as a project manager for an energy efficiency company in San Antonio, said he intends to start making preparations for his four dream hunts immediately. “The bighorn hunt has me nervous,” he admitted. “Not so much because of the prospect of having to make a long distance shot, I feel confident about that, but because it is such a rarity. I’m going to give it all I’ve got.”
Garcia said he has entered the Big Time Texas Hunts drawings annually, but never dreamed of winning the Texas Grand Slam category.
“I’ve been hunting since I was 13, but mostly what I’d call poor man hunting; just wherever we could go and what we could afford, so to get something like this is pretty special,” he added. “I have one whitetail hanging on the wall that I’m proud of, but I haven’t killed anything huge out in New Mexico hunting mule deer and I’ve never hunted pronghorn in my life.”
Garcia joins 16 other lucky sportsmen who are making special plans for hunting season as winners of this year’s Big Time Texas Hunts. The hunters were selected by random computer drawing from applicants in the TPWD program.
All told, hunters bought 64,759 Big Time Texas Hunt entries during this year’s sales period through the Oct. 15 deadline. This generated about $620,000 in gross revenue to support wildlife research, habitat management and public hunting.
Following are the winners of this year’s Big Time Texas Hunts.
Grand Slam — Kenneth Garcia, San Antonio.
Premium Buck Hunt — Walter Poskey, Lufkin.
Exotic Safari — Joseph Trahan, Alvin and Chad Kissinger, Austin.
Whitetail Bonanza — Paul Todd, Smithville; Chris Zaiontz, Marion; Jesse Hauptrief, Melissa; Dennis Schroeder, Windthorst; Robert Moore, Fort Worth; Daniel Small, Weatherford; James Murphy, Como; Larry Siarski, Houston; Karla Ledom, Platte City, MO; Gerald Siegmyer, Houston.
Big Time Bird Hunt — James May, Dale.
Waterfowl Adventure — Christopher Evans, Southlake.
Gator Hunt — John Oliver, Port Neches.
Saturday, October 02, 2010
12:21:33 PM
chrisWD
Posts: 1801
Prospects Looking Good for Texas Deer Season
AUSTIN – Texas deer hunters could be blessed with too much of a good thing this fall, at least early on, as excellent range conditions throughout the state have set the stage for what could be a season to remember.
The Texas deer hunting season opens Saturday, Oct. 2, for bowhunting and Nov. 6 for the general gun season. A special youth-only weekend season is set for Oct. 30-31. The general season runs through Jan. 2, 2011 in North Texas and Jan. 16, 2011 in South Texas. A late youth-only season is also slated for Jan. 3-16, 2011. For additional late season deer hunting opportunities, consult the 2010-11Outdoor Annual of hunting and fishing regulations.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologists equate good habitat with healthy wildlife populations and suggest you don’t have to look hard to find plenty of both this year. Timely rainfall that began last winter and continued throughout the first half of 2010 has helped maintain range conditions and provide an ideal environment for deer to flourish.
Estimates of high fawn production in most regions of the state with upwards of 100 percent fawn survival on some intensively managed ranches, coupled with quality native food supplies, should give hunters a lot to look forward to this season. It also means that like last year, hunting over corn feeders may not be as productive because of the abundant natural forage available.
“Acorn crops have been pretty good and there is plenty of vegetation in South Texas, so the deer have plenty to eat,” said Alan Cain, TPWD whitetail deer program director. “That’s going to make it difficult for bowhunters to attract deer to supplemental feeding locations.”
At the onset of the archery season Cain said most deer are still in a summer pattern, especially in South Texas where the rut is still a couple of months away. Bowhunters might consider focusing their efforts along heavily traveled game trails or near acorn producing trees.
He also suggests hunters take advantage of opportunities to harvest antlerless deer this season, too, in order to offset high fawn production. “Folks need to keep deer numbers at a level the habitat can sustain during lean years,” said Cain.
TPWD field biologists are concerned last year’s drop in overall deer harvest could carry a double-edged sword into the 2010-11 season. Nearly half of all deer taken by Texas hunters occurs in the Edwards Plateau and last season marked the lowest harvest in 10 years, attributed mainly to reduced deer movement. The upside is there should be a greater percentage of older-aged bucks in the population due to the carry-over of bucks that weren’t harvested last year. The downside is there likely are more deer in the population than the habitat in many areas can adequately support without being degraded when range conditions return to normal.
“I don’t wish for it to be dry, but hopefully conditions will be such during the upcoming season that deer movements will be high (i.e. deer will come to feeders), resulting in high deer observation and harvest success rates for hunters,” said Trey Carpenter, TPWD wildlife biologist.
One aspect biologists are not concerned about this season is the overall health of Texas’ deer herd. The abundance of acorns during the fall and winter of 2009, combined with the flush of cool-season and warm-season herbaceous plants produced from the rains provided high-quality forages for deer that helped them come through the winter in good condition and were adequately available to the deer throughout the early stages of antler production, throughout pregnancy, and during fawn-rearing.
“This year deer didn’t have to go to browse until well into the growing season, unlike in dry years when they utilize browse earlier because herbaceous plants are lacking,” Carpenter explained. “Not dipping into the ‘savings account’ of browse until late into the growing season should have a positive influence and due to the steady and consistent supply of good nutrition that has been available to deer since last fall, all segments of the deer population should be in good body condition going into the fall, buck antler production should be above average for the 2010-11 season, and fawn production and recruitment should be above average.”
In parts of the state having special antler restriction, landowners and hunters should reap the rewards of above average antler growth this season as more bucks meet the requirements for legal harvest, said Cain. “It may be tough spotting those deer because they won’t have to move much, so hunters need to keep that in mind. In East Texas, the antler restrictions coupled with good rainfall should mean good quality bucks.”
Cain said folks involved in cooperative wildlife management groups should also see the fruits of their collaborative habitat management labors this season and expects deer hunting on ranches under wildlife management plans to be above average, too.
“It really doesn’t matter what part of the state you’re in, if you effectively manage the habitat for the benefit of wildlife, you’re going to see better quality deer,” he said. “Our biologists are working with thousands of land managers on more than 25 million acres and hunters are becoming more educated not just on how they hunt, but also wiser on management strategies.”
On intensively managed ranches under Level 3 of the Managed Lands Deer Permit program, Oct. 2 is the “soft” opening day of the general deer season. Hunters on Level 3 properties have the flexibility to utilize issued permits from the archery season opener through the last day in February by any legal means and methods. MLDPs are used instead of deer tags, which means deer taken under the program do not count against a hunter’s annual bag limit.
The MLDP program is a multi-tiered incentive based and habitat focused initiative that allows landowners involved in a formal management program to have the state’s most flexible seasons and increased harvest opportunities. Higher levels offer additional harvest flexibility to the landowner, but also have more stringent requirements.
Some in South Texas already have their sights set on a specific buck they’ve spotted during deer counts or captured on trail cameras, according to Cain. “There are some landowners down here that have already got some huge bucks located,” he pointed out. “We’re talking bucks that will score 200 or better. Now those don’t grow behind every tree but these bucks were able to recover from last year’s rut and develop better because of quality range conditions.”
