Texas Hunting Leases

Texas Parks & WIldlife has published its Hunting & Fishing Regulations for the 2009 – 2010 season:

2009-2010 Hunting Seasons & Outdoor Annual

License & Registration Fees

Hunting and fishing licenses for the 2009-2010 license year go on sale August 15, 2009. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission has approved increases to license fees. Most fees will increase by five percent. New prices for the most popular items are listed below:

• Resident hunting license, $25. Senior and youth hunting licenses, $7.
• Non-resident hunting license, $315.
• Resident freshwater fishing package, $30. Senior freshwater package $12.
• Resident saltwater fishing package, $35. Senior saltwater package, $17.
• Non-resident freshwater package, $58.
• Non-resident saltwater package, $63.
• One-day all-water fishing license, $11 for residents, $16 for non-residents.
• Super Combo all-inclusive hunting and fishing license, $68. Senior Super Combo, $32.
• Lifetime hunting or fishing license, $1,000; lifetime combination license, $1,800.  
• Fishing guide license: fresh water, $132. All-water, $1,050.

Fishing Guide License

• Fresh water only: $132 (resident or non-resident)
• All water: $210 Texas resident; $1,050 non-resident
• Guides who utilize paddle craft (canoes, kayaks) in salt water will have a new option: the All-Water Paddle Craft Guide License. A person may qualify for this license by completing an approved series of kayak training courses, along with CPR/First Aid and a TPWD boater safety course. A Paddle Craft guide who does not utilize motorized vessels is not required to have a U.S. Coast Guard Operator’s License.

Fishing Regulations

These changes take effect September 1, 2009.

Salt water

• For flounder, the recreational daily bag limit will decrease from 10 to 5 fish, and the commercial bag limit from 60 to 30 fish. During the month of November, hook and line anglers will be permitted to take 2 flounder per day, with take by all other gear prohibited. Possession limit cannot exceed the daily bag limit. These new regulations represent an attempt to reverse a long-term downward trend in the abundance of southern flounder.
• For sharks:
  • The minimum total length for most species will increase from 24 inches to 64 inches. However, the minimum for Atlantic sharpnose, Blacktip and Bonnethead sharks will remain at 24 inches total length.
  • A prohibited list (zero bag limit) will be established for the following 21 species: Atlantic angel, Basking, Bigeye sand tiger, Bigeye sixgill, Bigeye thresher, Bignose, Caribbean reef, Caribbean sharpnose, Dusky, Galapagos, Longfin mako, Narrowtooth, Night, Sandbar, Sand tiger, Sevengill, Silky, Sixgill, Smalltail, Whale, and White.
  • For allowable shark species, the bag limit will remain one shark per person per day, with a two shark possession limit.
• Limits will change for the following species, with possession limit set at twice the daily bag limit:
  • For greater amberjack, the minimum total length will change from 32 inches to 34 inches.
  • Gray triggerfish will have a minimum total length of 16 inches and a daily bag limit of 20 fish per person.
  • Gag grouper will have a minimum total length of 22 inches and a daily bag limit of 2 fish per person.

Fresh water

• For alligator gar, a new bag limit of one fish per day goes into effect September 1. The bag limit will apply to both recreational and commercial fishing. Read news release
• Lakes Lewisville (Denton County), Richland Chambers (Navarro and Freestone Counties), and Waco (McLennan County) will have a 30- to 45-inch slot limit for blue catfish. Daily bag for channel and blue catfish will remain 25 fish per day, but only one blue catfish over 45 inches may be retained. No harvest of blue catfish between 30 and 45 inches will be allowed.
• On Ray Roberts Lake (Cooke, Denton, and Grayson Counties), there is no longer a slot limit for largemouth bass. Anglers must comply with the statewide minimum of 14 inches, and may retain up to five bass per day.
• On Lake Texoma:
  • The daily bag limit on blue and channel catfish is still 15 fish. However, as of September 1, only one blue catfish 30 inches or longer may be retained.
  • During May, taking alligator gar is prohibited in the portion of the lake that lies within the boundaries of Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge and from the U.S. 377 bridge (Willis Bridge) upstream to the IH 35 bridge.

Hunting Regulations

These changes take effect September 1, 2009.

• Panhandle counties that had the special short season for white-tailed deer now get the full north Texas season, the first Saturday in November through the first Sunday in January. Those counties are: Dallam, Hartley, Moore, Oldham, Potter, and Sherman. Dawson, Deaf Smith, and Martin counties, which had no open season on whitetailed deer, now get the regular open season.
• 52 counties are added to the list of counties with antler restrictions.
• New crossbow rules approved. Crossbows are now allowed for use by all hunters during the archery-only season, except in Grayson County. Grayson retains the old restriction to persons with an upper-limb disability during the archery season. See News Release
• Laser sighting devices approved for hunters with a disability making it impossible to use conventional sighting devices.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in their 2009 Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey, the preliminary duck population grew 13% to 42 million. This year’s estimate is 25% above the 1955-2008 average and is reflective of breeding ponds being 45% above last year’s estimate among other factors.

Some highlights from the survey include:

* Pintail, Canvasback and shoveler populations were up over 20% each.
* Gadwall, Green & Blue-Winged Teal and Redheads are above their long-term averages.
* Ponds increased to 6.4 million – 45% above long-term averages

The spring surveys provide scientific basis for many management programs across the continent including the setting of hunting regulations. The Flyway Councils will meet in July to recommend and adopt the season and bag limits for 2009-10 and the individual states will follow soon thereafter.