Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
When one thinks of whitetail management in Texas, a couple names come to mind. One of whom is renown whitetail biologist Jason Shipman. I had the pleasure of joining Jason on a whitetail hunt a few weekends ago at the Hogan Whitetail Retreat in Caldwell County. It was a great experience being able to pick the brain of someone who is at the top of his field for an entire weekend. One thing that really stood out in our conversations, however, is the practice of Triple T (trap, transport, transplant). This can be done with free ranging low fence whitetails as well as animals behind a high fence. Jason joins the show today to talk about the Triple T process in detail as it’s a valuable tool that many ranch owners might want to take advantage of to increase the overall potential of their whitetail herd. Triple T’d does being transported from one ranch to another:
Next we check in with a lifelong conservationist and hunter activist John Jackson. The former president of Safari Club International and founder of the Conservation Force, John stops by to discuss the new age of hunter harassment where anti hunters can essentially issue death threats will hiding behind a computer keyboard or smart phone. The internet has made it very easy for the the anti’s to spew their hate and venom- but make no mistake, a death threat, even issued on the internet is still a felony. All of this came to a real boiling point with our mutual friend Cory Knowlton (who bought the much publicized black rhino hunt at the Dallas Safari Club auction in January) had to get the FBI involved just to make sure he and his family were safe in their own home.
John and the Conservation Force are currently putting together a publication that will outline our rights as hunters and offer us recourse on how to deal with these type of sadistic threats in the future. Sadly, had the anti hunters not sent hate emails and protested the rhino auction, it more than likely would have sold for closer to one million dollars instead of $350,000. This means that the Namibia government will likely have to sell another rhino hunt this year to offset these lost funds which they use to pay for their anti poaching security. The irony and ignorance is so profound that it’s mind boggling. Had the anti’s left well enough alone only one rhino would have been sold. Now, they will have the blood of at least one and maybe two more animals on their hands.
Last week we checked in with our Texas Parks and Wildlife Inland Fisheries Chief of Management and Research Dave Terre regarding the proposed regulation changes that would affect Texas’ unique alligator gar fishery. The proposed changes would make it illegal for bow fisherman to harvest alligator gar during ideal spawning conditions. The proposal has been met with much opposition from bow fisherman and the Texas Bowfishing Association- the worlds oldest bowfishing organization.
This week we get their side of the story and why the feel TPWD is essentially knee jerking on this issue. TBA members and bowfishing guides Tony Reeves and Mark Malfa each drop in. We discuss the number of bowfisherman on the water, TPWD’s estimated alligator gar population verses what percentage of the population can be harvested annually in order to keep the fishery stable. Tony and Mark provide a different view, one that stems from time spent on the water and what they see personally and what they hear from other members of the bowfishing community. One of Captain Mark Malfa’s recent clients with a giant trophy alligator gar:
