Never Hunted: Need Advice (TX area)

[boredelmo]

I'm a Houston resident and goto school in Austin.

Ok so my dad used to be an avid deer/bird hunter about 20 yrs ago. He told me he even shot something like the second largest bear at the time around the 70;s or 80's in alaska. Maybe thats just a fable or i remember it wrong. When he met my Buddhist mother he stopped because of her disapproval. Since then shes become open to the whole idea.

My dad has a crazy hectic busy being out of the country 9 months of the year. I'm about to turn 20 and i have never had the chance to hunt with my dad. I would like to surprise him for his birthday with a planned out hunting trip. Since my dad has been out of the loop for so long, he has no idea where to do what etc.

What would be good game to hunt? I'm kind of interested in hog/boar i suppose. No offense to deer hunting, but I'm not the incredibly patient type or anything, I'd rather have action. What kind of game is fun? I'd like to try hog hunting with a knife later on even!

Where are the good spots around Houston/Austin? How does this even work, do i need a license, do i get a lease on land, i have no idea where to start. Any links to some info including THR links would help so much.

Thanks in Advance,
Elmer

P.S. I heard of something like coyote heads bringing in $25 a piece in some parts of Texas? Was this just some guy bsing around or can i do this? Where?

 

[MCgunner]

Think small. Get a .22 and go squirrel hunting in east Texas. Find a good bottom with squirrel and you'll have action. Hog's, Deer, still a waiting game. Wan't REAL action? Go dove or duck hunting. Get yourself a pump shotgun and learn to wing shoot. You can still go squirrel hunting with the shotgun, though the shooting part is a bit cheating.

I've always heard about coyote ears, but never bothered. Not sure if anyone still pays a bounty, frankly. It'd be county by county I'd think.

 

[Bitmap]

I've never tried this but you might look into some of the places (I think Arkansas is one) where they chase hogs and maybe even bears using dogs. I hope you are both in shape for that.

Quail, pheasant, and dove hunting usually have plenty of excitement.

 

[auschip]

You need to sign up for the state required hunter's safety course. Once you take and pass the course, you will need to purchase a license. I recommend buying the supercombo, since you get all the endorsements (hunting different types of game will require different stamps etc).

Once you have those two things, you need to find a place to hunt. You can try and negotiate a lease, but expect to pay large amounts. You might also try a local hunting ranch. Several are within a couple hours drive, and you can decide what animals you want to hunt. Price varies, from $100-$150 a day for hogs up to several thousand for whitetail deer. Remember to ask about all fees if you do this (cleaning fees, guide tips, overnight charges, trophy fees, etc).

I saw a guy selling hog hunts on ebay (if you choose to do business with them), you might check there, and then maybe call the outfitter directly.

 

[waterhouse]

Auschip gave lots of good advice.

There is also an "Annual Public Hunting" for $48 you can buy with your license. Sort of a misnomer, as it is all private land, but the owners get a tax break for letting people hunt on it, or so I've heard.

Basically you pay $48, and they send you a map book with little plots of land all around the state where you can go hunt dove, other small game, and even deer and hogs (although I've never tried for the larger stuff).


Go here for the TDPW spiel:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/hunt/public/

The public land around Austin is usually pretty packed the first week or so of dove season (like raining lead packed), but I've been out after that and there will only be a couple other guys in the fields.

Also check the local classifieds and craigslist. People will advertise their dove/hog land for daily rates. I went to one down by San Antonio a few years ago, I think it was about $40 per day for dove but we saw a ton more birds than I've ever seen on any of the Public use lands.

 

[MCgunner]

Deer hunting ain't that great on the public lands, but dove, squirrel, and waterfowl are great! There is public land hog hunting, too, can't say how good it is.

Hogs are not managed as game species in Texas and there are no limits, regulations, seasons. I've chased 'em with dogs, made the kills with a knife. That's the way most dog owners to it to keep from having dogs shot accidently, but it's a little more dangerous than standing back and poppin' them.

 

[RubenZ]

I hate that stupid Hunters Education crap we have to take. If I'm on my own PRIVATE land I don't think anyone should tell me I CANT hunt.

I still need to take it.

