Managing Wildlife by Improving the Trinity River Basin

Steve Byrns from The Eagle, College Station’s news source, reports that land owners are being asked to help manage wildlife habitat and water quality in the Trinity River.  Byrns reports that according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service wildlife specialist in College Station, private landowners are the key to restoring and managing wildlife habitat and water quality on the middle Trinity River Basin.  Byrns also reports that Jody Carton, the conservation foundation’s executive director, said the Trinity River and its watershed are important because it is the most populated river basin in Texas and the main water source for almost 45 percent of the state’s population.  The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is also active in this effort to improve the quality of the Trinity River.  Not only is this important for human health safety but it is also crucial to the wildlife that relies on the river for survival.  The 45 percent of the state's population that uses the river's water, as stated previously, includes both the human population and the wildlife population.  The actions are to improve both the soil quality and the water quality at the Trinity River Basin.  The Eagle also expresses that people In Texas depend on the Trinity River Basin more than any other basin in Texas.  This is a great project because it will help improve life for Texans that enjoy the Trinity River Basin, as well as help conserver the wildlife on the basin.

http://www.landandlivestockpost.com/news/AgriLife-joins-efforts-to-restore-habitat--water-quality-on-mid

Shoot a Doe!!

Several hunters and land owners, like my uncle, do not allow the killing of doe, female deer, on their land.  They thought behind this is that the doe are the ones that reproduce deer; therefore, they should be not hunted.  There were also laws back in the early 1900s that only allowed bucks to be killed because people viewed the shooting of doe as taking a mother from its babies.  However, this is actually very unhealthy for the land.  If only the bucks are being taken off the land, it becomes overpopulated with doe.  This can be a problem because it can cause the younger bucks to have trouble surviving on the land.  It is important to kill both does and buck in order to regulate the population and allow all deer to have an abundant amount of vegetation.  This is also important in helping control the deer population as a whole.  Doe also give birth to fawns, baby deer, which can cause the deer population to increase uncontrollably.  The deer population is currently at a record level, which increases problems such as car accidents involving deer on the roads.  Therefore, it is important to shoot doe and buck consistently in order to properly control and regulate their population.  In fact, there have been select areas in the past that required all hunters to shoot a doe each season in efforts to help resolve this problem.  Although shooting a doe is not as rewarding as shooting a buck, it is important for the proper management of deer. 

Deer Hunting Regulations

(image from the Texas Parks and Wildlife hunters' guide)
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/game_management/deer/antler_restrictions/

My family owns about 1,070 acres of farmland in Huntsville, TX; therefore, I do most of my deer hunting in Walker County.  In the deer season of 2010/2011, the county began to further regulate the size of the deer that was acceptable to be shot.  Along with many other counties across Texas, Walker County now restricts hunters to shooting deer that have an antler spread of at least 13 inches.  Several hunters that rely on the deer meat as a source of food are upset that they are no longer able to take any buck that has visible antlers.  However, I am very satisfied with the Texas Parks and Wildlife organization’s decision in enforcing this regulation.  The act of shooting young bucks (less than 13 inch spread) is preventing the deer to grow and mature properly.  I also believe that after a few years of obeying this rule, the size of the deer will increase dramatically.  Although shooting a deer with the largest antler rack is not the most important aspect of hunting as a means of food, it is much more rewarding to get that trophy buck that everyone is in pursue of.  Texas Parks and Wildlife places regulations that they believe to be necessary in helping control and conserve the wildlife; therefore, it is important for Texas hunters to support the rules places on hunting in order to insure that hunting will have a bright future in Texas. 

Shark Finning Ban

The news source in Houston, TX, KHOU.com reports that a Malaysian state plans to ban shark hunting.  The sharks are hunted mainly for their fins.  According to KHOU.com, activists claim that finning is inhumane because fishermen are cutting the fins off the sharks and tossing them back into the water to die.  KHOU.com also states that according to a wildlife trade monitoring network, up to 73 million sharks are killed annually.  However, many people are upset because shark fins are a culinary delicacy.  I believe that if the sharks are being hunted for food and other appropriate resources, it should be allowed.  Although if hunting shark is permitted, it should be regulated and consist laws in order to adequately conserve the wildlife of the sharks.  However, the problem I have with the events occurring in Malaysia is the idea that the sharks are being bumped back into the water after the fishermen cut the fins off.  I agree with the animal rights activists that this is cruelty to the sharks.  If the sharks are being hunted and killed for human consumption it should be allowed.  However, the sharks are creatures that deserve the respect and dignity to be disposed of appropriately.  Hunters and fishermen need to take pride in their kill and perform the act in a way that will express the appreciation they have for the animal.  I believe that hunting any wildlife in order to contribute to the well-being of mankind should be accepted, as long as it is performed in a moral and ethical way.  http://www.khou.com/news/world/121481404.html

