MLD $ 300 charge ????

Looks like there is a $ 300 charge for MLD next year
Wonder where that goes ????

yep

In to the black hole!

Worth every penny in our case.

maybe to build a fund to help reintroduce wolves

Hopefully it will go into a TPWD set aside account for TPWD use only rather than the General Fund that the Ledge keeps raiding for various pet waste projects/programs.

Given the benefits of MLD, $300 is a good deal.


“We’ll use the revenue generated from the fee to fund biologist positions,” Alan Cain, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) white-tailed deer program leader, said. “There was a rider associated with some legislation this past session that directs that money to be used specifically for MLD.”

The program began in the late 1990s and has grown since then, sparking the need for additional biologists to serve those involved in the conservation option.

“Back in 1998, we had about 800 properties and three million acres enrolled in MLD,” Cain said. “Fast forward to 2019, we have over 12,000 tracts of land and 28 million acres enrolled in MLD.”

Since 2000, the department has not created any new biologist positions or hired additional biologists to address the workload created by MLD’s growing popularity. An advisory committee suggested the fee structure to pay for new biologists.

“Our biologists will spend time with anybody, regardless of what option you’re on as far as MLD or even if you’re not in the MLD program,” Cain said. “We provide technical guidance services free of charge, but folks under the conservation option receive customized harvest recommendations and habitat management recommendations from our staff.”

I think that's just for the Conservation Option. I'm just a lowly, low fence (some places no fence ) Harvest Option guy. Just $30.00 for me.

That $300 fee only applies to the MLD's that have paid hunts, not sure what that is called. The MLD plan for tracts that only have hunts for the members on the lease is a much different fee.

Sounds like a bargain to me.

If you want to play you got to pay.

That’s what she said.

If you guys are so eager to pay for random crap as they see fit why don’t you guys that think it’s the best thing ever donate to pay a few other guys $300 dollars. So you don’t think they get enough money already and your eagerly ready to pay more?? You guys are bat chit crazy,,,,

I guess when Big Uncle Joe starts taxing the chit out your guns and ammo your going to be doing cart wheels again ready to pay.... No offense but some of you really concern me..

And Skinnerback, you concern me to because your minds always in the gutter just like mine

I'm not sure that running "paid hunts" has anything to do with the two option, $300 or $30. I underlined what I believe to be the real difference in the fee amount and why one is $30 and the other $300. However, I will say our experience is that the TPWD biologist has not been involved much so maybe the $300 will do what they say, which is get more biologist funded to help with the program.

Harvest Option (White-tailed Deer Only) $30
The Harvest Option (HO) is an automated, ‘do-it-yourself’ option for MLDP participation that provides
landowners with a deer harvest recommendation, tag issuance, and general guidance about wildlife
and wildlife habitat management. Participation in the Harvest Option does not require habitat
management practices, deer population data, or the participant to receive technical assistance from a
TPWD wildlife biologist. This option provides enhanced harvest opportunities through longer seasons
and enhanced bag limits with minimal involvement from TPWD. Harvest Option participants may still
request additional technical guidance from a TPWD biologist through our technical guidance program,
but the MLDP deer harvest recommendations and tag issuance are automatically calculated on a onetime basis for each MLDP hunting season upon enrollment through TPWD’s Land Management
Assistance (LMA) online application and cannot be revised.

Conservation Option $300
The Conservation Option (CO) offers program participants the opportunity to work with a TPWD
biologist to receive customized, ranch-specific habitat and deer harvest recommendations and MLDP
tag issuance for white-tailed deer and/or mule deer. This option does require the reporting of certain
types of deer data as well as completion of specific habitat management practices each year in order to
participate and remain in the program.

^^This

Maybe they will let a few dozen loose in Austin.

You're right. That $25/mo cost is an asskicker for sure.

We gots 8 hunters splitting it at our lease. It is what it is.

No government program is free. Somebody is paying for it. Might as well be the ones that are participating in the program. I don’t see the problem.

Right or wrong its here. I asked our state biologist about it who I know pretty well after 8 years now and he said they are stretched to the breaking point. The number of ranches that have moved onto the MLD option has been been incredible - his words. However they have not had an according increase in staff to cover the increase in public customers. So, the state apparently will not increase their funding so they come to the sportsman to pay for the increase in staffing. At least that's how I understood it. Lets hope they don't siphon the money off into some black hole like most government programs turn into. Am I happy about it costing me $300 bucks - no. However I sure do like the longer season and having a working relationship with my biologist who listens to me and takes my inputs before we make decisions about harvest and what I see happening on the ranch and things we can do to continually push for improvements in the herd......

