Dumb hunting regulations

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Flintnapper
TEXAS:

^^^^^ With one notable exception. Curiously...the 'State' does not claim ownership of Feral Hogs (even though they regulate certain aspects of transporting or keeping them).

You will not find the State accepting any responsibility for Feral Hogs.

Feral Hogs have been reclassified as 'Exotic Livestock' and as such... belong to the Land Owner on whose property they reside (certain requisites apply). Ownership is secured (whether you like it or not) when express 'control' of the animal is at play.

Texas Agriculture Code Section 161.002.

Sec. 161.002
Caretaker of Animal
(a)

A person is subject to this chapter as the caretaker of an animal and is presumed to control the animal if the person:
(1)
is the owner or lessee of the pen, pasture, or other place in which the animal is located and has control of that place; or
(2)
exercises care or control over the animal.
(b)
This section does not limit the care and control of an animal to any person.

^^^^^^ As written....IF you are the Land Owner and have 'control' of your place....then by default you own the Hogs. (Whether you want them or not). :(

Until...of course, they cross the fence-line and then your neighbor owns the hogs. Until...they come back...and become YOUR hogs again.

But in no wise do they belong to the State (unless on State Property).

Yep, I was talking about state regulated game animals. Hogs are not game animals and we kill them whenever we can using any means possible.
 
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Kinda like Spring turkey here, it is half hour before sunrise until noon. And fall season overlaps with bow season now. Between bow season and working six days a week from April untill September, I don't even bother with turkey anymore. Which is kinda a bummer
Same here! I quit going because the closest place that actually held a huntable amount of turkey is over an hour away and its not worth hunting for 5hrs and then going home. Anyone know exactly why they cut it off at noon?
 
Along with no job hunting we can't take fissurecats. They kill ground nesting birds like grouse, and pheasants leading to reduced numbers and shorter seasons with lower bag limits.

I have heard similar sentiments about other predators. For some reason, we blame the predators for doing exactly what they have been doing for millenia before humans were part, or a significant part of the issue. Hunters want to kill the ground nesting birds as well, but nobody is advocating taking them out of the equation.

Pheasants, meh. An artificially introduced non-native Asian species brought in simply for the enjoyment of hunters in the 1880s and early 1900s.
 
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I'd bet that the beer and wine stores in Idaho buy directly from the beer and wine distribution companies, not from the state?
Oh yeah. None of the stores that sell beer and wine in Idaho have to buy from the state liquor dispensary - with the proper licenses (state, county, and sometimes city, I think) they buy from privately owned distributors. It's just hard liquor sold by the bottle that's sold only through Idaho State Liquor Dispensaries. I'm not sure, but I think Utah might have similar laws.:)
 
Oh yeah. None of the stores that sell beer and wine in Idaho have to buy from the state liquor dispensary - with the proper licenses (state, county, and sometimes city, I think) they buy from privately owned distributors. It's just hard liquor sold by the bottle that's sold only through Idaho State Liquor Dispensaries. I'm not sure, but I think Utah might have similar laws.:)
And yet in Nevada, every C-store and grocery store and drug store sells all types of alcohol and all have slots. As to regs, NV was one buck only and that is only IF you were lucky enough to even draw a tag. Elk, sheep and mountain goat were once in a lifetime; antelope was once every 5 years; again IF you were lucky to draw a tag. I knew one guy where I worked that applied for 23 years for an antelope tag; never got one. Finally went to Wyoming.

Each state needs to assess their game animal population and make the determination as to what can be hunted, when, and how many can be taken.
That can't be done when folks think they should have the right to shoot them anytime and as many as they want simply because they might be on their land at the moment.
 
Each state needs to assess their game animal population and make the determination as to what can be hunted, when, and how many can be taken.
That can't be done when folks think they should have the right to shoot them anytime and as many as they want simply because they might be on their land at the moment.
"That's for sure and for certain." Quigley :)
 
There was a time when the whitewing dove season in Texas was Sept 1//2 and 8/9. You couldn't begin to shoot until noon. Why? I never met anybody who could tell me the why of it.
It used to be that way for pheasants in Idaho - on opening day we couldn't start shooting until noon. It was pretty rough on a 14 year-old boy (me) and his bird dog (ol' Susie).;)
For all I know, it might still be that way here. I haven't gone pheasant hunting on opening day in a while. In fact, the last time I went pheasant hunting was on Thanksgiving morning 4 years ago. I fell down and broke my right ankle on both sides, and put a spiral break up my right fibula. When it was all over, our oldest grandson told my wife, "Don't let grandpa go hunting by himself anymore.":uhoh:
 
Explains a lot about rules like no closed season on rabbits when we have very few rabbits any more, but a limited season on crows where we have tens of thousands on crows.

