Anahuac

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Waterfowl Hunting Regulations 2020-2021 Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge Hunting units include the East Unit, Middleton Tract, and the Pace Tract. Consult specific sections below for information on open hunting days as they vary across hunting units. Opening of hunting units can change based on weather, marsh conditions, or safety concerns. Hunting is limited to ducks, geese, and coots and is only permitted in accordance with all federal, Texas state, and local laws. The regulations listed are a supplement to the general regulations set forth in Title 50, Code of Federal Regulations. Any emergency changes to regulations during the season will be posted on the Anahuac NWR webpage (www.fws.gov/refuge/ anahuac/). Hunting on national wildlife refuges is a privilege. Please respect this opportunity by being considerate of the rights and experiences of other hunters afield. Failure to abide by or excessive violation of these regulations, federal regulations, or state laws may result in revocation of your hunting privileges by the refuge manager. Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge Waterfowl Hunting Authorization 2020-2021 When signed and in your possession, this hunt authorization will serve as your general authorization for all refuge hunts this season. It acknowledges your understanding of all federal and state laws and regulations pertaining to hunting on the refuge, and your understanding that you are subject to inspection. Signature of Hunter Permits are required for all hunters. This authorization is valid only when signed above and must be carried with you at all times while on the refuge. Permits are not transferable. Refuge Specific Hunting Regulations We prohibit the following: East Unit (Fee Area) • All individuals entering the East Unit, Pace Tract, or Middleton MUST 1) be legally licensed to hunt waterfowl and 2) carry a signed copy of the Anahuac National Widllife Refuge Waterfowl Hunting Authorization (included on this document). • Driving and parking on levees and nondesignated roads. Parked vehicles must not block the roadway or access to levees. Persons 18 years of age and older on the East Unit are required to pay either the daily fee ($10) or annual fee ($40). If entering by boat, the annual fee is mandatory if age 18 or older. • Hunters may not enter the East Unit, Middleton, or Pace Tract prior to 4:00 am or later than 30 minutes before legal shooting time. Hunters must leave hunt units by 12:30 pm. • Any form of blocking the following: roadways, gates, trails, catwalks, boat ramps, or any facility. • Discharge of a firearm for purposes other than waterfowl hunting. • Use or possession of lead shot. • Hunters may not shoot before legal shooting time, and must stop hunting by 12:00 pm. • Individual possession of more than 50 approved shotgun shells (including within boats and vehicles). • Hunters age 17 or younger must be under the supervision of an adult age 18 or older. • Hunting from a roadway. • Hunters must maintain a minimum distance of 200 yards from other hunting groups. • Individual hunters within a group must remain within 50 feet from one another. • Mooring to water control structures. • Operation of motorized boats on or through emergent wetland vegetation and mudflats. • Boat motors greater than 25 HP in the hunting units. • Scouting on any unit is only permitted from sunrise to sunset October 23-29, 2020. You may not scout at any other time. • Motorized boats powered by air-cooled or radiator-cooled engines with a propeller larger than 9 inches in diameter. • In order to hunt during the state Youth Waterfowl Hunt October 31-November 1, 2020, hunters must be 16 years of age or younger and under the direct supervision of an adult age 18 or older. East Unit fees still apply. • Airboats, marsh buggies, ATV’s/UTV’s, and personal watercrafts. We permit the following: • Possession of firearms in accordance with federal and state laws. All hunters must unload and encase shotguns while traveling in vehicles and boats on the refuge. • Kayak use is permitted. • We allow portable blinds or temporary natural vegetation blinds. You must remove all blinds, decoys, boats, spent shells, chairs, and equipment from the refuge at the end of each day’s hunt. • Use of retriever dogs is allowed, but they must be under the control of their handlers at all times. • Possession or being under the influence of alcoholic beverages or drugs. Possession of drug paraphernalia. • Drone use. • Open flames and stoves. • Construction, use, or occupancy of permanent hunting blinds. • Introduction of non-native, invasive, or exotic plants. • Use of plastic flagging, reflectors, or reflective