People that are poachers don't really care about the laws, most don't even poach on their own property, and the game wardens I've known don't really abuse the existing laws on entering your property. I'm not sure this law is going to change much, it will possibly give poachers / game law abusers more leverage but I'm in the opinion it's not gonna swing the pendulum much in either direction.

People that want to break the law regarding animals & poaching will do it either way… but most people (even poachers) don't take deer unless their going to eat it so I'm also of the opinion that they probably need to extend the deer season longer (in some areas) because of the over population of deer we see in some areas..if a person is poor and hungry they will shoot a deer all year long most likely

BQ92 said:

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Bottom line: this is not about solving an active issue. Instead this is leveraging fear to attract votes for unrelated items.

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I think the colloquialism is "a solution in search of a problem"

txags92 said:

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Capt. Augustus McCrae said:

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Limiting government is never a bad thing. The "I've never had anybody do anything to me, so I don't see a problem with it" crowd just haven't added "yet" to their sentence.

What's wrong with getting a warrant? If you invite them onto your property to see something suspicious, they don't need a warrant. Otherwise, the 4th amendment protects you from this exact behavior.

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How do you get a warrant with probable cause to prove that somebody is hunting out of season and killing dozens of deer beyond their bag limits on a 3,000 acre property where you can't see their camphouse or processing area from the road? How do you get a warrant with probable cause that people are hunting dove over a baited field without being able to go look for bait in the field?

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Sure would be nice if someone would develop drones and satellite imagery capabilities to see what was happening on a property.

fullback44 said:

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People that are poachers don't really care about the laws, most don't even poach on their own property, and the game wardens I've known don't really abuse the existing laws on entering your property. I'm not sure this law is going to change much, it will possibly give poachers / game law abusers more leverage but I'm in the opinion it's not gonna swing the pendulum much in either direction.

People that want to break the law regarding animals & poaching will do it either way… but most people (even poachers) don't take deer unless their going to eat it so I'm also of the opinion that they probably need to extend the deer season longer (in some areas) because of the over population of deer we see in some areas..if a person is poor and hungry they will shoot a deer all year long most likely

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A guy I went to high school with was a habitual poacher up until the point where he killed someone while driving drunk . His family had a lot of land on the outskirts of Austin that got sold to WalMart. His daddy was smart enough to do a 1031 exchange and roll that into a ranch in South Texas. All that land is now in a trust so the chances of them getting sued out of it are reduced. My high school friend lives down on that ranch now, probably hunting out of season (I don't know. I try not to associate with him). The story on him in high school was that several of our buddies had seen him shoot deer, jump the fence to cut the back straps off, and leave the rest of it to rot.

Some poachers are just stupid. This guy was just a flat out criminal.

This is retaliation for the CWD bust. Bunch rich pissed off guys. I can't believe yall think this would be a good thing for our wildlife in Texas. Its not hard to follow our game laws.

INIGO MONTOYA said:

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I have not heard of one instance of game warden abuse - maybe some inconveniences. I've had them check licenses while hunting - and frankly I was glad they were out there doing their job. If you want to protect certain things - you may have to give up some freedoms to do so. This would hurt law abiding citizens and help those that are not.

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So how do you classify the warden walking out to a duck blind in a flooded field while hunters are hunting and shooting during the prime time around sunrise? What about a deer blind while hunting? Dove field?

Just called someone who would know and this ain't going no where.

When you buy a license and hunt that is part of it, you know you may be checked at any time. Their job is to check that people who are hunting are following the rules, the laws don't say their job is only to check that people who are done hunting followed the rules. By your logic I guess they shouldn't stop a boat and check it because it is in a great spot and getting bites like crazy?

fullback44 said:

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People that are poachers don't really care about the laws, most don't even poach on their own property, and the game wardens I've known don't really abuse the existing laws on entering your property. I'm not sure this law is going to change much, it will possibly give poachers / game law abusers more leverage but I'm in the opinion it's not gonna swing the pendulum much in either direction.

