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Civic Responsibility

and

Wildlife Politics/Policy

(URGENT)

Our father of American wildlife conservation, Aldo Leopold, long ago opined about the hallmark role that civic responsibility or civic engagement plays in the conservation of our wildlife resources. Leopold's timeless observations remain contemporary today. Civic engagement drives our country's democratic process and democracy of wildlife is embedded in our world's most successful wildlife conservation equation or what we often refer to as the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. With this, I outline two landmark occasions that come before us in Texas over the next few days and it should be incumbent on our citizenry to help shape the appropriate path at these two crossroads, as the outcome of both of these occasions may profoundly impact how the wildlife policy game is played in Texas' future. I cannot overemphasize the significance of each of the two Call To Actions that are listed below!

Call To Action #1

Tomorrow, Texans will cast their vote on multiple Texas Constitutional Amendments. Proposition 6 seeks to constitutionalize hunting and fishing as a state constitutional right. It's easy to sit back and surmise that such a constitutional exercise is trivial since we already enjoy our important hunting and fishing freedoms. But, the reality is that this vote is now in front of Texas' citizens and failure to pass Prop 6 creates a fragile platform in defending the merits of hunting and fishing as we move forward into the future of our wildlife policy arena. Should Prop 6 fail, I can hear it now, "Mr. Chairman, and Members of this Committee, the People of the State of Texas have spoken through their statewide vote. It's clear that Texans hold very little value for hunting and fishing. So, Mr. Chairman, I propose that we no longer focus your important time and our valuable dollars in dealing with such irrelevant issues related to hunting and fishing, and I recommend that we move beyond this legislative matter and focus on more important issues, such as education, health care, and transportation." Truth be known, there is no issue more central and more impactful to all Texans than that of the conservation of our natural resources and protecting the integrity of wild things and wild places. As Theodore Roosevelt so eloquently and futuristically put it over 100 years ago, "The conservation of natural resources is the fundamental problem. Unless we solve that problem, it will avail us to solve all others." Considering that hunters and fishermen have served as the chief financiers of wildlife conservation in this country since the early 1900s, it is paramount that we get this vote right. So, calling on all Texans, please vote tomorrow and please vote FOR Proposition 6...Texans' Right to Hunt and Fish.

Call to Action #2

Also, and very importantly, members of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission will meet this coming Thursday, November 5, to consider adopting (through the end of this current deer season) the Emergency Rule that was recently put into place after Chronic Wasting Disease was discovered in a captive white-tailed deer breeding facility in recent months. Though our Texas CWD Management Plan was updated in 2012 to responsibly anticipate the eventual, possible finding of CWD in whitetails in Texas, various groups including Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas Animal Health Commission, along with multiple stakeholder groups which included representatives from captive deer breeding groups, went through an exhaustive process to shape an updated Emergency Rule that was intended to be reasonable and effective. After this Emergency Rule was drafted, all members of that task force agreed to support the Rule. The Emergency Rule was put into place to protect the wildlife resources of Texas (in pens and outside of pens) and to also protect the broad, important values associated with these wildlife resources. Since the time of the Emergency Rule implementation, special interests that relate to captive deer breeding are utilizing political and legal pressures to try and force the TPW Commission to modify and relax the current Emergency Rule. There are many people who are concerned that such possible modifications to this important Rule will undermine and erode the regulatory safeguards that are necessary to protect the sustainable health and values of our state's wildlife resources. As a show of support for TPWD and for this important Rule, I encourage you to take 3 minutes of your time to click on this link, and express your support for the current CWD Rule as written.

Texas Wildlife Association (~10,000 members), which I serve as the immediate Past President, and several other wildlife-related groups, support this Rule as written. So, PLEASE take a few minutes, NOW, and click on this link to answer the few questions...you need not worry with responding to the "Comments" section unless you are so inclined. It will take you no more than a few minutes. The only questions are: 1) Your name; 2) County of residence; 3) Hunting and/or fishing license holder; and 4) Do you agree with the Rule.

The world of wildlife politics is full of proverbial slippery slopes, along with sleights of hands and political leveraging. The sustainable health of these resources is largely tied relying on sound science and expertise to help shape regulatory protocols, protecting the frameworks which ensure the future of our hunting and fishing markets that finance conservation, while also educating our citizenry so that their engagement in the democratic process is shaped by what's in the best interest of the greater good for our important wildlife and fisheries resources. And, very importantly, let's not forget that wildlife is a public trust resource, meaning if wildlife loses, we all lose. We all have skin in the game when it comes to conserving these resources for our benefit and for the benefit of future generations.

I hope you and yours are doing well. Texas continues to receive timely and generous rainfall over much of the state and it looks like we are poised to enter into our winter season in great shape from a range vigor standpoint.

Here's to hoping that your hunting season travels are safe and that your journeys to the field are rewarding. As they say, life's better outside, so get out and enjoy life!

Best regards,

Greg Simons

Proprietor of Wildlife Systems, Inc.

Free Range Aoudad Sheep Hunt

For someone looking for a unique hunting experience in a spectacular port consider this hunt. Free-range aoudad sheep hunts are one of the most under-rated hunts in North America, provided what is arguably the best value for the dollar in the sheep hunting world.

Brian Witt

We conduct the majority of these hunts on two large properties near Alpine and Marathon, TX. One ranch encompasses almost 200,000 acres, and the other even larger than that. This is big, raw, unspoiled country, very well suited to a sheep's liking.


Scott Avery	Craig Field

Our package includes 3.5 days, and 4 nights, with guide, lodging, meals, and game care included as part of the package. Facilities are modest, but plenty adequate. Our 2 x 1 guided hunts are priced at $4200, and our 1 x 1 hunts are $4700. Nonresident licenses are $48 and are guaranteed, with no drawing or lottery.

Rob Howe

Over the last 5 years, we have had a great run on big sheep, with approximately 70% of our harvest including rams over 30". The majority of the aoudads we harvest are in the 29"-31" range, with most of the rams being 8-10 years old. Success rates on having shots at mature rams approach 90%. But, make no mistake about it, this is not a fish shoot. This is most well suited for a hunter looking for a sporty, challenging experience in big wild terrain, chasing extremely wary animals. Big time hunting, at a very reasonable price.

Book Your Nilgai Hunt Today

Texas is home to more free range Nilgai antelope than their native country of India. Originally stocked on the King Ranch in the 1930's, these sporty game animals quickly took hold and are currently free ranging on a handful of large private properties in lower South Texas. Our Nilgai antelope hunting takes place on the historic H. Yturria Ranches near Raymondville in lower South Texas, and at the El Sauz Division of the East Ranch at Port Mansfield, Texas. Nilgai antelope hunting is indeed very challenging hunting, and this is certainly a hunt destination you will want to add to your schedule.

Aaron Ellison

Our Nilgai antelope hunts are set up as 2.5 day packages including 3 nights lodging. Some hunters are guided 1x1 and some clients are 2x1. Three meals daily are served. Your Nilgai bull will be skinned and caped as part of the package and you may choose to pay to have the meat commercially processed at a nearby facility. Incidentally, Nilgai antelope meat is some of the best wild game meat you will ever have, which makes Nilgai antelope hunting even more attractive.