Hey there!
My name is Pliny Gale. I enjoy hiking, hunting, and fishing in the beautiful LBJ Grasslands of Wise County, Texas. I have hiked all of the marked trails in the grasslands (yes, even the 26.6 miler, that was a rough day), and have harvested deer, rabbits, and multiple fish species within the Grasslands.
I run a podcast and youtube channel called Adventure One, related to outdoor adventure. Hunting, hiking, camping, and exploring public lands are all passions of mine, and I am thankful to have have little bit of public land in North Texas to enjoy these things. If you want to tune into the podcast or learn more about the channel, check out adventureone.tv.
On August 6, 2020, I logged on to a facebook group full of individuals who share many of the same passions to find a post by LBJ Ranger Jeff Stoney, stating that there would be numerous new restrictions for hunting in the LBJ grasslands, managed by the USFS. Within hours, there were hundreds of objecting comments.
An official document was never posted, but the proposed regulations seemed to include:
- Prohibiting hunting with rifled shotgun barrels, shotgun barrels must be smooth bore.
- Prohibiting the use of electronic sights on muzzleloaders
- Prohibiting the use of preformed or pelletized powders in muzzleloaders
- Prohibiting target shooting of any kind within the grasslands.
While these restrictions may seem perfectly reasonable to some, and egregious to others, the problem is ultimately the process. A USFS park ranger does not have the authority to make law that dictates the use of public land. New regulations should not simply be signed into order by a committee or individual shortly before the opening of a new hunting season. (Especially since harvest regulations ultimately fall under the jurisdiction of Texas Parks and wildlife, and the Wise County Game Warden).
Jeff Stoney implied that these new regulations were being made for the purposes of safety, but no safety studies were sited. Additionally there were no statements made related to biological effect, management, or conservation. Like others I suspect these restrictions are being considered to only to limit hunters. While many hunting areas across the country have restrictions (often solely for the purpose of reducing the number of lazy or casual hunters) there are many effective ways to manage this: Prior registration for a hunting area, limited tags, etc. These weapon restrictions felt quite arbitrary by comparison.
When many objected, ranger Jeff Stoney commented that appeals could be written and mail to his office. Maybe they would be legitimately read and considered or maybe they would be thrown directly in the garbage. Ultimately the hunters and adventurers of the grasslands would have no way to know if their comments were being, which is why I decided to create a public petition, out in the open, for all to see.