My family temporarily moved away from Texas last year so I've been buying the basic Texas non resident hunting license to dove hunt on our family land when we are back for visits. We'll be back again in November and I plan to take my 3yo son hog hunting just to get him some time in the blind. My non-resident license does not cover deer hunting. Let's say a trophy buck makes an appearance while we are out hog hunting. Would it be unethical and/or illegal to buy the non-resident deer hunting license on my phone from the blind and take a shot?

I'm not too worried about it either way if this would be an issue. I'm in an urban bow hunting program where I live now so plenty of hunting available to me here and couldn't justify spending $300 for three days of deer hunting over TG weekend. Thoughts?

It's ethical.

And I would say that it's also legal. There's no regulation that says you have to wait a certain amount of time before you can kill an animal after purchasing a license.

I'm not trying to say if it's ethical or not. Technically it's not illegal. However you are no longer a resident of Texas. Fees for the license's is what helps pay for the support of the wildlife you are hunting. So you don't want to support the Texas wildlife unless you are guaranteed a shot?
Asking a question. Not calling you out.
I have always looked at it that the license gave you the right to hunt and support the resource, not just the right to kill.
Please understand I'm not passing any judgement on whatever you do. I'm sure you bought a lot of resident license's over the years and maybe got nothing….. so you have in sorts paid your dues.

Wouldn't it be technically illegal- because you are indeed hunting for a buck without a license? (You are sitting a stand, with a weapon, and the intent to shoot a deer if the opportunity presents itself= hunting). As you know, the license is needed to hunt, not just to harvest.

I'm not saying you would get caught, or even if they could prove anything. I'm sincerely not even saying what you should or shouldn't do.

I just think if a Game Warden saw the whole thing as described, you would be getting a ticket. I could be totally wrong. I also think it's far more likely that a buck pops up, and you don't have time to purchase the license before he leaves, so you are tempted to pop him now and buy later.

I recently lived out of state and hunted our family place in TX, so I totally get your dilemma. Not wanting to spend the $ if you don't have to. I feel that big time. I always thought about it this way- what lesson do I want to teach my boy, and how much is that worth to me. Made the decision easier for me personally.

cupofjoe04 said:

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Wouldn't it be technically illegal- because you are indeed hunting for a buck without a license? (You are sitting a stand, with a weapon, and the intent to shoot a deer if the opportunity presents itself= hunting). As you know, the license is needed to hunt, not just to harvest.

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This.

What you are doing is illegal. Splurge on the license or don't hunt.

100%

up-n-aTm said:

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cupofjoe04 said:

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Wouldn't it be technically illegal- because you are indeed hunting for a buck without a license? (You are sitting a stand, with a weapon, and the intent to shoot a deer if the opportunity presents itself= hunting). As you know, the license is needed to hunt, not just to harvest.

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This.

What you are doing is illegal. Splurge on the license or don't hunt.

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He said he has a license and he will be hog hunting. So is it really illegal to do what he's saying? If he had no license at all I'd be more likely to agree with you that it is illegal. I might just not know the law for this situation and I freely admit that.

The Game Warden and/or processor will only check that the deer is tagged. They won't check to see if you bought the tag 2 minutes before you shot the deer or 2 months before.

Enjoy the time with your 3 yr old and enjoy the hunt!

No one is buying a tag BEFORE they shoot a buck, in this hypothetical situation. If you have that much time to do it before, it is because you're expecting to shoot one which mean you should already have the license/tag.

Do the right thing and buy the license/tag to shoot a buck or don't shoot one at all…

RCR06 said:

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up-n-aTm said:

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cupofjoe04 said:

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Wouldn't it be technically illegal- because you are indeed hunting for a buck without a license? (You are sitting a stand, with a weapon, and the intent to shoot a deer if the opportunity presents itself= hunting). As you know, the license is needed to hunt, not just to harvest.

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This.

What you are doing is illegal. Splurge on the license or don't hunt.

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He said he has a license and he will be hog hunting. So is it really illegal to do what he's saying? If he had no license at all I'd be more likely to agree with you that it is illegal. I might just not know the law for this situation and I freely admit that.

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No. Because the license he has does not permit him to hunt deer, which he is intending to do if a whopper shows up. So, he would be technically hunting for deer without a license. You don't need a license only if you get a bite, you need a license to fish. Same with hunting.

The question was about ethics. If you legitimately will not shoot a deer under any circumstance, you are not deer hunting and do not need a license to do so. If you are even "keeping an eye out" for 1 good deer, you are deer hunting and do need a license. Pretty cut and dry from and ethical standpoint.

This

Thanks for the thoughtful feedback fellas. The way gunny and cupofjoe put it makes sense so we'll just be sticking to hogs this year.

To be clear, I'm not looking to cross any ethical or legal boundaries. If I was into that sort of thing I'd just continue buying a resident super combo (which is cheaper than the limited non resident license I've been buying) with my still valid Texas DL and mailing address.

up-n-aTm said:

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cupofjoe04 said:

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Wouldn't it be technically illegal- because you are indeed hunting for a buck without a license? (You are sitting a stand, with a weapon, and the intent to shoot a deer if the opportunity presents itself= hunting). As you know, the license is needed to hunt, not just to harvest.

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This.

What you are doing is illegal. Splurge on the license or don't hunt.

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Also just to be clear here, I'm not doing anything illegal nor am I planning to. Just asking a question about a scenario.

As long as he buys the tag before he pulls the trigger he's good.
He's legally hunting hogs and a deer pops out. He takes advantage of an online purchase & he instantly becomes legal to shoot the buck. End of story.
You don't have to possess the license for a certain amount of time before you hunt.

