Between all the rain and the wind I find myself with more time on my hands than usual to think about how easy it would be to make things just a little better...
So if i was in charge of the TWRA, here are some changes I would make.
1. First off, I would send somebody (like the ranger guy that lives right by the ramp) out to attach that piece of rubber bumper thats been handing off the dock at Bryants Grove for the past 3 years, and turning the corner of the dock into a real boat gouger.
2. Next off, i would decree that the TWRA undertake an immediate stocking of Taimen in the Caney Fork below the dam. After all, we need to do all we can to preserve this threatened species...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hucho_taimen
3. Then I would decree that walleye be stocked in the Caney Fork above Great Falls Dam. Although theoretically the TWRA as a 5 walleye limit in Great Falls, I have never met anyone that has caught one, or for that matter, ever even met anyone who knew of anyone catching them. They are certainly native to those waters, so its high time they be restocked to all their native range.
4. I would instruct TWRA law enforcement to be much more aggressive about checking licenses and overall enforcement relative to limits, and especially to work in conjunction with ICE.....
5. Our governor is wanting to demolish the Inn at Fall Creek Falls and spend millions of taxpayer dollars on a new one, citing low occupancy rates. I would ask him to let me have a shot at improving occupancy by opening Fall Creek Lake to private boats (no gas motors), as well as making it a trophy bass lake, then see if you still need new inn when all the yakkers and bass guys start flooding in.
6. I would limit operation of jet skis to only between the hours of 11 AM and 4 PM on all waters in the state.
7. I would put in an access road below the bluff at Bear Hollow Mountain WMA. Its stupid to say you have 17,000 acres of hunting territory when you can only access 10% of it on the top. As soon as the hunters show up all the deer run
into the coves and even if you go down after them you will spend the entire day getting one back out and only then in 2 pieces.
8. I would reinstate hog hunting, and year round too. Hunters are the solution, not the problem, with hogs. Besides, the hogs have now been here as long as we have, so in my mind they are part and parcel of the culture and ecosystem. Hog hunters would buy a permit, then those funds would be distributed to landowners incurring damage from the hogs. Problem solved.
9. I would decree that all TWRA property managers be required to only plant things that deer will actually eat in the food plots, as opposed to what the journals and seminars say is the latest and greatest things to plant. TWRA property managers would receive a performance bonus based on hunter success ratios on their properties.
10. I would fix that stupid ramp at Rock Island.
I should add that the TWRA employees I have encountered always have been exceedingly helpful, thoughtful, polite, and dedicated.
Anyone else have things they would do if they were given the chance?
If I ran the TWRA....
