# "Commingled birds"



## dwilliams35 (Oct 8, 2006)

Just a reminder, the traditional tailgate covered with dove for a post-hunt photo is usually illegal in Texas: you can't have your birds "commingled" with someone else's unless they've got a valid wildlife resource document with them that would make one individual in valid possession of the whole pile... I don't know that I've ever seen a GW give a ticket for doing this with dove, but I have for waterfowl.. I talked with a GW about it one time and he said that as far as he was concerned, it'd be a really good idea to take some tie wraps or bread ties to "tag" the legs of your birds or tie YOUR limit together: at least yours would be identifiable from the others, even if they don't have a fully-filled out WRD... I know it's rare to hear of somebody getting cited for this, but it's something to keep in mind...


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## 10ERBETTER (Feb 24, 2008)

Who wants to look at a tailgate covered in dead doves anyway. Doesn't make for a very good pic IMO.


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## elpistolero45 (May 9, 2010)

Trust me on this. During Budget Crunch time.. Some Major in Austin puts pressure on a Captain in a district and then the Local Wardens get told "Write me some Citations!"

If everybody has a license, Plugs or double barrels, the right kind of shot, doesn't shoot over a road or toward a house..... The Chicken Fertilizer comes out in the ones that everyone cusses.

Don't even Bag the Picked ones together over the daily Bag... 15 or less to a ziplock.


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## Koolbreeze72 (Jul 11, 2006)

10ERBETTER said:


> Who wants to look at a tailgate covered in dead doves anyway. Doesn't make for a very good pic IMO.


 Uh... ME!!!!:biggrin:


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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

dwilliams35 said:


> the traditional tailgate covered with dove for a post-hunt photo is usually illegal in Texas


With migratory birds (doves, snipe, woodcock, ducks, geese & sandhill cranes) it's a federal thing which covers all 50 states.

You must maintain possession of your own birds and not be in possession of another person's birds.


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## dwilliams35 (Oct 8, 2006)

AvianQuest said:


> With migratory birds (doves, snipe, woodcock, ducks, geese & sandhill cranes) it's a federal thing which covers all 50 states.
> 
> You must maintain possession of your own birds and not be in possession of another person's birds.


With the exception of birds that are already covered by a WRD. Thought I covered that. Thus "usually".


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## Haute Pursuit (Jun 26, 2006)

F' all that. We don't take more than personal limits and if any GW has a problem with it, then F' them. It's just a picture and I'll fight it in court if they write me a ticket... I'll have actual witnesses if there are other shooters birds in there. That is BS unless you are a lawbreaker. Bring on the tailgate pics. I like them.


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## deke (Oct 5, 2004)

Haute Pursuit said:


> F' all that. We don't take more than personal limits and if any GW has a problem with it, then F' them. It's just a picture and I'll fight it in court if they write me a ticket... I'll have actual witnesses if there are other shooters birds in there. That is BS unless you are a lawbreaker. Bring on the tailgate pics. I like them.


I'm with you on this. It would be chicken **** of them to do that. If everyone is standing around taking pics they are all there "in possession" of their birds.


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## dwilliams35 (Oct 8, 2006)

CS or not, that's been the law for a long, long time... Probably just one of those "if he's already ****** off" kinda tickets, but he can dang sure write one if he wants to... If you want to go through the expense and time of fighting it in court, giddyup.

I'd just as soon not have everybody else that was on the hunt posing there like they had a hand in my shooting my 63 birds.

I'm joking, I'm joking.....


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## InfamousJ (May 21, 2004)

it takes a real little man to write a ticket for a common sense legal operation.. if they want respect in the community,then treat the community fairly.. otherwise, don't gripe about a thankless job if they want to treat situations like that with a ticket.


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

I really think there can be nothing wrong with the tailgate picture because there is no "over the limit" numbers there. Say 3 folks and 45 birds what is wrong with that ? I can show the warden my 15 birds and the other guys theirs. IMHO co mingling would address everything in one bag and one guy traveling with them.

Charlie


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## Johnboat (Jun 7, 2004)

*simple solution for the tailgate picture*

just leave a 4-6 inch space between limits on the tailgate. That way, if checked, the birds are not commingled. "Officer, the limit on the left is mine, the middle is Joe's and the right is bubba's"


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## Bucksnort (Jun 29, 2004)

Has anyone actually received a ticket for this or is this just lets start a Jr. Game Warden thread and stir it up?


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

I am with Bucksnort on this one...And really believe that' s not co mingling

Charlie


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## hook'n'em (Aug 11, 2007)

Four lines of 15


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## El Capitan de No Fish (Sep 20, 2007)

We had a GW give us some grief about this while duck hunting in Port Aransas a couple years ago. There were 3 of us and we had all of our birds on one strap. Even though we were sitting right next to each other it was illegal. No ticket just a warning.


