TxAG-010 said:
I agree with you, and truly am happy you got an Antelope tag. If at came across as jealousy it couldn't be further from that.
There are plenty of options to hunt all over the great nation, it just takes a little effort and some patience. I put my name in the ring in multiple states every year including Texas, and have been lucky to draw some great tags in other states. Never the one I live in (Texas).
The bigger issue at hand just like many of the western states is point creep. I'm faithful at giving many state wildlife department's a donation every year never expecting a tag. Texas' system is broken against its own tax payers who fund their department.
I have a better chance, luck, odds, whatever you want to call them, at drawing a tag for an antelope, mule deer, whitetail in Wyoming as a non-resident. That's a problem.
The bigger issue at hand isn't point creep. It's three things:
1. the amount of public land in many western states compared to Texas.
Texas=5%
Wyoming =50+%
2. Let's also factor in the Texas applicant population. The number of hunters applying for a very limited amount of public Texas tags. Our population is higher than many of the prime western states.
3. And, since we are talking pronghorn, available suitable habitat and population of this species. Very limited and small here in Texas.
Want to kill a Texas pronghorn? Buy a tag and pay trespass fees on private land. Problem solved.
Don't expect to draw for a Texas pronghorn based on available public land, draw competition numbers and overall pronghorn numbers.
It's an apples to oranges comparison.
Taken a step further, don't expect to consistently draw anything in Texas based on limited public and draw competition numbers. Yeah, you'll end up drawing something eventually. But it's a fool's game to think that a draw is going to happen every year or every few years. Especially for the popular WMAs/state parks.
As mentioned above,it is what it is. Pay $3 for a chance or not.
