NEW REGULATION PROPOSALS will standardize deer and Rio Grande turkey seasons in the north and south hunting zones, set rules concerning shooting a white-tailed buck deer with less than a 13-inch antler spread in antler restriction counties, establishing an experimental mule deer antler restriction in six Panhandle counties, and legalizing air guns and air bows. (Photo by John Jefferson)

 

 

By John Jefferson

 

About this time every year, the cycle of new regulations hits full swing.

The staff assembles and previews new proposals in November, presents the final plans to the Commission in January, and takes them to public hearings prior to final passage at the March Commission meeting, this year on the 22.

These proposals aren’t just whims of bureaucrats in Austin sitting behind desks daydreaming. They originate with wildlife and fisheries biologists and game wardens who spend the year working in the field studying the game and fish resources.

The recommendations are then vetted up through staff and legal authorities before being presented to the Commission and the public. Occasionally, proposals originate from the public by what’s called a Petition for Rule Making.

There are public hearings on proposals, announced in advance in newspapers and on the TPWD website (www.tpwd.Texas.gov). Comments can also be made on the website. The Commission is informed of comments during the public hearing in March.

The public may also appear at that hearing at TPWD headquarters at 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, Texas 78744, and present comments, beginning promptly at 9:00 a.m. Each witness is allowed three minutes to state his opinion.

Additionally, a live online public hearing will occur on March 6 at 12:00 P.M. Details are on the TPWD website.

Does public testimony have any effect? Sometimes it does. The Commission listens. There’s no guarantee the Commission will vote the way you hope it will, but I have seen proposals changed or defeated by public testimony.

This year, simplified largemouth bass regulations are proposed on 12 public lakes, leading the league in public interest by reverting from various length limits to the statewide 14-inch minimum length limit, which governs 80% of the water bodies in Texas.

Lakes reverting to the statewide minimum length are lakes Granbury, Possum Kingdom, Ratcliff, Georgetown, Madisonville, Bryan, Bridgeport, Cooper Lake, Old Mount Pleasant City Lake, Burke-Crenshaw Lake, San Augustine City Lake and Sweetwater Reservoir.

Grapevine Lake will change to no minimum length limit. Fayette County Reservoir, Gibbons Creek Reservoir and Lake Monticello will change their slot length limit to 16-24 inches. Purtis Creek State Park Lake and Lake Raven will adopt a 16-inch minimum length limit instead of catch and release, with an exception for bass to be entered in the Toyota ShareLunker competition.

Lake Bellwood and Davy Crockett Lake will change their maximum length limits to 16 inches, with both lakes having the ShareLunker exception.

Several hunting changes are proposed. The most significant one is extending the North Zone deer and Rio Grande turkey seasons until the third Sunday in January. This will standardize whitetail seasons in both zones, as they should have been.

There was no biological reason for the difference when originally changed in 2001, and none, now. The special late antlerless season, muzzleloading season, and the late youth season will open the Monday following the third Sunday.

Other proposed changes include use of air guns, air bows, and whitetail and mule deer antler restrictions.

JJ