2009 Tdha Contest Rules (sample viewing)

[Eric]

Visit the Tdha website to review and discuss the 2009 Tdha Contest Rules.

Thank you,

http://thenewtdha.com/smf1.5/index.php?topic=333.msg1917#msg1917

[Black Gold]

That $3,000.00 first place prize should get some real attention!!!  We have had people calling the shop from all over the state asking about rules and to get contest entry forms.......Those belt buckles will be a coveted prize for sure!!!  Will be a good deal......

[jhy]

Thats worth driving too just to meet all the folks that should show up.  I may have to find someone to hunt with down that way quick.

Joey

[Mr. HG]

Eric was call name Brute before?

[slimpickins]

Joey, we drove from Lubbock last year and will continue as long as the contest does, just to meet the folks and lend a helpful hand.

[Circle C]

Des,

   Yes Eric used to be Brute on the boards.

[Eric]

Yes, I am Brute on most boards.

[Wmwendler]

Here are some things I thought about the rules.....They are just my opinion but here goes.  

The first one is being required to show a hunting liscence to contest officials.  I know the actuall law regarding this can be interpreted in different ways.  But It does say that you do not need a licsence to hunt hogs if you are the land owner or agent of the land owner.  Well, in every situation when I go hunting I am acting as the agent of the land owner in an effort to reduce the hogs on the place.  So if a person does not need a liscence to be legal why do they need one to enter the contest?

Also about the knife and dog only.  I understand why yall think this will help make the contest more fair(meat quality, unfair advantage, ect),  But I dont necesarily agree.  Some people might think that baying and shooting hogs is easier or has an advantage over the knife.  But thats not necessarily so.  I think allot of those beliefs are based on missinformation and a lack of understanding because they have never tried it.  Sure there are trade offs but in reality it is not that much greater of an advantage and sometimes is a disadvantage.  If you are worried about the meat quality then make it a rule that there must be one clean shot only for the hog to be entered.  One clean shot is easy when the hog is bayed and you can get close, but not so easy from a helicopter or when shooting at a hog flushed from a field.  It would also emiminate the use of some of the high powerd rifles, shotguns that would not leave a single or clean shot even with proper placement.  Besides if people want to waste thier time trying to drive hogs out of a feild, let them.  They would have a much better chance at big hogs and winning the competition, if they would bay the hogs with dogs.  Also just my expereince, the hogs we end up catching with dogs, the meat is all bruised by the dogs, while the gun shot hogs have bruise free meat.  Unless you shoot the hog to many times or have bad shot placement gun shot hogs will always produce better meat than dog caught.  I think you are limiting the ammount of meat produced(your ultimate goal if i am not mistaken) by excluding dog and gun hunters, my self included.  It is also worth considering that TDHA claims to support all dog hunters in Texas and that rule does'nt necessarily portray that message.

Also, if you really want to curb the cheating cut the prize money down.  I believe if you keep it at a reasonable level.....enough to cover the cost of participating and pad the pockets a little bit, that is more than enough, expecially with the buckles and other items added in.  Just donate the rest or use it for the TDHA.  I think that will help you attract more people that understand the cause (Donating meat).  Not to mention I am a firm beleiver that you will never please everybody.  I am willing to bet that you will have a similar ammount of complaints no matter what rules you decide on.  You can never please all the people and the complainers will always find something to complain about.  Not to mention the ones that are hollering about cheating are probly the ones that did a little cheating them selves.


Thats just my 2 cents.  I would like to participate in the contest but I wont loose any sleep over it if I don't.  I hope this years contest is a sucess for yall.

Waylon

[slimpickins]

Copied and pasted from TPWD website:

Exceptions: a hunting license is not required to hunt the following:

Coyotes, if the coyotes are attacking, about to attack, or have recently attacked livestock, domestic animals, or fowl.
Depredating feral hogs, if a landowner (resident or non-resident) or landowner's agent or lessee is taking feral hogs causing depredation on the landowner's land.
Fur-bearing animals, if the hunter possesses a trapper's license or if the fur-bearing animals are causing depredation.

Waylon, do as you like, but be prepared to articulate in a court of law, that the hogs were causing depredation.
Personally, I'll spend the money yearly on a liscense ($65 combo), as it helps our great state's hunting and fishing industry, and helps avoid any trouble.