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## reelthreat (Jul 11, 2006)

Bucksnort said:


> Has anyone actually received a ticket for this or is this just lets start a Jr. Game Warden thread and stir it up?


I have not but came close to getting one. A buddy and I pluck out doves and put them into ziplocs (each with our limit) then put the two bags into one large ziploc then put them into a cooler. For some reason my buddy wrote his name on his ziploc. The GW saw that large ziploc and was about to write a ticket for co-mingling (he had the ticket book out). We had to open the larger ziploc and show him that we could distinguish the two limits. He literally asked the question "So who's limit is who's?"... luckly my buddy wrote his name on his bag.

After that he checked everything he could (we were all legal) and even tried to use a trap question on us. It was opening day and after he saw our evening limits he said "How did ya'll do this morning?".

We didn't fall for it :dance:


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## Rack Ranch (May 25, 2004)

Yea!! Albert is a good guy, one of the best Wardens out there...
Me like tailgate pics...



El Capitan de No Fish said:


> We had a GW give us some grief about this while duck hunting in Port Aransas a couple years ago. There were 3 of us and we had all of our birds on one strap. Even though we were sitting right next to each other it was illegal. No ticket just a warning.


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## El Capitan de No Fish (Sep 20, 2007)

Speaking of tailgate pics, Friday's bounty...


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## Mrsailfish (Jan 4, 2005)

I went hunting in Pearsall last week as a guest and the guys on the bird lease were very strict about this. They told me that last year some people Commingled their birds and it cost them $9,000.00.

Mr Sailfish


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## Levelwind (Apr 15, 2005)

I've not heard of anyone getting hammered on doves, but about 5-6 years ago we got a tipoff early in the season from a GW down in R'port to keep our ducks seperated. We did and were O.K., a lot of other guys didn't and got tickets. Doves are subject to the same laws. 

Like someone said, at least put the birds in different lines with a little space between. 

The OP gave you a good tip. If you want to blow it off, by all means do. A lot of state gws will probably let you slide if everything else is good. A Fed. (USFWS C.O.) will not. And if you think you're going to beat it in front of a Federal Magistrate, well good luck with that. 

I just hope I kill enough birds this year to make a good tailgate shot!


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## Titus Bass (Dec 26, 2008)

Me and two buddies went last year. We only shot one dove, but we each claimed it. When the game warden stopped us and we all claimed the same dove he wrote us each a ticket for commingling......


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## birdband01 (May 25, 2006)

Bucksnort said:


> Has anyone actually received a ticket for this or is this just lets start a Jr. Game Warden thread and stir it up?


Was goose guiding, had my hunters spread out down a line in the spread. Fed walks up, asks each man how many birds he's killed. They each spit out a number. Fed gets to me last. I have all the birds in my pile since I have a dog that brings em to me. Was still within my legal limit but gave me a hard time and a $900 fine. This was probably 8 yrs ago. I definitely distribute birds as we kill them from now on.

On another note... One of my hunters had roughly 3 boxes worth of 20ga dove loads in his game bag in the field. It was left over from skeet shooting the evening before. He was shooting a 12ga in the field, not a 20ga. Still received a hefty fine. But that's a different discussion.


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## Bull Minnow (May 28, 2004)

Had the Feds check us last year and our birds were divided in groups of 15. I imagine they would have written us a ticket for not having them separated. The Texas Wardens have "suggested" we keep them separated even when taking pictures.


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## aggiemulletboy (May 31, 2006)

I knew some kids in high school that went dove hunting. Only one person remembered a bird bag. The kids were all putting their birds in the bag and they got ticketed.

Out of curiosity, would marking the birds work? Like pulling the 5th and 6th primaries on the right wing on all of your birds, the 1st and 2nd on someone else's, etc.?


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## marshhunter (Mar 20, 2008)

birdband01 said:


> On another note... One of my hunters had roughly 3 boxes worth of 20ga dove loads in his game bag in the field. It was left over from skeet shooting the evening before. He was shooting a 12ga in the field, not a 20ga. Still received a hefty fine. But that's a different discussion.


thats sounds like a CS ticket...explain

when we duck hunt we separate everybodys birds in the blind and in the boat but once we get on land we put them all together and take pics of them either on the airboat or on the tailgate of a truck...then we put them in one big pile and clean them all and seperate the limits as we clean them...everyone just remembers what kind of bird they shot


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## Tommy2000 (Mar 23, 2008)

Suppose they'd have trouble with co-mingling deer?


