Hunters, anglers should be aware of new rules, regulations
The list of rules, regulations and bag limits we must abide by as Texas hunters and fishermen are forever changing.
Just when you think you have a good grip on the rules of the road, it seems like the folks in Austin always come up with a change or two to shake things up.
I understand that Texas is a huge state steeped in geographic diversity reflected by a broad spectrum of game and fish populations that demand different management plans. Still, Texas hunting and fishing laws have gotten so numerous, and complex, that I would bet most game wardens can't recite them all without referring to the rule book.
What is legal in one county may not be legal in the next. The same holds true of public reservoirs, public hunting lands and wildlife management areas.
To wit:
• Catch a largemouth bass longer than 16 inches at Lake Nacogdoches and you are required by law to release the fish immediately, unless the fish is a potential candidate for the state's Toyota ShareLunker program.
However, that same fish is considered a legal keeper on Sam Rayburn, Palestine, Livingston, Richland Chambers or any other Texas lake governed by the statewide five-fish, 14-inch rule on largemouth bass.
• It is legal to set a trotline in most Texas lakes, but you can't do it at Pinkston or Fayetee County lakes.
Game laws pertaining to white-tailed deer are just as diverse, if not more.
For instance, some counties have designated "doe days" for the harvest of antlerless deer, and antler restrictions on buck deer that limit hunters to the harvest of two bucks, only one of which may have an inside antler spread greater than 13 inches. The second buck must have at least one unbranched antler.
Other counties are much more lenient on deer harvest, allowing hunters to take as many as three bucks of their choice or as many as five deer over the course of the season. A property that operates under a management plan approved by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department may have a harvest criteria that is altogether different.
Case in point: Know the rules before you play the game. When in doubt, it would be wise to check the current edition of the Texas Outdoor Annual (TOA).
The 113-page booklet is an instruction manual for Texas hunters and anglers. Think of it like a paperback road map to help keep you on a legal path when it comes to hunting deer, dove, turkey and other game in Texas' 254 counties, or fishing for sport fish in fresh and saltwater, alike.
The 2011-12 TOA became available on Aug. 15. That's when new hunting and fishing licenses went on sale through more than 1,500 retailers, 28 TPWD field offices and more than 65 state parks.
The booklet is available for free. I always grab a few extra copies and keep them in places so they are readily handy when I need to double check a specific rule or a bag limit. One copy lives in my bass boat, one in my flatbottom boat, one in my pick-up and another in my Jeep. I also keep a copy on my desk for quick reference when someone calls or e-mails with a question.
Like Texas hunting/fishing laws, the contents of the TOA booklet undergo an overhaul each year. The current version of the TOA highlights hunting/fishing regulation changes made since last year. You can find them on pages 12, 106 and 112.
There are several regulation changes Texas sportsmen need to be aware of as TPWD staarted its new fiscal year on Sept. 1. What follows is a detailed synopsis of the new laws:
• Citing low turkey populations and lagging harvest numbers, TPWD closed the spring eastern gobbler season in 15 East Texas counties. The counties include: Cherokee, Delta, Gregg, Hardin, Houston, Hunt, Liberty, Montgomery, Rains, Rusk, San Jacinto, Shelby, Smith, Tyler and Walker.
Also, the spring 2012 opening day for eastern gobblers in remaining counties will be delayed until April 15. The month-long season will run April 15-May 14.
Biologists say the later opening date will allow more hens to begin nesting before the season gets underway.
• Hunters can harvest any bearded Rio Grande turkey in any county with a spring bag limit of four turkeys. This also includes bearded hens.
Texas/Louisiana Border Waters
Numerous fresh and saltwater fishing regulations were amended for upcoming fiscal year, including several that are designed to standardize regulations on Texas/Louisiana border waters including Toledo Bend Reservoir, Caddo Lake and the Sabine River from the Toledo Bend dam downstream to the Interstate 10 bridge.
