The following are excerpts from recent Texas Parks and Wildlife Department law enforcement reports
Mother Knows Best
Over the Memorial Day weekend, game wardens conducting water safety patrols were sent videos of a man jumping off a red and white boat, harassing and capturing a Canada Goose. Despite efforts to locate the boat and the individuals involved, wardens were unable to track them down. Two months later while conducting a water safety check on a different boat, the wardens noticed several of the occupants on the vessel wearing identical hats to those in the video. One of the wardens humorously asked about the hats and if they knew the individual who had caught the goose in the video. The occupants confirmed they knew him and affirmed their knowledge of the “goose video.” They pointed to a male in the back of the boat and identified him as the “goose capturer.” The Wardens asked the identified male to join them on their boat for further questioning. The male admitted he was the one in the video and said his mom had warned him he was going to get into trouble. He added, “I should’ve listened to my mom!” Wardens explained to the individual the definition of “Hunt,” according to Texas law is “To capture, trap, take or kill, or any attempts thereof.” The individual was issued a citation for “Hunting Canada Geese in a Closed Season.” He was also issued a written warning for “Hunting Canada Geese by Illegal Means and Methods.” The goose survived.