Reptile & Amphibian Forums

On Oct. 5th, Troy Hibbitts, Terry "Tex" Toler (candidate for Terrell County, TX Judge)and I went to the state capitol building in Austin with House of Representatives Rep. Joe Farias, and representatives from Sen. Carlos Uresti and Rep. Pete Gallegos' office. We went to publicly debate and TRY and iron out differences with representatives from TP&WL department Maj. David Sinclair and two wardens from West Texas who came with him. While the debate went well as far as making our points, David Sinclair is dead set on keeping snake hunters out of business in Texas unless you can afford the high price of a lease (or even if you can find a land owner that will allow you to do so). Despite the points made that this road ban law is having a severe economic impact on Trans-Pecos Businesses, our safety record, TP&WL's own revenue loss (hunting license sales) they seemed indifferent.
HCU is in the process of working with the various herp societies, state representatives and senators to change this law but its going to take the effort of EVERY Texas herper (or others nation wide) concerned with this law to make a difference. There will be more updates to follow as the session goes along. I encourage everyone to join and participate in the HCU forums for input.

I HIGHLY encourage EVERYONE to call their respective Reps/Senators or better yet, go in and talk to them about this law. If you sit on your hands and hope someone else will fix it then you have no one to blame but yourself. This is our State, OUR roads that we paid for so go and demand your rights.

One last note, Terry "Tex" Toler is a candidate for County Judge in Terrell County Texas (Sanderson). He is a staunch supporter of herpers and their rights. He went to bat for us on his own dime (drove to Austin from Sanderson, stayed the night, etc.) and fought for us during the meeting. He is a big proponent of creating a "snake day/festival" in Sanderson when we get this law fixed. He is also in well with many land owners in Terrell County and if by some chance we do not get this law fixed again this session, he is going to work with area ranchers (as county judge) to open private lands to herping. Bottom line, he is supporting us and it would be nice if some in the herping community would support him. The below link is to his website where he has a palpal option for donating to his campaign. I hope that all of you will consider donating, he's a good man looking out for Trans-Pecos area businesses and us! Anything you can give would be helpful.
Terry "Tex" Toler for Terrell County Judge

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HCU
Snakes of Hudspeth County, Texas

The TPWD mission statement says they MUST provide recreational opportunties for citizens. Let's cut Sinclair out of it and go over his head!

Welkerii

>>The TPWD mission statement says they MUST provide recreational opportunties for citizens. Let's cut Sinclair out of it and go over his head!
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>>Welkerii

We brought up several pages of their mission statement. I may as well have been fishing with a bare hook. They just didn't care. Now the commissioners? We'll see if they are interested in their own (they wrote it) mission statement
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HCU
Snakes of Hudspeth County, Texas

Sinclair's boss, The Director of TPWD and the Commissioners. What about going to the media? If we get the legislators to just make it legal (through an amendment) then we don't have to deal with TPWD at all.

Welkerii

The landed gentry and noble ladies and gentlemen of the King's Court would say the Sheriff of Nottingham is doing a fine job protecting their natural bounty from the peasants, surfs, and other uninvited interlopers.

How about we sick HSUS and PETA on them for all the exotic and invasive herbivores they propagate and hoard on their vast bounty of lands? Not to mention the unspeakable carnage that goes on regarding those beasts, all in the name of sport and recreation.

jsc
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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

To the Colonel, the distinction should be made that "everybody's got to pay for the right to hunt game here in Texas." does not apply to the animals in question.
They are categorized specifically as "Non-game" animals. They are not "game" and should not be treated as such.
Where game animals are typically hunted with firearm or bow and killed in the process. The act of game hunting in itself is primarily an activity for the acquisition of the processed game animal end product -- be it a mount, a skin, or flesh. On the other hand, the "hunting" of non-game animals involves the collection of live animals for captive maintenance and propagation.
While the hunting of game animals involves permission of both the landowner and the state, the hunting of non-game animals does not necessarily require permission of a land owner. Historically the non-game animals in question have been more commonly collected from state property (roadways and easements) than from private property.
This "everybody pays the landowner" [in conjunction with the state] mentality has no basis of legitimacy in the intent/spirit of such regulatory protections by law.
jsc
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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

Is that what Major Sinclair is using to justify this law? That since game hunters have to pay landowners to hunt, herpers should too? If so then it seems to me he is merely promoting a personal philosophy, because to my knowledge that is not a law. Furthermore he is using his position as a public authority to do so, in conflict to the stated mission of his office to boot. Mr. Sinclair was hired to uphold that mission, he did not write that mission nor should he be allowed to rewrite it to his liking. That is just wrong and he should be ashamed and reprimanded for it.

Also the assertion that hunters in TX do not have opportunity to hunt anywhere besides private property is untrue. There are public lands on which game hunters may hunt. Not to mention fishermen who may also fish on public waters, including the Pacific Ocean. It is an unrefutable fact that herpers are the ones being treated unfairly, not the other way around as Mr. Sinclair seems to be saying. Mr. Sinclair has shown himself to be predjudiced against herpers and there is no place for that in public service. If he wants to promote a personal agenda then he should not be collecting a paycheck that comes from the public's pockets. He should be fired from public service.
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www.hcu-tx.org/

I grew up in Texas for the most part in a town called Alice about 40 miles west of Corpus Christi. Thank you for enlightening me on the fact that the large body of water I spent most of my weekends on was in fact the pacific ocean.
Silly me, I always thought it was the gulf of Mexico.

Haha. Thanks for the correction! I have lived within a few miles of the Pacific Ocean all my life and I guess when I think of ocean fishing I automatically think Pacific.
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www.hcu-tx.org/

Thanks for doing that. I donated $50. Take a look folks this guy will be a judge for Terrell county. If a bunch of snakehunters have contributed to his campaign then he will almost certainly take the time to research this law and thus be fully aware of the shady underhanded ways in which this law came to be. He will know all about the dirty handshake TPWD made with Harvey Hilderbrand that subverted the will of the public and resulted in this unjust ban on a respectable hobby.
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www.hcu-tx.org/

For many people it is not just a hobby, it is a first and second business, although some won't admit it. One thing we have learned from the USFWS attempt to ban big snakes, for instance, is that we have to utilize the fact that we do make money from collecting, keeping, selling and breeding all these herps. And that we support other people's businesses by spending money. The fact that these businesses are vital to many people meeting their financial responsibilites (their bills) and giving them a job can go a long way in garnering support for the herp industry from pro-business politicians and others. This will also help in establishing legal pathways to conduct our businesses (and hobby).

Welkerii

Found this DOA Schott's Whipsake (Masticophis s. schotti) within a mile of the house today. Never even seen one before. Beautiful animal. Not far from that was a very flat juvenile Western Coachwhip.

Brings to mind an old photo from just about a year ago. Here it is for an encore presentation.

And another one just for good measure.

Thanks Colonel for your pseudo concern.
jsc
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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer