Anyone see this? I didn's see it posted anywhere yet.




https://www.click2houston.com/news/local

HB 4938, if passed, would abolish the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission and transfer its functions to the Texas General Land Office, Department of Agriculture, and Department of Public Safety.

According to the bill, the General Land Office would take over duties related to regulating parks, natural areas, wildlife management areas, fish hatcheries, historic sites, or other public land. The Department of Agriculture would take over duties related to native plants, wildlife, or the conservation or management of native plants and wildlife, including hunting and fishing.

The bill states the Department of Public Safety would take over the duties related to law enforcement, such as game wardens, as well as the enforcement of water safety, and the regulation of boating vessels.

Wonder who's bright idea that is?

I am actually intrigued by this. I would be open to listening to their case.

Hmmm... suspect... need more info...

Sounds like a horrible idea. Is someone pissed at a TPWD?

Looks like he's a member of CODGE? LOL Elon wannabe?

https://house.texas.gov/committees/committee/233

The lawmaker is a high fence deer breeder. TPWD regulates his operation.

He wants to get TPWD out of his way so that native wildlife behind a high fence are regulated by Dept of Agriculture and treated as private livestock.

Currently all the native wildlife in the State of Texas belong to the people of the State of Texas. You just don't have access to hunt his property. Which i am fine with. I'm all for private landowner rights but this is bad juju for the everyday average sportsman.

Seems like a horrible idea to me as well. Picking the dude is not a sportsman.

You'd have to prove to me how this would be a good thing. Like where are the current areas of failure or overlap, and how the new system will solve them.

I fear this is aimed at fixing a perceived problem, without understanding what problems will be caused by the "solution". All too often the fix is far worse than what you thought was broke in the first place.

I think TPWD needs to be ran differently. These appointed philanthropist is a terrible idea. The department needs to be ran by folks with wildlife degrees that actually know what they are doing. The owner of Bucee's has no business being the director of TPWD.

So basically we have a member of state rep that wants to hunt year-round, and he is using his position to blow up a government agency in order to serve his personal preference?

Which one is he?

https://tpwd.texas.gov/about/administration-divisions/organizational-chart

He just stepped down after the fiasco with Lake Fairfield.

All the deer inside my cousins high fence were killed off when it was fenced. Every animal inside that fence belongs to him now. Most high fence places are like this, they only want certain genetics in their herd. In effect, they are livestock.

How far will we regress if TPWD is abolished?
What will happen to the money taken in from fishermen and hunters? Will it be further diluted and spread to "other needs" in the general fund?

That is not correct, as I understand it. While they are specifically bred and purchased by the landowner, they are still a native Texas animal, and still technically owned by the people of the state.

A game warden will tell you that A) those bred deer were born and raised in Texas, and are still a Texas game animal and subject to all hunting laws and regulations, and B) the killing of "native" deer prior to bring in the genetics herd had to have been done following all laws and regulations (I've never heard of an MLD program that allowed a 100% kill off inside the high fence).

Sounds like a brain dead idea.