It's a little sketchy and there is definitely margin for "gaming the system". But not illegal. Ethically dubious for sure.

If you plan on killing a deer if you see one then that is hunting. No other way around it. I'm not going to say anything so trust your gut.

Well, it's one of those borderline ethical questions. It's in the same neighborhood as the old bass season catch and release in the northern states. You weren't supposed to target bass before the season opened, but walleye pike and most other specie's seasons are open. In many cases, lures and techniques for those are the same as bass. I guess my state recognized the inherent problem with enforcing this, so they went ahead and just made it legal to target bass and employ responsible catch and release preseason.

I dont think that's accurate at all.

What's not accurate, and why?
Like I said, it's morally sketchy but it technically doesn't violate the law. How could it be proven otherwise?

If you drove out to your Uncles Farm to hog hunt & saw a buck under a feeder, drove 5 min back to the hardware store & got a tag, then went back to shoot the buck… we'd all agree that's fine. All this does is eliminate the drive.

Apache said:

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What's not accurate, and why?
Like I said, it's morally sketchy but it technically doesn't violate the law. How could it be proven otherwise?

If you drove out to your Uncles Farm to hog hunt & saw a buck under a feeder, drove 5 min back to the hardware store & got a tag, then went back to shoot the buck… we'd all agree that's fine. All this does is eliminate the drive.

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I disagree. He has already predetermined that if he see a good deer he will kill it. That is a hunt, which is illegal to do without the license. Can't prove it, or at least very hard to do. Again, it doesn't affect me so I don't care, but if you're asking.

"It only matters what you can prove"
- Lt. Daniel Kaffee, USN

cupofjoe04 said:

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RCR06 said:

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up-n-aTm said:

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cupofjoe04 said:

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Wouldn't it be technically illegal- because you are indeed hunting for a buck without a license? (You are sitting a stand, with a weapon, and the intent to shoot a deer if the opportunity presents itself= hunting). As you know, the license is needed to hunt, not just to harvest.

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This.

What you are doing is illegal. Splurge on the license or don't hunt.

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He said he has a license and he will be hog hunting. So is it really illegal to do what he's saying? If he had no license at all I'd be more likely to agree with you that it is illegal. I might just not know the law for this situation and I freely admit that.

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No. Because the license he has does not permit him to hunt deer, which he is intending to do if a whopper shows up. So, he would be technically hunting for deer without a license. You don't need a license only if you get a bite, you need a license to fish. Same with hunting.

The question was about ethics. If you legitimately will not shoot a deer under any circumstance, you are not deer hunting and do not need a license to do so. If you are even "keeping an eye out" for 1 good deer, you are deer hunting and do need a license. Pretty cut and dry from and ethical standpoint.

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What if I have a deer tag in an otc elk unit and see a giant bull.

I think it's all about intent.

Then you're probably not in TX.

If this is truly an issue TPW needs to do away with selling online tags. Or have them become valid 24 hours (or pick your waiting period) after issuance to avoid the problem because it is very difficult to prove intent.

Its the digital online tag that created this. You can't hunt deer with the paper tag that you can buy online. If you do the paper option you have to have an actual carcass tag in hand to hunt deer. (Which is mailed to you later)
Is it an option for a non resident to buy a digital license? It probably shouldn't be if so.

I just went online and went through the steps to buy a non-resident hunting license on the TPWD website and a digital license wasn't an option. The only option I was given was a paper tag mailed to me.

Anyone else seeing the same? If so, kinda makes this entire conversation a moot point.

Way to ruin a fun argument by bringing real information to the table.

Ok. Today at church I spoke with our Regional Captain of the Game Wardens in our area. He said the only license's available as digital format are:
1.) Super Combo
2.) Lifetime Super Combo
3.) Senior Super Combo
4.) Youth Tags
5.) Lifetime Hunting Tags

All above for residents only.

There is not a digital non resident license available. You can purchase it online and the hard copy will be mailed to you. Per his words… a non resident can not hunt deer or harvest a deer without the hard copy in his/her possession at the time of hunt or harvest.

Should clear things up.

Full closure, thanks!

If anyone wants to continue debating Texas hunting license ethics, here's any other one for you: If a resident buys a lifetime super combo and years later moves out of state but still owns land in Texas, should they purchase a non resident license every year to hunt their land until they move back?

Yea it's nuts. Get this…. Wife's dad owned a ranch in Uvalde. He bought a ranch that ran from MO into Arkansas. The house was 120' on the MO side. He still operated the ranch in Texas but showed his residency in MO. He had to get non resident license's to hunt on his place in Texas AND Ark!

Makes sense. He isn't a resident of either. He's a landholder/owner but that doesn't make him a resident.

Per the TPWD website concerning lifetime hunting/fishing license.
" If a license holder moves to another state, the license will still be valid when the license holder returns to Texas to hunt or fish".

Yep. FIL knew that but he did not have a lifetime license. My old boss bought one while he lived in Texas and he got transferred. His decision to get one turned out to be a good one as he still comes and hunts with us from time to time.

ItsA&InotA&M said:

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Per the TPWD website concerning lifetime hunting/fishing license.
" If a license holder moves to another state, the license will still be valid when the license holder returns to Texas to hunt or fish".

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Dang that is interesting. I considered buying one the year before we moved for this reason, but I thought I read somewhere that it would be valid when you moved back, but not while living out of state. Wish I had done it! Actually I wish I had done it 15 years ago when it was half what it costs today.