TX hunting license questions

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taliv

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if you are killing hogs and coyotes, is a TX hunting license required for non-resident?

earlier this year i went to a PO in TX to get a license for a hog hunt and was told by the guy there it wasn't necessary for hogs, and that's what the little pamphlet of rules seemed to say, though the wording was confusing. I don't recall if the same is true for coyotes. anyone know?

also are the licenses for a season or for a year? if i buy a license on the 29th of dec, will i need another on 1 jan?
 
Yes, you have to have a hunting license to hunt hogs and coyotes in The State Of Texas, resident or non resident.

Hunting Licenses run from August 15-August 14. Also, you do not need Proof Of Hunter Education to get a Hunting License, but if stopped by a Game Warden you can receive a citation if you don't have it.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr
 
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It depends according to TPWD.

A hunting license is required of any person, regardless of age, who hunts any animal, bird, frog or turtle in this state (except furbearers, if the hunter possesses a trapper's license). No license is required for nuisance fur-bearing animals, depredating hogs or coyotes
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However I was told by a game warden that my friends would have to have one (me being the land owner). From the quote below I think he was incorrect but that would only let you get out of the ticket in court not prevent you from getting one.

Coyotes, if the coyotes are attacking, about to attack or have recently attacked livestock, domestic animals or fowl.
Depredating feral hogs, if a landowner (resident or non-resident) or landowner's agent or lessee is taking feral hogs causing depredation on the landowner's land.
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At our farm any hog inside our fences is causing depredation and if a coyote is around he is not there to be petted.

I don't know how old you are but you might need hunters education or pay the deferral fee($10).

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/regulations/outdoor-annual/licenses/hunting-licenses-and-permits
 
this would be depredating hogs and coyotes, and those two quotes are what made me think it was not required, along with the guy saying that
 
You might still need hunters edu. I think you have to have it if you were born after Sept 1 1970 or you can pay a deferral fee of $10 to get out of it but I bet that would require you to get the license.
 
If you are paying for the hunt, it's not depredation. You need a license. If you have a buddy who is a farmer and his land is being destroyed by hogs and he wants you to help kill them, you don't need a license.

It's smart to get one anyways in case someone in your hunting party shoots a raccoon while you are out there and the Game Warden wants to see everyones licenses.
 
i am not paying. it is the latter.

i have taken hunters education, but in my home state. i'll try to snap a cell phone pic of the certificate before i go.
 
if i were to get one, which one would it be? (for the aforementioned raccoon scenario)
 
if i were to get one, which one would it be? (for the aforementioned raccoon scenario)
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How long are you going to be in Texas? If you can, the non-resident 5 day special is the best deal. It allows all exotics and non-game animals. So pretty much anything but deer and turkey.

It's license code 157

You can also get a 1 time deferral on the hunter education requirement. I think it's $10.
 
Also, 100% of the license fee goes to Texas wildlife conservation programs.

Also, whether or not you are hunting or doing depredation is up to the individual Game Warden who sneaks up on you :).

I had one sneak up on me like the Viet Cong in 1990 while duck hunting on Lake Fork. Never heard him or saw him until he said, "State Game Warden, hand me your gun".

Just my .02,
LeonCarr
 
If you are hunting, you need a hunting license.

If you are performing pest control on your own property or on property you have agreed to/been hired to protect you may not need a hunting license to eliminate some kinds of animals.
 
I am just shooting pigs (though if we saw a coyote we would prob shoot that too)

Is there something official like paperwork from land owner to show this is depredation not hunting? I don't want to leave that up to judgement of game warden
 
Wouldn't hurt to call TPWD to find out if they have special recommendations, but my feeling is that if you don't want to get a hunting license, you'd probably be ok if you knew the name and phone number of the landowner so you could put the game warden in contact if he requests it.

For what it's worth, I occasionally hunt hogs with a friend on his property and although I know I don't really have to, I still get a license. Of course, a resident hunting license is really cheap.
 
If you are paying for the hunt, it's not depredation. You need a license. If you have a buddy who is a farmer and his land is being destroyed by hogs and he wants you to help kill them, you don't need a license.
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This is my understanding as well. My read is that the landowner can take care of nuisance animals, but any others are likely going to get hassled if stopped. I believe contesting the citation as someone working as an agent for the owner (to shoot his nuisance pigs) would hold up, but that could be a hassle. Certainly any shop that processes game will want to record your license, even for pigs. They ask for mine every time, and they know me. In my neck of the woods, game processors are basically the information gatherers for TPWD. Half the time, the wardens are there checking licenses as folks drag in animals.
 
I'm a Justice of the Peace in Texas and deal with hunting violations as part of my duties. There is some good and bad info posted above.

If a person is born on or after September 2nd, 1971, they must have completed a Texas approved hunter safety course or obtained a one time waiver. Safety courses taken out of state don't count.

A license is required to hunt hogs and coyotes unless the animal is in the act of depredating. If a coyote is attacking your sheep RIGHT NOW, you can shoot it. If a hog is eating your corn RIGHT NOW, you can shoot it. Otherwise you better have a license or a depredation permit. In my court, hunting without a license can result in a $500.00 fine.

If the county your hunting in has a population over 3.1 million and you're not in the presence of the land owner, you need written permission from the land owner to hunt there. If the county has a smaller population, written permission isn't needed but a good idea.

There's a lot more to all this but I don't feel like looking up statutes and getting into the minutia but, it never hurts to call Texas Parks and Wildlife and get the straight skinny.
 
If a hog is eating your corn RIGHT NOW, you can shoot it.
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More often than not in Texas, if a hog is eating corn it came out of a feeder. They can completely ruin a hay field though. That is what gets them shot at our farm.
 
"More often than not in Texas, if a hog is eating corn it came out of a feeder."

Depends on where you live. Texas produces about 2 billion dollars worth of corn a year. Most of it goes to feed.

"Have you tried the Texas DNR…"

Texas doesn't really have a DNR. Game regulations are under the Texas Parks and Wildlife Code and Game wardens work for the Department of Parks and Wildlife.
 
All hunting in Texas requires a license. But if you are landowner you may not need one or if you have been given permission to stop these predators.
 
If a coyote is attacking your sheep RIGHT NOW, you can shoot it. If a hog is eating your corn RIGHT NOW, you can shoot it.
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People seem to forget the immediacy aspect. Simply being a hog or being a coyote does not justify depredation. The same problem is had with stray dogs.

I get a license every year and only hunt private property (mine and others by invitation). Since 2008 when I started hog hunting, I have never seen a game warden in my county and I hunt a lot.
 
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