This could also be a breakout year for the Class of 2004. That was a peak year for deer productivity and range conditions, which means the odds of seeing a mature 6 ½-year-old buck this season are pretty favorable.
“In 2004, at least in South Texas, we had good rainfall and a good fawn crop,” recalled Cain. “Consequently, even with normal deer harvest over the years, we should have good carryover and I would suggest hunters consider waiting on that older buck and not pull the trigger on the first deer you see.”
Friday, July 30, 2010
9:12:12 AM
chrisWD
Posts: 1801
News Release
Media Contact: Steve Lightfoot, 512-389-4701, steve.lightfoot@tpwd.state.tx.us
July 28, 2010
Deadlines Nearing for Texas Public Hunt Drawings
AUSTIN — Hunters hoping to take advantage of economical quality hunts on state-managed lands are reminded of upcoming application deadlines. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will be offering adult and youth only hunts by special drawing for a wide variety of species as part of its Public Hunting Program.
Applications for several hunt categories, including all archery only and crossbow hunts, pronghorn, and TPWD private lands hunts are due by 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 12. All gun deer and youth deer hunt category applications must be received by 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 2.
During the upcoming hunting seasons, almost 5,500 hunters will be selected through random computer drawings allowing access to some of the state’s high-quality managed wildlife habitat. Wildlife management areas, state parks and leased private property will be available for these quality supervised hunts for white-tailed deer, mule deer, pronghorn, javelina, alligator, exotics, feral hog and spring turkey.
Through an application process, hunters can select from among 29 different hunt categories, including eight specifically for youth only, and choose a preferred hunt date and location from hunt areas stretching across the state. There’s even a provision for hunting buddies to apply as a group — in some cases up to four hunters can apply together on one application.
New for this year, TPWD is offering crossbow deer hunts concurrent with archery deer hunts on several WMAs, including the Chaparral WMA in South Texas and the Gus Engeling WMA in East Texas. Department biologists will be conducting a three-year study comparing hunter success among archers and crossbow hunters during these drawn hunts.
Also this year, hunters can apply for special drawn hunts on eight private ranches, one of which offers an opportunity to harvest a mule deer and a white-tailed deer, plus unlimited feral hogs, rabbits and coyotes.
Eight free youth-only hunt categories are available to hunters who are between the ages of 8-16 at the time of application. All hunt positions are randomly selected in a computer drawing from all correctly completed entries received by the specified deadline.
In addition to exceptional hunting opportunities for big game, such as pronghorn antelope, white-tailed deer and mule deer, TPWD’s special drawing hunts will offer some unique opportunities. A guided bighorn sheep hunt at a West Texas wildlife management area will again be offered this year depending on the availability of a bighorn sheep permit.
There are also some unique guided hunt opportunities on Mason Mountain Wildlife Management Area, including hunts for white-tailed deer, scimitar-horned oryx and gemsbok.
Hunters drawn in the special permit hunts are not required to use a tag off their hunting license on white-tailed or mule deer that are taken during the hunt. The hunters will be issued a free TPWD legal deer tag at the area when they bring their harvested animal to the check station. This will allow the public hunters additional opportunity to use their license tags.
Non-refundable application fees for drawn hunts range between $3-10 for each adult applicant 17 years of age or older. Selected hunters pay an additional permit fee of $80 for regular hunts and $130 for extended hunts. There are no application fees or drawn hunt permit fees for youth age 8 to 16.
Special Permit fees do not apply to drawn hunts for pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, guided hunts at Mason Mountain Wildlife Management Area, and drawn hunts on private land. Application fees for the guided hunt packages and private land hunts cost $10 per adult applicant.
Last year TPWD received 44,594 applications for the 5,145 positions offered in special drawn hunt categories.
Information and applications for Special Permit hunts are available on the Public Hunting Web site. Application booklets have been mailed to hunters who applied for special permit drawn hunts last year. The booklets are also available at TPWD law enforcement offices. Information about Special Permit drawn hunts can be found on-line or by calling toll free (800) 792-1112.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
5:15:22 PM
chrisWD
Posts: 1801
News Release
Media Contact: Steve Lightfoot, 512-389-4701, steve.lightfoot@tpwd.state.tx.us
June 30, 2010
State Agencies Issue Anthrax Advisory
AUSTIN — The Texas Animal Health Commission, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department have issued a summer and early fall alert for ranchers, hunters and anyone who may be going afield in Texas. One case of anthrax has been confirmed in a white-tailed deer herd on a game ranch in Uvalde County, which is in an area of South Texas endemic to anthrax. Although humans are also susceptible, no cases have been reported to date, and simple precautions can effectively reduce the risks of humans contracting the disease.
Anthrax is a bacterial disease of sheep, goats, cattle, horses, deer and other animals. The bacteria which cause anthrax can remain dormant in the soil for many years. A period of drought followed by heavy rains frequently occurs just before the appearance of anthrax in livestock and deer. Animals that eat the rapidly growing grasses also consume soil that contains the bacteria. Currently, soil conditions are right to produce more outbreaks around the triangular geographic area bounded by Uvalde, Ozona and Eagle Pass, which cover portions of Crockett, Val Verde, Sutton, Edwards, Kinney, and Maverick counties.
Transmission of anthrax to humans can occur whether an affected animal is alive or has died from the disease. Simple precautions can greatly reduce the risk of contracting the disease from these animals. Carcasses of dead livestock and deer should not be cut open to allow blood to escape. Under no circumstances should the hide, hair, skulls, or horns of an animal suspected of having anthrax be salvaged, nor should the meat of these animals be eaten.
During an anthrax outbreak, hunters in the affected areas are discouraged from taking feral hogs because they consume the meat of dead animals and could be carrying the bacteria. Fortunately, by the time deer hunting season starts, cool weather usually puts an end to the often seasonal anthrax outbreak. At minimum, hunters should harvest only healthy-looking deer and other hoof stock. If a deer has ingested anthrax bacteria, within hours, it will stagger, tremble or exhibit convulsions, and death is inevitable.
When an area experiences an anthrax outbreak, ranchers should wear long sleeves and gloves when handling or vaccinating livestock. Afterward, good sanitation measures should be followed, including hand washing and laundering of clothing. This aids in preventing contact with the anthrax bacteria which may have been picked up on the hides of animals. Do not pick up bones, horns or shed antlers, and pets and children should be kept away from dead animals. Healthy animals also should be moved from a contaminated pasture during an outbreak, but must remain on the premise and not hauled down the road to another pasture.
To prevent additional soil contamination, Texas Animal Health Commission regulations require that anthrax affected animal carcasses must be burned, until thoroughly consumed, along with any associated bedding and manure. This practice prevents wild pigs, coyotes, dogs or other predators from dragging carcasses (and the accompanying anthrax bacteria) from one pasture to another, and spilling out the anthrax spores.
TAHC regulations also require that livestock on infected premises be quarantined for at least 10 days after all the livestock have been vaccinated against the disease. During this time, anthrax-exposed animals may still die from the disease, while healthy, vaccinated animals will develop immunity.