'Floriduh' has no closed season on rabbits also and they used to have no bag limit. Now the bag limit is 12/day. However, we have no open season on foxes.The way I understand this is the G&F Commission (read politicians) figured out that if foxes were killed, rabbits would take over the state and eat it into a desert. Therefore non-native red fox and native gray fox are protected year-round. I have only seen two live rabbits in the last year and none dead on the side of the road.

The crow deal is due to the USF&WS trying to make a deal with Mexico to set limits and seasons on migratory waterfowl. Mexico essentially said, "The US has no limits or seasons on crows so why should we have them on ducks and geese?" So the US set seasons on crows to get Mexico to limit the killing of waterfowl.
BTW, I have hunted ducks in Mexico several times and they pay no attention to the 15/day limit on ducks.
 
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There was a time when the whitewing dove season in Texas was Sept 1//2 and 8/9. You couldn't begin to shoot until noon. Why? I never met anybody who could tell me the why of it.

When I used to read news papers, there were always folks moving away from “urban sprawl” and complaining about the gunfire at dawn, the 1st day of Sept.

Maybe waiting until lunch time on the first day was a “get ready for it city slicker” thing?

Possession laws were always another one. We would always hunt all year and have a big cookout or 2-3 with everyone. So many times we would breast out the birds from a number of hunters. Technically the one that drove them home was breaking the law. Not to mention when you’ve got a couple hundred birds all in one spot ready for bacon and jalapeños. Umm, I miss thoes days.
 
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Being required to wear hunter orange (jacket or vest) during rifle season in a “bow only” hunting area. The warden actually told me it’s for if someone was hunting with a rifle illegally in the area, they could see the other hunters. But you’re not required to wear it once in the stand.
 
There was a time when the whitewing dove season in Texas was Sept 1//2 and 8/9. You couldn't begin to shoot until noon. Why? I never met anybody who could tell me the why of it.

Those 'special whitewing days' are still in effect.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/regs/animals/dove

Typically, when you see 'express/special' days or limited hunting hours set forth...it is an effort to control the harvest.

In this case probably 'cutting the doves some slack' since hunters are being provided 4 days to hunt them that begin a full 2 weeks before the regular season (South Zone).

By restricting the hunting hours to begin at noon...this ensures that 'most' Dove will have been afforded an opportunity to leave their overnight roosts, feed, water and gravel and then return to roost. The morning 'feed' for dove is a very active time.

Most dove hunters (save for opening day), will not be out in the fields mid-day...simply because most of the birds have already returned to their roosts. Not until the afternoon/evening 'feed' will they be very active again.

So in this way (limiting both the amount of time the hunter has AND when the birds are most active)... the harvest is somewhat controlled. I'm sure it doesn't work on properties where the birds are high in numbers though. I've hunted many ranches in South Texas and Central Texas where it was no problem to 'limit out' in an hours time in the evening.
 
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Historically, whitewings resided in the lower reaches of the Rio Grande. They migrated south after the season. In 1986 a late hurricane hit northeastern Mexico. It blew both mourning doves and whitewings back into the US. I even had some whitewings show up at my place in Terlingua, well upriver from Del Rio. Many of both species stayed through the winter; did not " re-migrate".

In following years, the whitewings began moving north and nesting. Davis Mountains. Austin. Dallas to Lubbock. That seems like an incredible expansion of both nesting habitat and numbers of birds.
 
There are no dumb hunting regulations, just dumb hunters who don't understand the regulation. Some of the dumbest ones are the ones who really just don't want to follow the regulations like everyone else had done for years and years. So they deliberately play dumb.
 
Historically, whitewings resided in the lower reaches of the Rio Grande. They migrated south after the season. In 1986 a late hurricane hit northeastern Mexico. It blew both mourning doves and whitewings back into the US. I even had some whitewings show up at my place in Terlingua, well upriver from Del Rio. Many of both species stayed through the winter; did not " re-migrate".

In following years, the whitewings began moving north and nesting. Davis Mountains. Austin. Dallas to Lubbock. That seems like an incredible expansion of both nesting habitat and numbers of birds.

Yes, we moved from Austin in the mid 80's and at that time...white wings were nonexistent until you got down about as far South as Cotulla (South Texas), but in the years since then....I would say that white wings now equal (if not surpass) the population of Mourning Dove in Travis & Williamson Counties (Austin).

Amazing how things can change in a relatively short period of time.

A little further off-topic, Feral Hogs were not to be found in central Texas as late as the early 80's. The lone exception being a small herd around 'Volente' on Lake Travis. Now pretty much the entire State has a population.
 
There are no dumb hunting regulations, just dumb hunters who don't understand the regulation. Some of the dumbest ones are the ones who really just don't want to follow the regulations like everyone else had done for years and years. So they deliberately play dumb.

