http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/outdoors/tompkins/7410462.html

This link was posted on THF. I just had a sad thought.

I wonder where the stocking of Hybrids would rank in this picture? We better enjoy them while they last. They might go the way of the dinosaur.

Wait til gas hits $ 5.00/gal!

Yea it is going to get a little tight for the next few years. Hopefully it will get better down the way.

Hmmmmm.....I wonder how they will handle the SAL program, driving back and forth to pick up fishies at $5 per gallon:

since the 2003-2004 SAL season, they've made 161 2-way trips from Athens. 39 of those trips have been all the way out to Alan Henry and O.H. Ivie and back. More recently however, this season and last season a total of 42 SAL's were fetched, 17 of those from O.H. Ivie.

JUst think they just went up on your license!! Fresh water fish stamp? What was that for?

Well, I don't consider myself to be as super intelligent as the top dawgs at TPWD, but...Today I observed a TPWD patroll boat being manned by THREE GWs.

Any decent accountant coult tell you in a heart beat that cutting that number to ONE would cut their patroll labor cost on this small lake by 2/3rds. Come to think of it, I don't think I have ever seen just one GW in that high dollar CC boat before.

Perhaps if they would patroll these inland lakes in smaller (plain jane) boats with common sense size engines and pull them with plain ole half ton PUs they could reduce their operating cost even more. After all, many of us still fish from 16' flat bottom jon boats with 25 HP engines and still do very well.

I suspect if TPWD hade business type leadership they could cut their adm and opt budgets by 25% and never affect their operations. In fact their operations would probably improve.

Perhaps they should ask us for suggestions on reducing their budgets. Serious suggestions only, please.

Law Enforcement Officers should at a minimum be in pairs...two minimum...especially GWs. No Solo ops. Safety is paramount.

<Stepping off Soap Box>

Rex

No arguement out of me, Rex. Minimum of two, each with a pistol on both hips.

What Redfin said!!!!!

On

Think about the people GWs are confronting...most are probably armed, maybe drunk...a really bad situation. Pairs is almost mandatory. As for PU size. I'm sure the State of Texas is getting the best bottom $$ prices of anyone around. As for boats, they run them until they can't be run any more...ever seen the condition of surplus TP&WD equipment up for auction? I don't want it. As for engine size, if they have to try and keep up with or even keep in sight a fast bass boat, they need the larger engine...still they aren't running 300hp Yamahas either...

I met Carter Smith, Exec Director, of TP&WD, at a recent Trout Unlimited gathering.. They are doing the best job they can do under the circumstances. I've even heard the latest GW class at the new GW Academy in Hamilton has been put on hold because of budget reasons... Bummer.

Off

Why don't we try to start at the problem of this whole mess, Rick Perry. I was a fan and I have to admit he did an excellant job promoting himself while running for office again. All you heard about was how good the state was doing and all this money saved up. Now that the elections are over The state has no money. I guess this just happened at the end of Nov? Who would have ever thought that the state of Texas would be broke and being a teacher was such an unstable career.
I guess what I'm saying is nothing suprises me about the gov anymore. It all boils down to poor management

Hell, Mexico will probably acquire the state of texas.

Demographics----Immigration----Entitlements In General----The �snowball� of those receiving vs. those of us contributing is growing faster every day.

Been to Wal-Mart lately??? Due to my schedule flexibility I do most of our Wal-Mart trips. Practically everybody ahead of me in line swipes some sort of entitlement card. Then they buy their cigarettes, junk, etc. with some cash.

Edit: This link was just posted on THF
http://www.aolnews.com/2011/02/27/texas-group-offers-scholarships-to-white-men-only/

"Non-Hispanic whites are now a minority there, according to U.S. Census figures released earlier this month that show they make up about 42 percent of the state's population, down from more than half 10 years ago."

Receivers vs. Contributors Puts TX in the RED

If TPWD can afford to send three GWs out on a 2000 acre lake to check out the licenses and flotation devices of ten bass boats (and No, none of them were drunk or unruly) they probably need to have their budgets cut.

The past four years have been pretty lucrative, budgetwise for P&W, with about $1.6 Bil in budget money and I don't know how much in bond money. Perhaps they have gotten fat and lazy.

Just Google up TPWD budgets and you can find the numbers. Read them and cry.

Maybe they should stand on the corner and beg for money like all of the other agencies . We all spend a great deal of money every year on fishing and hunting and for them to say there broke it makes no sense ? I find it hard to belive that there isn't enough money in the budget to at the least stay the same without cut's. I would rather throw in another 5 buck's but it would never end they would be worse than my teen needing gas money as soon as we pay (again) we would be asked to pay more . I don't think they should shut down state parks but....Maybe the weekend warriors should be getting stuck in the rear a little more than avid fishermen.

Any inefficiency in the TPWD is not why there are going to be budget cuts. TPWD is only about five percent of the state budget. It is all about loss of sales tax, franchise tax and property tax revenues from the recession. Education is what is taking the big hit, but all agencies have been asked to make cuts. It is actually a good thing that the TPWD has some fat in their budget, otherwise cuts would have to be made in some areas that would affect outdoorsmen even more. As of now, there is no discussion about cutting stocking programs. In the grand skeem of things, I'm not too worried about the TPWD. What I am worried about is the affect all the layoffs from the budget cuts country wide is going to have on the economy. Almost every state is having the same problem. Double dip recession?