All anthrax cases — suspected or laboratory confirmed — must be reported to the TAHC. The regulatory agency operates a 24-hour hotline at 1-800-550-8242, with state or federal regulatory veterinarians available at all times to take calls and work with private veterinary practitioners and producers.
More information about anthrax is available by contacting the TPWD Wildlife Division at (512) 389-4505, The Texas Animal Health Commission at (512) 719-0710, or the Zoonosis Control Division, Texas Department of State Health Services, at (512) 458-7255.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
8:23:36 AM
Macy
Posts: 2992
I knew Wesley well. He was a great man, a hard worker and an astute biologist. He was happiest in the field "turning dirt" and wasn't one to just talk about it, but do it. He was the real deal and he will be sorely missed by many people. He was a habitat champion.
Everyone here at Whitetail Domains extends our deepest sympathy and condolences to his family and to TPWD and we will be praying for them.
Wesley, we will miss you bud,
Macy
Monday, May 24, 2010
4:55:37 PM
chrisWD
Posts: 1801
News Release – News Images Media Contact: Steve Lightfoot, 512-389-4701, steve.lightfoot@tpwd.state.tx.us
May 24, 2010
TPWD Wildlife Biologist Leaves Legacy of Habitat Conservation
PALESTINE – Texas Parks and Wildlife Department wildlife biologist Wesley Brian Littrell, 32, of Athens, was killed last Friday afternoon in a tractor-related accident on the Gus Engeling Wildlife Management Area in northwest Anderson County. He leaves behind an unfinished legacy of habitat conservation.
“Wes was a biologist’s biologist, most content when carrying a drip torch, reseeding an old field with native grasses, disking a fire break, thinning a stand of post oaks, and sharing his passion for the land and the habitat that he loved with all who would listen,” said Carter Smith, TPWD executive director. “I trust we may all take some measure of solace knowing that Wes died on the WMA while doing the work he loved best. He will be missed dearly by his colleagues inside the agency.”
Littrell’s mark can be seen in the native grassland fields he had a hand in creating in East Texas.
“Wes was known for his passion about native habitat management,” said Jeff Gunnels, area manager at the Gus Engeling WMA and Littrell’s supervisor. “He was ‘Mr. Habitat.’”
When he came to the WMA in December 2006, Littrell’s focus was doing the work needed to create demonstration sites he could then share with landowners to make landscape level impacts in native grassland conservation.
Gunnels added. “Wes was a doer who didn’t just come up with ideas, but took the lead in getting the job done.”
Like the native warm season grasses he sowed, Littrell’s reputation in the conservation arena was growing and spreading across the state. Other professionals began seeking his advice on native grassland conversion and restoration.
“He enjoyed working with landowners and showing them what they could accomplish in habitat improvement,” said Gunnels. “He also liked working with kids and teaching youth about habitat conservation.”
Littrell joined TPWD as a student intern in 1996, became an agency employee in the State Parks Division at Eisenhower State Park, was hired in 2001 as a wildlife biologist in northeast Texas counties along the Red River, and was the lead biologist at the Gus Engeling WMA since 2007.
Wes Littrell is survived by his wife Lynne who is expecting their first child in November; parents, Mike and Lynne Littrell of Tom Bean, TX; brother, Brad Littrell and wife Jenny of Hutto, TX; niece, Madilyn Littrell; grandfather, Oscar Wetzel of Tom Bean; father-in-law and mother-in-law, Gary and Malinda Bender of Cresco, PA; brother-in-law, Randy Bender and wife Gwen of Mountainhome, PA; and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Services for Wes Littrell have been set for Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the Wynne Chapel on the Austin College campus in Sherman. In lieu of flowers the family has requested memorial donations in Wes’ name be made to the following wildlife conservation organizations:
Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society
Texas State Chapter, National Wild Turkey Federation
Friday, May 21, 2010
9:06:37 PM
Macy
Posts: 2992
TK:
If you don't post photos we will be very upset with you!!! Photos of the antlers and photos of the bear hunt. I am VERY jealous of you so atleast feed me some photos to drool over! I could have fit in your duffle bag you know and I don't eat too much. Oh wait, never mind, just send the photos when you can!
Good luck man and I hope you get a big one.
Macy
Friday, May 21, 2010
7:36:20 PM
TK
Posts: 386
Glad to have you on our side Macy, The Deer Managers of Texas Thank You for your efforts. By the way, I am sitting here in Saskatchewan waiting on my flight out tomorrow from a Spring Bear trip. Got to put my hands on some huge sheds from this area. How about a 8 point shed that had 82" of antler and a set that scored 201" typical not including spread. WOW
Friday, May 21, 2010
11:01:09 AM
Macy
Posts: 2992
This meeting next week will be huge for Texas deer managers that utilize the DMP permit and important for those Scientific Deer Breeders as well. The decisions made next week will pave the way for yet another level of deer management not currently seen.
While the decision is being made, I will be testifying to the House of Representative's Agriculture and Wildlife Committee about the impacts of the cattle fever tick eradication program to the deer and deer hunting industry in Texas. Fever ticks are a national issue and the impact on localized deer herds and management is huge, so the discussions and remedies won't be easily agreed upon, cheap or quickly fixed. If you want to change the laws, you must be present at the dance, so I am putting on my dancing shoes and doing my part to ensure the deer industry has a voice at the table.
Macy
-- 5/21/2010 11:02:57 AM: post edited by macy.
Friday, May 21, 2010
10:05:03 AM
chrisWD
Posts: 1801
TPWD: Public Comment Opportunities for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has recently been updated. (Proposed early and late migratory bird hunting regulations have been added.)
Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission Directions Read the agenda. Commission Meeting Dates, Agendas, Archived Audio, and Transcripts
Early-Season Migratory Game Bird Proposals The department has proposed rules governing early-season migratory game bird hunting. Online Public Comment (Through 5 p.m. June 25, 2010)
Late-Season Migratory Game Bird Proposals Online Public Comment (Through 5 p.m. August 25, 2010)
Proposed Regulations Deer Breeder Permit Rules — Fees Deer Management Permit Rules — Facility Standards and Release Restrictions Denial of Permit Issuance/Renewal for Lacey Act Violations — Triple T Permits, Deer Management Permits, Deer Breeder Permits Miscellaneous Fee Rules http://www.sos.state.tx.us/texreg/pdf/currview/0423prop.pdf http://www.sos.state.tx.us/texreg/sos/PROPOSED/31.NATURAL%20RESOURCES%20AND%20CONSERVATION.html#102
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
8:19:10 AM
chrisWD
Posts: 1801
Media Contact: Robert Ramirez, Hunter Education Specialist, (972) 263-1219; robert.ramirez@tpwd.state.tx.us
May 17, 2010
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Hunter Education Instructors Needed Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) will be conducting a free hunter education new instructor training workshop on Saturday, June 19th, at Elm Fork Shooting Sports, 10751 Luna Rd., in Dallas. The workshop will run from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
“We will be training new applicants and currently certified instructors in skills trail, live firing exercises and home study procedures,” said Robert Ramirez, hunter education specialist with TPWD. “The training puts fun and exciting activities into the learning experience. Students will benefit by going through actual hunting simulations and by making their own decisions regarding responsible actions using ‘shoot-don’t-shoot’ scenarios.”
