Executive order and hunting, fishing

Governor declares hunting, fishing essential

Story by Craig Nyhus, Lone Star Outdoor News

Yes, you can still go hunting and fishing, but things are changing daily. On April 7, Gov. Greg Abbott closed state parks, and other public access points have been shut down, although many private boat ramps are still available.

While previous orders and guidelines likely allowed the favorite pastimes, many Texas hunters and anglers wondered if they could still head out.

Abbott made it more clear in his executive order on March 31. Abbott included fishing and hunting in his executive order implementing essential services and activities protocol.

The order reads, in part:

“This executive order does not prohibit people from accessing essential services or engaging in essential daily activities, such as going to the grocery store or gas station, providing or obtaining other essential services, visiting parks, hunting or fishing, or en- gaging in physical activity like jogging or bicycling, so long as the necessary precautions are maintained to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 and to minimize in- person contact with people who are not in the same household.”

Joey Parks, a lobbyist for the Texas Wildlife Association, said the order helped clarify the issue for those with questions.

“It was an obvious thing that no one had really brought up,” Parks said. “The orders just didn’t specifically address the issue before — we didn’t think there was doubt that people could still hunt and fish.”

Parks hesitated to take credit for getting hunting and fishing included in the order.

“I didn’t make the governor do anything,” he said. “We just had the conversations. Sometimes just mentioning something to someone at the right time will get a fire started.”

Parks said abiding by the general provisions of the order and maintaining social distancing was still required, and acknowledged that not all areas and landowners necessarily want travelers coming to their areas or ranches.

“There are people out there in rural areas with no positive tests that may prefer that people from the cities stay away,” he said.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department reminded anglers to check community ordinances and check the status of the location they are planning to fish before heading out, as some access points may be closed.

Some lakes aren’t accessible, and some beaches and piers are closed. For example, San Luis Pass closed to all vehicular traffic, the National Park Service closed its boat ramp at Lake Amistad and Aransas County closed public boat ramps and access to beaches.

In Galveston, the beaches closed after the city said people weren’t paying attention to orders regarding social distancing, and tourists are being told to stay off the island. At Port Aransas, barricades keep people off beaches and public areas.

In Calhoun County, a curfew from 10 a.m. to 6 a.m. didn’t originally include people fishing if they went straight home or to the boat ramp, but that exception for recreational anglers was taken away when people abused the order.

“Immediately, the piers and fishing centers, beaches and docks were overrun with people totally disregarding staying away from each other and being sensible about it,” said Johnny Krause, chief deputy of the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office. “We understand that everyone’s stir crazy and wants things to get back to normal, but that is a risk we just couldn’t take with the possibility of people infecting others.” On April 7, Gov. Abbott ordered all state parks closed temporarily, until further notice.

When boat ramps will be open is unclear.

“We are currently evaluating all boat ramps associated with state parks,” TPWD Executive Director Carter Smith told Lone Star Outdoor News on April 7. “Please ask your readers to visit our State Parks Home Page for updates on specific boat ramps affiliated with individual state parks.”

TWA Chief Executive Officer David Yeates said the organization wanted to provide clarity for its members and the hunting and fishing public.

“There was confusion on what was OK and what was not,” he said. “We reached out to the governor’s office and chairman in charge of wildlife issues. We certainly appreciate the governor’s inclusion of it in the order.”

Yeates said outfitters, hunters and fishermen had raised questions to the organization.

“They want to do things right, and the outfitters want to keep doing business,” he said. “Hopefully this provided the clarity they needed.”

Yeates said inter-county travel was a frequent question the order clears up.

“You can leave your home and travel within the county or outside of your county to go to a private property and hunt or fish,” he said. “If you are hunting or fishing with a person who is not a member of your household, you are supposed to practice whatever social distancing orders apply to that county.”

While the orders make things more clear, people should still check with local authorities before heading out.

“Please check your local community ordinances to see if outdoor activities such as fishing are allowed,” Texas game wardens advised on social media. “If fishing is allowed, check the status of the location you’re planning to fish before head- ing out, as some access points may be closed.”

The Texas Association of Counties maintains a list of orders for each county (in alphabetical order) at its website, county.org.

Many turkey hunters travel to Texas from Louisiana, and those hunters aren’t so lucky. Gov. Abbott tightened travel to Texas by ordering some motorists from Louisiana to self-quarantine for two weeks.

The new travel restrictions came after the number of Louisiana’s coronavirus positive cases topped 3,500.

Some areas opened back up to fishing after Gov. Abbott’s order. In Tom Green County, all public boat ramps had been closed, but were reopened after the order, providing access to Twin Buttes Reservoir, according to TPWD’s Inland Fisheries, San Angelo District.

“Now is not the time to get together with friends and neighbors at the lake,” the district cautioned. “Enjoy this opportunity to be outdoors with your household separated from others and maintain the social distancing practice.”

Yeates hoped the restrictions will be short-lived, but said he was encouraged by the behavior of Texas outdoorsmen and women.

“Like after Hurricane Harvey, at their core, people are decent,” he said. “Just a trip to H-E-B shows it. People are polite and respectful. And what better way to socially distance than to be outside.”