Cheap Thrills

The folks with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s public hunting program launched the agency’s 2023-24 menu of drawn hunts around the July 4 holiday.

As always, there are a number of low cost, high quality hunting trips on the list offering hunters the opportunity to go after a wide variety of big and small game, upland game birds and migratory birds/waterfowl, all at bargain prices.

You have to apply to be eligible to win a permit. The hunts will be awarded by random computer draws held soon after the application deadline for each hunt. Only successful applicants will be notified.

10,000 PERMITS AVAILABLE

TPWD public hunting coordinator Kelly Edmiston said around 10,000 hunting permits are up for grabs in 63 different categories. About 5,300 permits are for hunts on state-run wildlife management areas, state parks, public hunt lands and private lands.

There are another 3,300 permits for hunts on select national wildlife refuges and 1,250 antlerless permits are designated for use in the U.S. Forest Service properties. Additionally, about 1,400 permits are available in 14 Youth Only categories, Edmiston said.

Youth hunters must be accompanied by a supervising adult. Hunter education requirements apply on all hunts. In Texas, every hunter (including out-of-state hunters) born on or after Sept. 2, 1971, must successfully complete a Hunter Education Course.

Proof of certification or deferral is required to be on your person while hunting, either printed or electronically. Certification is not required to purchase a hunting license. Minimum age of certification is 9 years old.

Some hunts require a $48 Annual Public Hunting Permit (APHP) before application. The annual permits, which provide legal hunting access to more than one million acres of public hunting land as well as TPWD’s small game/ dove leases, will go on sale, along with hunting licenses, on August 15.

LOW COST, HIGH QUALITY

It costs $3-$10 to apply for most of the hunts, but some are free. Additional permit fees are charged to adult participants on most special permit hunts. The hunt fees range from $80$130, depending on the duration of the hunt.

The complete list of drawn hunts along with maps, regulations, bag limits, application deadlines, fees and other useful information is available on TPWD’s website, tpwd.texas. gov/huntwild/hunt/public/ public_hunt_drawing/.

Among other things, you can check out the previous year’s hunter success rates for each hunt, the number of permits available, hunt dates, legal means/methods and find answers for frequently asked questions. Several of the state WMA’s have Facebook pages where you can browse photos of successful hunters from previous seasons.

For years. TPWD provided a free, paperback booklet of all its public hunting options. Production of the printed booklet ceased in 2014, the same year TPWD went to a 100 percent online application process.

The entire catalog can still be downloaded online for planning hunts or sharing with friends, but you cannot apply for drawn hunts by mail. If you don’t have Internet access, you will need to find someone who does to complete the application process. A valid e-mail address, credit/debit card and unique identification number are required to apply.

Edmiston says the 2023-24 menu of hunts is pretty much unchanged from last season. There are hunts for white-tailed deer, mule deer, alligator, pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, exotics, pheasant, javelina, turkey, dove, feral hogs, squirrel, quail and waterfowl.

Some of the deer hunts are archery only, while others allow for rifle hunting or muzzleloader only. Bag limits vary with the category.

NO TIME TO WASTE

It’s never too early to start dreaming about hunting season, but you can certainly wait too long to apply in some of the most popular hunt categories. To wit: Deadlines for applications for Alligator, Alligator Management, Private Lands Dove and Youth Only Alligator fall on Aug. 1. Archery Deer, Mule Deer, Javelina, Pronghorn Antelope and Private Land Pronghorn Antelope hunts fall on Aug. 15. Deadlines for all other hunts will fall on the 1st and 15th of the month.

There are four different types of hunts to consider.

* Special Permit Hunts: General, Youth Only and Adult Only categories for a variety of species including alligator, white-tailed deer, mule deer, exotics, feral hogs, javelina and turkey. Three of the hunt packages are guided. Application fees are $3-10.

There are no application fees for youth under 17 years old or supervising adults on Youth Only Special Permit Hunt applications. Most permit fees range $80-100. Private Lands Hunts, Guided Hunt packages and pronghorn have no permit fee.

* E-Postcard Selection Hunts: A limited number of opportunities for hunting white-tailed deer, dove, feral hog, predators, quail, squirrel, teal, turkey, waterfowl and pheasant on select hunt areas. The APHP is required for adults to apply. There are no application or permit fees.

* U.S. Forest Service Antlerless Deer Permits: A limited number of adult and youth permits are provided to harvest antlerless white-tailed deer during the general open season on Alabama Creek, Bannister, Moore Plantation and Sam Houston National Forest Wildlife Management Areas. There is no application or permit fee. Adults must have an APHP to apply.

* National Refuge Hunts: A limited number of adult and youth permits for hunting deer, alligator, exotics, feral hogs, spring turkey, rabbits, quail and squirrel on several national refuges. Application fees are $3. Adult permit fees range $80-$100; youth hunts are free.

OTHER THINGS TO KNOW

* Youth applicants for Special Permit hunts must be between 8-16.

* Supervising adults must be at least 18.

* Youth applicants for Youth/Adult hunts must be under 17 .

* You can apply for unlimited hunts, but cannot apply more than once for the same hunt at the same area.

* Some hunts allow for up to four names on one application. If the applicant gets drawn, everyone on the application gets to go on the hunt.

Information on the number of people that can be on an application is listed in each hunt's details.

* The Public Hunt Draw System processed 278,000 applications and generated $1.3 million in revenue last year for use in enhancing TPWD’s public hunting programs.

Matt Williams is a freelance writer based in Nacogdoches. He can be reached by email, mattwillwrite4u@yahoo.com.