Dangerous Geese Eliminated

Deborah Brunswick from CNN News reported on February 10, 2011 that 1,676 Canadian geese were slaughtered in efforts to improve the airline safety.  Brunswick reports that officials from the agency’s Wildlife Service eliminated 89% of the geese that reside within 7 miles of New York's two major airports after a 2009 incident in which birds flew into the engines of US Airways Flight 1549.  As expected, animal rights activists protested that this was cruel and there should have been a more humane way to solve the problem regarding the geese.  As a hunter, I also believe there may have been a more ethical way to eliminate the problem with geese putting the airlines in danger.  However, CNN News reports that there was an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 Canadian geese in New York, which is an obvious hazard to the airlines. 

I believe that this story supports the idea that hunting is crucial in wildlife management.  When animals, such as geese, become overpopulated it becomes unhealthy to the environment and dangerous to society.  Therefore, hunting is the most effective way in controlling and conserving the population of wildlife.  Although performing a mass extermination of the Canadian geese in New York may appear to be cruel and unethical, it is necessary if the birds are putting the general public in danger.  This story expresses the importance of controlling wildlife and supports the efforts of hunters contributing the wildlife management.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/02/09/new.york.goose.killings/index.html?iref=storysearch

Preserving Wildlife Management by Hunting Ethically

Unfortunately hunters have a negative reputation of harming the population of wildlife.  However, this is not case.  PETA is the most well known organization that is against hunting; however, it is apparent in their financial reports (revealed on the PETA website at http://www.peta.org/about/learn-about-peta/financial-report.aspx) that they do not contribute much to the conservation of wildlife.  In fact, almost all the money that is available for wildlife management comes directly from the hunters.  According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services on their website http://www.fws.gov/hunting/whatdo.html, nearly $200 million in hunters' federal excise taxes are distributed to State agencies to support wildlife management programs each year.  The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services also states that it is the hunters’ responsibility to help preserve wildlife by respecting seasons and limits, purchasing all required licenses, and paying federal excise taxes on hunting equipment and ammunition.  Therefore, the hunters that harm wildlife are those that do not respect the animals and the future of hunting.  As a hunter I believe that it is very crucial that all hunters respect the recreation as well as the animals that allow hunting to exist.  Killing animals with cruel intensions or outside of that particular animal’s hunting season, known as poaching which is illegal, is wrong and unethical.  Hunting is also important in controlling wildlife and keeping its population at healthy numbers.  Therefore aside from what many people believe, hunters provide the greatest contributions toward wildlife management.  Hunting is good for wildlife and the environment as long as it is done in a ethical and respectful manner. 

Dangerous Deer

Although there are many animals that seem dangerous and may scare people, it is apparent that deer are reported to the cause of more harm to humans than any other animal.  The New York Times published a report in efforts to warn people of the dangers of deer.  Deer are very peaceful creatures and rarely attack humans; however, they cause fatalities due to car collisions.  The New York Times states that State Farm Insurance estimates that deer collisions over the past two years reached 2.3 million.  The New York Times also quotes Billy Higginbotham, a wildlife specialist at Texas A&M University, in saying that “the bucks throw caution to the wind as they chase does during the breeding season.”  The mating season for deer, known as the rut, occurs each year from October to December.  Aside from the dangers to all drivers, this also hurts the population of deer in regard to wildlife management.  Wildlife management organizations allow restrictions on the number of deer that can be taken by hunters each year in order to conserve their population; therefore, when deer are killed by accident it does force the laws to restrict the hunters further to make up for the deer lost by car collisions.  The New York Times article written by Erik Eckholm can be viewed at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/10/us/10deer.html?ref=deer.

