Texas TEXAS wildlife needs a few seconds of your time.

[sue_nami]

Texas wildlife needs a few seconds of your time.

Shockingly, it is currently legal for "hunters" to pump gasoline or other noxious fumes into borrows, dens, and other confined spaces where Texas wildlife seeks shelter. This is commonly done by contestants in rattlesnake roundups. The process drives out and/or kills pretty much anything in the gassed areas. Collateral damage includes tortoises, turtles, small mammals, lizards, toads, frogs, and non-venomous snakes. Many of the critters that are inadvertently displaced or killed are threatened or endangered species.

Texas Parks and Wildlife is FINALLY considering prohibiting this method of "hunting". They are soliciting public opinion before making a final ruling.

Please take ten seconds to cast your vote in favor of Texas wildlife



TPWD: Public Comment: Means and Methods for the Take of Nongame Wildlife
www.tpwd.state.tx.us

[chuckles]

Thanks, Sue

[Guest021414]

I'm a REAL HUNTER AND THAT IS CHEATING
SO ARE USING DEER FEEDERS!!!

[sue_nami]

thanks guys, click the link and tell them you agree and don't want them to be able to do this. this is a super easy thing to do, click and agree and that's all. shameful it lasted this long

[GneissGuy]

While this sounds horrible as phrased, this is mostly about how people get rid of rattlesnakes. It's not necessarily "hunting," it's also how people keep rattlesnakes from being a menace to their children, their family, and their livestock.

This would apply even if you're trying to kill off a nest of rattlesnakes in your own yard at your house.

I'm all for reasonable environmental measures, and also for not unnecessarily disturbing wildlife, even snakes, but FUCK poisonous snakes, especially rattlers, especially if they're near my house.

[Billy_Saul]

Originally Posted by GneissGuy

This would apply even if you're trying to kill off a nest of rattlesnakes in your own yard at your house.

I'm all for reasonable environmental measures, and also for not unnecessarily disturbing wildlife, even snakes, but FUCK poisonous snakes, especially rattlers, especially if they're near my house.

Sue obviously has never had a den of rattlesnakes living under her pier and beam ranch house. No one goes around pouring gasoline in every hole in the ground that they can find.

[sue_nami]

pouring gasoline in the ground is environmentally dangerous and disturbs all kinds of other wildlife who use the burrow. There must be a better way to get a venomous snake without poisoning the environment and killing all the other critters in the area. I think the slash and burn kill all living creatures method of pouring gas down a hole is wrong.

[GneissGuy]

Originally Posted by sue_nami

pouring gasoline in the ground is environmentally dangerous and disturbs all kinds of other wildlife who use the burrow. There must be a better way to get a venomous snake without poisoning the environment and killing all the other critters in the area. I think the slash and burn kill all living creatures method of pouring gas down a hole is wrong.

Are you willing to be on call to dig up a hole with rattlesnakes in it whenever someone has a problem? All for the price of a gallon of gas?

It's real easy to be all environmentally friendly as long as someone else is spending the money and doing the extra work.

[sue_nami]

and of course there are professionals who remove snakes the correct way. here is just one of many. http://www.snakespecialist.com/?gcli...FaHm7AodQ2IADg. hell if you guys have a rattler under your house, I will pay just to keep ya from pouring gas on all the other innocent creatures sharing the burrow.

I feel we shouldn't measure the value of our natural resources and wildlife with money. The value is inherent and we need to be good stewards of our land and animals. To kill recklessly out of fear and ignorance doesn't help us evolve as Texans and world citizens on a quickly shrinking planet. The wastefulness and cruelty of poisoning an entire habitat and wide range of creatures is just too costly to our planet to continue this practice.

[Billy_Saul]

"all the other innocent creatures sharing the burrow"


Sue, I respect your opinion and share your concern that gasoline shouldn't be poured indiscriminately on wildlife. However a den of rattlesnakes has no other creatures in it. It simply doesn't happen.

The problem with government over reach is that it doesn't allow for common sense to be applied. I just can't imagine that there are people anywhere pouring gasoline into every hole in the ground they can find. I have never seen this technique used except with rattlesnakes. The gasoline is introduced deep into the (known den) hole on a cold winter day through a hose with minimum application. Then a scythe is used to behead them when they emerge. Apparently there is no lasting environmental impact because the rattlesnake community often reuses the same hole in subsequent years.

When there is a den of rattlesnakes in your immediate yard, one would be foolish not to act.

[sue_nami]

the other creatures need not be mammals or reptiles, there are insects and arachnid's and invertebrates like snails or slugs and the gas drains into the aquifer and effects those critters too. there are endangered species of all kinds of inverts, amphibians, insects and spiders all around us and we can't be acting like this, it severely damages the soil and plants in the den area and lasts a long time.

[sue_nami]

to understand some of the other issues with rattlesnake roundups read this article. http://www.preservevenomous.com/Roun...e_roundups.htm

[GneissGuy]

I wouldn't have a problem with regulations to prohibit gasoline dumping for organized events like rattlesnake roundups. Or even for any kind of mass eradication programs.

I do have concerns with telling a homeowner they can't protect their children from rattlesnakes.

[sue_nami]

I respect that compromise GG and could live with that. we all know you're gona do what u want to anyways.

[GneissGuy]

Well, this isn't something that happens all that frequently overall.

We're worrying about feel good environmentalism like this and then doing nothing about real, major environmental problems like antibiotics in animal feed.