Elk in Texas - Why hasn't TPWD Made them a game animal or protected?

[super_dave]

I have been on a very large ranch in W. Texas and have seen more than 100 elk....there are a bunch out there and are under very little pressure.

Yes sir. The LF has an estimated elk population of 6500 last I heard. That might be the “very large ranch” you speak of


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[rosco11]

We hunt in Edwards and have seen them on game cam, never a forked bull but some good lookin cows and a couple of spikes..

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[Dale Moser]

This "subspecies" bit is all BS.

Elk were never "extinct" in Texas.

[Stoof]

We have a resident herd on The LBJ Wildflower Center land. You can see them from MOPAC on occasion. Most of Texas was home to native populations way back in the day. I'd like to see them managed as a native species again some day. I just don't see it happening any time soon.

[wellingtontx]

I have heard about and seen photos of elk in the panhandle

[Texans42]

Only benefit at this point of making them a game animal would be stopping TPWD management of them in reference to Bighorn sheep.

Elk populations are growing. I personally am very happy I have immediate management over elk when they are laying over a circle of corn.

[BuckySWT]

I'd love to see some running wild in Menard County

[adam_p]

We have a resident herd on The LBJ Wildflower Center land. You can see them from MOPAC on occasion. Most of Texas was home to native populations way back in the day. I'd like to see them managed as a native species again some day. I just don't see it happening any time soon.

It wouldn't change the opportunity for people to hunt them any if at all. Most of them reside on private land and the private land owners are managing the herds so they aren't getting shot out of existence.

The ones on public land out west can already be shot if you are 1 of the 2 people to draw a tag.

[Troutamer]

It wouldn't change the opportunity for people to hunt them any if at all. Most of them reside on private land and the private land owners are managing the herds so they aren't getting shot out of existence.

The ones on public land out west can already be shot if you are 1 of the 2 people to draw a tag.

Exactly!

[Sackett]

There is a meat eater pod cast where Steve interviews the director of TPWD and this is discussed

I listened to it and thought the director did a great job, but he danced all around that question like a politician. He never gave a good or relative explanation.

[Shane]

I see no reason to want TPWD to have management control over Texas elk. As mentioned above already, they're mostly on private land, so access to hunt them for the general public would not be enhanced if they were a regulated game animal. You can already shoot them on public land draw hunts. Changing them to a native game species would probably DECREASE the public draw hunt opportunities. Right now, they're an "exotic", so TPWD wants them all shot. Make them a native game animal, and they'd decide that they need to be protected to get numbers up before allowing any more hunts.

Meanwhile. elk are being managed by landowners and their numbers are increasing. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. And especially don't fix it with a government solution.

[Stoof]

It wouldn't change the opportunity for people to hunt them any if at all. Most of them reside on private land and the private land owners are managing the herds so they aren't getting shot out of existence.

The ones on public land out west can already be shot if you are 1 of the 2 people to draw a tag.

Well, they certainly ain't gonna let me hunt the Wildflower Center.

[Beargrizzly90]

They are walking around the rock springs area. See them on camera yearly.

[Tx_Wader]

I see no reason to want TPWD to have management control over Texas elk. As mentioned above already, they're mostly on private land, so access to hunt them for the general public would not be enhanced if they were a regulated game animal. You can already shoot them on public land draw hunts. Changing them to a native game species would probably DECREASE the public draw hunt opportunities. Right now, they're an "exotic", so TPWD wants them all shot. Make them a native game animal, and they'd decide that they need to be protected to get numbers up before allowing any more hunts.

Meanwhile. elk are being managed by landowners and their numbers are increasing. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. And especially don't fix it with a government solution.

I agree. Next thing people will want Axis to be Texas Game animals

[El General]

What profits from the sale of elk tags?? Would they come on the Texas hunting license and everyone would get one? If that’s the case then I completely agree with you. There still wouldn’t be an opportunity for everyone to have a chance to hunt one as with the mule deer tag. But if they were designated landowner tags that were given to property owners and then sold by the owners I don’t see how the state would gain anything but control. Not arguing with you I’m seriously interested.

A lot of the way that TPWD manages things has to do with tradition. This is how we have always done it, and if it ain't broke don't fix it. For instance, many of the fairly odd doe harvest laws in East Texas are remnants from when county commissioners set the county's deer harvest laws. TPWD generally doesn't change them unless citizens of the county start asking for change.

So, from that perspective, it seems like they would put elk tags on your license like deer tags. But, there are not the abundance of elk like there are deer, so this wouldn't work.

I would think that the best way to create opportunity and make money would be for some number of the tags to go to landowners (like New Mexico). The landowner applies and receives say 5 tags. He can sell those tags to anyone he wants. When he sells that tag, the hunter has to buy a carcass tag from the state.

They could also set up a Big Time Texas raffle hunt with a private land owner.

Hunter opportunity would be limited unless they start reintroducing elk to some of the state public lands areas.