The Cedar Post, Volume 2, Number 2, September 2012 Page: 4
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PAGE 4
PUBLIC HUNTING OPPORTUNITIES IN TEXAS
by Daniel WalkerPublic hunting lands are an excellent way to find a place to
hunt; or if you already have a place, they can provide a new
and unique hunting opportunity. There are two separate
types of hunts: Annual Public Hunting Permit hunts (APH
hunts) and special permit hunts. Both are very different as
far as access and what you are allowed to harvest.
APH permits allow you to access public land when APH
hunts occur. APH permits are available anywhere licenses
are sold and cost $48. When you purchase an APH, a book-
let is mailed to you with maps of all
the current public lands, what species
you are allowed to hunt on each
property, and when you can access
those lands. This information is also
available on the TPWD website
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/
hunt/public/. Public lands in this sys-
tem offer a wide variety of game to
pursue including: waterfowl, dove,
quail, pheasants, rabbits, and hogs. A
Most of the public lands that you can
access utilizing andAPH have un-
manned check stations. You are re-
quired to fill out general information
at on-site registration (OSR) booths
set up at the entrances of the hunting,
area. APH permits are good for the
license year (September 1 through
August 31).have up to 4 people total on a card depending on the hunt. In-
complete applications will not be accepted. Also, do not try to
enter yourself and your hunting buddies on one card, and then
have them enter for the same category on their card. The com-
puter will catch the duplication and throw both application cards
out.
The cost is just $3.00 per adult applicant per category to enter
the drawing. Big Time Texas Hunts entries are $10 per appli-
cant. If you are lucky enough to be drawn, you will need to pay
$80 - $130 per adult, depending on the
length of the hunt. Youth hunters (under
17) are exempt from any fees Applica-tions and fees must be received at
TPWD Headquarters by the posted
deadline which will vary by hunt cate-
gory.4
Many Texas residents who hunt are
probably looking for new places to
hunt deer and other big game. These
are typically not allowed on APH ( 0
hunts, but instead through special
permits. Special permit hunts are
made available through a lottery system. Usually around mid
to late July, a booklet (Applications for Drawings on Public
Hunting Lands) comes out that has all of the special permit
hunts that will be available for the upcoming hunting season.
There are 24 different categories (such as Archery Deer, Gun
Deer, Youth Deer, Alligator etc.), for which you can apply.
All of the information you need is in the book, such as hunt
dates, what you can harvest on that hunt, how many permits
will be issued, number of applicants the previous year and
the success rate. There are application forms in the back of
the book that need to be filled out. There is one form for
each category, so you must apply for each one separately,
and you may only apply for each category once. You canEvery year that you put in for the draw-
ing and are not selected, you start to
accumulate preference points for each
category. So let's say that you applied
for the Gun Deer Either Sex (GDE) hunt
for the first time last year and were not
f f drawn, and then applied for the GDE
this year. You now have one preference
point which means your name is put into
the drawing 1 extra time. If you are not
selected for the next 5 years, you will
have your name put in 5 extra times for
that category and so on. Some catego-
ries at certain locations are very popular
and are difficult to get drawn for. For
instance, at the Chaparral Wildlife Man-
agement Area we regularly have 3 000+
applicants competing for about 40 permits per year for our deer
hunts. Most of the selected hunters end up with 15, 20, or even
25+ preference points before they are drawn. Once you are se-
lected for that category, your preference points are reset and you
have to start over accumulating them. Some categories and
hunting areas are more popular than others, so if you are looking
for the best chance of getting drawn then look at the previous
year's number of applicants and the number of permits offered
so that you can gauge your chances.
Daniel Walker is a TPWD biologist at the Chaparral WMAT HE CEDAR POST
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Texas. Parks and Wildlife Department. The Cedar Post, Volume 2, Number 2, September 2012, periodical, September 2012; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1495282/m1/4/: accessed July 12, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.