Turkey Guides On LBJ

I hav talked to several other hunters at the grasslands this spring about running into
turkey guides and their clients. I hav seen one guide out there 3 times in a couple units.
I thought it was illegal to guide on US National Forest? The other hunters that had seen
the guides were saying the same thing. They were complaining that the guides and clients vehicles park in a way at an area where no one else can park. One guy told
me a guide got all smart with him acting like the guide and client had claim to that
unit and told the hunter to go somewhere else. I find that pretty darn
sorry and ruins it for everyone else. I hav a call in to the head ranger at the decatur
office and wise co game warden. Shouldnt be too hard to track down since i have license
plates/vehicle descriptions. I told the other hunters to call in as well and relay what they observed in field.

http://www.texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/2143753/

-----Original Message-----
> From: TPWD@prodweb2.tpwd.state.tx.us
> [mailto:TPWD@prodweb2.tpwd.state.tx.us]
> Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2011 8:41 PM
> To:
> Subject: Web Site - E-MAIL REPLY REQUESTED - Hunting on Public Lands in Texas
>
>
> *** E-mail reply requested!
>
> Comment or Question:
>
> Is it legal for professional hunting guides to charge money to
> take people hunting on public land like the LBJ grasslands here
> in Texas? also what kind of insurance do these guides need to
> have in case of an accident? Also is there some kind of permit
> these guides need to have in order to do business in Texas?


> From: hunt <hunt@tpwd.state.tx.us>
> Date: February 24, 2011 7:40:17 AM CST
> To:
> Subject: RE: Web Site - E-MAIL REPLY REQUESTED - Hunting
>
> They are unable to do so since they would not be able to that
>since a Hunting Lease license is required of a landowner or
>landowner's agent who leases hunting rights to another person
>on property they own or control for pay or other consideration.
>The license must be displayed on the property.
> The guide is not the landowner or landowner's agent
>since they do not own the property nor lease it since it is
>open to all the public to utilize. They also would not be able
>to acquire a Hunting Lease license due to the open statement.

Ever seen one of these?

Found it opening morning on a well known turkey unit, reported it on 3/30/14 to local office ranger.

I saw a no trespassing sign on grapevine once on a tree at the edge of a clearing facing out from the woods. Only it was well within the public land and the boundary fence was far away from that location.

In Oklahoma I found a more remote WMA gate chained and locked. I called the local biologist as it had never been locked before. He said it was not his chain and should not have been closed. It was a common practice with the locals in that area he said. A game warden cut the chain and removed it that same morning.

Someone once left an orange vest wrapped around a tree trunk high up in a tree visible from the direction hunters normally approached through the woods. From a distance it looked just like a hunter was in a tree stand there.

The things people do.

[quote=mnsherick]Ever seen one of these?

Yep

I still think one of my most memorable moments was hunting on the north end of the Washita River off an oxbow...

I arrived early that morning, launched the boat headed up the slough, hunted then on my return a man with a four wheeler was waiting at the dirt ramp...

me "how are you"
Him "Fine"
me "what you up to"
Him "listening to you scare all my deer away"
me "I'm sorry about that"
Him "you know deer season isn't that long here, and it would be BEST if you didn't come around for about a week"
Him "I would hate for something to happen to your truck, boat, or trailer"
me "when is season over?"
him " 8 days"
me "you won't see me for 10"
Him "you have a GREAT day, and thank you"

This is an area, the banjo's play, and every other trailer house is burned to the ground on a meth explosion...

you sometimes need to know when to say "I give"

J.J.

I will make this plain & simple YES IT IS ILLEGAL FOR ANYONE TO GUIDE HUNTERS ON PUBLIC LANDS IN TEXAS! I turned in a guide a few years ago to the game warden in Wise county unfortunately the warden chose NOT to pursue the case! No person in the state of Texas can guide hunters on public lands OR WMA's if they are being compensated with either money, goods, meals, fuel or services PERIOD! Even if they are not compensated but are acting in a manner consistent with being a professional guide they can be ticketed or arrested by law enforcement. If you suspect there are guides working the area, record their vehicle information, photograph their trucks and tags and call the game warden OR the police. I'm not sure what area of the LBJ you were hunting but I was there over a dozen times this spring for 2-3 days at a stretch and never ran into anyone or any groups that appeared to be a guide & a client? What section did you see them in?

West for me, pm for details

Bald knob area. One of the guides i encountered drives camo truck and
du license plates. talked to 2 different hunters that encountered
him on different occassions with a novice hunter each time.
apparently they sell guided turkey hunts on private but
are going out on public instead. pretty sorry deal if u
ask me. any info on this you are encouraged to call mark
ponds at decatur lbj headquarters. 940 627 5475

Interesting, I never saw the camo truck but will be on the look out for it from now on! Even if the guide starts his day on private land and then chooses to take client to public land he is breaking the law, if you ever encounter him again I would just play dumb move down the road and immediately call the game wardens and the LBJ police! On the flip side I do place a sign at the entrance to whatever area I'm hunting stating that there is a hunter using decoys ahead & to please use caution when entering the unit. I can't stop others from hunting but I can warn them that I am already in there......

so are u the one putting those signs like in above post on the gates at lbj?
i think its sorry that others park next to u at a gate if u were there first. 99%
of the time both parties will be working same birds. guess people are too lazy to wake up
earlier or go to another gate without a vehicle

NO! The sign that I use is not threatening, basically it is a white sign that's says Attention! Turkey hunter using decoys ahead! Please use cation when entering this unit! I am in no way telling someone NOT to hunt in the same area, it is public land and anyone can hunt anywhere they want regardless of who got there first! I just want other hunters to be aware that I may have decoys out and I don't want to get shot! many turkey hunters across the country that hunt on public land use signs to let other hunters know they are out there, it is just a safety measure if I had seen the sign posted above I would have torn it off the fence and written a not so very nice note on it and taped it to the jerks front windshield! NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO LAY CLAIM TO A PUBLIC HUNTING UNIT!

10-4. good idea. bunch of wackos out there.cant ever be too careful. i hav seen "hunters" out there wearing blaze orange during spring turkey. whatever works for ya

I have experienced this as well. On both ends. Not pleased