What animals are considered livestock?

[RiverRat1]

The State doesn't own livestock like they do white tail deer.

But yet I believe a person needs a hunting license to hunt exotics. But if a rancher raises exotics behind a HF are they not considered livestock? And if so, why would one need a license to shoot one?

Or would one need a license to shoot/ hunt a cow?

Before I officially owned my ranch we found a fallow buck tangled in a rope. The GW said he had nothing to do with it since it was an exotic. That was 4 years ago. Did things change?

[Crazzy]

Very good question!!!!!!!

[TxSon1836]

in for this!

[Pineywoods]

Great question. I'm curious for the answer.

[bigmike]

Exotics are considered. Exotic livestock
And yes a licence is needed
Cattle chickens. Ect are not
Now where a. Watusi falls is probably a judgement call

[Hills of Texas]

Maybe it had to do with the actual act of hunting. If you carried a oryx to the slaughter house it would be the same as a steer. That’s a good question. Didn’t it use to kinda be that way with hogs? You could shoot under predation without a license, but not under the act of going hog hunting.

[BrianL]

I would think the act of hunting is what determines the hunting license issue, not what you are hunting. If you have people come hunt your cows, then they would need a license. And no bag limit applies.

[ultrastealth]

Reminds me of a Grant Taff joke. A big booster offered to let him hunt his place anytime he wanted, but he just wanted a call to let him know that he was going out there. So Grant asks an assistant coach to go along with him. They had had a pretty bad loss the week before. Taff called the landowner on the way out there, and the guy asks him to shoot a sick cow while he's there. Taff decides he's going to screw with his buddy, and tells him that the landowner ****** him off by bringing up the loss, and that he was gonna show him. Well, they get to the ranch, he sees the cow in question, rolls down the window, and says "take this you old SOB" and shoots the cow. Before he can take the gun off safety, his buddy shoots another cow out the other side, "and there's one for me too."

[RiverRat1]

I guess I don't understand how the State can require a hunting license for something they do not own.

Maybe it has to do with protecting landowners? Otherwise it would just be stealing instead of poaching.

And another question.. When one poaches a WT they pay the State restitution. If someone poaches an exotic does the State get restitution, does the exotic owner, or neither?

[Hunter Dan]

You do not need a license or a tag to kill an exotic but in the state of Texas you do need a hunting license to be in the woods with a gun. I guess that it is because it is hard to prove if you are hunting or not and hard to prove what you are hunting for. I have a high fence place and carry a lifetime so I don't have an issue.

[slicktricker]

https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/hunting/general-regulations/definitions

Livestock Includes but is not limited to cattle, horses, mules, sheep, goats and domesticated/non-feral swine.

[BassMaster13]

I guess I don't understand how the State can require a hunting license for something they do not own.

Maybe it has to do with protecting landowners? Otherwise it would just be stealing instead of poaching.

And another question.. When one poaches a WT they pay the State restitution. If someone poaches an exotic does the State get restitution, does the exotic owner, or neither?

Land owner would have to file civil for lose of income or property. If you go shooting up a landowners cows/livestock you're gonna have to pay for them.

[slicktricker]

You do not need a license or a tag to kill an exotic but in the state of Texas you do need a hunting license to be in the woods with a gun. I guess that it is because it is hard to prove if you are hunting or not and hard to prove what you are hunting for. I have a high fence place and carry a lifetime so I don't have an issue.

Uh yes you do.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdforms/media/pwd_1047_w7000_mldp_program_information_white_tailed_deer.pdf

[tex4k]

How can the state ownlivestock? Is not the state just a representative body designed as an entity to oversee the interest it's citizen? When the government convulutes the system to require you to pay a tax to shoot your own livestock, everything is out of whack. The hunting license should be used to pay to cover the cost of our government managing OUR wildlife resources!

[Hunter Dan]

Uh yes you do.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/...ailed_deer.pdf

Those documents are talking about MLD tags for whitetail and Mule and have nothing to do with exotic game.