A hunter may hunt any migratory game bird:

•over (ANY, Millet, Corn, Milo ect.....) standing crops, standing flooded crops and flooded harvested crops

Unbelievable.....I will post the link that has a little more definition to it, but I'm sure some will not be able to undetrstand "normal agricultural practices". But to plant millet within the specified window, do not manipulate, hunt to your hearts content is the basic.

http://www.fws.gov/le/HuntFish/waterfowl_baiting.htm

Sorry, but your game warden is wrong. If he writes a ticket for hunting over this year's millet, it will be thrown out of court.

Obviously your game warden should have been part of the TPWD cuts this year.

You can keep trying to defend your side, which really doesn't make sense to anyone else except you and your game warden buddy, but the bottom line is that all of us that have planted millet this year are going to hunt it this year and forever because it is within the rules that have been set forth. You, or any other game warden for that matter, aren't going to stop that.

Baiting
A hunter may hunt any migratory game bird:

•over standing crops, standing flooded crops and flooded harvested crops;
•at any time over natural vegetation that has been manipulated. Natural vegetation does not include planted millet. However, planted millet that grows on its own in subsequent years after the planting is considered natural vegetation;•on or over a normal soil stabilization practice;

Response: Okay, since I planted millet this year (less than a year ago) it is not considered natural vegetation. So, this says that if I planted millet this year (not considered natural vegetation), then I manipulate it and hunt over it, I’m in trouble. If I don’t manipulate it, I’m good to go.

•on or over lands or areas where seeds or grains have been scattered solely as a result of a normal agricultural practice except waterfowl and cranes may not be hunted where grain or other feed has been distributed or scattered as the result of:
◦pre-harvest manipulation of an agricultural crop; or
◦livestock feeding;
•over crops or natural vegetation where grain has been inadvertently scattered as a result of entering or leaving a hunting area, placing decoys or retrieving downed birds;
•using natural vegetation or crops to conceal a blind, provided that if crops are used to conceal a blind, no grain or other feed is exposed, deposited, distributed or scattered in the process.

A hunter may not:

•hunt migratory birds with the aid of bait, or on or over any baited area;
•hunt over any baited area until 10 days after all baiting materials have been removed;
•hunt waterfowl or cranes over manipulated planted millet, unless the millet was planted not less than one year prior to hunting;•hunt waterfowl or cranes over crops that have been manipulated, unless the manipulation is a normal agricultural post-harvesting manipulation in accordance with official recommendations of State Extension Specialists of the Cooperative Extension Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture

Response: Okay, so I can’t hunt waterfowl over manipulated planted millet. Notice it says “planted millet.” This means we are not talking about millet that is considered natural vegetation, but rather millet that was planted this year. So if I can’t hunt over manipulated planted millet, I guess I will just plant it and not manipulate it and hunt over it that way.
Is any of this sinking in?

Man, I'm kinda torn both ways now....at first I was gungho for legal..my one question after reading all of this is:

IF the Warden rights you a ticket for baiting....and the court asks you: "Why did you plant the millet?" what are you going to say that doesn't sound like baiting?

Please don't dog me, I just confuse myself after alot of reading

Why do you need a reason?

its a common food crop and per definition it is huntable if its a crop...

"I guess all the seed must have washed down to the pond when it rained, your honor"

Assuming he writes you up for hunting a baited field, you have to prove your innocence right? You are going to tell them you planted it < 1 year ago and is not manipulated. Are you saying with just that info alone court will drop it?

What else would you say??? That is the law and you are within its boundaries...

I guess when I picture "crops" I picture a field being farmed and harvested for that crop, not the edge of a pond. I thought that's where the normal agricultural harvesting verbage came in.

That's what I am saying, because that's the way it is written.

Cool, I think the confusion comes in when they say it's considered Nat Veg >1yr after planting...why don't they just call it a crop and be done with it?

I agree, that's where some of the confusion is, but the thought process is really quite simple if you just read it and think about it.

1. Am I hunting natural vegetation? No, because I planted it less than a year ago. Therefore I must be hunting planted millet.

2. Now that I know I am hunting over planted millet and not natural vegetation, the rule says that I am not allowed to hunt over MANIPULATED planted millet. No problem, I will just plant my millet and not manipulate it.

I don't think anybody needs to be berated or called out for asking this type of question. Most permits/laws are written in such a way that many of us will never FULLY understand each little detail in them. That's why people ask the question. This site gives a better laymens term descriptions of most of the verbiage in question:

http://www.fws.gov/le/HuntFish/waterfowl_baiting.htm


Rob Robertson: How many game wardens have you encountered?? Go ahead and tell them how wrong they are about their job while they are writing you the ticket. See how that goes over.

works for me, and to be clear, you can plant rice and or corn on the pond's edge too and hunt with no issues correct?

I hunt a Public Border Lake. I have hunted said lake for 32 seasons this year. I am checked by Game Wardens three to six times each season. Two state Wardens and Federal Warden also. I have told them they are wrong and proved it as well. Had a State and Federal Warden together in an airboat. Said I was hunting Oklahoma. Told them they were wrong. Proved it with a GPS Map program. BTW I had both license. They just needed to know for the next guy down the lake. Got stopped one time for passinfg in a no passing Zone. Showed that guy the broken line on the highway. Got out of that one also. Just because they are law enforcement dont make them right.

What does this paragraph mean?
Planting
A normal agricultural planting is undertaken for the purpose of producing a crop. The Fish and Wildlife Service does not make a distinction between agricultural fields planted with the intent to harvest a crop and those planted without such intent so long as the planting is in accordance with recommendations from the Cooperative Extension Service

Obviously those who plant the millet do not intend to harvest it so is planting on a pond bank "within the rec from the Coop Ext service?"

Have you seen the original post? The guy came on and started telling us how planting and hunting over millet was against the law when he didn't even have his facts straight. I won't speak for Rob, but the game warden can write as many tickets as he wants. The doesn't mean that it's going to be upheld. In this case, it will be thrown out.

Some of the GW's I deal with last Season.






Just so You know. I was not being hauled off to Jail in the airboat. Preseason Ride along. If You get a Ticket on a north Texas Border Lake for hunting in the wrong state. Its because "I" showed them where the border is.

found another picture.

You obviously have much more experience with them than me, I just would never say that to any GW's in my area. That would be when the nit picky stuff starts to happen. Maybe just different personalities of officers in my area I guess.

Duckbill I'm sure the OP was just reading through the regs and saw something that he thought would be useful for others to know. It was discussed and other pertinent wording was introduced to get the clear answer. He was still confused so he needed more clarification. He didn't get combative or argumentative, just throwing the information he thought was right out there.

No biggie either way I guess.

I will add to this discussion. You can hunt millet the year you plant it. You may not manipulate it. as stated earlier. I have been to Tyler enforcement hdq. for clarification. YOU MAY HUNT MILLET. Do not mow, trample, scatter. Going to and from the blind does not count as manipulation.

My ex girlfriend said she felt manipulated.

Hope this helps.