Maybe i didnt see the NOT before centerfire....I dont know....it was late...but i do know they are allowed and they arent allowed to use anything bigger than a 10 g.....i know they wont be dove hunting where i'll be, i always hunt the marsh edge, but i still think it's fricking ridiculous......the one reason i got into bow hunting was because the deer aren't spooked and they dont seem to get spooked , at least as quickly.... they allow dove hunting during the small game out there....hell, i even helped with the food plots/dove fields ,whatever you call em, lol....,but no one told me about this crap....i'd like to see things changed...dont get me wrong , i love dove hunting , small game in general....i usually hog hunt in the a.m. and squirrel hunt in the afternoons....there should of been more thought to the rules and regs on this one....it doesnt bother me during gun when i hear duck hunters out on the river, i mean i dont like it too much but it's easier to except seeingthe deerhuntershave a gun too....
i'm sure i wont change a thing but i'm going to try, they do rule changes every 2 years so i'll be screwed for 2 years because they just had a rule change....but i feel obligated to do something....

I'm afraid it's a sign of the times andwe will continue to see more of it. The bow season in general is very long and other interest groups ie youth hunts, special muzzleloading hunts andspecial doe days with gunsare infringing on it. I don't like it either but I think we will have to learn to live with it and it will grow bigger.

Sounds like a lot of selfishness to me. Bowhunters, just because you're hunting deer, does not put you on the top of the totem pole when it comes to sport hunting. Dove and bird hunters have every right to any season as you, the bowhunter, does. We have goose season, small game season, grouse season opens up, you name it during regular deer archery season. Learn to deal with it.

As we speak, we are in the middle ofthe 30 day archery season for elk in Colorado. Thousands of hunters are in full camo sneaking around the mountanstrying to beat the odds and arrow an elk. Yesterday was opening day of muzzleloader season which runs for one week concurrent to archery season. Another orange army will show up to try and bag an elk using the smoke poles. If you think a deer reacts poorly to pressure you ought to see what an elk does under those circumstances, but that is another thread for another day.

One can call it selfish if you like, the real issue as I see it is a safety issue. Almost 100% of the hunting is done from the ground, to me it is a recipe for disaster, an accident waiting to happen.

From the regs book:

Page 66, White-Tailed Deer Youth-Only:

"Age Restriction: In the applicable Special Youth-Only counties, only licensed hunters 16 years of age or younger may hunt deer. Special Hunting License Required (Type 102)."

So, we flip over to page 53, Hunting Licenses and Permits:

"A Hunting License is requiredof any person, regardless of age, who hunts any animal or bird in this state, except as specified below. Non-residents under 17 years of age may purchase and hunt with the Special Resident Hunting License (Type 102)".

"Note: All laws and regulations governing hunter education still apply."

Aha! So we go to page 22, Hunter Education:

"Every hunter (including out of state hunters) born on or after Sept 2, 1971 must successfully complete a Hunter Education Training Course. Minimum age for certification is 12 years and cost is $10."

"If you were born on or after Sept 2, 1971 and you are:
> Under age 12, you must be accompanied.*"

Okay, we scan down the page to find out what the asterisk means...

"*Accompanied means: By a person who is at least 17, who is licensed to hunt in Texas, who has passed hunter education or is exempt (born before Sept 2,1971), and you must be within normal voice control. Proof of certification or deferral is required to be on your person while hunting."

Back to page 53, Hunting licenses and Permits:

"Special Resident Hunting (Type 102): $6 Valid only for residents and non-residents younger than 17 and residents 65 years of age and older. Valid to hunt any legal bird or animal. Stamp endorsement requirement requirements apply to persons 65 and over."

So, as far as I can tell there is no minimum age to be a licensed hunter in Texas.

That is totally crazy!!! It makes about as much sense as Virginia (and6 other states) not being allowed to hunt on a Sunday. {Oooooh, don't get me all worked up again on this issue....} [:@]

Butch A.

Having a rifle muzzleloader season during bow season is a accident waiting to happen.You have hunters in orange with guns and camp clad hunters with bows.How can you tell me that you have a camo hunter watching a bull and waiting for him to come by a shooting lne.Then you have a gun hunter a lilttle further away waiting for him to come to his shooting lane.Which incidently i the same line the bow hunter is in.They shoot arrow hits it mark and the bullet is a little high.One man ends up dead because the gun hunter didnt see him he was in camo.How can this not be a problem???????? It is dangerous for hunters to have both kinds of weapoons in the woods.Here in Illinois we have a 3 and a half month long bow season.BUT when the shotgun season comes in we (bowhunters) arent allowed to be in the woods.Its a safety issue.Atleast some states are smart enough to know this.

That is some screwed up season timing you got there, too bad.

I feel for you. You should see what it is luck up here in PA when the archery season overlaps with small game...senior/junior rifle and muzzleloader.....all at about the same time.

Sorry to hear that.For the most part we don't have anything like that,but 2 of the 3 days that special WMAhunts are open,are during the work week.How many people can take thurs,and fri off every week to get in the best hunting?Luckily I work 4 -10's.I can hunt the fri,and sat hunts,but I won't have a job if I take too many thurs. off.