Before you attend this workshop, you must go to the following web site and prepare yourself by going over the Introduction and the first 4 chapters of the instructor training manual. You will sign an acknowledgement and release that you have done this pre-workshop assignment as part of your training. The site is as follows: tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/hunter_education/instruct.phtml.
Every Texas hunter born on or after September 2, 1971, must successfully complete a hunter education course. The hunter education program’s goals are to reduce hunting-related accidents and violations; promote safe, responsible and knowledgeable hunting; and enhance hunting traditions and values.
Hunter education provides instruction in Texas hunting regulations, wildlife management and identification, conservation, ethics, firearm and hunting safety and responsibility and outdoor skills.
“By understanding hunting through education, hunters and non-hunters alike will help make a bright future for the sport. Now is the time to become involved, so let us know if you are interested in becoming an instructor,” Ramirez said.
To register, contact Ramirez at (972) 263-1219 or robert.ramirez@tpwd.state.tx.us .
2010-05-17
Friday, May 14, 2010
3:03:40 PM
chrisWD
Posts: 1801
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
11:05:38 AM
chrisWD
Posts: 1801
News Release Media Contact: Steve Lightfoot, 512-389-4701, steve.lightfoot@tpwd.state.tx.us
May 6, 2010
2010 Lone Star Land Steward Awards Winners Announced AUSTIN — When Mother Nature shines as she’s done this spring, it makes anyone with a plot of dirt look good. But, it’s those times when the rains don’t come and the heat turns most of Texas brown and crunchy that a landowner’s mettle is put to the test. Those who can keep habitat conditions going in tough times as well as good are true conservation heroes.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Lone Star Land Steward Awards program recognizes those private landowners for excellence in habitat management and wildlife conservation on their lands. The awards also seek to publicize the best examples of sound natural resource management practices and promote long-term conservation of unique natural and cultural resources.
This year’s crop of award winners represents broad and sometimes unique conservation goals, from traditional wildlife management alongside livestock operations to conservation missionaries who’ve taken to the Internet to share their gospel.
Again this year the Lone Star Land Steward Awards are benefiting from a partnership with Sand County Foundation, an international non-profit organization devoted to private lands conservation. The Leopold Conservation Award recipient will be honored this year’s award banquet, set for May 26, 2010 at the Austin Airport Marriott South Hotel, and will receive $10,000 and the Leopold crystal award.
The Leopold Conservation Award honors the legacy of Aldo Leopold (1887-1948), who is considered the father of wildlife ecology. His collection of essays, "A Sand County Almanac," remains one of the world’s best-selling natural history books. Leopold’s godson, Reed Coleman, formed Sand County Foundation in 1965 to protect the Leopold farm from encroaching lot development along the Wisconsin River.
The Lone Star Land Steward Awards are sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, H. Yturria Land and Cattle, Texas Wildlife Association, U.S.D.A. Natural Resources Conservation Service, Lower Colorado River Authority, Texas Farm Bureau, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, Texas Agricultural Land Trust and Llano Springs Ranch, Ltd.
This year’s ecoregion winners characterize the unique cultural and natural heritage of Texas. Landowners restoring degraded habitats while conserving flora and fauna are a common thread. Following are summaries of stewardship highlights for each of the ecoregion and category recipients.Blackland Prairie — Quebe Farm, Brenham, Washington County; Charlotte von Rosenberg, Owner/Operator
Quebe Farm in Washington County has been owned by the same family for 122 years. Practices such as rotational grazing, prescribed burning, selective removal of invasive species are used to restore and maintain diverse native blackland prairie for a variety of grassland species. A 12-acre prairie remnant on the property that has never been plowed serves as one of the most diverse examples of native blackland prairie in the county. Charlotte von Rosenberg has hosted many educational programs for Texas AgriLife Extension, Texas A&M University, local Master Naturalists, Native Plant Society, Texas Wildlife Association and others. In 2007, she opened a bed and breakfast on the farm to share her dedication and love of the prairie with photographers and nature enthusiasts.
Cross Timbers and Prairies — Rocosa Ridge Ranch, Meridian, Bosque County; Bruce Berg, Owner/Operator
Rocosa Ridge Ranch is a fine example of how excellent stewardship of a successful livestock operation can increase forage production and species diversity, enhance wildlife habitat, protect endangered species, and improve watershed conditions. Forage monitoring and flexible stocking, rotational grazing, brush sculpting, and a five-to-seven-year prescribed burning rotation all contribute to excellent range condition. The ranch has used NRCS Farm Bill programs and the TPWD Managed Lands Deer Program to enhance habitats and manage deer populations. They also participate in the Fort Hood Recovery Credit System to protect Golden-cheeked Warbler habitat. The ranch has hosted numerous range and wildlife management field days and hunts for youth of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex.
Edwards Plateau — Flagler Ranch, Edwards/Real Counties; George G. Matthews, Owner; Louis Scherer III, Operator
In the heart of the Edwards Plateau, Flagler Ranch includes 3,600 acres of limestone hills and draws located along the western edge of the Guadalupe River watershed near Mountain Home-an area locally known as the Divide . Since its purchase in 1992, owner George Matthews has focused on an ecosystem management approach including an aggressive prescribed burning program to control invasive prickly pear and regrowth ash juniper in an effort to repair more than 100 years of range abuse. Commercial whitetail and exotic hunting provides the majority of ranch income-with many of the trophies being of record-book quality. The extensive burning program has improved woody browse structure and diversity on the ranch with approximately 400 acres now deemed suitable nesting habitat for the endangered Black-capped vireo.
Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes — Lone Oak Ranch, Anahuac, Chambers County; Dave Wilcox and Oliver Smart, Owners/Operators
Proper grazing, prescribed burning, Chinese tallow control, and moist soil management practices are used to enhance both upland and wetland habitats on the Lone Oak Ranch. Providing high quality wintering habitat for waterfowl is an important goal. A number of old rice fields on the ranch have been converted to moist soil impoundments and managed using gravity fed canals to create productive resting and feeding areas for waterfowl. The ranch has partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in hosting landowner workshops to demonstrate integration of agriculture and wildlife habitat management. As community leaders, the owners have shown how excellent stewardship can increase biological diversity and improve habitat for waterfowl and migratory songbirds.
High Plains — Running R Ranch, Muleshoe, Bailey County; Dr. Robert Lepard, Owner; Reggie Johnson, Operator
The Running R Ranch, located in the sandhills of Bailey County, provides habitat for a diversity of wildlife, including bobwhite and scaled quail, pheasant, and mule deer. The ranch participates in the NRCS special EQIP area for Lesser Prairie Chickens and is working with TPWD in the Managed Lands Deer Program for mule deer. Habitat improvements include cross fencing for grazing management and installation of water lines and guzzlers to provide water for livestock and wildlife. A leader in the community of Muleshoe, Dr. Robert Lepard has opened his ranch for landowner field days, to graduate students at Texas Tech University, and to local high school students seeking summer employment. Stewardship and continuous learning is the goal and the commitment of the Running R Ranch.
