Apparently this snuck in, I am just seeing it. Apparently sponsored by a former Game Warden, now Senator.

I’ve never done it but I have 2 friends that make a trip every year and hunt one of those river beds…

about to be a few airboats for sale.

I have several thoughts on this....

1. It's time to take action and get rid of these officials that pull this [censored] in the 11th hour behind closed doors.
2. I can understand the reasoning behind it because the vast majority of dinguses that hunt public lands are absolutely retarded and put landowners, livestock, and other hunters at risk.
3. As Texas turns an increasingly darker shade of blue this will continue and eventually hunting public lands will be near impossible.

This situation is a little different than hunting in the large public areas since you are in very close proximity to private lands pretty much at all times. I've heard stories of people down in the navigable water letting rounds loose at whatever runs across regardless of what lies beyond their target.

Hopefully this is fought in court and overturned.

Here is an online petition just started.

We need to unite as a community over this even if it doesn’t directly affect you because one day they’ll pick off how you like to hunt and do it 1 by 1 unless we raise enough hell over it.

Texas is a right to hunt state

I can’t get the link to post but you can google it and find it pretty easy

If anybody can get it posted that’d be great

Land owners along the rivers are constantly trying to do whatever they can to keep folks away from the rivers and their land. Wonder which one padded this dudes pocket? My property backs up to corps land and right now we can bow hunt hogs and use a shotgun for small game and varmints when it is not duck season. I hope that does not get squashed at some point. This is slippery slope kind of stuff!

Honestly I always thought it was weird that anyone COULD hunt those lands. You don't own or lease them and they're not truly 'public', not like the state/national lands.

The river bottoms are public up to high water mark on the rivers. I have spent a lot of time on the Devils and Pecos with a GW.

https://www.change.org/p/stop-sb-1236-and-keep-our-hunting-rights-of-navigable-streams?original_footer_petition_id=22649109&algorithm=promoted&source_location=petition_footer&grid_position=3&pt=AVBldGl0aW9uAB3tMwIAAAAAZMEjJkdN%2Bh1kMGM2YTliMQ%3D%3D

Every link I find looks a little different concerning the counties this applies to. I've hunted the Pease publicly many times, it's a lot of work but a fantastic experience. I've also leased along the Pease, and currently lease along the Prarie Dog Town Fork of the Red River. So from this perspective, I am really interested in finding out exactly what counties this applies to. If it only applies to certain counties, it really smacks of personal influence. After all, the same conditions apply so why only selected areas?

If they were not truly public, what would prevent whoever was the assumed owner from damning it up? I believe it's for this reason that the area within the gradient boundary of navigable water ways are public. Did you realize these lands can be hunted with any legal means (rifle), you're not required to wear hunter orange, etc........hunt them along ACOE of land and you have a whole pile of exceptions that you can come in handy.

I think it's in New Mexico where landowners actually put fence across certain water ways to deter people from floating down it to fish.

It all goes back to definition of a navigable water way.

The high water mark is always bugged me but Im probably jaded as I’m a land owner and always push for LO rights. You could float the llano river and shoot deer below the high water mark, regardless where homes where.

Nothing worse then owning a river property and some one camping on your land, and throwing a party all night just 50 yards down hill from you property. Or having shot gun shells pepper you house roof.

In some states like Colorado you cant even touch the bottom of the river bed, with oar, anchor or foot, damn sure arent hunting it

legislation like this is because of FU in your face bad apples, with no common courtesy that push the limits so bad, a deep pockets LO has enough.

Here's your working link...

https://www.change.org/p/stop-sb-1236-and-keep-our-hunting-rights-of-navigable-streams

hunting and impeding flow are two separate issues. Impeding flow already has separate federal legislation in place.

this current legislation doesnt prevent travel up or down on the river. Just shooting animals below the high water mark which is still deeded land.

Wow. Just spoke to Game Warden for the area that I USED to publicly hunt. State Wide ban, no more hunting within the gradient boundary of navigable water ways.

He was very Pro Public Hunting. In 25 years, 60 miles of river he wrote 2 tickets to public hunters. It wasn't a problem. He was really disappointed, he felt that people needed a place to hunt that didn't cost $$$$$$.

The upside, no more river hunters making their way down to our lease on the Red. Downside, I can't hunt the Pease. I'll miss it.

think of all the guys that duck hunt the red river or brazos…. its a lot

Bad thing about it, "loose" shot in a shot gun is legal. I hope nobody tries that. The times I did it I had an absolute ball. Coyotes, hogs, some good bucks.......I get it. I pay good $ for a great lese, but still loved the river hunt. I feel for the good hunters that did it legally but don't have the means for a lease.

That's still on, you can use a shotgun, just no slugs. Check it out.

I missed slug part. Man they lucked out. Thought I was about to find a cheap air boat

Buckshot is still loose shot, no?

To me it is. Bad thing, some deer are going to be wounded that would have otherwise been dropped on the river with a rifle. Not many, but one is too many. In all my years of hunting the Pease, I never had a buckshot opportunity on a deer. I'm done hunting it for now, maybe it will change someday.

Buckshot for deer? It's not a slug.

We dam sure don’t need anymore laws in this country

They just find ways to try and govern us harder I swear

Agree that I don’t think it’s a consistently effective method but just trying to understand what is and is not allowed per the regulation. Buckshot is plenty lethal for hogs and coyotes at ethical ranges