Being the higest paying hunting contest in the State of Texas is what makes this contest so desireable.

[Circle C]

Waylon,

   Very good points.

I think the logic behind the required hunting license has more to do with helping the TPWD and ultimately we as hunters than it does with any laws. Not sure if this will makes sense, but here goes...

The more hunting licenses sold, the stronger a force that the hunters appear to be. Strength in numbers you might say, and when agencies research hunter numbers, they will use the number of hunting licenses sold to arrive at their figures.

[catchrcall]

We are looking into the idea of expanding the contest in the future to include hogs that are bayed and shot.  It would be a seperate division from the hogs caught and killed with a knife.  It won't change anything for this year, we are too far along in the planning, but I'd like to see, on a seperate thread,  how many people from the boards would enter a bay and shoot contest if one was held next year.  Also waylon, I appreciate your candor and input.  Thanks

[Eric]

Circle C you are absolutly correct on the hunting licenses. Tdha supports TP&W, they support the cause.


We have asked on prev. threads how many were bay-shoot and never had any response. We can do it again right here but I think the response will be the same.


I AM MOSTLY BAY AND SHOOT and would appreciated a section for that.

[Wmwendler]

I undertand and have a current hunting liscence myself.  However, I dont consider feral hogs wildlife any more than Feral Cattle would be considered so, and any regulation of such is not right in my opinion.  If a game warden approached me in reference to my licsence I would politely tell them I dont need one and be glad to walk him/her through the woods for a couple miles and present some depredation.  Or better yet invite them back some time in July and I will shot them a corn field or two.

[slimpickins]

I undertand and have a current hunting liscence myself.

Thank you for supporting TPWD as well as TDHA.

[Hogboy]

Everyone is correct....you dont have to have a license to KILL any animal if you are on private property.  A landowners agent can kill animals that are destructive to crops or pastureland and let them lay.  But it may be hard to explain to a gamewarden why you are entering a HUNTING contest and how all 4 team members are the landowners agent.  Also, hogs are no longer considered ferral the are an exotic animal in the state of Texas.   

Everyone knows how the system works.  Lets say Joe Blow gets wrongfully ticketed......it is a bad reflection on TDHA and the contest and all of a sudden hog hunters are labeled as outlaws.  Thus in support of the law and TPWD, TDHA has decided it is in the best interest of the organization to require a hunting license.  I am willing to bet it will not even be an issue to 95% of the people wanting to enter. 

And again.....there is alot of money at stake.  If anyone wants a shot at it they have to play by the rules. 

As far as shot hog....there were too many "plots" and too much "hear say" of people doing/or planning to shoot un-bayed hogs.  Gunners were set up in open feilds and dogs and team members went into the brush.  The team members caught the dog-bayed hogs and the gunners were shooting the fleeing hogs.  Also, there were reports of helicopters getting involved and all other sorts of mess.  Thus, at this time we want to make the contest as fair as possible.

This is a hog hunting contest, not a dog contest.  Bay and shoot hunters cannot enter just as bird dog people and coonhunters can't enter.  This is just one contest that TDHA is soponsoring.  It does not mean we don't support other styles of hunting, it is just not what we are doing with this contest this year.  We want to incorporate this in some fassion, but at this time we dont have a viable plann to keep it fair.  Hopefully in the future we can. 


As Catchcrall said....thanks again for the response and we hope to hear more from other folks out there that have ideas or concerns.


RJB

[Wmwendler]

What are you doing to keep people from recatching hogs they have allready caught?  I can think of a bunch ways to cheat only a few of them involving rifles.  I just think you are limiting your contest, and more importantly mean donated, based on only one subset of hog hunters and thier paranoia and rumors about something they don't personally do them selves.

Waylon

[Circle C]

Waylon,


  I think this is the rule that applies.
"Hogs cannot have been previously trapped, kept, or held for the contest."

[Mike]

Mandatory polygraphs for all winning teams... that's what all big money tournaments do.

[Black Gold]

Yep.....The polygraph will cover all the rules so if someone caught and held hogs then the polygraph will catch it!

[Monteria]

I think that Doug summed it up best when he told me "if you want to play, you will have to play by our rules" (paraphrased)

I too am concerned with participation but its hard to argue that.

Steve