Fee increases minimal for hunters, anglers
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission and the state legislature have given the thumbs up to a number of proposals that will affect outdoor enthusiasts this fall statewide. The biggest move is an across-the-board license and fee increase for hunters, anglers and boaters, which is designed to generate revenue for the cash-strapped Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
Most of the license and fee increases were minimal, including a rise from $64 to $68 for the "Super Combo" license and a rise from $23 to $25 for a resident hunting license. The resident freshwater and saltwater fishing licenses also rose just $2 while nonresident hunting licenses went up $15 to $315.
The biggest license change pertains to resident lifetime hunting and fishing licenses and the lifetime combo license. For more than a decade, the lifetime hunting and fishing licenses were $600 apiece while the combo was $1,000. Those figures now will rise to $1,000 and $1,800, respectively.
For boaters who operate boats 26 feet in length or less, the rise in registration and titling fees will be $3 or less, while those who use longer vessels will see higher increases.
The biggest surprise might be the lack of comment on any of the proposals by the public. The TPWD received fewer than 400 comments on the increases.
Here's a look at other moves:
* Doves, teal: The Commission approved changes that will take effect this year including a 15-bird daily bag statewide and a 70-day season. If authorized under federal guidelines, the north and central zone seasons will run Sept. 1-Oct. 25 and Dec. 26-Jan. 9, with a bag limit of not more than two white-tipped doves. The south zone season would run Sept. 18-Nov. 3 and Dec. 26-Jan. 17 with the same bag limit.
The 15-bird bag and 30-bird possession limit had been in place in the north zone, while the central and south limits were 12 and 24, respectively.
If Texas gets a 16-day September teal season, the dates will be Sept. 12-27. A nine-day season will run Sept. 19-27.
* State park hunts: Almost half of the Texas State Parks sites will have public hunts this fall after the Commission approved scheduled hunts at 44 state parks. Most of the hunts, including those for youths which are free to apply for, will be offered to the public through the agency's computer drawing system as has been done in the past, and applications will be available in early July on the TPWD Web site and at field offices statewide.
* Waterfowl: Texas is likely to have a standard 74-day season and a six-bird daily bag limit this fall after using the Hunter's Choice in previous seasons. The department has proposed liberal dates and limits pending approval of the federal framework for the Central Flyway.
The past three seasons, the Hunter's Choice allowed Texas hunters to harvest five ducks daily with one coming from an aggregate list. This season's daily bag would be six, with the following species and sex restrictions: five mallards (of which only two may be hens), three wood ducks, two scaup, two redheads, one pintail, one canvasback and one dusky duck (mottled, Mexican-like, black and hybrids).
The TPWD is asking that the High Plains Mallard Management Unit season run Oct. 24-25 and Oct. 30-Jan. 24, with a youth-only season Oct. 17-18. The proposed season for north and south zones would run concurrently Oct. 31-Nov. 29 and Dec. 12-Jan. 24, with a youth-only season Oct. 24-25.
Goose and sandhill crane seasons would remain similar to those of the past. The proposed west zone goose season would run Nov. 7-Feb. 7 with a daily bag of four Canadas and one white-fronted goose and 20 light geese in the aggregate, while the light geese conservation season would run Feb. 8-March 28. The proposed sandhill season in Zone A would run concurrently with the west zone goose season with a daily bag of three, while the Zone B season would run Nov. 27-Feb. 7, also with a three-bird bag.
* Reauthorization: The TPWD was approved to continue as an agency until 2021 under House Bill 3391, which also laid out plans to regulate invasive and exotic species that can have negative effects in many settings. The legislation also will allow the TPWD to join the Interstate Wildlife Violators Compact, which brings together more than 30 states to treat nonresident wildlife and fisheries violators as they do resident ones, while sharing information on those convicted of natural-resource violations.
Those prohibited from hunting or fishing or purchasing a license in any of those states would be prohibited from doing so in all of them.
* Crossbows: Beginning this September, crossbows will be a legal means to harvest game during archery-only seasons in every county except Grayson, which is the lone one in Texas with a deer season allowing only archery equipment. Under the terms of HB 968, crossbows will join a list including compounds, recurves and longbows which may be used during archery-only deer and turkey seasons.
Previously, only those with upper-limb disabilities were given the OK to use crossbows during archery-only dates.
Will Leschper's e-mail address is wleschper@yahoo.com.
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