Lynn Burkhead — Grayson County voices emphatic no to firearm proposal

If there’s one saying I’ve seen play itself out more than once in the 30-plus years I’ve been writing about the outdoors in this space, it’s that when it comes to Grayson County and its whitetail resource, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

That statement was true once again on Wednesday night at the Grayson College Center for Workplace Learning as sharp battle lines were drawn once again in an ongoing whitetail struggle that has simmered — and occasionally threatened to boil over — for just more than a quarter century now.

That battle, of course, is between local constituents and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department over the idea of opening up a firearms deer season in the local woods and ending the bowhunting only regulations that have been in place since the 1980s.

As has been the case previously, a full-house crowd on Wednesday night greeted the Austin-based agency as TPWD white-tailed deer program leader Alan Cain and other Department representatives watched the curtain come up on the fourth public meeting on this issue since the mid-1990s.

Cain opened the night by stepping to the podium and presenting his agency’s reasons for pushing this proposal forward in the regulatory process, a proposal that originated last spring when a private wildlife biologist and an out-of-state deer breeder petitioned the state to allow firearm deer hunting in Grayson, Collin, Dallas, and Rockwall Counties, locations currently governed by archery-only deer hunting regulations.

That presentation was then followed by a steady parade of local politicians, hunters, and residents who spent more than an hour giving their own strong opinions about the matter.

In short, it wasn’t a pleasant evening to have a business card from the TPWD Wildlife Division. With 280 people in attendance by my count — and with a Change.org petition against the proposal holding more than 1,800- signatures as of Wednesday evening — local residents brought another strong wave of opposition to the TPWD idea.

The night’s public comment period was led by Grayson County Judge Bill Magers, who came out strongly against the state proposal once again.

“(I) do believe in local control and what I want you to hear from me very succinctly is other than the property owner of a high fence (ranch), I have not heard from one constituent that supports this,” Magers told Cain and the other TPWD representatives who were present. “Not one…deer hunter, no deer hunter, Sherman resident, in the county, whatever, there has not been one person that has said I’m supporting this.”

Magers then pointed to the resolution passed the previous day by himself and the Grayson County Commissioners Court.

“You have our resolution,” Magers told Cain. “It’s not a letter, sir, it’s a resolution. I want to make sure that’s clear, that it was unanimously voted (on), unanimously voted on by the Grayson County Commissioners Court.”

Magers then noted that a similar resolution took place in Collin County earlier in the week before closing with another strongly worded statement concerning the TPWD proposal.

“All I’m going to ask is this,” he said. “That you honor the will of the citizens of Grayson County. They have spoken, they have spoken succinctly, (and) with one or two exceptions, we are not in support of changing this. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.”

After Magers yielded the floor, Texas State Senator Drew Springer stepped to the podium and addressed those in attendance.

“It is unique (here),” Springer said. “We have 254 counties (in Texas) and one thing we hate in the Legislature is the one size that fits all. We’ve got something that works here.”

Springer then gave an example, citing the 85 mph speed limit on the speed loop around the Austin metro area and heavily populated areas of Travis County.

“They have a unique opportunity to do something down there and I think just the same here, we have a unique opportunity to harvest deer by bow only in Grayson County.”

Springer painted a difference between the small, fragmented properties of Grayson County and the larger ranches of western Cooke County, where a gun season has existed for many years along with that county’s higher overall whitetail deer numbers.

“You look at the lease rates, and y’all get more (here) than we get over there,” chuckled Springer. “So, I look at it as if you change that, that is the taking of your private property by disavowing your economics.”

State Representative Reggie Smith then took the floor, and he continued the night’s trend as he talked about the wonderful natural resource that Grayson County has in its whitetail herd, then citing an example of an unsuccessful encounter he once had with one of the record book caliber bucks that the county is famous for.

