Your right we all have different reasons for hunting, im not a trophy hunter but i do fill my doe tags before i take a buck. Now dont get me wrong if a big buck steps out i will take it, but i do feel my freezer up with meat every year. And you can call me whatever you want, the old lady has said it all. I do apolagize for calling you cheap. We just believe in different things everybody is entiled to there own opinion.

I think they have always told us what we can and cant shoot. for example the amount of bucks or does you can take. What is the difference in that and a antler restriction.

If you like ARs, implement the rules on your own lease and leave us meat hunters out of it.

Well if that was the case why not just do away with the Buck season every other year and increase doe tags

I would be down with that.

again we are talking about age not spread. So you would pass a 3.5 year old buck with 18" spread and shoot the 5.5 with 12" spread

12" would be under the 13" requirement so yes i would shoot the 18" spread.

Re: Mr. Bob Carrol and the Antler Restrictions November 2, 2005

In the TPWD Commission Public hearings on August 24, 2005, Mr. Larry Whigham of the Texas Organization of Wildlife Management Associations (TOWMA) made the following statement in regards to Mr. Bob Carrol’s retirement.

“….And last and most important, I want to thank retiring Texas Parks and Wildlife district leader Bob Carrol for his fantastic support of Wildlife Management Associations, not only in our district, but all over the state.

Bob may best be remembered for his — as the daddy of the antler restriction regulation, but we saw his contributions on a much larger scale. A better friend we could not have had and we will definitely miss him. Thank you….”

What a REPULSIVE and telling statement that is. Mr. Carrol has left a legacy of policy corruption, and a weak spine, in not standing up for the hunters of Texas. He might KNOW his stuff in regards to white-tailed deer management, but he has FAILED us in the regulatory aspects of it !!! I wish him the best in his retirement.

Mr. Carrol should have stopped with a white-tailed deer harvest RECOMMENDATION for these UNSUCESSFULL co-ops, and Associations who FAILED to manage the harvest strategy own membership .....and….. not have pushed or misrepresented this IRRESPONSIBLE - HORN QUALITY regulation (along with his colleagues at TPWD) on the state's hunting population.

I sincerely hope that the person that is chosen to fill his position will have the backbone and ethical standards to stand up to the corruption/pressure placed on him/her by these UNSUCCESSFUL wildlife organizations. And leave his/her ego at the door......"daddy".....Oh brother....

These statements appear to validate the concern that wildlife management policy is being set to satisfy (co-op) political agendas.

Legacy building' is taking place at the expense of Texas landowners and hunters who don't subscribe to co-ops.

I am angry that TPWD (and Mr. Carrol as the "Daddy") would even consider a regulation that has a NEGATIVE EFFECT on 22% of the youth hunters, for his legacy as "DADDY of the Co-ops!


Regards,
Phish-TX

CC: (email)
president@towma.org – Larry Whigham- President TOWMA
secretary@towma.org; - Phyllis Fritsch -Secretary/Treasurer TOWMA
bobctpwd@cvtv.net - Mr. Carroll, TPWD, Mitch.Lockwood@tpwd.state.tx.us - Mitch Lockwood – TPWD, Clayton.Wolf@tpwd.state.tx.us - Clayton.Wolf - TPWD,

Regular mail - Mike Berger –TPWD,
TPWD Director Bob Cook, TPWD Commissioners

when they say unbranched antler that doesnt mean to shoot a yearling. I think if you have hunted for a while say 3 years you should know the difference. It never sais to shoot young spikes.

per TPWD-----If you have a choice between a spike and fork-antlered yearling, take the spike. If you have a choice between a small yearling spike and a large yearling spike, take the small spike rather than the big spike. By shifting hunting pressure to the bottom segment of the herd, age as well as antler quality can be improved

I see your side. But spread dosnt mean the widest is the best that 12" spread could have been a better buck. But ill have to see, this will be my first year so i may turn on it. But where im at i can only see it helping. I would like to here from people that are in ar counties and see the pros.and cons. from them.