Pineywoods — Ewing Mound, Lufkin, Angelina County; Simon W. Henderson III, Owner/Operator
Ewing Mound is managed primarily for pine timber, with management practices that include thinning stands based on a 50-to-60-year rotation and prescribed burning to enhance herbaceous vegetation. Wildlife goals for the property include producing quality white-tailed deer, reducing feral hogs, enhancing habitat for eastern wild turkey, and managing a small population of bobwhite quail. Historically, part of the sawmill town of Ewing was located on the property. A prominent remnant of this era is the 11-acre "mill pond" and ruins of the sawmill. Simon W. Henderson III is responsible for the creation of the Simon and Louise Henderson Wildlife Research Institute at the Arthur Temple College of Forestry at Stephen F. Austin State University. The property is available to SFA students for research and field trips. Community youth groups are also welcomed.
Rolling Plains — Mott Creek Ranch, Matador, Motley County; Marisue Potts Powell, Owner/Operator
Mott Creek Ranch is committed to conserving natural resources while balancing the needs of people, cattle and wildlife. Forage production, plant diversity, fawning and nesting cover have improved due to flexible stocking rates, rotational grazing, water development, and brush management. The ranch participates in the TPWD Managed Lands Deer Program for White-tailed and Mule Deer and has enhanced quail habitat and riparian areas through the NRCS EQIP program. Habitat management for wildlife works hand-in-hand with cattle raising, nature tourism and preservation of cultural sites. The ranch has hosted trail rides, educational seminars and archeological excavation as well as mule deer research. According to Marisue Potts Powell, "Conservation . . . makes sense monetarily, aesthetically and morally. It is the right thing to do".
South Texas Plains — Duval County Ranch, Duval/Webb Counties; David Killam, Owner; David Kitner, Operator
The goals of the ranch are to foster quality habitat conditions for all native South Texas wildlife with emphasis on white-tailed deer and bobwhite quail. Through vision and hard work, David Killam and operator David Kitner have transformed the landscape from an abused rangeland to a healthy ecosystem with flourishing wildlife populations, while maintaining profitability. Grazing management, aeration, and prescribed burning are used to restore and enhance habitat. Supplemental water has been provided throughout the ranch, using polypipe, tanks, and guzzlers. The ranch has hosted several workshops on habitat and water improvements, cooperated in research, and hosted field days for college students. They have also hosted hunts for the Wounded Warriors and Hunts for Heros Organizations as well as the Texas Youth Hunting Program.
Trans Pecos — Brite Ranch, Valentine, Presidio County; Jane Brite, White Trust, Owner; Jim White, III, Operator
The Brite Ranch is striving to manage the balanced production of livestock and wildlife, with emphasis on mule deer, pronghorn, Carmen Mountain White-tails, desert quail, javelina and small game. Overall rangeland improvement through time is the ultimate management goal of the ranch, providing a diversity of quality habitats for native species while maintaining and improving grazing productivity for cattle. Income from hunting has become increasingly important over the last decades. The ranch is also exploring ecotourism opportunities for birding, geology exploration, and history. Unique features such as Capote Creek headwaters, cienega and falls have been protected by the ranch for over a century, as has the Brite Store, which has remained relatively unchanged since the days of Pancho Villa.
Wildlife Management Association — Edwards Plateau Prescribed Burning Association, Inc., 20 counties; Dr. Charles A. Taylor, Administrator
The Edwards Plateau Prescribed Burning Association was established in 1997 at the Texas AgriLife Research Station near Sonora. The purpose of the organization is to empower and equip ranchers to manage rangelands using prescribed fire. With more than 500 landowner members, this neighbor-helping-neighbor cooperative has provided the resources, education, and encouragement necessary to help restore fire to rangelands on a sustained basis. The EPPBA was the first burn cooperative in Texas and has been the model for others to follow. Members are encouraged to participate in as many prescribed burns as possible, building an experienced labor force ready to help each other. More than 600 prescribed burns on approximately 500,000 acres have been completed since 1997.
Corporation — Matador Ranch, Matador, Motley, Dickens, Cottle, Crosby and Floyd Counties; The Matador Cattle Company, Koch Companies Public Sector, LLC; Bob Kilmer, Operator
Covering 129,000 acres in five counties, the Matador Ranch has employed all the tools of range and wildlife management to continuously improve the long term health and productivity of its land and water resources. Their goal is to profitably sustain domestic livestock and wildlife in an optimal balance. Rest-rotational grazing systems that control seasonal use, duration, and stock density are used to manage for increased quality and quantity of desirable forage. Strategic brush management has improved riparian areas, enhanced natural springs, and improved nesting cover for turkeys and quail. White-tailed and mule deer are surveyed annually along with quail, feral hogs, javelina, coyotes and turkeys.
Special Recognition — Fort Sam Houston/Camp Bullis Training Site, U.S. Army, Bexar County; Colonel Mary Garr, Commander; Lucas Cooksey, Biologist
Camp Bullis is the 28,000-acre field training area of Fort Sam Houston near San Antonio. The base has been managing its deer herd, assisted by TPWD, since 1957. Management for endangered birds includes protection of more than 10,000 acres of dense old growth woodland for the Golden-cheeked warbler. Their Karst Management Plan guides efficient management of both cave biology and groundwater recharge. Goals for Camp Bullis include maintaining balanced ecosystems while enhancing military training and readiness. Innovations such as cable concrete water crossings and brush management using the low impact "cedar eater" help reduce erosion in sensitive areas. Camp Bullis also supports a wide range of natural resource research and demonstration.
Special Recognition — Education and Outreach — Bear Springs Blossom, Pipe Creek (Bandera), Bandera County; Peter and Marianne Bonenberger
Peter and Marianne Bonenberger found the place they call Bear Springs Blossom Nature Preserve quite by accident; while splitting their time between the Hill Country and their native Germany. A 125-acre island of old-growth juniper woodlands and canyons in eastern Bandera County, the property gets its name from Bear Springs Ranch-founded in 1866. After purchasing 80 acres and moving to the property, the Bonenberger’s founded the non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, Bear Springs Blossom Nature Conservation Group to facilitate their interest in education and outreach. The organization now includes more than 900 members in 8 countries. A conservation easement now offers permanent protection for the entire 125-acre tract. At Bear Springs Blossom, lectures and guided tours are made available on a wide range of natural history topics and environmental issues.
SL 2010-05-06
-- 5/11/2010 11:06:20 AM: post edited by chrisWD.
Friday, April 30, 2010
9:21:59 AM
chrisWD
Posts: 1801
Media Contact: Maria Araujo (512) 389-4901, maria.arauja@tpwd.state.tx.us April 29, 2010
Texas State Parks, TPWD Programs Show "Life’s Better Outside" This summer, enjoy with your family the preparations for hunting season. Many Texans think that the season opens in November with deer hunting, but dove hunting opens in September. And following these tips, hunting season preparations can be fun for the entire family.
-Get your Hunter Education certification. This is required of all hunters born after September 1, 1971, when they turn 17 years old. Youth can be certified as early as 9 years of age. The classes are so convivial that some participants have made friends and formed hunting clubs.
