TPWD Commissioners Propose Youth Rifle Season for the Month of October - Page 2

Tomme · 11-08-2008, 03:36 PM

That was funny. I don't think I can afford any more kids. Besides by the time they got out of College I'd be dead.

Your daughter who came on the LSBA javelina hunt is a good example of how kids already have an opportunity to hunt. Or is it just bowhunters that are willing to take their kids with them during their season??

Videographer · 11-08-2008, 04:51 PM

Tommee I had Alexis on 2 youth hunts across the last 2 weekends.

So far she has gotten 2 Whitetail Does, and 1 Coyote...All w/Rifle though...

Give me a few weeks and we will begin releasing episodes for people to watch. We are currently dealing with some legal issues involving her mother, and rights to certain film, pictures, etc......

Beleg · 11-09-2008, 01:43 PM

Not allowing guns during the Special Archery Only season is important to the success of many bowhunters. Bowhunters need deer as relaxed as possible to make clean kill shots. Once the guns come out deer tend to become nervous decreasing bowhunter’s odds. Smaller acreage leases can't insulate themselves from the noise of the guns. I don't think TPWD Commission understands this. The Special Archery Only season is important to many bowhunter’s success. I hope to have the chance to explain it to them.

Texas is experiencing rapid growth. Large ranches are being broken up (land fragmentation), urban sprawl is continuing, and population is expanding especially in the Dallas-San Antonio-Houston triangle. Gun hunting leases are getting more and more expensive and many hunters are being squeezed out. Bowhunting is done at short ranges and can be experienced safely on smaller acreage even in urban settings. TPWD should be doing all it can to encourage bowhunting as a way to increase hunter numbers. Bowhunting may even be a way to keep gun hunters buying licenses that have been priced out of the lease market. The Archery Only Season is a great asset to TPWD, not a liability or the province of “special interests”. The Commissioners should be our best allies, not our opponents! Bowhunting has more growth potential than gun hunting in the long run.

The LSBA is doing more than most organizations to promote youth hunting. We promote youth involvement in outdoor activities and bowhunting by sponsoring free youth archery ranges at events all over that attract thousands of kids and their families. We work in conjunction with TPWD on many of these youth archery ranges introducing urban kids to archery, bowhunting and other outdoor activities. This year we had youth bowhunts where only the kids hunt. We have group bowhunts where youth are encouraged to bowhunt with their parents and the kids hunt free. We give up many weekends a year and considerable out of pocket expense traveling to these free youth archery hunts and events. It isn’t unreasonable or selfish to want to maintain and preserve the Special Archery Only season. Bowhunters are not selfish and welcome youth and new bowhunters to our sport.

The Commission should be seeking out bowhunters asking what the Commission can do to help us introduce youth and adults to archery and bowhunting. What are they thinking?

Curtis · 11-09-2008, 08:03 PM

I'm all for getting youth into the woods. But not the idea of taking it from bow season. They should just extend the January Special Youth Season instead.

BearOmni · 11-10-2008, 06:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beleg

Not allowing guns during the Special Archery Only season is important to the success of many bowhunters. Bowhunters need deer as relaxed as possible to make clean kill shots. Once the guns come out deer tend to become nervous decreasing bowhunter’s odds. Smaller acreage leases can't insulate themselves from the noise of the guns.

The only thing I see "wrong" with this argument is it will draw the question of :

"If this is true, then are you saying we should stop allowing bow hunting during the general season"

All the reasons you listed for not using guns during archery season are excellent points for why they should ban bows during general season, thus making it "gun" season.

As I said in my first post, I agree with everyone else here. This is our (bow hunters) time. The kids can already hunt during this time with a bow. They can hunt everyday during general season with a gun. I agree with this.

We (yall) MUST have statements/talking points prepared well ahead of time and be prepared to answer ANY questions that will rise from you statements.
You have to tear apart your statement and see if there is ANYTHING they can misconstrue, or turn against you.