I guess it all depends on the area you are hunting in wheather or not you agree or disagree. But like i said i may change my opinion on AR's if it doesnt help like i think it will.

From: Mitch Lockwood
To: Those of us the have been opposing this.
Sent: Tuesday, April 19, 2005 8:00 AM
Subject: antler restrictions


Phish-TX :), xxxx, xxxx, and others:



I truly do appreciate your interest/concerns in the potential antler-restriction regulation. I realize that you have spent much time in drafting letters to me (and others), and you deserve to have all of your questions answered in a timely fashion. I only wish there was enough time to allow me to respond more promptly – to your more recent emails. While I thought I had adequately answered all of your questions during the first few rounds, you made it very clear that I had not. So I thought the wisest use of my time (and yours) was for me to develop a web page that would address all of your questions, which would minimize the number of (back-and-forth) emails and allow us to be more productive with our time. I certainly hope this web page answers all of your questions. I have looked back at all of your emails, and I have concluded that all of your questions have been addressed with this web page. Mr. Wolf (Big Game Program Director) and Dr. Berger (Wildlife Division Director) concur. BUT, if you find that my write-up is inadequate, I will be glad to modify this web page (as time allows) in an attempt to fully answer your questions.


....(some other giberish)....


http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/conserve/wildlife_management/deer/antler_restrictions/index.phtml



Take care,

Mitch Lockwood
White-tailed Deer Program Leader
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
309 Sidney Baker South
Kerrville, TX 78028
830-792-9677

From: Clayton Wolf
To: Phish-TX ; Mitch Lockwood
Sent: Friday, April 08, 2005 7:53 AM
Subject: RE: Mitch.........

Mr. PHish-TX:

Please see my comments inserted below. Mr. Lockwood is an extremely busy person, so it might help expedite matters if you were to simply provide us the data and calculations you are using to substantiate your claims.

Thanks,


Clayton Wolf
Big Game Program Director
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
111 E. Travis, Suite 200
La Grange, Texas 78945

979-966-0388



-----Original Message-----
From: Phish-TX
Sent: Friday, April 08, 2005 4:38 AM
To: Mitch Lockwood
Cc: Clayton Wolf
Subject: Mitch.........


Mitch,

If the proposal would not have been sold with all of the pictures of beautiful mature deer slide shows, CD etc. You would not have the support that you do. People think that is what they are going to get. When in reality it should have been sold as TP&W is proposing:

The new breed standard of the Texas White-tailed deer will be 5"-12" genetically inferior rag horns (that may never mature to 13") and will be protected and left to breed like rabbits. There is a large volume of data on live deer that does not substantiate this claim. Your data set would be of extreme interest to deer managers everywhere.

Additionally:

A second tag will be issued to allow you to make the buck:doe ratio more lopsided than it already is. The second tag would only be in conjunction with the antler restriction, and this WILL reduce overall buck harvest as compared to current levels. Our calculations indicate that even if doe harvest remains constant, when buck harvest is reduced, the ratio will NOT become more lopsided.



Please don't do a web page just for us. Do it for the ones that think this is a trophy plan.

I do appreciate the time you have given this. If the web page is for me than I'd rather you not spend anymore time on it, but rather you count deer. LIVE ONES!

Phish-TX


----- Original Message -----
From: Comrade-at-arms
To: "Phish-TX
Sent: Thursday, April 07, 2005 4:43 PM
Subject: WoW


> Phish-TX :),
> here is what Mitch wrote me:
> "I have gone to great lengths in previous correspondence (to Phish-TX et
> al.) to indicate there is not proposal on the table. It seems apparent
> that the extensive effort I have expended to convey accurate
> information is not an efficient use of my time. If I cannot convey
> simple messages as such, I truly question whether I will be able to
> explain more complicated technical information effectively.
>
> By the way, my web page on the subject is almost complete. Some may
> think it ironic that I am creating this page for a total of 6 people
> who have voiced opposition (to me) out of several hundred comments.
> While this is biologically based, input from our constituents is always
> important to us-which is the reason I have expended so much time
> corresponding with you, Phish-TX, et al."
>
>
>