REG CHANGES

Changes are coming for Texas hunters and saltwater anglers next fall following the recent adoption of several regulation proposals by the Texas Park and Wildlife Commission during its March 28 meeting in Austin.

On the saltwater side, the Commission approved the creation

of an annual spotted seatrout tag that comes at no extra cost with the purchase of the proper fishing license or saltwater endorsement.

The tag will allow licensed anglers one fish over 28 inches to be harvested, with an option to purchase a $3 bonus tag for license holders and exempt anglers. The bonus tag will allow anglers to keep one additional oversized trout per license year.

Several proposed rule changes impacting migratory game bird hunters, upland game bird hunters and big game hunters were adopted as part of the 2024-25 Statewide Hunting and Migratory Game Bird Proclamation.The following rule changes go into effect Sept. 1:

Migratory Game Bird Regulations

* The Light Goose Conservation Order was eliminated from the Eastern and Western Goose Zones.

* The daily bag limit on light geese is now five birds in the eastern and western zones.

* Nineteen days are added to the regular season for light geese in the eastern zone.

* The light goose possession limit is now three times the daily bag limit  during the regular hunting season.

* The Special White-winged Dove Days season structure was updated to coincide with calendar progression.

* The second split of the 2024-25 dove season in the North Zone will begin a week later and end a week later than previous years. The change was made to provide more hunter opportunity around the New Year’s holiday.

* Greater white-fronted goose daily bag limit restrictions were changed from two in the aggregate to a dark goose daily bag limit of five in the western zone.

* All other migratory game bird season dates were adjusted for calendar progression.

Upland Game Bird Regulations

* Statewide harvest reporting is now mandatory for all harvested wild turkeys. Experts say mandatory reporting will provide more reliable harvest data necessary for monitoring and managing wild turkey populations.

TPWD has historically relied on mail-in surveys from hunters to gather harvest data, but response rates have declined so low that it severely reduces the statistical reliability and usefulness of that data, according to Jason Hardin, TPWD wild turkey program leader.

* The spring-only hunting season for wild turkeys south of Highway 82 in Fannin, Lamar, Red River and Bowie counties is closed.

* All wild turkey hunting seasons in Bell and Williamson counties east of Interstate 35 (I-35) and in all of Milam County are closed.

* The wild turkey hunting season length and annual bag limit in all counties with an open season west of the Pecos River, and that portion of counties falling east of I-35/north of I-10, was reduced to a spring-only season from April 1-30. Hunters are limited to one gobbler annually per county.

Big Game Regulations

* Deer hunters in 43 counties in eastern Texas (Post Oak Savannah and Pineywoods ecoregions) are now allowed to take antlerless deer during the first 23 days of the season, up from 16 days.

Antlerless deer represent less than half of the annual harvest total in eastern Texas, which is resulting in skewed sex ratios in some areas.  Wildlife leaders say the additional doe days will provide additional hunting opportunity while addressing resource concerns such as increasing deer densities, habitat degradation and simplify existing regulations.

* Season dates for Desert Bighorn Sheep hunting season was changed to Nov. 15 - Sept. 30.

* On properties enrolled in the harvest option of the Managed Lands Deer Program, youths are now allowed to take bucks with a firearm for the same days that correspond to the early youth-only season for county harvest regulations.

* Fall youth-only seasons now include Friday for white-tailed deer, squirrels and wild turkeys. Youth-only seasons were previously limited to Saturday and Sunday.

Matt Williams is a freelance writer based in Nacogdoches. He can be reached by e-mail, mattwillwrite4u@yahoo.com .