If you don't think it is worth $300 for MLD on your place than don't do it.

I personally think its damn reasonable for the options it allows you as a management tool....especially on places that are very overpopulated with does and or have a lot of cull bucks that need to be harvested before the rut begins.

Nobody should have a problem paying for an optional service. You don't seem to comprehend the difference between a donation and paying for services rendered. If you don't like it, don't be a part of it and don't reap the benefits of it. That price is more than reasonable. And to keep up the service, they have to hire more biologists. If a ranch were to hire a private biologist to survey the land and come up with tailored harvest recommendations, it would be a Hell of a lot more than $300.

I’ve never asked the government for advice and probably never will. I’m a land owner who really prefers to keep a low profile re government of any kind. I saw our new GW and introduced myself. Hell, he already knew who I was and where my land is. I figure the previous GW briefed him on the area. No problem since we don’t shoot over the limit.

Re taxes of any kind. Even funds that are ear marked for specific things tend to go out the back door and into the general fund. Don’t believe it? Ask your elected politicos.

Well articualted. ILUV and Gringo and most others good info too.

I can certainly understand and respect this (bolded above)!

And I've always found that knowing the local GW and building a solid relationship with them can be very helpful if and when you need him/her.

My point exactly, it’s not that I have a problem paying for anything but it’s the fact they never seem to end a way to stop taking your money. This year it’s $300 and in 5 years when it goes to $2500 the same guys that seem to love the idea of another way of them taking your money will be on here screaming it’s unfair... Where the hell is the other over half a billion dollars we pump into the TP&W as it was? The $300 a head is going to make all the difference I guess.

Hey Ol Thumper, where did you find that hunting and fishing license sales brings in 500,000,000? From what I've been able to find it looks like that number in TX is about 1/10 of that at around $50,000,000.

Though I do agree with you guys that it seems that taxes and fees do always tend to get out of hand, I still think that if you want to be on MLD $300.00 is not an unreasonable fee at all. The state does have cost involved for it without a doubt.

Whether he made it up or read it somewhere, he's completely wrong. TPWD will have 2021 estimated revenue of $201.9mm, of which 55.0% comes from the sale of licenses and stamps. That comes out to $111mm. Source is the Texas Comptroller's Biennial Revenue Estimate.

We dropped out of the program.

It’s open information, they haven’t listed their 2021 budget yet but yea it’s slightly more than 200m,,

Seems like pay to play, which is okay, tpwd is essentially already using their funding to facilitate a conservation program which benefits are well worth 300 dollars to a hunting or ramch operation. Hopefully the monies generated through this new pay system will further the capacity of TPWD to facilitate the MLDP program

What benefits? When we were participating, I made numerous phone calls and numerous emails and never got one response from game biologist.

I was against the fee due to the fact that I've received NO biologist help. In fact, before TP&W 'self-printing' of the tags, they cost me time and money tracking down the tags that they messed up...multiple times. Add to that all the time spent submitting data over 20 years, then they changed the requirements to a fraction of the data they used to collect. When I inquired why, I was told that the data wasn't used or trusted. I understand that they don't have enough workers to handle the load, but the people that use the services should pay for it. Just as if you hired a lawyer, or a...biologist.

I don't intend to sound anti-TP&W, far from it. I'm just against yet another tax for something I don't use. At least it (hopefully) goes to maintain a robust TP&W department, which I'm in favor of.

23% operating expense seems high to me.

So am I reading this right that from 2018 to 2020 this agencies budget basically doubled?

Paid my 30.00 for the Harvest Option and got my tags. They increased my buck tags and doe tags by one each from last year. I'm fine with that.

Our biologist has always been responsive the few times I've contacted him. Not what I'd call a "real go-getter", but at least he communicates. What I'd call "over achievers" are as rare as hen's teeth, in any profession, in the area our property is in. Some county extension agents are pretty impressive and helpful. I attended a seminar this past week and saw who ours is. He would not fall in that category.

If I get my own property I will try to get on this program

Right on.