Although there is not much people can do to control a deer from running out in front of their car, there is a product that can be attached to the front bumper of a car that will let out a loud whistle (too loud to be heard with a human ear) that will scare animals away from the road.  This device is called Save-A-Deer and can be purchased at deerwhistle.com.  I believe this is a great product for both hunters and non-hunters because it will not only help reduce harm to drivers, but it will also help preserve the deer population. 

Wild Hog Horrors

 

Farmers and landowners in Texas have been fighting with wild hogs for years and the populations of these hogs are constantly increasing.  The Eagle, Bryan and College Stations local news source, recently published a story regarding the problem with wild hogs on its website, http://www.brazosoutdoors.com/.  Matt Williams from The Eagle states that according to Texas A&M researchers there is between 1.9 million and 3.4 million wild hogs in Texas alone.  Research also shows that one federal hog can cause up to $200 of property damage in a single year.  I work at Pebble Creek Country Club here in College Station and we have had a problem with wild hogs tearing up the golf course for several months.  Therefore, I have personally witnessed the severity of the damage that hogs can cause.  However, according to The Eagle the wild pigs are no longer a problem in rural areas alone, they have also migrated into metro areas.  There have been 250 federal hogs trapped inside the city limits of Irving, TX.  Something needs to been done to control these wild hogs from destroying land and possibly harming people.  The pork chopper bill was passed in Texas which will allow hunters to shoot wild hogs from overhead in a helicopter.  I believe that this method may help; however, the most effective way to control the hogs it to trap them.  I believe trapping them is a more humane way of dealing with the problem rather than shooting the animals from a helicopter.  Although hogs are a nuisance in Texas, I still believe that they are animals and they deserve the sportsmanship of being disposed of in a respectful manner.

I found this picture today and it really sums up my views on hunting.  I love to duck hunt and it is one of my favorite hobbies to participate in.  However, not every time I go out to the lake, do I get any ducks.  Nonetheless, I still enjoy it even when I do not see a single bird.  Duck hunting takes a lot of preparation and you have to learn where the ducks are flying.  You will have hunts that are just about watching were the ducks are flying and you may not even get a chance to get a shot off.  For me duck hunting is more than just shooting birds, it is about being out in nature and appreciating the God's creation.  Watching the sun rise over a lake at seven in the morning is the most beautiful and relaxing thing I have ever seen.  Hunting is a great activity for me to relax and take a break from my crazy, stressful life as a college student.  Therefore, even if I do not get a single shot off, I still enjoy being out on the lake and hunting.  However, I have truly never experienced an adrenalin rush like the one I receive when I hit a duck flying overhead.  Nonetheless, duck hunting is one my favorite hobbies even when I do not bring any ducks home from the lake.

Lead Shot

It is pretty well known around the hunting community that lead shot bullets are not legal for waterfowl hunting, such as duck and geese hunting.  This is because fish and other waterfowl eat the lead bullets while feeding in the bottom of lakes and ponds and this can be fatal for them.  However, lead shot is still legal for hunting other animals.  This is also a problem because other animals can still digest these lead shots and get poisoned by them.  The issues seems to have an easy solution of banning all lead shots and only allowing steel shots to be used.  However, many hunters are set on their ways and believe that the lead shots work better than the steel shot.  The steel bullets are not toxic like the lead bullets are; therefore, it would not harm animals and birds that eat them by mistake while feeding.  Therefore, I believe that even if a hunter prefers the lead shot, they should realize that they are bad for the environment.  Hunters should care enough about the environment to sacrifice the lead bullets to protect the wildlife.  I believe that hunters need to realize that the wildlife management is what allows them to participate in the sport of hunting in the first place; therefore, they should respect and protect it.

Hunting is a recreation that happens all around the world.  Many people enjoy hunting as a means of food and as a sport.  However, there are many people that are against hunting and believe that it is considered animal cruelty.  In this blog I will be discussing the different opinions regarding hunting as a sport and as a food resource.  I personally am a hunter so I believe that it is a good thing.  I grew up in East Texas and have been hunting with my dad since I was a little boy.  For me hunting has always been a activity that has bonded me and my father because it is one of the few things that we have in common and both enjoy.  I hunt deer mainly for the food and I also enjoy duck hunting as more of a sport; therefore, I can relate to both aspects of hunting as a positive exercise.  I will also be discussing why hunting is a important factor in wildlife management and why it is important for land and wildlife growth.  I will mainly be arguing why hunting is a positive and important part of life, but I am open to discussion with people that have different opinions about hunting.