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Thread: Heads UP Texas Airgun Hunters. TPWD proposed rule changes.

  1. #1
    Boolit Mold Tritium's Avatar
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    Heads UP Texas Airgun Hunters. TPWD proposed rule changes.

    https://tpwd.texas.gov/business/feed...led_deer.phtml

    If you are a Texas Hunter who is interested in using Airguns Please go to the link above and comment.

    Proposal:
    Staff propose to allow the take of alligators, game animals, non-migratory game birds and furbearers with air guns and air bows. The proposal also specifies that the

    Take of alligators, deer, pronghorn, big horn sheep, javelina, and turkey will be restricted to air guns .30 caliber or larger.
    Alligators in non-core counties may be taken with air bows or air guns
    In all counties alligators caught on a taking device may be dispatched with air guns
    Air guns propelling a .177 caliber projectile or larger may be used to take squirrel, quail, pheasants, and chachalaca
    Background:
    Staff received a petition for rule making where the petitioner requested that air bows and air rifles be made legal for the take of native big game in Texas. Current TPWD regulations prohibit the take of big game because air bows and air guns are not defined as legal firearms or archery equipment in TPWD regulations, the Texas penal code, or under federal firearms regulations. Upon investigation of air guns and air bows for the take of big game animals TPWD staff found that 7 states allow the use of air bows to harvest big game and 8 states allow the use of air rifles to harvest big game. All states restricted use of air guns and air bows to firearm seasons and some states had minimum standards for caliber and muzzle velocity and specifications requiring an external charging mechanism (air tank, pump, etc.). Air guns have comparable ballistics to other legal firearm that may be used to take native big game in Texas. Air guns have been used successfully to harvest white-tailed deer in states where air rifles are allowed for the take of big game and are currently legal to harvest exotic big game animals in Texas. Staff do not believe there is any biological reasons to not allow the use of air guns and air bows for the take of game animals, non-migratory game birds, and furbearers.

    Lets make this happen.

    Thurmond Moore
    T3P Ranch Airgun Solutions
    http://www.T3PRanchAGS.com

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
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    We went through this same thing here in Arizona. I had to give up archery hunting due to elbow and joint damage so I bought a .45 caliber Samyang air rifle thinking that I could use it to take the place of the bow and arrows I'd been hunting with. At the time, other states had already passed such air gun regulations but, Arizona had not. I didn't know this. I found this out after I'd bought my big bore air rifle. I had just assumed that all states were allowing it. It was stupid of me to not have found that out before buying that air gun.

    Just to be sure I called our local game and fish department to inquire. The gal I spoke to confirmed that it was not legal to hunt deer or predators with pneumatic weapons back then. She asked me if I wanted to file a formal proposal to allow for the use of Air Rifles to hunt big game and predators at an upcoming meeting being held by the Game and Fish department; to which I cluelessly replied, "Well, yea, OK." I didn't think much more about it at the time other than the fact that I'd just paid a few hundred dollars for gun I couldn't use. I ended up selling that air rifle shortly thereafter.

    About a month or so later I started hearing rumors that the same folks that had attended that Game and Fish department meeting had agreed to look into the matter for consideration. I couldn't have been the only one who suggested it or even inquired about it to our state Game and Fish department. There had to have be others inquire as well but, I kind of felt that my clueless phone call may have added to it's acceptance in the end. By then it didn't really matter cause I'd sold my gun and I really couldn't afford to buy another one.

    HollowPoint

  3. #3
    Boolit Master 35 shooter's Avatar
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    Hope you guys in Texas can get this done. I hope it happens here in MS. too before long. I'm pretty sure it's all about small game and furred game at this point here.

  4. #4
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    Its just a way to make poaching EASIER. Here in Michigan they decided any center fire .269 or less was good for shooting varmints at night.
    And now they are letting the stupid "air bow" be legal for deer and even bear this year. Sadly they aren't smart enough to realize that its just the ideal poaching tool. And strangely the folks who tried to ban crossbow use have been backing the idea of the so called air bow.

  5. #5
    Boolit Mold Tritium's Avatar
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    Remember most of Texas is private land and night time human intruders are able to be met with deadly force according to the current law here. Poaching will not rise here with a law change. Those who wish to poach were already using ANY available means to do so. How can anyone rationalize that simply because something is against the law that a law breaker will abide by said law. That is not logical or sane thinking in my book!

  6. #6
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    you can increase the fines and jail time for the criminals. Its ironic but, a person who poaches a deer lets say, does it at night, merely gets hunting during closed hours. But if they do it with an item that's not allowed for that species of game, its more penalties on them.

  7. #7
    Boolit Master


    nagantguy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Radialshave View Post
    Its just a way to make poaching EASIER. Here in Michigan they decided any center fire .269 or less was good for shooting varmints at night.
    And now they are letting the stupid "air bow" be legal for deer and even bear this year. Sadly they aren't smart enough to realize that its just the ideal poaching tool. And strangely the folks who tried to ban crossbow use have been backing the idea of the so called air bow.
    So let me make sure I understand; your against new forms of Hunting/types of weapons because someone could break the law with them? What a unique argument, well we'd better give up traditional archery and crossbows and suppressors as well and since most people in mi poach deer with a 22 mag those better go as well,and those old fashioned environmently dangerous lead bullets better go as well.
    You did know MI allowed suppressed weapons for hunting ,how many headlines have you read about poachers using them?

  8. #8
    Boolit Grand Master jmorris's Avatar
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    Its just a way to make poaching EASIER.
    Some air rifles I have make a lot more noise than some of the suppressed firearms I have.

    Heck my suppressed 458 socom makes less noise than my .22 Discovery.

    Despite that fact I have never poached or broken any other law when hunting with it.

    Making cars legal for anyone to buy makes it easier for people to get killed in car crashes but it doesn’t mean everyone that owns one is going to die in it.

  9. #9
    Boolit Mold Tritium's Avatar
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    Although there is no official announcement yet Eric Henderson of Adventures Afield (TPWD Whitetail Team leader Alan Cain used Eric's Texan 308 for the "Test" harvest he conducted) tells me that the proposal was passed today 22 March 2018 and Airgun hunting this fall for Deer and other non migratory game will be legal!

  10. #10
    Boolit Master 35 shooter's Avatar
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    That's good news for big bore air gunners there.

  11. #11
    Boolit Mold Tritium's Avatar
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    Official notice has been posted by TPWD about a week back. It reads just like the proposal.

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