Texas House Representative files bill to abolish Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

[guitarpreston]

https://www.click2houston.com/news/...-abolish-texas-parks-and-wildlife-department/
I wonder if that’s “throw shit at the wall and see what sticks” things or no? Strange to see it here

 

[elkhunter505]

What a ridiculous concept.

 

[TxLite]

I briefly read through it and not sure what they plan to achieve? I’m really not sure what would change aside from who is enforcing various items?

From what I am understanding, the roles and responsibilities of TPWD would be broken up across various other depts (dept of land, dept of agriculture, department of public safety, etc) and they would absorb TPWD’s responsibilities, allocated personnel, and budgets for those roles. Unless I am missing something

 

[Murphy]

I read that somewhere. My understanding is he wants fish and game handled under agricultural. Basically wants to flip the north american model of wildlife being public property on its Head. Big ag is no friend of wildlife. I'm hoping this flops as i have no doubt he's mostly looking out for himself.

 

[Mike D Texas]

Not sure what the angle is here but Texas has a completely different hunting model than western states since over 90% of the property in Texas is private owned.

Your only real options for hunting in Texas are very limited public property, pay to play leases and outfitters or own property.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[ScreamingPotato]

I briefly read through it and not sure what they plan to achieve? I’m really not sure what would change aside from who is enforcing various items?

From what I am understanding, the roles and responsibilities of TPWD would be broken up across various other depts (dept of land, dept of agriculture, department of public safety, etc) and they would absorb TPWD’s responsibilities, allocated personnel, and budgets for those roles. Unless I am missing something

I haven't read much of any of it, but typically stuff like this is designed to reduce redundant management to save costs. There's probably a lot of TPWD leadership that don't do much.

 

[FuddRucker]

I think it's generous to assume that this proposal (or any like it) is merely about efficiency. I also don't think it's efficient to delegate the responsibilities of an existing agency with the stated aims of managing public lands and wildlife to others that are already strapped for time and cash. The result is that wildlife, public lands, and public access hunting or otherwise become an afterthought. Or worse, land could then become subject to sale by an agency not really interested in managing it or who have industry buddies who'd like to buy it for their own uses. I figured this was what was driving the proposal. Kind of like what's been going in Utah and Montana though each of those cases are slightly different.

Anyway, the guy who proposed it posted in an Aggie forum that he's really concerned about the red tape surrounding deer breeding. Whatever, not my thing, but I also don't think it makes the proposal any more reasonable less asinine.

https://www.chron.com/life/wildlife/article/texas-parks-and-wildlife-20227593.php

 

[Ozarkansas]

I read that the guy proposing this has a deer breeding operation, that might be part of his motive- he could get wildlife management under the department of Agriculture.
As someone who lived in Texas and loathed it, even I can admit that TPWD does a good job. They maximize their (limited) public land opportunities, have been aggressively growing their public land portfolio, and have TONS of wildlife. The only knock on TX hunting is the lack of public land.

I don’t see any reason this can be good.

 

[maxx075]

What is it with these politicians and introducing the dumbest, most off the wall, batshit crazy bills?

It's like they have a competition to see who can outdo each other. That goes for both sides equally.

 

[ScreamingPotato]

I read that the guy proposing this has a deer breeding operation, that might be part of his motive- he could get wildlife management under the department of Agriculture.
As someone who lived in Texas and loathed it, even I can admit that TPWD does a good job. They maximize their (limited) public land opportunities, have been aggressively growing their public land portfolio, and have TONS of wildlife. The only knock on TX hunting is the lack of public land.

I don’t see any reason this can be good.

If that's the case then he can kick rocks. I doubt this will get any traction anyway. Might be an unpopular opinion but they just need to get rid of these deer farming operations and make wild deer wild again.

 

[stonewall]

This is 100% the Texas deer breeders. Evidently he’s one himself. The tda (Texas deer association) has opposed tpwd, probably since their inception. Tpwd has been trying to slow down the abomination that is deer breeding. I’m guessing the angle here is to have deer classed as livestock and not wildlife

 

[elkhunter505]

Glad to see as many people on here talking about abolishing deer breeding. Game ranches need to be removed for the sake of wildlife health. If you want to farm/ranch something, ranch domestics.

