The following are excerpts from recent Texas Parks and Wildlife Department law enforcement reports.
The Scope of the Problem –
A Freestone County game warden was contacted by a landowner who said he allowed a man to hunt feral hogs on his property but had killed a deer in addition to the hog. The landowner explained that while driving his property, he found a fresh hog carcass, along with a fresh white-tailed doe. The landowner asked the hunter what happened and was told that he “accidentally shot the doe when he was shooting at a hog.” The warden contacted the man, who admitted to shooting the doe, saying his “scope was off.” Charges include hunting a white-tailed deer in closed season, failing to take hunter education and hunting without a license.
Look Out Below –
A Freestone County game warden arrested a suspect in an ongoing investigation that began in February relating to hog hunting from a helicopter. A husband and wife were working cattle on their property when a helicopter began to hover over their property and shoot feral hogs. The husband waved his arms at the helicopter and it flew off. After the investigation, it was clear that the helicopter owner did not have a landowner authorization permit for the property in question. Charges were filed for using an aircraft to manage wildlife without having a landowner authorization permit.
Fishing for Trouble –
A Williamson County game warden was contacted by a retired law enforcement officer who was fishing the Dickerson River Bottom of the San Gabriel River in Circleville when he saw a man using a cast net and catching white bass. The retired officer said there was a group of six men, and one was using the cast net. When the warden arrived on scene, he saw the man catching white bass with a cast net, then give it to another fisherman to manually hook the fish in the mouth onto a stringer. The warden contacted the men and found that none of them had a fishing license. The man using the cast net caught 20 of the 25 fish on the stringer, two being undersized. Citations and civil restitution were filed, and the fish were donated to a needy family.
No Sale –
A game warden was contacted about an Operation Game Thief incident in progress regarding an individual in Killeen selling crappie and catfish on a social media website. The warden located the post and found the seller’s address. After arriving at the seller’s location, the individuals admitted to the warden that they had been trying to sell the crappie and catfish they caught at Stillhouse Hollow Lake on social media for the last two days, but no one purchased them. The warden issued a citation for the sale of protected game fish and seized seven blue catfish, one yellow catfish and a bag of crappie meat. Case pending.
Fishy Business –
A Harris County game warden was notified through a Facebook post of an individual selling crawfish and oysters from a truck. Contact was made with the seller at the location posted online, and when the warden arrived, a transaction was occurring. When asked whether the seller had current licenses, he said that he did and went toward his vehicle. After a few moments the warden realized the individual was taking too long to retrieve his paperwork and shortly thereafter the individual admitted to not possessing a commercial license. When the warden asked about the invoices for the product, the seller was only able to produce a receipt from the crawfish and was unable to produce any documentation for the two boxes of crab or the 11 sacks of oysters. The seller was issued the appropriate citations.
Spring Breaking the Law –
A group of spring breakers celebrating their time off at a house in Concan decided to begin spring turkey season a little early. One March morning, a Uvalde County game warden was contacted by an individual who had seen several boys use turkey calls to call up a gobbler. One of the boys killed the turkey and retrieved it from the brush. The warden, along with a Real County game warden, arrived at the house and contacted the boys. When asked about the turkey, the guilty party readily cooperated, admitted what he had done and showed wardens where he had hidden the bird.
You Can’t See Me –
A Karnes County game warden was on patrol when he noticed a deputy’s patrol vehicle on the side of the road near the San Antonio River bridge. The deputy approached the warden and told him that there was a truck that had been there for a short while without any occupants. The warden looked in the bed of the truck and found a fishing pole. The deputy and warden looked under the bridge and found two individuals fishing. They watched for a short time to make sure the individuals were both fishing before announcing their presence. When the warden called out to the fishermen, the two individuals squatted down. The warden watched with his binoculars, and both men still didn’t move. The warden called out to them again and told them to stand up. The two men then stood up and came to talk with him. Neither of them had a fishing license and both were issued citations.