-Learn or review in the course topics such as firearm safety, hunting ethics and regulations, the Public Hunting Program, and gear and field survival skills.
-Visit your local hunting gear store, see the latest in equipment, and compare prices. Expert store personnel are always ready to help customers make the best purchase.
-Practice to improve accuracy with the same equipment and ammunition you plan to use. Consult the Internet or phone book to find the nearest shooting range or rifle club. Friendly competition is a healthy way to improve shooting skills.
-Visit the place where you will hunt so that you can start scouting the site and the animals’ tracks and movements. If you do not have a site to hunt yet, buy the Annual Public Hunting Permit for $48 and get access to over 200 hunting areas throughout the state. Family members under 17 years of age can hunt with the permit holder. Persons 17 years or older who do not wish to hunt can have access to the same areas with the Limited Public Use Permit for $12. Since these annual permits are valid from September 1 through August 31, the Limited Public Use Permit is a good buy to explore the hunting sites from now through August 31. It can be purchased in the stores that sell hunting licenses.
-Buy your hunting license beginning August 15 and take advantage of it as soon as dove hunting opens in September. With the Public Hunting Permit, you will find many dove hunting sites near urban areas.
Obtain more information at: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/hunter_education/ or call Tel. 512-389-8142 (in Austin); toll free (800)792-1112 ext. 8142 .
-- 4/30/2010 9:24:39 AM: post edited by chrisWD.
Monday, April 26, 2010
9:18:10 AM
Macy
Posts: 2992
And I support all of these changes. I have helped bring some of these issues to the discussion table and will be on several committees to further discuss, and vote, on them. For the record, I support these changes as they all represent benefit to the resources.
Macy
Friday, April 23, 2010
8:50:55 PM
chrisWD
Posts: 1801
Click on the links below to go to the TPWD page to enter your Public Comment on these issues:
Proposed Regulations Deer Breeder Permit Rules — Fees Deer Management Permit Rules — Facility Standards and Release Restrictions Denial of Permit Issuance/Renewal for Lacey Act Violations — Triple T Permits, Deer Management Permits, Deer Breeder Permits
DEER BREEDER PERMIT RULES
FEES
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is proposing amendments to rules governing the fees for the renewal of deer breeder permits.
The proposed amendments would reduce the fee for renewal of a deer breeder permit. Under current rule, the fee for renewing a deer breeder permit is $400. Under the terms of Parks and Wildlife Code, §43.369, as added by Senate Bill 1586 (S.B. 1586), enacted by the 81st Texas Legislature in 2009, the department is required to develop a process for a database to be shared with the Texas Animal Health Commission for the purpose of collecting data required to be submitted to each agency by deer breeders. S.B. 1586 also requires the department to provide incentives to deer breeders whose cooperation results in reduced costs and increased efficiency by offering reduced fees for deer breeder permits. The department has created an electronic reporting system for persons who hold deer breeder permits. Increased utilization of the system by deer breeders results in cost savings to the department and makes data more immediately available to department, regulatory and enforcement personnel, which makes those activities more efficient. The department has determined that deer breeders who use the electronic reporting system are therefore contributing to a reduction in administrative costs associated with their permits. In order to implement a renewal fee that reflects this reduced administrative cost, and to create an incentive for deer breeders to use the electronic reporting system exclusively, the department is publishing a proposed amendment elsewhere in this issue of the Texas Register that would provide for a reduced renewal fee for deer breeders who submit at least 85% of specified reports and permit activations via the department’s online system. The proposed amendment provides that the amount of reduced fee for using the on-line system is $200, rather than $400.
DEER MANAGEMENT PERMIT RULES
FACILITY STANDARDS AND RELEASE RESTRICTIONS
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is proposing changes to rules governing the deer management permit (DMP). The proposed changes would remove the current exception that allows DMP pens of fewer than five acres under certain circumstances and require all pens, irrespective of size, to have at least 50,000 square feet of natural vegetation of the type normally used by deer for concealment and cover.
The proposed changes also would allow the department to establish the dates by which deer held under a DMP must be released each year.
Under Parks and Wildlife Code, Chapter 43, Subchapter R, the department may issue a permit for the management of the wild white-tailed deer population on acreage enclosed by a fence capable of retaining white-tailed deer. This permit is the Deer Management Permit (DMP). The current rule states that a DMP pen may be no more than 100 acres nor fewer than five acres in area; however, there is an exception that allows for a DMP pen of fewer than five acres in area, provided it contains a minimum of 50,000 square feet of continuous natural vegetative cover of the type typically used by deer for cover and concealment. The vegetative cover requirement is intended to provide a safe environment for wild white-tailed deer captured and placed in pens of less than five acres for DMP purposes. Wild animals are less susceptible to capture-induced trauma if they are kept in enclosures that mimic their usual habitat. The cover requirement currently does not apply to pens larger than five acres in size.
The department’s White-tailed Deer Advisory Committee (WTDAC) discussed the issue of adequate cover and space and concluded that a five-acre pen without cover does not provide a safe environment for wild-caught white-tailed deer. Furthermore, the WTDAC concluded that a 50,000 sq. ft. pen (? 1.1 acre) is not large enough to safely contain the maximum number of deer allowed under a DMP (21). Therefore, the WTDAC recommended that the department initiate rulemaking to prohibit DMP pens of fewer than five acres in area and to require all DMP pens to provide a minimum of 50,000 square feet of natural vegetative cover. The WTDAC also advised that the rule be amended to eliminate the requirement that vegetative cover be continuous, because studies have shown that wild deer prefer broken cover to continuous cover.
Staff concurs with the recommendations of the WTDAC and believes that the suggested rule changes will reduce stress on wild deer held in captivity under the authority of a DMP.
The WTDAC also recommended that existing DMP infrastructure of less than five acres and larger than five acres but with fewer than 50,000 square feet of natural cover be "grandfathered," provided permits are kept continuously current and ownership does not change. The proposed amendment would address that recommendation by allowing a property in compliance with current requirements to be excepted from the proposed new standards provided the pens in question are continuously included in permit renewal applications, the permit is continuously renewed, and ownership of the property does not change. The proposed amendment also allows a spouse or child who inherits a DMP property to continue to operate infrastructure that is less than five acres or larger than five acres but with fewer than 50,000 square feet of natural cover, provided the permit is continuously renewed.
The WTDAC also engaged in a discussion of release dates. Under current rule, deer kept under a DMP must be released by no later than August 31 of each year. This date was selected because it is the end of the state’s fiscal year and did not conflict with the trapping period. Testimony provided to the WTDAC indicated that there is concern that fawn survivability would be enhanced if permittees were allowed to retain deer until the fawns were older and thus more likely to survive in the wild. The department has determined that there is no resource concern associated with extending release dates; therefore, the proposed amendment also would alter the current release date to allow the department to specify the release date on a permit-by-permit basis, depending on the ecoregion in which the permitted property is located. The department intends to use breeding chronology data to determine the latest date in each ecoregion that deer could be released without creating the likelihood that bred does would be recaptured in the following trapping season. Breeding chronology data indicate that if deer are released a minimum of 45 days prior to the trapping deadline of the subsequent DMP trapping season, there is very little probability that bred does will be recaptured.
