I read this a while back in the Port Lavaca Wave (Port Lavca, Tx) According to another article, they were charged in Federal court, where the fine could be as much as $2000. per man for each dead bird. The state filed in state court for restutition which is being set at $5000. per bird for each man. That could result in a $7000. dollar fine for all eight hunters times 37 dead birds. That is one stiff fine, but in my opinion they deserve it. :wink:
PORT LAVACA WAVE
Wednesday, February 1, 2006
-Six hunters from Delaware were cited by Texas game wardens and a special investigator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Friday, January 20, for flagrantly violating Texas game laws. All six face federal charges.
State Game Warden Kevin Stanzik VI said the men were hunting on the Calhoun County line in the Guadalupe River bottom area. The names of the men were being withheld pending investigation, but charges range from failing to retrieve/wanton waste, exceeding the daily bag limit for ducks, taking white-fronted geese in a closed season, exceeding the daily bag limit of canvasback ducks, using lead field shotgun shells and using unplugged shotguns.
Stanzik said four of the hunters had, no hunting licenses whatsoever. Most were bankers, real estate people and other well to do folk.
They left 37 dead birds on the water, he said. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department game wardens and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife investigator had to go back out and retrieve the dead fowl. We retrieved 36 ducks and one goose.
Ten of the birds they retrieved were canvasback hens. Canvasback ducks are not an extinct species but their numbers are declining, Stanzik said.
This is why the bag limit is one canvasback per person, he said. But between them they had 17 canvasback ducks in addition to other ducks, which they were also over the bag limit. This was real disheartening.
Texas game wardens and a U.S. Fish and Wildlife investigator had received a complaint about the hunters. After observing the men for some time Jan. 20, the officers arrested the men when they were departed from their air boat later in the day. The hunters were harassing the ducks with air boats and shooting them when they took flight, Stanzik said.
They were using lead field shot, which for waterfowl hunting has been prohibited in Texas for several years.
For waterfowl hunting, hunters are required to use non-toxic steel shot, bismuth, heavy shot or other non-toxic shots, Stanzik said. The State also requires hunters to use plugged shotguns that hold only three shells.
The hunters will not likely get jail time but will probably be fined several thousand dollars each. In addition the State of Texas has filed a civil restitution charge for the illegal bag limits and the fines should be approximately $4,000 for each bird.
Thirty-two citations were filed against the hunters in the Federal Court.
There will be no jail time since this is the first offense for them, Stanzik said. We are considering not issuing Texas hunting licenses to them next year pending the outcome of the Federal Court.
Two of the hunters apparently own a hunting lodge in the Palmetto area, south of Hwy. 35 within Calhoun County.
