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Media Contact: Steve
Lightfoot, (512) 389-4701,
steve.lightfoot@tpwd.state.tx.us Jan.
29, 2007
TPWD Proposing To Adjust Spring Turkey Season
AUSTIN, Texas -- The proposal, which was presented to the Texas Parks and
Wildlife Commission’s Regulations Committee along with several other
suggested changes to the 2007-08 Statewide Hunting and Fishing Proclamation,
would open the South Zone season for Rio Grande turkeys two weeks earlier
than in recent years and open the North Zone one week later than normal.
“Two years ago, we simplified the season by combining the North and South
Zones and added a week to the overall length,” Mike Berger, TPWD Wildlife
Division Director explained. “After re-evaluating this move, we’ve opted to
move the South Zone up to the Saturday nearest March 18 and the North Zone
to open the Saturday nearest April 7. Both zones would retain a 44-day
season length.”
Berger said the proposed change would increase hunter opportunity by
allowing hunters to take advantage of peak gobbling activity, which varies
annually across Texas depending on weather conditions. “Since the spring Rio
Grande hunting season is limited to only male birds (gobblers) there is
little potential for harm to turkey production, given the way landowners
manage turkey hunting in the spring,” ,” Berger went on to note. “Varying
the opening date will allow hunters a longer window of opportunity to be in
the field when peak gobbling occurs.”
“Since the spring Rio Grande hunting season is limited to only male birds
(gobblers) there is little potential for harm to turkey production, given
the way landowners manage turkey hunting in the spring,” ,” Berger went on
to note. “Varying the opening date will allow hunters a longer window of
opportunity to be in the field when peak gobbling occurs.”
In addition to the spring turkey season adjustment proposal, wildlife
officials are seeking public input and commission guidance on several other
recommendations, including:
 | Extending the statewide archery-only deer season to the day prior to
the opening day of the general open season. Historically, the archery
season has always closed the Sunday before the opening of the general
season. The proposed change would eliminate the current five-day gap
between the end of the archery season and the beginning of the general
season. |
| Implementing an archery-only open season for mule deer on Managed Land
Deer Permit (MLD) properties. Under current rule, Mule Deer MLDPs are not
valid during the statewide archery-only season. The proposed change would
allow archery-only hunting on MLDP properties during the statewide
archery-only season. |
| Eliminating the “double tagging” requirement for antlerless mule deer
under the MLDP program. When the MLDP program was expanded to include mule
deer, it was anticipated that the antlerless mule deer permit would be
eliminated. However, there were landowners who preferred to continue
receiving the antlerless mule deer permit. |
| Adjusting the requirements for management plans for lesser prairie
chicken. The proposed change would reduce the number of required habitat
management practices from five to three, and would increase the allowable
harvest quota to 10 percent of population (currently 5 percent). The
breeding behavior of lesser prairie chickens and their large home ranges
cause them to use habitat components that are typically provided by more
than one landowner. This variability can be problematic for both habitat
management and permit issuance, especially when birds are spending only a
small portion of their time on a given habitat component. Therefore, the
proposed changes would allow staff to issue permits on a more flexible and
biologically specific basis. |
| Require a tag or wildlife resource document to accompany deer and
turkey until the deer or turkey reach either the permanent residence of
the possessor or a cold storage/processing facility. By statute, a
private, non-commercial, family-owned cold storage/processing facility is
not required to maintain a record book attesting to the provenance of deer
or turkey within the facility. The proposed change would clarify that
tagging and documentation requirements remain in effect for deer and
turkey at a non-commercial, family-owned cold storage/processing facility.
|
| Require taxidermists to maintain a wildlife resource document for two
years following the time that each wildlife resource is retrieved by the
owner or sold as unclaimed merchandise. |
| Create a managed lands permit program that includes provisions for
harvesting additional javelina above the daily bag limit on properties
where surplus javelina populations have been identified as part of an
overall wildlife management plan. |
Public comment about these issues and others of interest may be made to
TPWD, Regulatory Proposals Public Comment, 4200 Smith School Road, 78744, by
phoning (800) 792-1112 or by visiting www.tpwd.state.tx.us/business/feedback/public_comment.
In addition, a series of public meetings is scheduled across the state
during March to take public comment. Following is a calendar of upcoming
public meetings.
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