Ah, clearly then you have studied them all and understand the reasoning behind them all to make such a blanket statement.
Perhaps you can shed your wisdom and enlighten us on the reasoning behind this regulation?

You can't hunt with a .45 -70 cartridge rifle launching a 405 grain all lead projectile using 70 grains of black powder, BUT you can hunt with a muzzle loader using 70 grains of black powder launching an all lead 410 grain projectile.

LD
 
Ah, clearly then you have studied them all and understand the reasoning behind them all to make such a blanket statement.
Perhaps you can shed your wisdom and enlighten us on the reasoning behind this regulation?

You can't hunt with a .45 -70 cartridge rifle launching a 405 grain all lead projectile using 70 grains of black powder, BUT you can hunt with a muzzle loader using 70 grains of black powder launching an all lead 410 grain projectile.

LD

I'm not sure I am following you. Is this in reference to a special 'muzzle loader season' in your State?
 
I guess I've been lucky. My active deer hunting years had me with access to land with plenty of deer. No incentive to cheat on the rules. So, I didn't bother. :)

Poaching for money is understandable: People do Bad Stuff for money. Rob banks, snatch purses, sell dope, rob stores. Alla samee bad news.

I've compared Texas and Georgia game laws about predators. Texas is easy; the only control is the sale of hides. Georgia has (had?) all manner of control of cartridge size, lights, time of day, yada, yada, yada. When I first came over here from Texas and read the rules I thought, "Dumb!" :)
 
I'm not sure I am following you. Is this in reference to a special 'muzzle loader season' in your State?

No, you can use a muzzle loader in both the "gun" and the "muzzle loader" seasons in my state. Yet, in many counties in my state you cannot use a cartridge rifle to hunt deer though you can use a shotgun, AND you can use a muzzle loader that not only duplicates a breech loaded cartridge, you can exceed the power and the range of several different cartridges. Simply by using a rifle loaded from the muzzle instead of at the breech. ;)
The following cartridges that are available in rifles that may be met with a muzzle loader in foot-pounds of energy, that are not allowed:
.44 magnum
41 magnum
.357 Magnum
.45-70 govt
.38-55 Winchester
and the list goes on....


LD
 
Aren't there states back east that have no hunting on Sundays regulations? Those sounds like pretty "dumb regulations" to me.
In St. Cloud, Mn it's illegal to eat a hamburger on Sunday, so I can believe just about any dumb gov regulation. Its also illegal to cross the Wisconsin border with a chicken on your head. Doubt it's enforced.

I dont have a hard time believing what the politicians regulate or enforce, no matter how stupid it may be.
 
In St. Cloud, Mn it's illegal to eat a hamburger on Sunday, so I can believe just about any dumb gov regulation. Its also illegal to cross the Wisconsin border with a chicken on your head. Doubt it's enforced.

I dont have a hard time believing what the politicians regulate or enforce, no matter how stupid it may be.

Yeah, not being able to cross into WI with a chicken on your head is a pretty silly law. Fortunately, they have avian/cranial laws that matter. You can't cross any border of Minnesota with a duck on your head...and really this is the one that matters, isn't it?
https://1037theloon.com/dumb-minnes...ncluding-st-clouds-hamburgers-on-sundays-law/
 
No, you can use a muzzle loader in both the "gun" and the "muzzle loader" seasons in my state. Yet, in many counties in my state you cannot use a cartridge rifle to hunt deer though you can use a shotgun, AND you can use a muzzle loader that not only duplicates a breech loaded cartridge, you can exceed the power and the range of several different cartridges. Simply by using a rifle loaded from the muzzle instead of at the breech. ;)
The following cartridges that are available in rifles that may be met with a muzzle loader in foot-pounds of energy, that are not allowed:
.44 magnum
41 magnum
.357 Magnum
.45-70 govt
.38-55 Winchester
and the list goes on....
LD

So then what is their intent? It doesn't seem to be power factor related. Must be something else.

Muzzle loaders (rifles) are 'single shot' firearms, but there are single shot cartridge rifles as well...so I can't see that being the reason (not allowing repeating rifles)?
 
So then what is their intent? It doesn't seem to be power factor related. Must be something else.

As a matter of fact they do look at power factor. To hunt with a cartridge from a handgun you must meet a specific minimum caliber AND 700 ft.lbs. of energy, and for a rifle you must meet 1200 ft.lbs. of energy.
What happened is a bunch of the counties were worried folks would shoot-out-of-safe, so they decided to ban cartridge rifles for deer hunting, but to keep shotguns. Simpler to simply say, "no cartridge rifles here". They also years ago for humane reasons banned buckshot from shotguns, AND banned the .410 slug.
They didn't look hard at muzzle loaders, nor at what a shotgun slug will do nor how far it will actually travel.

LD
 
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