Ear tag

'Didn't want to detract from another member's happiness, hence, a separate thread.

I thought I understood that an exotic with an ear tag, even on someone else's property, is treated just like livestock and is the property of the LO that put the ear tag there, by law. The thread title implies that it was not the hunter's LO that placed this ear tag.

If I misunderstood, please correct me.

And you might want to take the ear tag out before pictures. Mea culpa in advance if I've completely misread this situation.

For exotics, yes

For WT, no

I saw that also.Thinking the same thing.

I didn't follow the other thread, but agree that WT or exotic or anything, good idea to take the ear tag out before the pics. How we present ourselves as hunters in the public space is soooo extremely important and most of us can use a friendly reminder of that sometimes.

(1) "Estray" means stray livestock, stray exotic livestock, or stray exotic fowl.
(2) Repealed by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 604, Sec. 5.
(3) "Person" does not include the government or a governmental agency or subdivision.
(4) "Exotic livestock" means grass-eating or plant-eating, single-hooved or cloven-hooved mammals that are not indigenous to this state and are known as ungulates, including animals from the swine, horse, tapir, rhinoceros, elephant, deer, and antelope families but not including a mammal defined by Section 63.001, Parks and Wildlife Code, as a game animal, or by Section 71.001, Parks and Wildlife Code, as a fur-bearing animal, or any other indigenous mammal regulated by the Parks and Wildlife Department as an endangered or threatened species. The term does not include a nonindigenous mammal located on publicly owned land.

Sec. 142.0021. OWNERSHIP OF EXOTIC WILDLIFE AND FOWL. A person may claim to be the owner of exotic livestock or exotic fowl under this chapter only if the animal is tagged, branded, banded, or marked in another conspicuous manner that can be read or identified from a long distance and that identifies the animal as being the property of the claimant.

Sec. 142.003. DISCOVERY OF ESTRAY; NOTICE. (a) If an estray, without being herded with other livestock, roams about the property of a person without that person's permission or roams about public property, the owner of the private property or the custodian of the public property, as applicable, shall, as soon as reasonably possible, report the presence of the estray to the sheriff of the county in which the estray is discovered.
(b) After receiving a report under Subsection (a) of this section that an estray has been discovered on private property, the sheriff or the sheriff's designee shall notify the owner, if known, that the estray's location has been reported.
(c) After receiving a report under Subsection (a) of this section that an estray has been discovered on public property, the sheriff or the sheriff's designee shall notify the owner, if known, that the estray's location has been reported, except that if the sheriff or his designee determines that the estray is dangerous to the public, he may immediately impound the estray without notifying the owner. If the owner does not immediately remove the estray, the sheriff or the sheriff's designee shall proceed with the impoundment process prescribed by Section 142.009 of this code.

Ok, so what point are you trying to make? If the neighbors goat shows up on our property with a ear-tag, what are our obligations and to whom?

Devils in the details, in reference to exotics, blank or pesticide tag doesn’t meet criteria.


This example meets criteria

That's correct. Just because an exotic on your ground has an ear tag, doesn't mean it's off limits. By law, you have to be able to physically read that tag or band or brand. If you CAN identify the owner by said means, you are required to report that to the Sheriff or Game Warden. Then there is a process everyone is supposed to follow from there. If you cannot identify who the owner is when glassing the animal, like it or not that animal is fair game. Now, if I have a good idea who owns the animal and the owner & I are on decent terms. I will make a phone call to him/her to discuss before I kill that animal, because IMO that's the right thing to do. Would help in recovering if possible.

A few years back down in Duval I took an ex in-law pig hunting one evening. Right before dark two white fallow came in prancing out of nowhere (we don't have exotics), shot them both. I didn't see any tags/bands/brands until I went to load them up. One of them had a small metal band in it's ear, the only information on that band was the name of the farm where it was bought from (not in our area). Legal kill, but some of the guys at camp starting freaking out and lecturing me about how I shot an animal that was off limits and illegal yada yada. Typical folks mouthing off without knowing what they were talking about. Game Warden later cleared that up for them though, then I found out that there was a HF ranch about 5 miles away that got broken into. Somebody cut the chain on the main gate, went in and stole everything at camp, and left the gate wide open when they left. Said the owner lost most of his animals and they of course are scattered everywhere, and that the owner couldn't get them back if he tried in the brush country. Also, that there was no way of proving that any of those animals were actually his. There was no owner ID on them so they're fair game. I sure hate hearing stories like that, makes my blood boil for the owner...but if I ever see another exotic there and can't see any form of ID (a big colored blank ear tag does not meet the criteria), pretty good chance that animal will be taken.

See? If I hadn't posted this, I wouldn't have learned the detail of the law. Very good to know. Thanks fellas. To "channel" and paraphrase an elderly member on here... I'm a lifetime learner!

Unlike one of my neighbors who said he was a slow learner and a fast forgetter.

Note that landowner/lessors has final say on if leasee can have possession. If it’s not allocated in leasee’s contract, it’s can be very expensive, assuming landowner/lessor decides he wants extra money or didn’t want you shooting it.

So it’s okay to do it, just make sure nobody sees it?

Yeah, it looks like I spoke to something I didn't understand and I apologize for that. I didn't understand this was an ownership of the animal issue, and thought it was simply a picture with an ear tag, sort of appearances issue. That is what I was commenting to, so no I'm not advocating for something subversive or illegal.

From where the animal was killed in original post. I'm betting it came from PK area when the had the fires a few years back. A lot of exotics loose in that and surrounding areas my buddy had a young stag on camera in Salesville no ear tag. They have a breeding population of Aoudad in the hills and river around Palo Pinto.

I wasn't trying to make any point, I was simply posting what the law says and as far has what your obligations are and to whom...it clearly states, "the owner of the private property or the custodian of the public property, as applicable, shall, as soon as reasonably possible, report the presence of the estray to the sheriff of the county in which the estray is discovered." So in other words if your neighbors goat shows up on your property with an ear tag you are obligated to call the county sheriff as soon as reasonably possible.

I have seen Axis, Sika, Fallow. Aoudad and now a BB running around. I have never had a call nor made a call to see whos they were. First off even if I got a call from a neighbor saying he had lost an exotic and I had seen it I would tell him. But then again how do you suppose it could be captured? Unless it was some way over priced "Super Exotic" it is not worth the time nor expense to try to capture it. They are too easy to buy more at the auction.

Don if your question/comment is for me I don't care either way, I'm not making any point or choosing a side... shoot it, don't shoot it, call the neighbor/sheriff, don't call the neighbor/sheriff...I simply posted what the law states then answered a question from a member who did not bother to actually read what I posted to begin with.

thanks Txhunter, I wasn't aware of what the rules were either should I ever be poised with the situation ... I have only come across a couple of exotics out in the field on the places that I have hunted but passed on taking a shot.

My response was not meant for anyone. It was just my opinion on exotics running wild. All of them were at one time brought in by someone and they escaped. Now some like Axis and Aoudad are out of control. The Genie is out of the bottle.