FYI - This coming Thursday, the Dallas Safari Club is hosting Timothy Van Norman, Chief of Permitting for USFW. Van Norman will discuss and take questions regarding the new endangered status and permitting procedures for the scimitar oryx, addax & dama gazelle (let's see if those are the ONLY questions/comments he receives...LOL).

Seminar begins @ 9am - 2pm; Location: YO Ranch Resort Hotel in Kerrville.

For more information on the event click here ---> AAE Exotic Blog>>DSC Hosts Permitting Seminar w/ USFW

There was much diliberation as to whether or not to "invite the enemy in", as many orgs didn't want this "cooperation" to be viewed as agreement w/ the new USFW ruling. What do you guys think, is this a good or bad idea in the long term fight for exotic hunting in Texas & the U.S.??

Just curious as to your thoughts or position.

Ask him what are the next exotics that will require permits. Ibex? Gemsbok? Maybe Blackbuck?

I dont think it would hurt anything at all. The ruling is going to go in place regardless, you might as well get all the information you can before it happens. There will still be ranch's that choose to keep a herd and go through the permitting process.

Doubt they will be able to do anything with Blackbuck, there are already established free range herds in Texas.

How did the rest of the hunt go out at Huntsville SP? I took off Thursday. Saw no deer, very disappointed.

I'd like to ask him this, in this manner; 'hey you friggen douche nozzle, how can you pretend to implement protection measures for these exotic species by passing legislation that will effectively terminate the vast majority of these animals currently living today.. added to that, are you f'ing stupid enough to pass additional regulations for other animals that are foreign to the US, which you really shouldn't have the power to regulate anyway?

Thanks and have a nice day, [censored].

x2

Personally, I think we have to partner with USFWS either way. If we want to comply with the rules or change them, can't be effective at either without a constructive relationship. Think we need to remember that it's our congressmen that set the rules here. USFWS can certainly make it easier to comply with the rules, but whatever they do, they're going to get sued either way.

That's not to say I condone the ruling, or agree with how they are approaching this, but we either play by the rules of the game, or take our ball and go home.

I went this morning to the meeting. I don't have any of the 3 species but I wanted to listen to the person from the USFWS as well as the question and answer period. After what I heard I am glad I don't have any of them and am not planning on getting any.

What did they say Don?

X2 I would like to know what was said as well...

i'm curious too Don...any input would be very helpful...thanks...

What I did not like was that once you got your Captive-Bred Wildlife [CBW] license-permit you were sort of committed to being a breeder of these animals. You then had to fill out a [ Federal Fish and Wildlife Permit Application Form] to request approximatly how many animals you were wanting to sell, cull. or what ever from your herd for the coming year. The original CBW form is done every 5 years and this form is done every year. You are not allowed to harvest your entire herd. You could sell them, give them away, take the males away so they cannot reproduce, or let them all die a natural death but not harvest them. You cannot have a put and take operation where you buy just males and harvest them.The purpose of this is to reproduce animals. Making money out of it is not the objective. The person from the USFWS was asked if he thought there would be an increase in numbers of these animals after this went into effect and he said no. If someone else was there and can see where I got any of this wrong please correct me.It looks like to me if you are wanting to take one of these animals now would be a very good time to do it.

I am going next week to try and take on! I think you may see free range herds of Oryx here in Texas. Like I said before, free range Oryx that can't be hunted(controlled) and federal laws trump TPWD to control. An ecological mess may very well happen!