Smith then turned his attention to the coming wave of economic growth that is about to inundate Grayson County. That will come following Texas Instruments’ announcement recently that it will be up to four semiconductor manufacturing sites in the Sherman area, a $30 billion dollar total investment package that will employ upwards of 3,000 people and could have the first plant operational as soon as 2025.

And as all of that coming development and population unfolds, the sparse deer numbers and limited habitat that currently exists in Grayson County will then be under even greater pressure in the years to come.

“All of us who hunt, who own land and live around here, understand what’s going on right now with the real estate,” said Smith. “You wait until that many people show up here in the next five years and think about what the habitat is going to look like.

“So, Alan, all I’m saying is I think there’s a lot more evaluation that needs to be done here. I realize that we’ve got some folks who have an economic interest, and I’m all about them being able to develop their economic interest, but not to the detriment of one of the greatest deer herds in the country, not to the detriment of the constituents of Grayson County. Especially when what you see here, when you walk out this door and what you look at, it’s not what it’s going to look like in five years with all of these new people.

“So, please consider that. I know that Senator Springer and I are in lockstep on this. We’ll fight this to the bitter end and we look forward to further discussions with y’all.”

After the political figures present spoke on Wednesday night, local citizens gave their own opinions, citing personal experiences, pride in the local bowhunting culture and heritage, and challenging TPWD and its proposal on several occasions. By night’s end, 20 or more speakers had stood and opposed the gun season proposal with only one out-of-county resident speaking in favor of it.

One of those speakers against the proposal was Sherman attorney Brock Benson, who stood and challenged TPWD and its Wildlife Division for doing an apparent about face on statements made several years ago.

“I own land, vote, and pay taxes here in Grayson County,” said Benson. “Mr. Cain, in 2012, you supported the opening of Collin, Dallas, and Rockwall counties to an archery only season for white-tailed deer.”

Benson then continued on, referring to a 2012 presentation before the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission.

“I’m going to read you some direct quotes…near obliteration of white-tailed deer habitat…extensive urban, suburban, and exurban growth of the Metroplex…highly fragmented habitat and minimal populations of white-tailed deer…(and) given the continued urbanization of these counties and the sparse deer habitat that currently exists (and) is expected to continue to decline in the future.”

Following those remarks, Benson wondered aloud why the 180-degree turn from 2012.

“So, my question is what’s changed?,” he said. “Is there more deer habitat in Grayson, Collin, Dallas and Rockwall counties? Are there more deer? Are there fewer people?”

Benson then stated that in his opinion, for anyone who has driven up Hwy. 75 recently or hasn’t been living under a rock for the past 10 years, the answer is clearly no.

“I don’t think anybody can argue with that,” he said. “So, when you take a position in 2012 and 10 years later, you take the direct opposite position, that raises some questions.”

Benson finished his remarks by stating that he believed in full disclosure and by noting what he believes is a questionable path to the current proposal over the past year.

Citing a wildlife survey report from last year, Benson held the report and alleged that the pathway traveled to the current proposal stemmed from a private wildlife biologist—Dr. Harry Jacobsen, a member of the state’s Whitetail Advisory Committee, who is said to be doing consulting work for a large high-fenced ranch in the northwestern part of Grayson County—and his efforts to push this ahead.

Benson read some quotes from the report before concluding his speaking segment.

“So, this private biologist said to his private landowner client that I am a public appointed official and I can fix this for you,” said Benson. “I don’t think this is about habitat, biology, or hunter opportunity, unless you happen to be hunting inside that 2,200-acre high-fenced ranch.

“I think this is about benefitting fewer people than I can count on my hand right here. And I don’t think that this is in the greater interest of the four counties for which this is proposed. I think this is in the greater interest of a few private individuals that have an inside track to the Whitetail Advisory Committee.”

When Benson concluded his remarks, some of the biggest applause of the night ensued, likely proving again that when it comes to Grayson County and its whitetail deer hunting battles, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

This article originally appeared on Herald Democrat: Lynn Burkhead Grayson County voices emphatic no to firearm proposal