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## birdband01 (May 25, 2006)

marshhunter said:


> thats sounds like a CS ticket...explain
> 
> when we duck hunt we separate everybodys birds in the blind and in the boat but once we get on land we put them all together and take pics of them either on the airboat or on the tailgate of a truck...then we put them in one big pile and clean them all and seperate the limits as we clean them...everyone just remembers what kind of bird they shot


CS???


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## Bucksnort (Jun 29, 2004)

birdband01 said:


> Was goose guiding, had my hunters spread out down a line in the spread. Fed walks up, asks each man how many birds he's killed. They each spit out a number. Fed gets to me last. I have all the birds in my pile since I have a dog that brings em to me. Was still within my legal limit but gave me a hard time and a $900 fine. This was probably 8 yrs ago. I definitely distribute birds as we kill them from now on.
> 
> On another note... One of my hunters had roughly 3 boxes worth of 20ga dove loads in his game bag in the field. It was left over from skeet shooting the evening before. He was shooting a 12ga in the field, not a 20ga. Still received a hefty fine. But that's a different discussion.


Understand but this scenario is not the same. We are talking about the photo op. But thats a darn good point!


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## El Capitan de No Fish (Sep 20, 2007)

birdband01 said:


> CS???


I think he means chicken poop.


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## Levelwind (Apr 15, 2005)

U.S. CFR 20 paras 20.36, 20.37, 20.42 will tell you all about it. As far as lead in the field when hunting waterfowl, it's "illegal to possess". Pretty cut and dried.


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## Bull Minnow (May 28, 2004)

We ALWAYS get the tailgate picture with all of our ducks in a pile. I guess we'll see when we get checked again. We always know who shot what birds because we don't shoot a lot anyway.


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## Rack Ranch (May 25, 2004)

Were yall hunting in a pumpkin patch??? 



Tommy2000 said:


> Suppose they'd have trouble with co-mingling deer?


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## Brother Bob (Jul 27, 2004)

*Anybody...*

Anybody want to give these big boys a ticket, a couple of them used to block for Ricky Williams at UT?

BB


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## Bukmstr (Nov 12, 2004)

*Yes I have seen this ticket for Doves*

Last Year in Dilley we were stopped on the county road. Several trucks in front of us and they were checking everyone. Guys in front of us had their birds in a pile all limits and not one bird over. They all received a ticket for doing this. We pulled up next and they asked to see our birds. They looked in the back and saw all of ours were in our bird bags. They did not even check our counts or our license's. They were only checking for comingled birds. I know we are talking photos, but I will never do it. Just my .02...


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## InfamousJ (May 21, 2004)

there was no comingling in the taking of this picture...


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## InfamousJ (May 21, 2004)

or this one


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## marshhunter (Mar 20, 2008)

El Capitan de No Fish said:


> I think he means chicken poop.


i sure do...now if someone else in the same blind as you was shooting a 20 i could understand it a lil better..but other wise i would have tried to fight it...just my .02

edit: well i guess my .02 was wrong just read the post at top of page...still seems like a way to make money....kinda of a gray area if you ask me


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## Hogsticker24 (Oct 7, 2008)

InfamousJ said:


> it takes a real little man to write a ticket for a common sense legal operation.. if they want respect in the community,then treat the community fairly.. otherwise, don't gripe about a thankless job if they want to treat situations like that with a ticket.


x2... well said


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

Traveling from point A to point B, IE going home, no comingling. Huntin or immediately after packing up to go no wayy

Charlie


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## blackhogdog (Jul 20, 2009)

Pretend you are a Federal game warden and got a call from a landowner or neighbor or even a concerned citizen or a non law breaking and responsible dove hunter who saw co mingled birds at a dove hunting feild. The Feds see this all the time, especially on outfiited hunts (which itself is joke in texas since there is actually no such thing as an outfitter in the legal sence of the word), they see comingled birds on large oil feild company hunts, or some jackleg wannabee who is just seling day hunts. Its pretty typical on these type of hunts where birds are comingled to see heavy drinking and a bird boy with a truck or 4 wheeler picking up birds to take back to a kitchen to be cleaned and fryed up for the nights dove hunt party. The USFW officer has to enforce the law, its up to the hunters to know it and not comingle it, comingling leads to over harvesting and nobody can tell who shot how many birds actually, if an officer come into a comingled deal everybody is going to get at least one ticket for not keeping them seperate, usually the outfitter or landowner or will then be fined for EVERY bird over the limit after they figure out how many actually were hunting and how many actaully had licences and on and on, I know personally of a dove shooting feild this happened to in Live Oak County and one on a ranch next door to my familys ranch down at Woodsboro. Anybody who has a problem with understanding this should not have a hunting licence. I bet many people dont even know the fine schedule for mourning doves per bird, could somebody look it up in the criminal code statues and post it. Thanks for bringing up this point, lost of people are not aware that those pictures are actually pictures of lawbreaking dumbass's, if you going to hunt dont break the law, there is no telling how many hunters get wacked on this every year. Ducking now from all the hit dogs howlinglol