 

[one-shot-one]

hunting

do not know how much you are looking to spend?!
good advice above and i know hunting ranches get mixed reviews here but if this is a once or twice thing you might look here:
http://www.cougarrun.com/
if not the public land deal is pretty good for small game.

 

[boredelmo]

http://www.countryworldnews.com/Editorial/ETX/2003/et0417coyotes.htm

This looks most interesting. Mentioned that legislation was trying to pass so coyote hunting didnt require a license. Anyone know if it passed?

 

[The Annoyed Man]

boredelmo, try transferring to A&M! You'll get a better ejamacation and it's closer to home.

Even so, I think it is pretty cool that you want to do this for your dad. You're a good son.



Gig 'em, Aggies!
TAMU '78

 

[The Annoyed Man]

This looks most interesting. Mentioned that legislation was trying to pass so coyote hunting didnt require a license. Anyone know if it passed?

One of the guys in my Bible study told me the other day that you do need a license to hunt coyote and pigs, but you don't need a tag for either. I don't know how the legislation you mention affects that.

 

[Art Eatman]

When you're in Austin, it's easy to go out to the TP&WD headquarters on the Smith School Road. That's out near Bergstrom. They have multitudes of pamplets and maps and such that will give you some good information about hunting in Texas.

After you've read through the info, then come back with more specific questions.

Art

 

[Jimmy Newman]

There has been a bit of inaccurate info in this thread.

For Texas:

First off, to hunt any animal, bird, frog, or turtle, you must have a license, period, with the following exceptions: Coyotes attacking (or that have attacked or are about to attack) domestic animals, livestock, or fowl. Pigs engaging in land depredations and the hunter acting as the landowner's agent in removing the pest. Fur-bearing animals if you already have a trapper's license or if the fur-bearing animals are causing depredations.

If you are 17 or older, you must be Hunter's Education Certified to hunt, period, unless you purchase a "Hunter Education Deferral," which lets you hunt for one season without the certification. With the "Hunter Education Deferral," you must hunt in the company of someone licensed to hunt and either is certified or who was born before 1971.

If you are serious about starting to hunt, go to a sporting goods store and pickup the outdoor annual or download it from the Texas parks and wildlife department website and read every page about hunting.

Also, do be careful about the different stamps and whatnot. Most of the birds we hunt in Texas require stamps (federal waterfowl stamp (ducks, geese, etc), Texas migratory game bird stamp (ducks, geese, dove, snipe, dove, woodcock,etc), Texas upland game bird stamp (turkey, pheasant, quail, etc)). You also need a special stamp for bowhunting, and there's one for sandhill cranes as well. None of these are actually stamps anymore besides the federal waterfowl stamp, they're just added on the endorsements line of your license.

 

[MCgunner]

Yep, they're trying to make it impossibly expensive and a big PITA to get into hunting so people won't do it. I think PETA is behind it all. That's my theory. If I come back in 100 years and there's anything left of the country, I'm sure shooting a coyote will be punishable by death, you'll probably get two years probation for murder unless it can be tried as a hate crime. Heck, you'll probably get 2 years in state prison by then for doing number 2 in the woods, pollution ya know. Whadda screwed up big brother world this is becoming. I'm glad I got to see just a little bit of it before it got so totally screwed up. I don't have to get online and fill out an application to take a hunting trip yet and pay the fees necessary for the carbon I'll put in the atmosphere by running my truck on said trip, but I'm sure that's coming, too. There's all sorts of ways they could bilk you for money and ain't thought of yet and such things are becoming more and more acceptable, it seems. Won't be long, either, until farmers will be expected to dial 911 to report live stock attacks, wait on the government agency to come set traps that do no good so they can relocate the animals or put up the poor wild mutts for adoption. Might as well just burn the constitution for what that worthless rag does anymore. You won't have the right to defend your life or property in the future. It'll all be about the animals and the state, not the individual.

I know when I was in college, I didn't have two dimes to rub together. I'm sure glad I didn't need a "super-combo" with a bazillion stamps and a hunter safety course. But, then, I was mentored by my uncle and grandpa and the hunter safety thing might not be a bad idea, but it sure don't help to recruit new hunters. I was born WAY before 1971 so I didn't have to do the course, either, but my uncle and grandpa were a safety course every day we went huntin'. My uncle was NRA certified and taught boy scout camps every summer, so I was in good hands. I reckon the course is a good thing for those not quite so fortunate as me, however the cost of it all could put off a lot of folks.

