Bow Hunting in Central Texas
The central Texas area is a vast area that has a rich hunting tradition. Nowadays, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) strictly regulates both gun and bow hunting according to the types of animals that can be hunted and the seasons when these hunts can take place. However, bow hunting is still a popular pastime, and many bow-hunter associations exist to serve enthusiasts' needs.
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Licenses
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The TPWD requires the purchase of a recreational hunting license by anyone, regardless of age, who wants to hunt any animal in Texas save for coyotes, feral hogs or fur-bearing animals classified as nuisances.
In addition, special archery stamp endorsements for hunting licenses (Type 135) are required for those who wish to hunt by bow during an open season.
However, bow hunters who live in Texas and who acquire lifetime hunting licenses are exempted from this state stamp endorsement requirement. Licenses and particular stamps may be purchased online from the TPWD or from central Texas dealers such as Shade Tree in Comanche City or Red's Indoor Range North in Pflugerville City.
Permits
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The TPWD allows hunting access to the central Texas area and all other hunting areas in Texas via the Annual Public Hunting (APH) Permit. This Permit confers full privileges upon permit-holders, including hunting whether by bow or gun, camping hiking and other recreational uses.
Permits are issued only to individuals and valid for 12 months from Sept. 1 to Aug. 31 of the succeeding year and waive any applicable hunting fees that would otherwise be charged in many areas. An APH Permit may be purchased from the TPWD.
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Hunting Regions
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In Texas, the TPWD has grouped all public hunting lands into eight Public Hunting Regions (PHR). These regions have been organized according to their location relative to common geographic regions or major metropolitan areas for the sake of convenience.
For public-hunting purposes, the central Texas region constitutes Region 3. Four counties in this region, covering a total of 7,988 acres, offer hunts by Annual Permit. These are Mason County, the McCulloch County Complex, Nolan County and Tom Green County.
Quarry
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The TPWD designates only white-tailed deer and Rio Grande turkey as legal game for bow hunters in the central Texas area. Further, deer and turkey may only be hunted by bow in certain parts of San Angelo State Park in Tom Green County.
There is a bag limit of two deer of either sex and one turkey of either sex that may be taken by bow per given year. Both deer and turkey may only be hunted from Oct. 10 to Nov. 6 and from Nov. 22 to 29 of each year. There may also be an archery-only season during which only bow hunters can hunt.
Hunting Associations
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Interested parties may join any of a large number of bow-hunting associations that operate in central Texas and which can assist enthusiasts with many aspects of bow hunting. The Bosque Bowhunter Association and the Hill Country Bowhunters are two such associations.
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