Additionally, the proposed amendments would alter the period of validity of DMP permits in order to accommodate the changes made to release date provisions. Under current rule, a DMP is valid from September 1 through August 31, which is the state fiscal year. Because the proposed amendment to the release date provisions would allow the department to specify release dates beyond August 31, it is necessary to establish a period of validity for each permit, based on the ecoregion of the state in which the property is located.
Staff has determined that the amendments as proposed will not result in negative biological implications for the resource.
DENIAL OF PERMIT ISSUANCE/RENEWAL FOR LACEY ACT VIOLATIONS
TRIPLE T PERMITS, DEER MANAGEMENT PERMITS, DEER BREEDER PERMITS
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is proposing to amend rules governing the issuance and renewal of Permits for Trapping, Transporting, and Transplanting Game Animals and Game Birds (Triple T permit, which also includes permits for trapping, transporting and processing white-tailed deer and permits for urban white-tailed deer removal), Deer Management Permits (DMP), and Deer Breeder Permits (breeder permit).
The proposed amendments would allow the department to refuse issuance or renewal of Triple T, DMP, or breeder permits to any person who has been convicted of or assessed a civil penalty for a violation of the federal Lacey Act, and would allow the department to prevent a person convicted or assessed a civil penalty for a Lacey Act violation from acting as an agent for any person under a Triple T, DMP, or deer breeder permit. The proposed amendments also alter §65.109(d) and §65.132(f) to allow the department to delay processing of permit or renewal applications if the applicant is a defendant in a prosecution for a Lacey Act violation.
Under current rules, the department may refuse to issue or renew a Triple T, DMP, or breeder permit for any person if that person has been, within five years of application, finally 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. Current rules also allow the department to prevent anyone convicted of a violation listed above from acting as an agent of a permittee for up to five years. The purpose of the provisions is to protect native wildlife by preventing persons who have been proven to exhibit disregard for statutes and regulations governing the taking or possession of wildlife, particularly the possession of live wildlife, from obtaining permits.
The Lacey Act (16 U.S.C. §§3371-3378) is a federal law enacted in 1900 that, among other things, prohibits interstate trade in or movement of wildlife, fish, or plants taken, possessed, transported or sold in violation of state law. Lacey Act prosecutions are normally conducted by the United States Department of Justice in federal courts. Although a Lacey Act conviction or civil penalty is predicated on a violation of state law, the federal government need only prove that a state law was violated; there is no requirement for there to be a record of conviction in a state jurisdiction.
As a result of several recent Lacey Act convictions of Texas residents, it has come to the attention of the department that current department rules do not address the implications of such Lacey Act convictions on issuance or renewal of Triple T, DMP, or breeder permits. Although these Lacey Act cases involved violations of state law, the subjects were prosecuted in federal court under the Lacey Act. If concurrent prosecutions had been conducted in state court for the underlying state law violations, current rules would have clearly provided for the denial of permit issuance or renewal upon obtaining a conviction. However, the department’s rules are silent regarding the impact of these subjects being convicted in federal court for a violation of the Lacey Act.
Rather than expending resources and time conducting concurrent prosecutions, the department believes that it is reasonable to use a Lacey Act conviction or civil penalty as the basis for denial of Triple T, DMP, or breeder permit issuance or renewal. The department reasons that conviction or civil penalty for a Lacey Act violation constitutes legal proof that a violation of state law occurred and it is therefore redundant and wasteful to pursue a conviction in state jurisdiction to prove something that has already been proven in a federal court. The proposed amendment is necessary to ensure that such Lacey Act convictions or civil penalties are considered by the department in determining whether to issue to renew Triple T, DMP, or breeder permits.
The proposed amendments also remove the five-year time period for possible disqualification from permit issuance, permit renewal, or acting as an agent with respect to Triple T, DMP, and deer breeder permits. The current five-year period of possible disqualification may be appropriate in some instances, but is not uniformly appropriate. The department believes that a person who has been convicted of a violation of state law involving wildlife or fisheries resources has demonstrated a disregard for laws intended to protect the state’s wildlife resources. Depending on the circumstances, such a person should not be entrusted with the privilege of a permit that authorizes the possession of live wildlife resources and should not be allowed to benefit from the use of those resources, for any period of time.
The denial of issuance or renewal of a Triple T, DMP or deer breeder permit based on a Lacey Act conviction or civil penalty under the proposed amendment would not be automatic, but be within the discretion of the department. Factors that may be considered by the department in determining whether to issue or renew a permit based on a Lacey Act conviction or civil penalty would include, but not be limited to, the seriousness of the offence, the number of offenses, the existence or absences of a pattern of offenses, the length of time between the offense and the permit application, the applicant’s efforts towards rehabilitation, and the accuracy of the information provided by the applicant regarding the applicant’s prior permit history.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
4:31:35 PM
chrisWD
Posts: 1801
Media Contact: Robert Ramirez, Hunter Education Specialist, (972) 263-1219; robert.ramirez@tpwd.state.tx.us
April 21, 2010
Hunter Education Instructors Needed
ATHENS — Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) will be conducting a free Hunter Education New Instructor Training Workshop Saturday, May 15th, 2010 in Whitney, Texas. The workshop will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the US Army Corp of Engineers Lake Whitney Offices at 285 CR 3602, Clifton, TX 76634.
TPWD will be training new applicants and currently certified instructors in skills trail, live firing exercises and home study procedures. The training puts fun and exciting activities into the learning experience. Students will benefit by going through actual hunting simulations and by making their own decisions regarding responsible actions using "shoot-don’t-shoot" scenarios.
Before you attend this workshop, you must go to the following web site and prepare yourself by going over the Introduction and the first four chapters of the instructor training manual. You will sign an acknowledgement and release that you have done this pre-workshop assignment as part of your training. The site is as follows: tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/hunter_education/instruct.phtml.
Every Texas hunter born on or after September 2, 1971 must successfully complete a hunter education course. The hunter education program’s goals are to reduce hunting-related accidents and violations; promote safe, responsible and knowledgeable hunting; and enhance hunting traditions and values.
Hunter education provides instruction in Texas hunting regulations, wildlife management and identification, conservation, ethics, firearm and hunting safety and responsibility and outdoor skills.
By understanding hunting through education, hunters and non-hunters alike will help make a bright future for the sport. Now is the time to become involved, so let us know if interested!
To register, please contact: Robert Ramirez, TPWD Hunter Education Specialist, at (972) 263-1219 or robert.ramirez@tpwd.state.tx.us .
-- 4/21/2010 4:32:28 PM: post edited by chrisWD.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
11:10:09 AM
chrisWD
Posts: 1801
Very interesting segment to watch for on the Texas Parks & Wildlife TV Program coming soon.