Note: None of the following changes are listed in the 2011-12 TOA, because Louisiana officials had not yet approved them when the publication went to print:
• Blue and Channel Catfish: No minimum length limit on blue and channel catfish, 50 fish (in combination) daily bag. Only five blue and/or channel catfish 20 inches or longer may be retained per day.
• Flathead Catfish: Increase in the daily bag limit from five to 10 fish.
• Black and White Crappie: No minimum length limit. On Toledo Bend, decrease the daily bag limit from 50 to 25 and remove the winter no-release restriction.
• On Caddo Lake, the daily bag limit for largemouth and spotted bass increases to eight, and the 14-18 inch slot length limit for largemouth bass is modified to allow the harvest of no more than four largemouth bass 18 inches or larger. Also, there is no longer a 10-inch minimum length limit white bass.
Other fishing regulation changes include:
• Wheeler Branch Reservoir: The new 180-acre impoundment in Somervell County will open for fishing Sept. 1 under a 14-21 inch slot length limit for largemouth bass; an 18-inch minimum length limit for smallmouth bass; and a five-fish per day bag limit for black bass (combined) including no more than three smallmouth bass and only one largemouth bass 21 inches or greater.
• Kirby Reservoir and Lake Palestine: Eliminate the minimum length limit for blue and channel catfish and establish a 50-fish daily bag limit, of which only five blue and/or channel catfish 20 inches or greater in length may be retained per day.
nLake Kyle: Establish harvest regulations for largemouth and black bass, which is set to open to the public by mid-2012. Limits include a 14-21 inch slot length limit for largemouth bass and a five-fish daily bag limit for black bass with only one largemouth bass of 21 inches or greater.
• Lake Alan Henry: No minimum length limit for largemouth bass or spotted bass, five per day. Daily retention limit of no more than two largemouth or spotted bass less than 18 inches; and a 14-inch minimum length limit, five per day limit for smallmouth bass.
• Saltwater: Circle hooks are mandatory when fishing for red snapper with natural bait.
Also, the 82nd Texas Legislature passed a handful of new laws that hunters and fishermen should be aware of:
n Hand fishing for catfish: Allows anyone with a valid Texas fishing license and a freshwater fishing stamp to catch catfish with their hands, also known as "grappling" or "noodling." Grapplers typically target large flathead catfish during late spring, while they are spawning. Use of a pole hook, gaff, spear or other aids is prohibited. Current length and bag limits apply.
• Senior License Exemption: Exempts Texas anglers 75 and older from fishing license requirements.
• Tournament Cheating: The passage of HB 1806 broadens the scope of fraudulent violations in fresh and saltwater fishing tournaments to include altering the length or weight of a fish and other deceptive acts. Violation of the law is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by a maximum penalty of a $4,000 fine and one year in jail.
The violation escalates to a third-degree felony if it takes place during a tournament offering a top prize worth $10,000 or more. A conviction packs a maximum fine of $10,000 and 2-10 years in prison.
• Boater Education Mandatory: Beginning Sept. 1, persons born on or after Sept. 1, 1993 will be required to complete and pass a Texas state approved boater education course before operating a boat with a motor of more than 15 horsepower or a wind-blown vessel longer than 14 feet.
Persons born before Sept. 1, 1993 are exempt from the boater education requirement. The course can be taken online, through home study in a classroom setting. For more information, www.tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/boater_education.
n HB-716 Update: The TPW Commission recently approved permit requirements allowing qualified persons to purchase gunner spots on helicopters for the purpose of controlling feral hog and coyote populations.
According to TPWD reports, the new rules permit qualified landowners or their qualified agents to pay permitted helicopter operators to participate in aerial operations. Landowners must complete a special form and receive an authorization number to qualify.
Anyone convicted of a Lacey Act violation or a Parks and Wildlife Code Class A misdemeanor or felony is prohibited from participating in any form or aerial management.
Matt Williams is a freelance writer based in Nacogdoches. He can be reached by e-mail, mattwilliams@netdot.com.
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