Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Steve's question below about why they are searching people got me thinking. I have to wonder, why did they make the roadban in the first place? I know that before the law passed they said it was "neccessary in order to prevent certain persons from collecting herps from the roadway." But that doesn't say why it's neccessary in the first place. Also who are these "certain persons" they are refering to?

ain't needed.....someone don't appreciate road hunting out there....question...is the ROW law enforced in other areas??....or just blairsland??....personnally i think this restriction reflects some inborn prejudice of one of the earlier game wardens out there......who got someone's confidence and "sold him/her a bill of goods".....no one cares about the loss of revenue in the area...that is painfully clear...

I think this goes waaaaaay back to some old timers and a few select game wardens that really butted heads back in the 70s and 80s. Now in modern times those game wardens that are still with the department are in positions of influence and they have some political connections as well in TX... and they still have that same chip on the shoulder.

In other words it is a 100% personal grudge and a total lack of understanding for what herpers are really doing out there. I still hear stories about how we pick up everything to sell and some things are worth thousands of dollars... and that is way off on all accounts, in fact we spend thousands of dollars and might find one thing we want to keep or photogragh and it might be worth a couple hundred if we did sell it for a huge loss in the realistic scheme of things. In other words the "commercial hunter" they think we are is just not viable as a business anyway.
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Herp Conservation Unlimited

If people really learn from their mistakes, I should be like the smartest guy in the world

i had a GW make what i would interpert as an almost racist remark one year....however no recording to support my what i thought i heard...so don't mean jack krap now....but he said it and did not repeat it when i questioned him on it....so there it is...

I agree Lance, I think it is payback for old disagreements between TPWD and hunters wherin hunter were percieved as disrespectful of TPWD and a threat to populations.

The problem is laws should be based on data, not on personal feelings and predjudice. In my opinion TPWD is hoping to pass the torch of hatred for herpers onto the next generation. We've got to demand that the laws be based on data instead. In my opinion also TPWD and biologists have greater training access to data so they have a greater responsibility to the public to use it in honest ways. I think they should have to have a real reason to ban roadherping and I don't think "to prevent certain persons from collecting" is a real reason based on science and data.

I think they should have to have a real reason to ban roadherping and I don't think "to prevent certain persons from collecting" is a real reason based on science and data.

Semantics quibble, but I think "to prevent certain persons from collecting" is likely the real reason for the ban, but it's not a legitimate reason for such a ban.

Turning the roads and ROWs into a "wildlife sanctuary" was also one of the "real" reasons given, and we all know how well that's turned out. I'm sure the [sarcasm]mountains of data collected pre- and post-ban [/sarcasm] show a [sarcasm]marked decrease in road mortality [/sarcasm] since now it's technically illegal to run over animals on the road ( =take).

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Chris McMartin
www.mcmartinville.com
I'm Not a Herpetologist, but I Play One on the Internet

They actually do have data from commercial collecters and captive breeders and it shows that far more alterna, milks and subocs are produced in captivity than are taken off the roads. They are just choosing not to use that data. I agree with what you said, it really is because they have personal vendettas against "certain persons". I was actually laughing out loud when I first read that and I almost could not believe they had put it in print.
I also laughed at the notion of roadside sanctuaries, again put in print for everyone to see. Who could believe such nonsense?

the individuals that pass the laws!!!!!!.....the ROW is considered a wildlife sanctuary.....more like a real life game of frogger.....'member that seinfeld episode?????

Sadly I do not think they even believe it themselves. It's all about trading favors to further their own intrests. Harvey Hilderbrand wanted that job as director of TPWD so he did something for them. Why did HH want the job? Because at the same time he was screwing snakehunters he was also making a bill that would remove the cap off the hunting tax and that would put millions of dollars more revenue under TPWD's control. If HH had got that job at TPWD he would have had a large amount of influence in saying how all that new money got spent. He was simply using us as a tool to gain favor with some in TPWD so he would have a better chance at getting that job. Never believe one word that comes out of that self serving pr***s mouth, HH.