02/02/2025
On Saturday, Jan. 25, from Hamilton and Bosque Counties decided to make use of the favorable duck hunting weather on the last weekend of the season and patrol the Brazos River in Bosque County.
As they were in the process of launching their boat, they heard several volleys of gunfire nearby. Navigating icy sloughs, they tried to locate the hunters. Along the way, the wardens encountered a few boats and checked one duck hunter, finding no violations. Later that morning as they were loading their boat, wardens heard a volley of shots from the same area. Using a satellite mapping program, they were able to pinpoint several private lakes in the vicinity that could be potential hunting locations.
Near the entrance to one of the possible locations, they encountered a man in camouflage exiting an equipment shed. He appeared evasive and was urgently texting someone. After a brief conversation, the man directed the wardens to a nearby duck blind, where three nervous hunters were packing up their gear and offered conflicting details about their group size. Initially claiming there were eight hunters—then seven—none of the remaining hunters could name the hunters who had allegedly left.
As one warden interviewed the hunters, the other went to inspect a pile of ducks on the opposite bank. As he was checking the ducks, the warden discovered a fourth individual behind the dam, dressed in camouflage with a stringer of ducks he was attempting to hide. The hunter lacked a valid hunting license and had crossed two fences to conceal the 16 birds. When confronted, the group falsely claimed he was retrieving a lost bird.
Further investigation revealed numerous violations. Near the blind, wardens found additional ducks and roughly 250 shotgun shells and hulls containing prohibited lead shot. The hunters admitted to using leftover shot from dove season, knowing it was illegal for waterfowl hunting.
Ultimately, the wardens determined only four individuals were hunting—only three of whom had valid hunting licenses. The group had used four shotguns, some still loaded with lead shot, and had illegally harvested 54 ducks—three times the legal daily bag limit of six per licensed hunter. Three of the hunters, residents of Louisiana, admitted to knowing they had exceeded their daily bag limit but didn’t want to stop shooting as they claimed this was more ducks than they had seen all season in both Texas and Louisiana.
Multiple citations were issued for exceeding the bag limit, hunting without a valid license, and using lead shot for waterfowl. The hunters were also charged civil restitution for the illegally taken ducks. The fines and restitution total for the group was more than $7,000. The ducks were seized, cleaned and will be distributed to families in Hamilton and Bosque counties.
This case serves as a clear example of the need for adherence to hunting regulations to preserve wildlife populations. Thanks to the diligence of the wardens, the violations were addressed and accountability was ensured.
