AUSTIN - The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission adopted a fee structure for the highly popular Managed Lands Deer Program on Thursday.
A price tag will now be associated with the benefits landowners and hunters receive from a voluntary program that has traditionally been free of charge. MLDP offers liberal bag limits and a five-month long season to participants; valuable opportunity outside of the regular deer season.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sp...fee-Managed-Lands-Deer-MLDP-14998547.php

I understand how the program has grown, but, although the biologist in my area is an extremely nice guy, he really didn't seem under any time constraints or in any undue stress when he came out and looked over my place. And I don't see any "customized management plan" being created by anyone but myself.

I'll pay the 30.00, but it's just another government fee.

And, after finally being able to read the whole article, at the rate state government agencies work, it will take them YEARS to hire 12 to 15 additional biologists.

We got 6 buck permits and 7 doe permits for our 2400 acre lease in east Texas. I wouldn't classify that as a liberal bag limit. LOL

Come to think of it we have a private biologist through a private company. I wonder if this fee would still apply?

In your case, the mldp program is doing exactly what it should......keeping you from over harvesting the limited population!

It seems very reasonable to me.

When I enrolled in the program, many years ago, a biologist came out to the place, spent some time looking around, made suggestions, and helped me put together an plan. I learned alot. The last 10-15 years, the biologist spends a few minutes at his desk, looking over my harvest and survey data and emails me the following years tags. Can't take him ore that 15-20 minutes.

I can see a fee to initiate a program, but there should be some correlation between the fee and the amount of time spent on a client.

Moreover, I am a small not-for-profit, friends and family operation. Why should I pay the exact fee as the ranch that covers 10s of thousands of acres and sells hundreds of deer each year?

As someone else wisely pointed out, It's just another bureaucratic government tax. Are you listening Alan Cain??

Some good info on program and fees
https://www.statesman.com/sports/20200222/new-fees-for-managed-lands-deer-permit-system

Texas Parks and Wildlife commissioners recently voted to institute some changes to the managed lands deer permit process by establishing a long overdue fee system.

Controversial from the start, the program originally stirred up simmering resentment toward landowners who high-fenced their ranches and then got special privileges from the state in terms of killing extra bucks without license tags and for killing does as well.
Some people thought landowners should be forced to allow public hunters on their land in exchange for the permits and were angered that a single person could kill unlimited deer within the state’s quota numbers for that ranch. Wildlife biologists with the state complained about the time and paperwork burden the program placed on field personnel and the fact that there was no money coming in to help pay for the program.