Know the rules before heading afield to hunt

Two things are certain over the coming three days as Texas' South Zone dove season opens Friday and the 16-day teal season heads into the second weekend: as many as 200,000 wingshooters will go afield across Texas, and some of them will be issued citations for violation of state or federal hunting regulations.

A handful of those citations will be for overt, egregious acts such as trespassing with a firearm or taking more than the daily bag limit while knowingly hunting migratory birds over bait - there are, it seems, a few dishonorable and dishonest members in any group as large and diverse as Texas' million-plus-member hunting community.

But the huge majority of the citations will be for violations that might charitably be termed "sins of omission" or, more likely, the result of laziness, inattention or just plain ignorance, feigned or real.

"By far, the majority of the folks we contact - 96-97 percent of them - are in full compliance with the regulations," Maj. Larry Young of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's law enforcement division said of the hunters the agency's 500 or so game wardens encounter while enforcing the state's hunting regulations. "But there are some who, for whatever reasons, aren't."

Jim Stinebaugh agreed.

"Almost all of the people we see are just enjoying the day, being responsible and doing it right," said Stinebaugh, a Houston-based special agent for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Office of Law Enforcement.

The majority of those wingshooters who aren't "doing it right" are violating one of a half-dozen state or federal regulations, all of which are simple to avoid transgressing.

Hunter education

More than half of the approximately 1,000 hunting-related citations Texas game wardens issued to dove hunters through the first 10 days or so of the 2014 season, which opened Sept. 1 in the Central and North zones, were for violations of the state's hunter education requirements.

"Far and away, (hunter education requirements) account for the most citations; nothing else is even close," Young said.

Since 1988, Texas has required hunters born on or after Sept. 2, 1971 to have taken and passed a state-approved hunter education course and carry proof of that certification while hunting. Those who fall under the requirement but have not taken the course are allowed to purchase a one-time, season-long deferral for $10 and are required to hunt under the supervision of an adult hunter who has hunter education certification or is exempt from the requirement by age.

Despite Texas' requirement having been in effect for more than 25 years and, currently, covering all hunters 42 years old or younger as of this Sept. 2, Texas game wardens hear the same excuses when they check a hunter who doesn't have the certification.

"The usual response is, 'I didn't know I had to have it,' " Young said.

Other violations

Ignorance or inattention are the usual excuse for two of the other most-common violations state and federal wardens encounter when checking dove and teal hunters.

"Unplugged shotguns and possession of lead shot are ones we see fairly often," Young said.

Federal and state law prohibits hunting dove, teal or other migratory game birds with a shotgun capable of holding more than three shotshells. Most pump-action and semi-automatic shotguns can hold as many as five shotshells unless a wooden or plastic plug is inserted in the magazine.

Federal and state laws prohibit possession of lead shot, toxic to birds if they ingest spent lead pellets, while hunting waterfowl such as teal. Lead shot is allowed for dove hunting. And that can lead to problems.

Hunters who use the same gear for hunting doves and teal should make certain they remove any lead shotshells before teal hunting, Stinebaugh said.

Wardens have the discretion to issue warnings to hunters found in what is obviously an unintentional violation of the lead shot prohibition. But they don't have to. And the fine for possessing lead shot while hunting waterfowl is as much as $500.

Other most-often-seen violations include no valid hunting license, no state migratory bird hunting stamp and no federal migratory bird hunting stamp. Some of those violations are intentional, committed by folks who know the rules but hope they won't get caught. But many times they result from hunters not taking the time to learn the rules governing their recreation. Both are crimes.

Young and Stinebaugh said they encourage hunters to take the time and the responsibility to familiarize themselves with license requirements and hunting regulations before heading afield. It makes for better days afield for both hunters and the officers.

Unfortunately, a few hundred dove and teal a hunters are likely to learn that lesson the hard way this weekend.