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## Hooked Up (May 23, 2004)

Haute Pursuit said:


> F' all that. We don't take more than personal limits and if any GW has a problem with it, then F' them. It's just a picture and I'll fight it in court if they write me a ticket... I'll have actual witnesses if there are other shooters birds in there. That is BS unless you are a lawbreaker. Bring on the tailgate pics. I like them.


Exactly! It's a picture (photoshopped at that ). "If" this is true I just lost a tremendous amount of respect for any field warden that would actually write that ticket. What happened to innocent until "proven" guilty. I served as a Texas peace officer for nearly two decades and never did like "featherlegged" citations. Wow!


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## seabo (Jun 29, 2006)

me and the guys i hunt with purty much always take pictures with all the ducks commingaling , not seperated ,we do keep the rite amount on each boat on the way to the ramp but usually they all are on the same strap while hunting ,been checked lots of time(feds too) never had a problem yet. knock on wood


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## Levelwind (Apr 15, 2005)

Hooked Up said:


> Exactly! It's a picture (photoshopped at that ). "If" this is true I just lost a tremendous amount of respect for any field warden that would actually write that ticket. What happened to innocent until "proven" guilty. I served as a Texas peace officer for nearly two decades and never did like "featherlegged" citations. Wow!


Well I don't like cops, especially GWs, deciding which laws they're going to enforce and which ones they aren't. Not what they get paid to do.

In truth, there is no federal statute making it illegal to co mingle birds. The law is that a person may not posess birds killed by another in the field, at the truck, at home or in between. But I had a hunting partners season get wiped out because he didn't want dove feathers (wing) in with the meat when the law required a wing attached. I warned him, he didn't listen. Got checked, got ticketed, got a $200 fine. Sucked, but not the end of the world even for a school teacher. Then he got (by seperate post) court orders for civil restitution for "the wildlife resources he stole from the people of the state of Texas" - $200 per bird, x4 birds. Last time he hunted that year he couldn't afford gas and bullets. There wasn't much of a Christmas for the kids, either.

If you have plenty of money and a 'tude, go for it. If you're like me, well, I dont have plenty of money for fines.


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## dwilliams35 (Oct 8, 2006)

Guys, we all agree it's a CS ticket for a GW to write. However, that won't be the first CS ticket ever written, especially by a federal warden.. If you want to take the chance, giddy up. If you don't, then don't do it. Once the ticket's written, you're paying for it, be it paying the fine or taking off work, posting court cost bond, etc. etc. to fight it. If that picture's worth it to you, fine. I just started this thread just in case there's anybody that doesn't know that it's a possibility, however remote... You not knowing isn't going to deter a GW that, no matter that you weren't the one that pee'd in his cornflakes that morning, isn't going to take his jerk hat off and is going to write the ticket. I for one think they're pretty cool pictures, and consider it a shame that it can cost that much for the privilege. As a result, I generally make SOME kind of effort to make sure mine are identifiable if they're anywhere near another hunter's pile...


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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

Guys, I can't believe this thread is still going on.

It's such an easy regulation to obey and there's very good reasons for it to be enforced.

Just invest $5 in a duck strap and keep up with your own birds while in the field and until you get home. It's as simple as that.

If you want a tailgate photo, then just leave a tiny gap between everyone's take for the photo and then put them back on the strap, or keep them separated however you want. It just has to be so that if at anytime a game warden were to show up and ask "Who's birds are these", it will be totally clear. 

Without this system of being accountable, sooner or later, there is going to a extra bird, or an illegal species, in the pile and without someone being able to fess up, everyone in the group is going to get a ticket.


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## Tommy2000 (Mar 23, 2008)

Rack Ranch said:


> Were yall hunting in a pumpkin patch???


Haha. Nah. That's to give the deer half a chance to see US first.


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## threeredfish (Aug 24, 2009)

d-mn. i comingled mallard breast with the other food groups. pork & cheese.


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## marshhunter (Mar 20, 2008)

threeredfish said:


> d-mn. i comingled mallard breast with the other food groups. pork & cheese.


you better be carefull postin commingled meats with only 16 posts...the junior game wardens are gonna be all over you!!!:cop:
bahahaah

man that pic made me hungry!!


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