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Texas Public Lands - What allows your hunting rights?

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    Texas Public Lands - What allows your hunting rights?

    With all the issues going on in western states, it got me to thinking about issues of representation.

    What rights do hunters actually have in Texas in regard to public land?

    I've watched as the duck hunting areas have been downsized to make homeowners happy on several of the lakes I hunt. I also know of one area in the DFW that will likely cease to allow hunting in the next 5-10 years. Some anti's even put in for draw only units to keep hunters out.

    Populations keep increasing with percentage of hunters decreasing. I know the western states have things such as Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, but what all do we have?

    #2
    Which lake in dfw do you think will cease hunting?

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      #3
      Originally posted by ktex View Post
      Which lake in dfw do you think will cease hunting?
      Would like to know this as well. I have been hunting nothing, but public land the past probably 10 years.

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        #4
        Originally posted by ktex View Post
        Which lake in dfw do you think will cease hunting?
        Lake Benbrook. I've talked with the folks at the Corp office several times about it and they're not exactly sure how much longer they will keep doing the draw.

        The east side of the lake has seen a huge amount of development in the past 5 years, especially with the Chisolm trail tollway being built. If you drive down Altamesa (by the corp office) you can see that the land sitting along it is either listed for sale or currently being developed.

        Other than hearing "contact your congressman", I haven't ever heard of being able to get anything done about it. I tried a few years ago to get them to do a spring turkey hunt after they said "we're overrun with turkeys". Their response was "we think we offer enough hunting opportunity by doing the fall draw hunts."
        Last edited by Kirby86; 02-01-2017, 12:26 PM.

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          #5
          It is awfully built up around there.

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            #6
            Originally posted by Kirby86 View Post
            Some anti's even put in for draw only units to keep hunters out.
            They had been doing that for years in the big thicket hunting areas. Permits are free, but only a limited number of permits issued and they would get everyone in their family one without them even being present. The NPS stopped that a couple years ago by requiring a valid current hunting license for each person who got a permit and requiring every person who was issued a permit to be present even children! They used to be out in a matter of days (or hours 15 years ago), this year, they had plenty of permits up to at least Nov 1!



            Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

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              #7
              There is a Texas chapter of BHA.

              https://www.facebook.com/groups/Texa...ountryHunters/

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                #8
                I've seen it happen in my lifetime at both richland creek and gus engeling WMA's, they both used to be type 2 public land until 1999-2000, all you had to do was buy the $48 APH permit and you could bowhunt deer all season, 14,000 acres at RC, 10,000 acres at GE. Now both place offer very limited draws, RC hasn't even done a draw deer hunt for the last 2 years. Duck hunting at RC is limited to monday/wednesday/saturday until noon and his year GE is even requiring a draw for hog hunting, both places are very regulated and restricted compared to how they used to be.
                Last edited by bossbowman; 02-01-2017, 12:57 PM.

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                  #9
                  I live in the Hill Country so there is no walk in public land deer hunting.

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                    #10
                    I've put in for all the RC and GE draws for over a decade, haven't drawn RC since 2006, been lucky enough to drawn GE three times myself and once for my nephew but nothing since the online draw system started.

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                      #11
                      To my knowledge there's no group actively advocating on behalf public land hunters in Texas.

                      As someone mentioned there's a chapter of the BHA, though a good group they're focus seems to mostly be on western states.

                      There's definitely a need for such a group in Texas.

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                        #12
                        Originally posted by B Littleton View Post
                        Thank you for the link!


                        Originally posted by BigLig View Post
                        To my knowledge there's no group actively advocating on behalf public land hunters in Texas.

                        As someone mentioned there's a chapter of the BHA, though a good group they're focus seems to mostly be on western states.

                        There's definitely a need for such a group in Texas.
                        I know the argument will be that only 2% of Texas is public land. For as big as it is, that's still over a million acres.

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                          #13
                          I've hunted and/or fished public lands in 14 different states. Texas, by far, is the most difficult and has the least amount of access to those lands. That being said, I do live in DFW, and that adds some frustrations, but I've managed. Kirby, I know you have as well.... quite well, I might add.
                          I'd love to see an active group fighting for public land rights in TX. We'll never, or likely never, gain access to more of it, but it's certainly worth protecting what we have. If you live and hunt in North Texas/DFW, you know it's not just Benbrook at risk. They are all at risk. Every one of them. Losing public lands affect effect hunters, fisherman, hikers, campers, bikers, bird watchers, conservationists, etc etc etc. It'd be terrible to lose them.

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                            #14
                            I recently joined BHA, but I'm going to see what all kind of options there are.

                            On their website, BHA lists "access" as being one of the main issues.

                            I don't know what all can be done, but some of the issues with Richland Chambers might be worth being brought up. At the end of the day, Corp of Engineer property is the same as federal land out west as far as I'm concerned. Our tax dollars pay for it, so we should have a voice in how it's managed. Especially when it's in our backyard and even more so if we can prove that it has not been managed well.

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                              #15
                              Well congratulations Kirby, looks like you are now the first President of the TX Public Land Hunters Association. Joking aside, I would join and or help out if something like this did exist.

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