As a union officer and civil service employee I had to deal with city leaders, city council on a regular basis. I learned my lessons the hard way. I know all about time/comment limits, Roberts rules of order,and not being able to correct them when they tear apart your statement right in front of you because your time to speak is up.

I would be glad to meet with any one of the EC members in person or through email and try to "knock holes" in your statement/argument in an effort to make it better/stronger.

Depending on who's behind this and how hard its being pushed, I can see this turning ugly. In most peoples eyes you are on the wrong side of things if you speak out AGAINST anything that is FOR kids.

Obviously the EC has experience dealing with the commission. I trust their judgment but we (they) must be 100% prepared.

biggen · 11-10-2008, 08:19 AM

Bear would you like to be on the EC?

mesquitecountry · 11-10-2008, 01:15 PM

100% for any addition of getting youth involved in the sport of "hunting"

I will not be selfish and will glady share my hunting season with kids so that they too may hunt after i'm gone.

JavelinaRuss · 11-10-2008, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mesquitecountry

100% for any addition of getting youth involved in the sport of "hunting"

I will not be selfish and will glady share my hunting season with kids so that they too may hunt after i'm gone.

X2 I'm doing everything I can to get kids in the woods gun OR bow

Bill M · 11-10-2008, 02:28 PM

Has nothing to do with selfishness. There is not one person on this board that is against youth hunting and to state otherwise is pure foolishness. You fellows that have access to the large, controlled ranches seem to have all the answers but you haven't a clue how this would effect small acreage and public land hunters. To state otherwise again is foolishness.

Beleg stated is best IMO.

I can see hunter numbers declining and for reasons other than not getting youth involved. You guys really need to look into some of those issues if it doesn't interfere with your way of hunting.

So if this were to come to pass, do they do away with the archery stamp or now do we have to have a firearm stamp?

mesquitecountry · 11-10-2008, 02:47 PM

Who is saying do away with bow season! NO one. This is an addition of Youth hunting. Not the same thing.

Bill,

I do hunt low fence small property high hunting concentrations also not just high fence.

I'd give up any deer on my wall if he hops the fence and a 10 year old pops him with a rifle. I'd give the little fella a high five and congratulate him/her.

Saying I dont want a youth season IMO is saying I dont want a kid to get a headstart rifle hunting or for a kid to shoot a buck that I had been watching. That's where I get the the selfishness tone.

Bill M · 11-10-2008, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mesquitecountry

Who is saying do away with bow season! NO one. This is an addition of Youth hunting. Not the same thing.

If firearms (doesn't matter who's pulling the trigger) are going off everywhere there is no longer an archery season, period. I have to wonder what the archery success rate would be like if firearms were in the woods during October putting the deer on high alert. Would hate to see it decided that wound rates were too high and totally eliminate bow hunting period.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mesquitecountry

Bill,

I do hunt low fence small property high hunting concentrations also not just high fence.

I'd give up any deer on my wall if he hops the fence and a 10 year old pops him with a rifle. I'd give the little fella a high five and congratulate him/her.

Saying I dont want a youth season IMO is saying I dont want a kid to get a headstart rifle hunting or for a kid to shoot a buck that I had been watching. That's where I get the the selfishness tone.

That all sounds well and good Travis but still not all bowhunters have the same opportunities that others have. You still have an option regardless of what you say. I hunt my own land but it's a small tract (smaller than Joey's 198 acres) surrounded by larger ranches. I also know that our first two weekends of Nov have a number of youth involved on these ranches with their Dads as it should be. The deer are harder to get close to once the firearms start going off. That's a fact.

Quite frankly, if you mean giving up Heart Attack for a 10 year old to take I have to call BS. That's a real easy thing to say after the fact and why didn't you do it to begin with. The youth hunting isn't a new stance for you. I'm sure not saying your heart isn't in the right place but I really don't think you guys are thinking this thing through from all the angles.

JavelinaRuss · 11-10-2008, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Saying I dont want a youth season IMO is saying I dont want a kid to get a headstart rifle hunting or for a kid to shoot a buck that I had been watching. That's where I get the the selfishness tone.