</rant>

 

[Art Eatman]

Ooooh! Hey, MCg, take a Valium!

Since I easily remember nickel coffee, even the Grand Slam license doesn't seem like all that much money.

And for another view of hunting in Texas, I suggest an Associate Membership in the Texas Wildlife Association. $35 a year. They're a good lobbying group, along with TSRA.

, Art

 

[auschip]

A bit off topic, but I bought a lifetime Texas hunting license close to 10 years ago, and it has paid for itself. When the new licenses come out each year, the only thing I have to pay for is Federal Stamp. Not a bad deal (although I heard the price had gone up).

 

[MCgunner]

Since I easily remember nickel coffee, even the Grand Slam license doesn't seem like all that much money.

ROFL, they got Starbucks in Terlingua?!?! Wow, what an upscale "town". Never been in one, myself. Even the buck fifty or whatever it is down at the Skillet is a bargain compared to THAT!

Hey, the rant helped. I feel better now. Guess I'll go read "1984" again.

 

[MrTwigg]

I heard of something like coyote heads bringing in $25 a piece...

I've always heard about coyote ears, but never bothered.

By & large, it'd be the entire pelts. (At least up by me anyways.) The fur industry is still buying, although not like they used to. Pelts need to be stretched, dried & rolled up. The'll take 'em raw, that is untanned. Find somebody in your area who's a trapper, or just Google "Trapper's associations" with your state or county.

 

[mod700]

you want real excitement and action? hunt boar from a tree with your bare hands!

 

[auschip]

you want real excitement and action? hunt boar from a tree with your bare hands!

Err. Huh?

Care to elaborate on that one?

 

[mod700]

not serious, but it would be exciting

 

[Art Eatman]

Starbucks? In west Texas? Maybe in El Paso? Sure not in Odessa, anyway, and I'm 240 miles from Odessa. At the Ghost Town cafe, two eggs, hash browns and two biscuits'n'gravy are a buck ninety-nine plus tax. With that deal, a guy can't complain at all the coffee you want for another buck...

, Art

 

[mbt2001]

They have Starbucks in Odessa... With the oil patch on the bounce, Odessa has all the stores.

If they open a Starbucks in Iraan, I will be worried. Real worried.

boredelmo, try transferring to A&M! You'll get a better ejamacation and it's closer to home.

Sorry, I do that whenever someone mentions A&M.

Hunters safety course is worth the time. There are people that come to Texas from all over the world to hunt game. I don't need to tell you how dangerous that can be. There was an article in a hunting magazine in the 60's that told of a fella from New York going Elk Hunting for the first time. No Guide, no nothing, just him in the woods with a rifle. Some folks were riding a horse over by him and he shot one of the tethered horses and tried to put a tag on it.

I don't like it.... But let's be frank, more and more of the population haven't ever seen a deer in real life...

 

[Troutman]

<<I think PETA is behind it all.>>

No! Not at all...Thinking about it again. It could be right.
So….those dweebs (two of those being Newkirk and Butler)…..can get (Andrew Cook and Adria Hinkle…dweeb, squeeb wann-a-bees) to do the dirty work for them. While they watch!

Here’s what I mean

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itswGWddk2A&mode=related&search=

Wow! No Bag Limits going on here?! Hell Hunters’ (wild game) have to pay for fees? Have bag limits?
Than, again, I don’t want to kill, excuse me……put to sleep (kill)…..dogs and cats, domesticated animals. With the “new form” of “shooting them” up…….Lethal injection.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlQlJrgZwOk

They want it all! So they can feed their own “sporting like” ways on how to control the population!
Today it’s dogs and cats! Tomorrow….who knows! Excuse me….
I should, not have said the latter so fast!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rG812QpZsuQ


<< If I come back in 100 years and there's anything left of the country, I'm sure shooting a coyote will be punishable by death, you'll probably get two years probation for murder unless it can be tried as a hate crime.>>


Unless you do the “new form” of hunting. See, above.