Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

It’s illegal for hunters to track deer with dogs. And Game Warden, Major Robert Carlson, says violators can be relentless.

For decades we have had the running deer with dog issue and some 20 years ago when they made it illegal, we just had a significant number of folks that just wouldn’t quit it. We have been actively working on reducing the number of calls, the number of violations that occur with hunting deer with dogs.

Wardens developed strategies to deal with the crime.

Some of the things we’ve done is for 3 years during deer season we had special operations where we brought in about a dozen wardens from across the state. Every time one of the violators loaded a dog, we made sure they seen a Game Warden truck. And so that reduced their opportunity to actually hunt.

A change in the law helped Wardens with enforcement.

Basically what those law changes, and proclamation changes did, was it helped us because it made the offense of hunting deer with dogs easier to prove and it also made it a higher class misdemeanor with the opportunity for it to become a felony with subsequent charges.

That’s our show for today…we had research and writing help from Loren Seeger…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

East Texas is known for more than its pine trees. It’s also known for being the only place in the state where running deer with dogs is commonplace.

Running deer with dogs is an illegal “sport” whereby a dog owner sends Fido into the woods to flush deer into the open. If the dog’s master correctly calculates the outcome of the chase, his prize is a clear shot at a whitetail. Game Warden Major Robert Carlson.

The dog trails the deer and the sport of it is for me [as the dog’s owner] to determine where that deer is going to cross the road and that’s where I need to be standing for me to shoot the deer. When they’re doing this, they’re running across people’s personal property. You know, it just boils down to that was a legal activity years ago, but you were supposed to shoot them on your property. You don’t have a right to turn a dog loose for it to wreak havoc on everybody’s personal property.

Running deer with dogs was made illegal twenty years ago. Major Carlson says this unlawful sport persists, and interferes with those who hunt deer legally.

What happens is with the deer running through there on a semi-regular basis, well that keeps the deer heard stirred up and run off so that the legal hunters can’t hunt either.

Beefing up efforts to eliminate the activity is tomorrow.

That’s our show for today…with research and writing help from Loren Seeger…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Wildlife Restoration Program

With your hunting license, a $48 annual public hunting permit, and the two map booklets of public and private hunting lands, a great hunting experience is closer than you think.

Just for dove hunting alone, this program has a hundred and fifty-five areas in the public dove and small game map booklet. And another fifty areas in the annual public hunting lands map booklet. So, over two-hundred areas just for small game.

Dove season opens September first in the North and Central Zones. Kelly Edmiston, public hunting program specialist, says there’s more than dove and small game on these lands.

There’s also deer and feral hogs and spring turkey and a lot of waterfowl. So, for forty-eight dollars and a hunting license, you can hunt a lot of game birds and a lot of game animals.

And the heavy rains this year mean we could see improved hunting statewide.

All of this rain, believe it or not – in spite of what a lot of people think – is happening almost at the right time, because what’s happening is everything is greening up and the habitat is improving. It’s improving to the point that I think, probably come this fall, a lot of people will notice that the hunting is going to be better.

Public hunting permits go on sale August fifteenth wherever licenses are sold. Find more information at passporttotexas.org.

Our show receives support from the Wildlife restoration program…working to increase shooting and hunting opportunities in Texas. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Link to 2007-2008 Hunting Seasons [You will Need Acrobat Reader]
Link to Hunter Education Information

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Wildlife Restoration Program

With the fall hunting season looming on the horizon, now is the time to apply for drawn public hunts.

A lot of our deadlines have changes from previous years so people who want to apply need to check our website or look at their public hunting lands booklet to make sure that they get their application in by the deadline.

Kelly Edmiston is a public hunting program specialist. Special drawings for controlled hunts — offered through the Public Hunting Program – make affordable, quality hunting experiences a reality for thousands of hunters annually.

This year we’ve added three new categories: an archery mule deer, a gun mule deer, and a private lands pronghorn hunt.

If being drawn for an archery or pronghorn hunt is your dream, register now.

Mid-August, August sixteenth, is going to be the deadline for all of our archery hunts and all of our pronghorn hunts. Basically what we want to do is have people selected and have their attendance confirmed and their permit fees sent in and their permits given back to them in time for the archery season, which is an early season.

Depending on the hunt, expect to pay a non-refundable application fee of either three or ten dollars per hunt. Other fees may apply. Find links to drawn public hunts information at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…with support from the Wildlife restoration program…working to increase shooting and hunting opportunities in Texas

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Link to Fishing License Information
Link to Hunting License Information
Link to Big Time Texas Hunt Information
Link to Public Hunting Information

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Wildlife Restoration Program

Hunting and fishing licenses for the 2007-2008 seasons go on sale statewide this month.

The new season, dove season, opens September first. It’s on a Saturday. I think it would be a very good idea for hunters to start buying their licenses and their super combos as soon as our sales season opens, which is August fifteenth.

Tom Newton manages licensing at Texas Parks and Wildlife. Buying your license early is like planning your morning commute; you can sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic or you can leave early and breeze through. Whether you buy licenses now or later — be aware of two changes.

We had a license that we called a special resident license that encompassed young hunters and the older hunters. And we took that licenses and we split it into two. Now we’re going to have one senior and one youth hunter. The other thing that we’ve done…our temporary day plus licenses have been consolidated into one single license; we had twelve.

Now there’s a one day license for residents and a one day license for non-residents.

Which will un-complicate things considerably.

Get your licenses online, or at 17-hundred retailers statewide, state parks, game warden offices and Texas Parks and Wildlife headquarters. Find license links at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…with support from the Wildlife restoration program…working to increase shooting and hunting opportunities in Texas.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Link to Fishing License Information
Link to Hunting License Information
Link to Big Time Texas Hunt Information
Link to Public Hunting Information

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