That document is dated 2014 …

So no one cares that our public draw hunts are being intentionally or through incompetence sabotaged?

I take it your new to public hunting. For as long as I have been hunting public land, pretty much every State and Federal Wildlife Management Area, Refuge, etc. has had some sort of plan to restore and conserve native plant and animal life that includes eradication, removal, or control of exotics. And some areas such as Mason Mountain which was required to be self sufficient did use trapping and selling of exotics over a few years to build a trust to fund future conservation of the WMA. I imagine other new future WMAs will use the same plan. Multiple other examples I am aware of. Garner was able to remove maybe 50 Axis in a single commercial hunt when the previous years public hunts failed having not removed that many combined over many years. Aoudad removal at Big Bend is another. Goat and Mouflon removal from Amistad Nat Rec Area happens from time to time, Hog removal or trapping goes on just about every WMA has them. And there have been many more examples. Any of the WMAs with exotics has had a plan to remove them in the best way possible to be successful. Public hunting exotics is only an opportunity for hunters and just not successful enough to fully meet those management demands. TPWD is not in the business of managing exotics and hogs for hunting. Overall they are trying to remove and control them in whatever way is best to restore and protect native wildlife and habitat on public property. This is why it was important to me to draw that Powderhorn hunt a couple three years ago. Eventually those Sambar will be gone from that WMA. Same for getting to take an Ibex on Mason Mnt. They trapped them out during the 8 years after my hunt. As a public hunter looking for unusual hunting opportunities do I like that some exotics are not considered naturalised and not managed for hunting? Of course not. But as a conservationist, I understand why they are doing it. It's been this way for my lifetime. Crying about it is not going to change our State's conservation efforts. Any of the public hunt draws that include exotics, it is important to do your DD in advance to find out if the exotics listed do in fact still remain in huntable numbers and to make sure there was no trapping or aerial hunting control work ongoing that year and decide if it may impact your hunt.

have you hunted down there?

Hunted down there this year saw tons of nilgai.

Yeah but that really isn’t a reliable baseline.

We should listen to the guy that has never been there for more accurate information

No and if they are going to do cull shoots before the draw hunts I won't either.

Let’s be honest, the average hunter is a pretty inefficient predator.

I can see TPWD having to use professionals to reach target numbers on state owned lands.

Sierra Diablo was the original bighorn release and breeding facility, they where there before the elk showed back up in numbers. I don’t agree with elk onsite killing, I also hunted around the park for elk when they where driving them out, so cant yell to loud about something i tried to take advantage of.

biggest issue is we as hunters look at state and federal WMA, as our exclusive hunting grounds. If given year round access to pigs and exotics it would have bad adverse effects on native animals it was designed to protect and manage. not to mention other users.

I see both sides, I also know that hunting in limited access areas has limited effects on numbers. especially in swamp

How would law abiding hunters have bad adverse effects on native animals? The real point being the people in charge are taking our money, not using it to provide opportunity or worse using it to lessen opportunity.

It is inexcusable to plan something like this right before a drawn hunt. Hunters effected by this should be given another opportunity after a failed hunt.

ironically the success rate didnt change much. Bad optics, but I get they wanted to hammer numbers on part of tge WMA before they where pushed to obscure areas or off property where they couldnt knock them back.

ironically the success rate didnt change much. Bad optics, but I get they wanted to hammer numbers on part of tge WMA before they where pushed to obscure areas or off property where they couldnt knock them back.