Texas Hunting Leases

AUSTIN, Texas — With the approval of season dates and bag limits Aug. 23, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission set the parameters for what could be one of the best waterfowl hunting season in many years.

Vernon Bevill, program director for small game at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, presented the commission with data showing near record duck populations building to the north and improved habitat conditions on the breeding grounds and awaiting them in Texas. This year’s North American waterfowl spring breeding population survey showed populations of the 10 most popular duck species was up 14 percent over last year with an estimated 41.2 million birds. These counts are the highest since 2000 and just below the all-time record of 43.8 million ducks recorded in 1999.

Texas, along with four other states in the Central Flyway, will be in the second year of an experimental Hunter’s Choice bag limit during the 2007-08 seasons. The Hunter’s Choice allows hunters to shoot five ducks daily, but only one in the aggregate of certain species. In the aggregate category of one bird could be either a mallard hen, or a pintail, or a canvasback, or a “dusky duck” (mottled, black duck or Mexican-like duck) . Since hunters are more likely to take a mallard, the mallard hen thus buffers the other less abundant species.

The general duck season length will be the same as last year in the North and South Zones at 74 days and up seven days in the High Plains Mallard Management Unit to 96 days.

Here are this year’s waterfowl hunting seasons and bag limits:

Early Teal — Sept. 15-23 in the HPMMU and Sept. 15-30 in the remainder of the state, bag limit of four teal in the aggregate. (Previously approved by the commission May 24.)

North and South Zones — Youth-only season Oct. 27–28, regular season Nov. 3–25 and Dec. 8–Jan. 27.

High Plains Mallard Management Unit — Youth-only season Oct. 13–14; Oct. 20–21 and Oct. 26–Jan. 27 for the regular season.

The proposed daily bag limit for all ducks is five and may include no more than two redheads, two scaup, two wood ducks, and one aggregate “Hunter’s Choice” duck.

Eastern Goose Zone — White-fronted geese: Nov. 3–Jan. 13; Canada and light geese: Nov. 3–Jan. 27.The daily bag limit is three Canada, two white-fronted and 20 light geese.

Western Goose Zone — Nov. 3–Feb. 5 with a daily bag limit of five dark geese, of which four may be Canada geese and one white-fronted. The bag limit on light geese is 20 per day.

The possession limit is twice the daily bag limit for Canada and white-fronted geese and no possession limit for “light geese.”

The Light Goose Conservation Order will start at the close of the regular goose seasons and run through March 30 in both zones.

Sandhill Crane Zone A — Nov. 3-Feb. 3 with a daily bag limit of three.

Sandhill Crane Zone B — Nov. 23-Feb. 3 with a daily bag limit of three.

Sandhill Crane Zone C — Dec. 22-Jan. 27 with a daily bag limit of two.

Brad Paisley’s hit song “Ticks” has come at time where checking for them on something other than a wife or girlfriend may be a good idea for South Texas hunters and ranchers.    Hunters along the Rio Grande from Del Rio to Brownsville as well as Starr, Maverick, Dimmit and Webb counties are being notified that the state quarantine zone has been expanded by the Texas Animal Health Commission.  Under this quarantine, landowners may be required to treat deer and exotic populations for the disease. Hunters should leave harvested animal hides behind and both are encouraged to call the TAHC for inspections.

The disease does not affect humans but can be devastating to untreated cattle.  Texas Cattle Fever has a history dating back to 1886 where cattle in Illinois were killed by infected herds moving in from Texas cattle drives.  Cattle in Texas have long been treated for ticks by using a dipping method developed on the King Ranch by Robert Kleberg.  However, Mexican herds still carry the disease over the border where wildlife can be infected.  Modern ways of treating deer populations include a “four-poster” method designed to distribute tickicide to the head, neck and ears while feeding.  This method was originated by some Kerrville scientists for other tick-transmitted diseases such as Lyme disease.  “Use of ivermectin-treated corn and 4-poster technology is vital to the ongoing campaign to eradicate cattle-fever ticks introduced to southern Texas on hosts such as cattle, horses, white-tailed deer, or exotic ungulate wildlife that come across the Rio Grande from Mexico,” says entomologist John George, who leads the research at Kerrville. “By using all our resources and knowledge, it will be possible to minimize or eliminate ticks on white-tailed deer and other ungulate wildlife, keeping U.S. cattle free of Texas fever.”

When hunting these areas of South Texas, make sure that you work closely with your land owner and the local state and health officials to keep this disease in check.  The Texas cattle industry is an important one to our state and is connected to providing private hunting lands that we all enjoy

Earlier this summer, I was approached to attend a fundraiser for the Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation in honor of Mr. Alfred C. Glassell, Jr.  At the time of the conversation, all I focused on were the words “Texas Parks & Wildlife” and not the honoree.  Mainly because I am passionate about former and really did not know who the latter was.  I figured him to be some big donor who was getting his well earned recognition.  A few weeks later, I received my formal invitation in the mail with a brief overview of the guest of honor for the event.  His biography encompassed everything I wish I could be or become as an outdoorsman, businessman and citizen.  His resume’ was right out of an Earnest Hemingway story with a little John Wayne and Texas “Oil Tycoon” all wrapped into one.  As I researched him more on the internet, I knew that I was going to meet a man of his time and an outdoors legend that I had never even heard of.

Mr. Glassell was a native of Louisiana and went on to serve in WWII in North Africa and Europe.  After the war, he became a successful businessman in Texas.  He devoted his free time to marine biology research, outdoorsmanship, civic affairs, philanthropy and the arts.  He donated his extensive collections of African gold art to the Houston Museum of Fine Art and established Houston’s Glassell School of Art.  He has been recognized for many other civic and business contributions as well.

As an outdoorsman, Mr. Glassell had few equals.  He was particularly fond of upland game and was a member of both Ducks and Quail Unlimited.  He is known as a prominent rancher and a proficient quail hunter.  However, it was his landing of a 1,560 pound marlin in 1953 which put his legend on the map.  The fish still holds the record as the largest marlin ever taken on a handheld rod and reel and placed him in the IGFA hall of fame.  The footage of the catch was used in Ernest Hemingway’s movie The Old Man and the Sea.

There are not many men left like Mr. Glassell.  He is a true outdoorsman’s outdoorsman and a Texas gentleman.  In many ways, he is also a symbol of his adopted state.  It was a true pleasure to have met him.