NEW RULES ON DECK: TPWD considering hunting, fishing law changes
Texas hunting and fishing laws seem to change more often than the weather forecast. Just when you thought you had the state's rule book halfway figured out, the guys in Austin cook up a new batch of regulation changes for hook-and-bullet crowds to chew on.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission's Regulations Committee recently unveiled a laundry list of proposed law changes that could go into effect as early as Sept. 1 this year.
It is department policy that the general public be given the opportunity to sound off on proposals before any changes are made. The TPW Commission is supposed to consider your thoughts before making decisions.
Among other things, the new list of proposed changes could lead to the elimination of the 40-pound minimum peak draw-weight requirement on archery equipment, more restrictive limits for bass anglers on select lakes, a few more days for the statewide quail season, a mule deer season in some counties currently without such seasons and a change in the minimum age requirement for hunter education certification.
There is even a proposal on the table that could place a minimum length limit on common carp at one Central Texas lake.
The carp proposal might come as a surprise to most anglers. Carp are considered "rough fish" by most standards, and because most anglers don't think the rubber-lipped sucker fish are good for much, they generally don't fall under the protection of state or federal regulations.
Attitudes are somewhat different around Lady Bird Lake (formerly Town Lake). Located in downtown Austin, the 468-acre Colorado River impoundment has gained a reputation as one of the best spots in the world for catching heavyweight carp upwards of 30 pounds.
Lady Bird's prize carp population garnered international attention a few years back when the American Carp Society hosted a carp fishing tournament there. The Texas Carp Challenge attracted contestants from 19 states and from as far away as England and Romania. Tournament rules allowed anglers to use boats to bait holes or to navigate from one designated fishing hole to the next, but all fishing had to be done from the bank. Most anglers camped alongside their sets, and the contestants fished for 120 hours straight.
They caught some giants, too, but none was bigger than the 43-pound, 2-ounce beauty caught by Al St. Cyr. A Denton native, St. Cyr won $250,000 with the bugle-lipped brusier he caught while fishing from the shore between Congress Avenue and Interstate 35.
Another angler, Scott Osmond of Lowell, Mass., won $25,000 for catching four carp with a combined weight of over 130 pounds. Both anglers were fishing on the lake bottom with prepared bait.
The common carp is a fast growing species that is among the most widely distributed fish in America. It is a fierce fighter that is easy to catch from shore using prepared bait. It is believed the fish can live as long as 40 years.
Those factors, coupled with all the hype over the Texas Carp Challenge, opened TPWD's eyes to carp as a potential cash cow that could help hook the urban masses on fishing. The department is proposing a restrictive limit on Lady Bird Lake carp that would protect the big ones from overharvest. The proposal is to allow anglers to retain only one carp longer than 33 inches per day with no limit on carp under 33 inches.
Other noteworthy proposals related to fishing around the state include:
• Limiting anglers to the use of two fishing poles when fishing city or park lakes spanning 75 acres or less in size. The change is meant to prevent anglers from hoarding limited bank-fishing space on certain lakes.
• Implementing a 16-inch maximum length limit on largemouth bass at Lake Nacogdoches. The heavily-pressured lake is currently using a five-fish, 14- to 21-inch slot limit.
The 16-inch maximum length would allow anglers to retain five fish under 16 inches, while enhancing the lake's trophy potential by protecting larger fish from harvest. Anglers could temporarily retain one bass 24 inches or longer to determine if it might qualify for donation to the Bud ShareLunker program.
• Raising the temporary retention length limit on largemouth bass at Purtis Creek Resevoir and Lake Raven from 21 inches to 24 inches. Both state park lakes have a catch-and-release-only rule, but one fish 21 inches or longer under the current rule can be retained for weighing and possible donation to the Bud ShareLunker program.
• Removing the 14-inch minimum length limit on spotted bass at Lake Texoma. The change would bring the lake in line with statewide spotted bass regulations and the proposed regulations on the lake's Oklahoma side.
Hunting proposals
Proposed hunting-related changes around the state include:
• Adding Sherman, Hansford, Gains, Martin and the eastern portion of Andrews counties to the list of Panhandle counties with a fall mule deer season. Hunting would be for bucks only.
According to Clayton Wolf, TPWD big game program leader, portions of the aforementioned counties have huntable populations of mule deer that could withstand a limited harvest without threatening the resource.
"It would increase hunter opportunity, plus it would open the door for some landowners to lease their land for hunting if they want to," Wolf said.
• Repealing or lowering the 40-pound minimum peak draw-weight requirement on bows for taking big game animals and turkeys.
Wolf said the proposal is based largely on technological advancements that have made modern compound bows more effective than ever at killing deer when placed in skilled hands. He said eliminating or reducing the draw-weight restriction would allow more young archers to begin hunting at an earlier age.
Wolf noted that several other states have already eliminated minimum draw-weight requirements on archery equipment or reduced it below the 40-pound mark.
"Some of the comments we've heard thus far lean towards eliminating the draw-weight limit and enhancing the hunter education component as far as shot placement goes," Wolf said. "Others are in favor of eliminating the draw-weight limit on compound bows and keeping the 40-pound limit in place for traditional bow users. There is always the tradeoff of simplicity vs. complexity. We'll just have to see where it ends up. The Commission will have some latitude on what it decides on this proposal."
• Allowing special deer permit tags issued to landowners to satisfy "proof of sex" tagging requirements. Such permits include Managed Lands Deer (MLD), Landowner Assisted Management Permitting System (LAMPS), special public hunting, antlerless mule deer and antlerless and spike control.
• Lowering the minimum age for hunter education certification from 12 to 9. Under the current framework, youngsters under 12 are allowed to take the hunter education course but cannot be officially certified without retaking the course once they turn 12.
Steve Hall, TPWD branch chief of education and outreach, said lowering the minimum age for hunter certification to 9 will fit better with the Texas Youth Hunting program, which is open to youth hunters age 9-17. It also will make Texas hunter certification laws more consistent with other states.
• Extending quail season through the last day of February.
• Expanding the Panhandle pheasant season from 30 to 37 days.
Hearings will be held at several locations around the state beginning Feb. 25 and running through March 14 to gather public input on the proposals. A list of public hearing locations is available on the TPWD Web site at www.tpwd.state.tx.us under the "Regulations" link. Public comments also can be made online by visiting the "Public Comment" link on the Web site.
• Matt Williams' e-mail address is mattwilliams@netdot.com.
Share this story:
Google
Yahoo
digg
del.icio.us
facebook
Slashdot
