Texas: If You Find Bigfoot, You Can Legally Kill Him

This news changes my plans for the weekend. John Lloyd Scharf wrote to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, asking if it would be legal to hunt Bigfoot. State official L. David Sinclair wrote back that as long as you have a hunting license, you can kill Bigfoot:

The statute that you cite (Section 61.021) refers only to game birds, game animals, fish, marine animals or other aquatic life. Generally speaking, other nongame wildlife is listed in Chapter 67 (nongame and threatened species) and Chapter 68 (nongame endangered species). "Nongame" means those species of vertebrate and invertebrate wildlife indigenous to Texas that are not classified as game animals, game birds, game fish, fur-bearing animals, endangered species, alligators, marine penaeid shrimp, or oysters. The Parks and Wildlife Commission may adopt regulations to allow a person to take, possess, buy, sell, transport, import, export or propagate nongame wildlife. If the Commission does not specifically list an indigenous, nongame species, then the species is considered non-protected nongame wildlife, e.g., coyote, bobcat, mountain lion, cotton-tailed rabbit, etc. A non-protected nongame animal may be hunted on private property with landowner consent by any means, at any time and there is no bag limit or possession limit.

An exotic animal is an animal that is non-indigenous to Texas. Unless the exotic is an endangered species then exotics may be hunted on private property with landowner consent. A hunting license is required. This does not include the dangerous wild animals that have been held in captivity and released for the purpose of hunting, which is commonly referred to as a "canned hunt".

That settles it. So, which caliber do you recommend for Bigfoot?

Link -via io9

Unfortunately, you may have been a victim of a gross misrepresentation of statements taken totally out of context and misquoted by John Lloyd Scharf. Scharf is a retired prison guard and self-proclaimed expert, who is often shunned by most Bigfoot researchers. Here is the official position of the Texas Parks and Wildlife as it should have been quoted by Scharf:
"until a verifiable specimen of Sasquatch in found in Texas, our
agency has no authority. Our authority is not limited because of a lapse
in Texas Parks and Wildlife Code or other state laws – it is limited
because there is no verifiable evidence that such a species is
indigenous to Texas. Our agency only has authority over wildlife that is
‘indigenous to Texas’ (TPWD Code 67.001). Circumstantial evidence is
not sufficient.
If at some time, a new species is identified in Texas by some “by solid
or irrefutable evidence”, we do have the authority to act and protect
the species as necessary.

Thank you for your letter and your interest in Texas wildlife.

John Herron

Branch Chief, Wildlife Diversity

Texas Parks and Wildlife