Hunting can be a very intriguing but daunting activity to get involved in as a first-time hunter. You may want to experience hunting for many reasons, including a better connection to where your food comes from, eating meat that raised itself and has a better impact on the environment, deepening one’s connection to place and our history as people, or just participating in something new that you and your friends haven’t experienced yet. All these reasons push many individuals, including myself, into hunting.
Though hunting for the first time may be exciting, getting started for someone with no connection to hunting can seem somewhat inaccessible due to all the rules and regulations associated with the activity. Hunting has many regulations in every state of the U.S., and for good reason. Implementing these regulations keeps all participants safe, controls populations while ensuring healthy ecosystems for future generations, and encourages fair and ethical relationships between hunters and wildlife. All such regulations and their rationale derive from hunters and outdoorspeople who increasingly became more aware of how their positive and negative actions impacted the wildlife and environments they loved.
The resources and questions in this article review the basics of federal and state laws. Even after you go through this guide, more research will be needed to comply fully.
Paperwork You Must Have on You
Texas requires all hunters to have a hunter education certificate from any U.S. state or province. Hunter education is an in-person or online course that teaches the basics of firearm and archery safety, wildlife laws, and ethical hunting. This course is a great way to build confidence concerning successful and safe hunting. Here is a link to Texas Parks and Wildlife's (TPWD) page for acceptable hunter education courses both online and in person: Hunter Education.
Some people may be exempt from hunter education. Anyone born before September 2, 1971, does not need hunter education, but is highly recommended. Individuals under 17 years of age can be accompanied without having hunter education. "Accompanied" means being with someone who is at least 17 years of age and has obtained hunter education (except for those born before September 2, 1971).
The next crucial item that all Texas hunters must have on them is a Texas state hunting license or a Non-Resident General hunting license if you are from out of state. Unlike the hunter education course which does not expire, a hunting license expires yearly and needs renewal yearly. Here is the link to Texas state hunting licenses: Hunting Licenses.
You may need an "endorsement", depending on what you are hunting. These endorsements are usually small fee certifications that help Texas understand who is hunting specific animals and the harvest rate. This information is helpful when making further laws that help protect populations. You will need one of these endorsements if you are hunting migratory birds, upland game birds, waterfowl, reptiles, amphibians, or using archery equipment. Here, you can find TPWD's link to endorsements: Hunting Endorsements — Texas Parks & Wildlife Department.
Without getting too specific and listing out every regulation for every animal hunted, these three items are a must and an excellent place to start. Make sure you are doing more research on the specific animal you want to hunt and the required paperwork needed.
Blaze Orange Requirements
The required hunting gear varies based on location and what you are hunting, but a few basic rules are consistent throughout Texas.
The first is Blaze Orange. Though it may feel counterproductive to hunt looking like a giant bright traffic cone, Texas requires you to wear blaze orange clothing on public lands for certain hunts. The specific requirement is 400 square inches of orange material, including headgear with 144 square inches on the chest and back. If you are hunting any of the following: turkey, migratory birds, alligators, and desert bighorn sheep, then you do not have to wear orange. Wearing orange ensures the safety of all participants!
What Can I Hunt in Texas
With so many ecoregions, including mountainous deserts, vast grasslands, and humid dripping-wet swamps, Texas offers a vast diversity of game animals. Seasons by Animal & Category is an excellent resource for finding information about game animals. You will find each animal's hunting season by county, bag limits, a map of where to hunt, specific permits and endorsements needed for this animal, how to verify the sex of an animal, and how to tag and report harvests.
Means and Methods of Harvest
Hunting tools used depend on the animal, season, and location. Texas is open to various methods, including various types of firearms, air rifles, archery, falconry, and trapping. For a helpful resource that discusses the means for each animal, reference this resource: Definitions: Migratory Game Bird — Texas Parks & Wildlife Department.
Where to Hunt and What Questions to Ask
Texas offers over one million acres of public land to hunt. Each public land’s location abides by the overarching state regulations on hunting while offering its own restrictions. An example is that although the state of Texas allows an open season and no bag limit on rabbits with a means of archery, shotgun, rifle, and air rifle, a specific state park within Texas may restrict those laws to rabbit hunting during the winter months with shotgun #2 shot as the only means of harvest. For this reason, do plenty of research and ask the right questions about a place you are trying to hunt.
Questions should include: where on the property can I hunt? What can I hunt and what are the specific seasons and times of day for that specific property? What are the means and methods of harvest for that specific animal? What is the policy on blinds, stands, and clothing I need? What endorsements and permits do I need? Where can I park? What is the policy on cleaning my animal on site?
TPWD has a helpful map (TPWD Public Lands) of locations that allow hunting and answers to some of those questions.
The photo above provides an example of information you’ll find using this resource. This map of a Wildlife Management Area (WMA) provides animals and times of year you can hunt. The map provides some information on the means of harvest and hunting areas. Permits specific to the location are indicated as well. Information on hunting times, what kind of ammo, shot, or projectiles, and other vital information isn’t clear. Fortunately, Most of this information can be found relatively quickly with a quick Google search, calling TPWD, contacting the region’s game warden, looking up the county’s regulations, or calling the location’s office if there is one.
Mentored Hunting Workshops
As a new hunter, it doesn’t take much time researching before you realize how many regulations and restrictions the state of Texas has for hunting. At the same time, you get to see the many resources and opportunities that exist due to the efforts of those who care about preserving wild places. The Mentored Hunting Workshop is a way to learn about all these opportunities and regulations by participating in hunts with experienced TPWD staff. The opportunities are designed for new hunters who have little to no experience. Workshops are offered at various public land locations for a reasonable cost. This link provides information on the program and numbers to call for further questions: Mentored Hunting Workshop.
Resources:
Comments