WLF commission meeting

[fisheye]

How are the whooping cranes doing

[B-Stealth]

Originally Posted by fisheye

How are the whooping cranes doing

Doing great, had some WC's show up on my buddies lease in Sweetlake. LDWF found out they arrived, then banned my buddy from hunting his lease until the WC's left the area.

[redchaserron]

Originally Posted by B-Stealth

Doing great, had some WC's show up on my buddies lease in Sweetlake. LDWF found out they arrived, then banned my buddy from hunting his lease until the WC's left the area.

It's a shame they won't let him hunt his lease. I bet WC's taste just like chicken.

[Lreynolds]

Originally Posted by B-Stealth

Doing great, had some WC's show up on my buddies lease in Sweetlake. LDWF found out they arrived, then banned my buddy from hunting his lease until the WC's left the area.

This is absolutely not correct. LDWF does not restrict access to any land due to presence of whooping cranes. This reintroduced population is legally classified as "experimental and non-essential", and a lot of effort was expended to assure landowners that use of their property would NOT be restricted by the presence of cranes.

I've confirmed this with both the head of the whooping crane program and the Coastal and a Non-Gam Division Chief. All whooping cranes are fitted with transmitters, so LDWF knows where they are at all times. The pair currently using habitat on Gray Estate property are seen by hunters nearly every morning. This is the only pair near Sweetlake.

[B-Stealth]

Originally Posted by Lreynolds

This is absolutely not correct. LDWF does not restrict access to any land due to presence of whooping cranes. This reintroduced population is legally classified as "experimental and non-essential", and a lot of effort was expended to assure landowners that use of their property would NOT be restricted by the presence of cranes.

I've confirmed this with both the head of the whooping crane program and the Coastal and a Non-Gam Division Chief. All whooping cranes are fitted with transmitters, so LDWF knows where they are at all times. The pair currently using habitat on Gray Estate property are seen by hunters nearly every morning. This is the only pair near Sweetlake.

Mr. Reynolds, I apologize for any confusion from my post regarding the Whooping Cranes I was joking.

But on another note the Sandhill Crane herd in Sweetlake is growing nicely.

[Lreynolds]

Originally Posted by B-Stealth

Mr. Reynolds, I apologize for any confusion from my post regarding the Whooping Cranes I was joking.

OK. I'm sorry if I misinterpretted.

One of the REALLY big concerns prior to initiating the whooping crane reintroduction was the effect on private landowners when cranes showed up on their property. So LDWF is pretty sensitive to any implications of limited private-property rights.

Interestingly, when one of our birds crossed the Sabine River into Texas, it loses its "experimental/non-essential" status and becomes a full-blow endangered species with all associated rights and responsibilities. At least that was the case a few years back when I was more intimately involved. Texas wants us to keep our whooping cranes to ourselves.