 

[RoqPlanas]

The context here is that since 2021 Texas has been dealing with an unexplained outbreak of chronic wasting disease in the deer breeder pens that supply the high-fenced game ranches the state is known for. It has appeared repeatedly at new sites, including closed ones that haven’t received new deer in years. TPWD typically kills all deer in CWD positive sites, and prohibits captive deer for 5 years in an effort to keep captive deer from infecting wild deer. CWD containment has been ruinous for deer breeders, and some legislators have tried to change the laws to restrain the department. This is one of many proposed laws in that vein, and one of the most aggressive.

 

[FuddRucker]

The context here is that since 2021 Texas has been dealing with an unexplained outbreak of chronic wasting disease in the deer breeder pens that supply the high-fenced game ranches the state is known for. It has appeared repeatedly at new sites, including closed ones that haven’t received new deer in years. TPWD typically kills all deer in CWD positive sites, and prohibits captive deer for 5 years in an effort to keep captive deer from infecting wild deer. CWD containment has been ruinous for deer breeders, and some legislators have tried to change the laws to restrain the department. This is one of many proposed laws in that vein, and one of the most aggressive.

Considering a deer breeding operation is where CWD was first discovered, the aggressive response by TPWD seems appropriate.

Its impossible to prove but it would not surprise me if CWD was found to be a consequence of deer breeding practices.

 

[ScreamingPotato]

The context here is that since 2021 Texas has been dealing with an unexplained outbreak of chronic wasting disease in the deer breeder pens that supply the high-fenced game ranches the state is known for. It has appeared repeatedly at new sites, including closed ones that haven’t received new deer in years. TPWD typically kills all deer in CWD positive sites, and prohibits captive deer for 5 years in an effort to keep captive deer from infecting wild deer. CWD containment has been ruinous for deer breeders, and some legislators have tried to change the laws to restrain the department. This is one of many proposed laws in that vein, and one of the most aggressive.

There was just a 20+ person illegal deer breeding ring that was recently busted, that's likely where a lot of the unexplained CWD was coming from. These guys spread deer all over the state unregistered and yes after uncovering it some of these were popping hot for CWD.

 

[ScreamingPotato]

Considering a deer breeding operation is where CWD was first discovered, the aggressive response by TPWD seems appropriate.

Its impossible to prove but it would not surprise me if CWD was found to be a consequence of deer breeding practices.

It's not impossible to prove, it's a fact deer breeders absolutely spread it which is why they're registered and subjected to testing.

 

[FuddRucker]

It's not impossible to prove, it's a fact deer breeders absolutely spread it which is why they're registered and subjected to testing

Oh absolutely they spread it. I just mean it seems impossible to prove from a scientific standpoint that CWD originated from breeding the practices. But it's one of those smoking gun situations where it sure seems like a plausible explanation!

 

[elkhunter505]

I think that NM has backtracked their CWD outbreak to captive elk from way back. I think we all need to push for the elimination of the captive side for anything other than zoos/sanctuaries for animals that are unable to be kept in the wild. Artificially inflating deer numbers is what got us to CWD in the first place, these operations need to be shut down completely. They can have their property rights and all that but high fences with exotics and bred deer is just a disaster.

 

[cuerro viejo]

https://www.click2houston.com/news/...-abolish-texas-parks-and-wildlife-department/
I wonder if that’s “throw shit at the wall and see what sticks” things or no? Strange to see it here

It’s to open eyes more so then to get them disbanded. A lot of people have issues with CWD management, TPWD ran management areas seem to be the only false positives in the state. There is a segment that wants representation amongst the wild life board. From out side looking in with friends ranches on both sides of the fence, I see both sides.

 

[cuerro viejo]

It's not impossible to prove, it's a fact deer breeders absolutely spread it which is why they're registered and subjected to testing.

there is about to be some major lawsuits on CWD testing results and it’s not pretty for TPWD. That’s all I’ll say but I wouldn’t say Breeders are the soul issue….. any animal can spread CWD, including coons.. .

CWD came to Texas not by breeders but natural deer movement in West Texas Mule deer herd.. that’s FACT and extremely well documented. panhandle is in same boat . Of course That’s assuming , it came. But first observed a decade plus in free range mule deer with no Breeding facilities for a longggg waysss