Texas Hunting Leases

Growing up in Texas does not mean that you frequent every part of the state on a regular basis, or even in your lifetime.  I, for one, have not really seen much of West Texas - except from the window of a commercial jet.  But even from that vantage point 30,000 feet in the air, it is amazing to see all of the pad sites with well-heads and pump-jacks dotting the landscape below.

I have not researched it, but I am sure there was some opposition to the incursion of the oil and gas industry’s equipment upon the ranch lands there.  Questions almost surely arose about the effects on the cattle industry and the degradation of the vast vistas the area is known for.  All of that must have quickly subsided when the first checks came in the mail box.  And, I am sure it will again when the next century of energy production covers this land in the form of wind turbines.

According to the American Wind Energy Association, Texas is is ranked #1 in the the USA by existing capacity and #2 for potential capacity.  This should come as no surprise since Texas has large land areas and coast lines which are perfect for the construction of wind farms.

But, like most fledgling industries, there will be growing pains and conflict.  A recently planned wind farm in the hill country was met with strong opposition.  An article online in the San Antonio Express-News reported that many residents were shocked that an energy company obtained leases to build here with very little oversight from governmental agencies.  The group later found out that there is little or no state or federal oversight governing wind farms.  And many observe that you don’t even need wind to make them profitable due to the tax breaks and write-offs earned just by building them.

Hunters are not immune either.  There is concern that the income from wind farms will provide more incentives to land owners than the dollars earned from hunting leases.  This, in turn, will limit access.  Some wind energy contracts signed by land owners limit the use of hunting with rifles and hunters are beginning to loose their leases.  Although no one is successfully arguing that these 100 meter monstrosities will harm wild game populations, hunters have reason to be concerned.  In the meantime, the US Fish & Wildlife Service has also issued a press release naming 22 individuals to serve on an advisory committee who will advise on measures to avoid or minimize the impacts to wildlife and their habitats from land-based wind energy facilities.

On the other hand, industry officials say that they are not anti-hunting and that most leases have full hunting privileges.  And, for land owners who have low incomes from their land operations, this is a way to increase income and hopefully retain larger ranches within the family by not having to sell. 

As the energy capital of the world, Texas will need to be a leader in taking the world’s demand for energy in a different direction.  Open ranges and the wind that blows over them are two things we have plenty of and are arguably endless resources as compared to fossil fuels.  Hopefully, the two learning to live together will fight off the biggest threat to hunting in general - population growth and urban encroachment.

I was surprised when I saw the title of National Geographic Magazine’s Feature article on their website. “Hunters, for the Love of the Land” by Robert M. Poole, is a wonderful story which validates the benefits of hunters and hunting to our wildlife and their habitat.  I have always enjoyed National Geographic’s pictures and stories about the world we live in.  But, I have to admit that I was surprised to find a “pro-hunter” article among pages that most would argue are usually not so favorable to a conservative viewpoint.

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Poole, a hunter himself, writes about the various ways hunting and hunters help the very animals they seek to harvest.  Through the support of scientific research to habitat protection, America’s hunters (and more specifically their dollars and voting numbers) have done more to preserve and restore wildlife then any other group.  This especially includes the so-called environmentalists groups combined.

Traveling across the country, Poole observes how local communities and ranchers still survive on hunting dollars.  Even media-mogul Ted Turner advocates the use of hunting to manage free-range herds of wild game on his large ranch lands.   The article also contains a series of pictures to chronicle the author’s travels.

Looking forward, Poole recognizes the threat of population growth and the urbanization of our youth.  The number of people who hunt are dropping across the country.  And, one can only surmise that this will have a direct correlation to the health and abundance of our wildlife.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Provides Free Publications and Wallet Cards for Hunters.

The TP&W website is arguably the most robust of any state wildlife agency in the country.  But, with so much information, finding it can be a little difficult.  One page I like that has some good information and resources is their Hunting Publications page.  Some great ideas the page has are links for a shooting saftey wallet card and current hunting and fishing limit card. Some other publications include basic hunter education documents about game cleaning and wildlife identification guides.  During your hunting camp orientation and work days, it would be good idea to pass these out to your lease members.  You can also keep an eye out for an updated Hunting Season Wallet Card which hopefully will be out soon.