LSBA Meets TPWD

[DoubleJ]

Some of you have asked for details of our recommendations. They were contained in a 4 page document that would be to long for this forum. I can boil it down to the following:

The goal here is to recruit new hunters to counteract the aging/decline in the number of hunters. The fact is bowhunters are INCREASING in this state and nationally. The LSBAs position is that the obstacle to youth hunters is not the number of youth days available to hunt but like for all Texas hunters it's the COST of hunting. Our recommendations included a youth only archery weekend the weekend before the Special Archery Season begins, expanded youth archery hunts on the weekends in state parks, and expanded youth gun hunts on the weekends in state parks (at the present time most hunts in state parks are during the week when there are no campers but the kids are in school and can't go hunting). We also recommended that they establish youth only seasons during holiday periods for the kids to optimize their chances of being in the field.

We discussed the possibilities of LSBA working with the Texas - National Archery in the Schools Program to provide a natural pathway for kids to get into bowhunting.

Dena posted up the dates of the January meeting and we will provide more information as it becomes available.

Thanks to all for you expressions of support and do like Dena says in her message above. Keep up the good work and maintain the professional, respectful approach when you deal with those who disagree with our position.