Yup and I WORK on those "big controlled ranches" I guide on them, but I've only "Shot" does, hogs and coyotes on the King, and the only thing I have been able to "hunt" there is the Nilgai bull I shot and have the skull sitting on my desk. I've hunted public land and it's not that bad, you just got to know where to go and if it's so hard then be like most and put in for the harder to get hunts where there is less pressure. The location of the hunting (since most of those "Large, controlled Ranches" also do numerous youth hunts several times a year, plus the leases on some of these ranches also do youth hunts) is irrelavant. If the deer are going to be that spooky then it's amazing how us bowhunters can kill anything during the general season!!!

Bill M · 11-10-2008, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JavelinaRuss

.............The location of the hunting (since most of those "Large, controlled Ranches" also do numerous youth hunts several times a year, plus the leases on some of these ranches also do youth hunts) is irrelavant. .............

Sorry JR but your experience is apparently limited making this statement. I find it curious that you keep knocking bowhunting during the Gen Season but don't mind putting the youth in the Archery Only.

I've had my say, I'm done.

mesquitecountry · 11-10-2008, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Quite frankly, if you mean giving up Heart Attack for a 10 year old to take I have to call BS. That's a real easy thing to say after the fact and why didn't you do it to begin with. The youth hunting isn't a new stance for you. I'm sure not saying your heart isn't in the right place but I really don't think you guys are thinking this thing through from all the angles.

To carry on the sport i'd give it up in a heart beat. For just someone to shoot it to shoot it no, under our high fence. I wouldnt let a kid shoot a deer that big for the first buck at our place. I guess you just dont understand how our family works. We give back because we have been given plenty.

Low fence if the buck jumped the fence and was shot by a youth hunter on opening weekend of bow season with a rifle I'd congratulate him/her and be as happy as can be.

Sometimes you have to sacrifice to gain. Granted I'd much rather shoot the deer but if someone else did no problem here! I shot him because he was the biggest I've ever seen. I dont shoot deer like that back to back to back. We rotate on our ranch. We all give and take. No selfishness.

If you think i'm full of it so be it. I've put in the time, i alone have introduced 8 new hunters to bow hunting this season alone! Have taken numerous youth hunters/new hunters/vets over the last 5 years and will continue to do so. I'm not looking for a pat on the back or for anyone here to justify what I do. I do it cause I actually care about this sport.

In regard to guns. You or anyone can get MLD right now and start blazing away with guns in October. The doom and gloom you keep predicting is here and the sky is not falling yet.

nothinbutwelves · 11-10-2008, 04:45 PM

if any of you have ever been to a function where the L.S.B.A.was there you would know our dedication to ours as well as any youth out there is un wavering.just show up and spend 8 hours in the heat pulling arrows and kneeling down to help show a youngster how to hold a bow and release an arrow.this is bigger than your personal accomplishments of getting however many new hunters this year or last, this is our heritage.there isnt anyone amoung us that hasnt got someone started hunting our young people today arent tought to wait for things the old patientce is a virtue is being lost.and it is being taken by men who just dont want to share their openining morning with their young people ,here is where your selfishness shows its ugly head not by the L.S.B.A.trying to hold on to what is precious to us i am one of the biggest advocates for youth that i know i cut 3 adult classes to add young people classes to our 3d season and i took some ugly comments from those adult class people.youth are being used as shields to get symphony from those of us who may be on the fence kids can still hunt and they should hunt.let them learn to wait for their rewards so there is an appreciation for their accomplishments.within the peramators of a legitamate hunting season.if those of you who want to take youth hunting they have almost 3 months in general season to do so as well as let them have a bow for the month of oct.i love my family and i love all children!make no mistake about it this is not about young people hunting this is about parents who dont want to take their kids hunting on their time so it is better to do it on our time {bowhunters }now we need to unify and and quash this as a united organization. yours truly.