Texas Parks & Wildlife on PBS and Cable
Coming Soon
April 18–25, 2010
Program 1826 — Feeds April 18, 2010 — Repeats October 17–24, 2010
Featured Segments:
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Passing Down the Legacy —
Those camo-clad kids spotted around the state represent the future of hunting and conservation in Texas. But the cost of hunting has increased dramatically as access to land has become limited. We’ll profile a group of volunteers addressing this decline in hunting opportunities, as they search for innovative ways to introduce young people to this sport.
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Remembering Bois d’Arc Creek — In just a few years the Bois d’Arc Creek in Fannin County will replaced by the Lower Bois d’Arc Reservoir. What was once bottomland hardwood forest will become a 17,000 acre water supply project. Brothers Russell and William Graves are teaming up to produce a film about growing up along the Bois d’Arc and what the loss of this valuable habitat means to those that have a history with the land.
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Outdoor Info: Propane Cylinder Recycling — So what do you do with that small propane cylinder you use with your camping equipment when it’s empty? Don’t throw it in the trash, there are recycling options.
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Franklin Mountains State Park — The City of El Paso climbs along the Franklin Mountains, in more ways than one. Rock climbing, mountain biking, and hiking are all popular activities in this state park right in El Paso’s back yard.
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Postcard From Texas — Rocks and water merge at Lake Colorado City State Park.
Stations and Air Times
Times and dates are subject to change, especially during PBS membership drives.
Amarillo, KACV-TV, Channel 2, Sunday, 12:30 p.m.
Austin, KLRU-TV, Channel 18, Sunday, 10 a.m.; Thursday 5:30 a.m.
Bryan-College Station, KAMU-TV, Channel 15, Sunday, 5 p.m. & 10:30 p.m.
Corpus Christi, KEDT-TV, Channel 16, Sunday, 12 p.m.
Dallas-Fort Worth, KERA-TV, Channel 13, Saturday, 3 p.m. Also serving Abilene, Denton, Longview, Marshall, San Angelo, Texarkana, Tyler, Wichita Falls and Sherman.
El Paso, KCOS-TV, Channel 13, Saturday, 4:30 p.m.
Harlingen, KMBH-TV, Channel 60, Sunday, 5 p.m. Also serving McAllen, Mission and Brownsville.
Houston, KUHT-TV, Channel 8, Saturday, 3 p.m. Also serving Beaumont, Port Arthur, Galveston, Texas City and Victoria.
Killeen, KNCT-TV, Channel 46, Sunday, 5 p.m. Also serving Temple.
Lubbock, KTXT-TV, Channel 5, Saturday, 10 a.m.
Odessa-Midland, KPBT-TV, Channel 36, Saturday, 4:30 p.m.
San Antonio and Laredo, KLRN-TV, Channel 9, Sunday, 1 p.m.
Waco, KWBU-TV, Channel 34, Sunday, 2:30 p.m.
Portales, New Mexico, KENW-TV, Channel 3, Sunday, 2:30 p.m.
Cable
Texas Parks & Wildlife can also be seen on a variety of government, educational and access cable channels in the following communities: Abilene, Allen, Atlanta, Baytown, Boerne, Cedar Park, Collin County Community College, Coppell, Dallas, Deer Park, Del Mar College, Denton, Euless, Flower Mound, Fort Worth, Frisco, Garland, Houston, Irving, Keller, Killeen, Lubbock, Lufkin, McKinney, North Richland Hills, Plano, Round Rock, Rogers State University, Seabrook, Temple, Texarkana College, The Colony, Trophy Club, Tyler, Victoria, Waco and Wichita Falls. Check your local listings for days and times.
Friday, April 02, 2010
11:38:47 AM
chrisWD
Posts: 1801
TPWD Finalizes Short List of Hunting and Fishing Regulation Changes for 2010-2011
Media Contact: Steve Lightfoot 512-389-4701 or steve.lightfoot@tpwd.state.tx.us
AUSTIN — Expansion of mule deer hunting opportunities tops a short list of regulatory changes adopted by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission as part of the 2010-2011 Statewide Hunting and Fishing Proclamation.
The commission approved an open general hunting season for mule deer in Dawson and Wheeler counties, and added a day to the mule deer season across the Trans Pecos region. The change addresses a priority goal in Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Land and Water Resource Conservation and Recreation Plan to increase access to and participation in the outdoors.
The commission finalized a nine-day, buck-only season in Dawson County and a 16-day, buck-only firearm season in Wheeler County and a 35-day archery-only season to offer increased hunter opportunity without adversely impacting mule deer reproduction or distribution.
The extra day of hunting for mule deer in the Trans Pecos region is being tacked onto the front end where the season will now begin the Friday immediately following Thanksgiving and continue for 17 days.
According to TPWD wildlife biologists, mule deer populations in these counties are limited, but are present in some areas having suitable habitat and implementation of a buck-only season will not have any measurable impact on herd productivity or expansion.
The Commission also adopted changes strengthening commercial fishing reporting requirements and administrative reorganization to split the commercial and recreational hunting and fishing regulations apart, as well as a clarification of rules regarding catching and possessing fish within protected length limits or in excess of bag limits.
The Texas Outdoor Annual, a complete digest of all Texas hunting and fishing regulations, including seasons and bag limits, will be available Aug. 15, 2010 wherever hunting and fishing licenses are sold and on the TPWD Web site www.tpwd.state.tx.us .
Thursday, April 01, 2010
9:52:22 AM
chrisWD
Posts: 1801
From Texas Parks and Wildlife Department:
Media Contact: Robert Ramirez, Hunter Education Specialist, Office: (972) 263-1219, robert.ramirez@tpwd.state.tx.us
March 31, 2010
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Hunter Education Instructors Needed
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) will be conducting a free Hunter Education New Instructor Training Workshop Sunday, April 18th, 2010, in Wichita Falls, Texas. Workshop will be from 9:00 am — 5:00 pm at the Lake Arrowhead State Park at 229 Park Road 63, Wichita Falls, TX 76310.
"We will be training new applicants and currently certified instructors in skills trail, live firing exercises and Home Study procedures," said Robert Ramirez, Hunter Education Specialist for TPWD. "The training puts fun and exciting activities into the learning experience. Students will benefit by going through actual hunting simulations and by making their own decisions regarding responsible actions using ‘shoot-don’t-shoot’ scenarios."
Before you attend this workshop, you must go to the following web site and prepare yourself by going over the Introduction and the first 4 chapters of the instructor training manual. You will sign an acknowledgement and release that you have done this pre-workshop assignment as part of your training. The site is as follows: tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/hunter_education/instruct.phtml
Every Texas hunter born on or after September 2, 1971, must successfully complete a Hunter Education course. The Hunter Education program’s goals are to reduce hunting-related accidents and violations; promote safe, responsible and knowledgeable hunting and enhance hunting traditions and values.
Hunter Education provides instruction in Texas hunting regulations, wildlife management and identification, conservation, ethics, firearm and hunting safety and responsibility and outdoor skills.
By understanding hunting through education, hunters and non-hunters alike will help make a bright future for the sport. Now is the time to become involved, so let us know if you are interested!
To register, please contact: Robert Ramirez, TPWD Hunter Education Specialist, at (972) 263-1219 or robert.ramirez@tpwd.state.tx.us .