People that want to break the law regarding animals & poaching will do it either way… but most people (even poachers) don't take deer unless their going to eat it so I'm also of the opinion that they probably need to extend the deer season longer (in some areas) because of the over population of deer we see in some areas..if a person is poor and hungry they will shoot a deer all year long most likely

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We've had poachers coming on my place all my life, 65+ years, and they without exception cut off the antlers and leave the rest.

Mas89 said:

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INIGO MONTOYA said:

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I have not heard of one instance of game warden abuse - maybe some inconveniences. I've had them check licenses while hunting - and frankly I was glad they were out there doing their job. If you want to protect certain things - you may have to give up some freedoms to do so. This would hurt law abiding citizens and help those that are not.

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So how do you classify the warden walking out to a duck blind in a flooded field while hunters are hunting and shooting during the prime time around sunrise? What about a deer blind while hunting? Dove field?

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So we have 1-2 game wardens assigned to some counties. If they wait until everybody finishes their hunt to go check, they are getting at most 1-2 people checked per day. If they watch, check their database to see if anybody on your land has a hunting license, then approach quietly and ask to see a license, they are at most going to take a few minutes of your time. If they approach any other way, they likely saw something that made them think they needed to come check you right away. You may not be aware that you did something to arouse suspicion, but it doesn't mean you didn't. Maybe they are coming across the field to look to see if it was illegally baited for dove along the way. Maybe they wanted to come at you from the front so you saw them and didn't get surprised by them showing up behind you.

drmwvr said:

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I would imagine the use of drones will increase if this passes.

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A bill has been filed that would allow property owners to dispatch drones flying over their property (with limitations, of course).

I never minded the GWs coming on my land to access the larer place behind us. It saved them a few hours of driving way around. I did mind them not closing gates and cows getting mixed up between me and the other ranch. The GW denied it many times but I finally put up cameras and then shared the evidence with his supervisors. Never heard if there was any discipline but he never stepped foot on our place again.

Anybody that has read any of my posts over the years are aware that I am a huge property rights advocate. I am also a supporter of our game wardens and biologist and the rigorous enforcement of our game laws.
I would ask you guys, who I'm sure, at one time or another, watched Lone Star Law, ….or any of you who really understand and are educated on our Texas Wildlife Code…, to honestly assess the penalties and fines that Texas has for game violations. For the most part they are minimal in penalties, $$ of fines are laughably lenient.
Yet, our game wardens are charged with the enforcement of game laws on fish and wildlife that are state property that reside almost entirely on private lands.
I agree wholeheartedly on the limiting of government overreach or the government involvement in my life. So, yes, this bill, if passed, will supposedly protect me from abuses of game wardens entering my property.
However, with that being said, as I said above, in all my years of owning a ranch, or growing up on one, or over 65 years of hunting and fishing…. I have never…. Not Once, had a game warden abuse any of their authority. In all my old years of sitting in a deer blind, I have never had a warden drive up to my blind and check anything…..and in all my thousands of dove hunts, I have had wardens check me a total of three damn times and they didn't disrupt anything of my hunt. ….Quite to the contrary, they actually told me where some doves were flying! I'll further that with the statement that I have no knowledge of any of my fellow landowners or ranchers ever experiencing anything abusive as well.
Are there anecdotal examples of the abuse? Seems there is. Is it rampant? Seems it's not. But now we pass another law that is yet another to add to the thousands that the government already has?
Somebody made a statement that the wardens should only be allowed to check you after the hunt. How is the warden supposed to do that on a deer lease if he can't get to the hunters camp to check?
Or how are they supposed to find that baited field your neighbor has for doves? Or check the deer camp with 20 out of state hunters on 400 acres your neighbor leases out and you hear shooting at all hours?
We can't have them ( the wardens) wait and check hunters coolers on the highway because, after all that upsets people as well.
This bill, if passed, imho, will benefit and protect the law breakers. They are the ones who will now take advantage of this law, if passed, to the fullest….and our fish and wildlife will be what pays the price…..an ultimately the law abiding hunter and fisherman as well.

Well said sir.