tape. • Leaving personal property, trash, or spent shells. Hunters traveling by vehicle to the East Unit are required to 1) hold a prior reservation, and 2) checkin and check-out of the check station off of FM 1985. The entrance gate to the East Unit on FM 1985 will open at 4:00 am on the morning of the hunt during Regular Waterfowl Season (this time will vary during Light Goose Season). No hunters will be allowed to enter the refuge prior to this time, or within 30 minutes of shooting time. On the East Unit, all reservable ponds and numbered fields have a maximum capacity of six individuals, only four of which can be adults (18 years or older). East Unit Reservations: Due to COVID-19, reservations will only be available by phone at 409-267-5138. Hunters will reserve a hunt pond or numbered field through this reservation system. Reservations will only be taken 9:00 am-2:30 pm on the Friday prior to the hunt each week. *TIP please have your top 10 pond choices ready ahead of time* Note: this process may change, depending on weather and marsh conditions and COVID/safety concerns. Reservations will be held until either all designated hunt locations are filled up or time expires. Reservations will be for a single day and are limited to one per caller. Reservation holders must be 18 years of age or older. Multiple reservations require multiple phone calls. On the day of the hunt, at least one person on the reservation must be present in the hunting party. The handicap accessible hunt pond is reserved exclusively for individuals with an ID, hang tag, or license plate displaying a disabled designation, which must be presented when checking in the morning of the hunt. Hunters accessing the East Unit by motorized boat are prohibited from hunting the reserved ponds or numbered fields. Motorized boats are prohibited from launching at the East Unit. Public access to ponds North of Jackson Ditch by motorized boat should be done via Oyster and Onion Bayous by launching from the Oyster Bayou boat ramp on Anahuac NWR. Open for Hunting: Regular Waterfowl Season: open on Saturdays, Sundays, and Tuesdays. It will be determined each season if the Light Goose Conservation Order will be open on the East Unit. If the Light Goose Conservation Order is in effect during 2021 the East Unit will be open on Saturdays, Sundays, and Tuesdays until February 28, 2021. Closed for Hunting: Closed during Early Teal Season, Early Canada Goose Season, Thanksgiving Day, November 30–December 11, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. Pace Tract (Non-Fee Area) Open for Hunting: Early Teal Season: seven days a week. Regular Waterfowl Season: seven days a week. If the Light Goose Conservation Order is in effect during 2021, the Pace Tract will be open seven days a week until February 28, 2021. Closed for Hunting: Closed during Early Canada Goose Season, Thanksgiving Day, November 30– December 11, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. Access to the Pace Tract is by boat only. Middleton Tract (Non-Fee Area) Open for Hunting: Early Teal Season: seven days a week. Regular Waterfowl Season: open on Saturdays, Sundays, and Wednesdays. If the Light Goose Conservation Order is in effect during 2021, the Middleton Tract will be open seven days a week until February 28, 2021 Closed for Hunting: Closed during the Early Canada Goose Season, Thanksgiving Day, November 30–December 11, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. Middleton Tract is located between East Bay Bayou and State Highway 124. Walk-in access off of Hwy 124 from the feeder road is difficult. Primary access is by boat. Two boat rollers are located on East Bay Bayou for access to the interior waterways of the Middleton Tract. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service For More Information : The signs below apply to the areas behind the signs. Please respect all refuge signs whenever you see them as you travel throughout the refuge. National Wildlife Refuge. This sign marks the boundary of the refuge. Consult refuge management for authorized activities. EAST UNIT ENTRANCE 1985 CLOSED 3 PARKING 6 BOAT RAMP 12 9 11 10 AD RO R OI UNIT RV SE RE ROA D NO HUNTING ZONE BOAT ROLLER (ACCESS TO MIDDLETON) Public Hunting Area. This sign marks the boundaries of the hunting areas. Limited public hunting under Federal and State laws. Consult Manager for current regulations. WA TER FO WL HUNTING ONL Y S Waterfowl Hunting Only. This sign marks the boundaries of the waterfowl hunting areas. Special Regulations I Effect–Consult Manager OU MIDDLETON TRACT L W ATERWAY D SE A S TA 124 A CO BEAUMONT R O HIGH ISLAND PRIVATE LAND SH B AY IN T G U LF U 10 SE D D HUNT ZONE PRIVATE LAND 0 1 Miles 2 2 3 4 Kilometers 6 Note: East Unit open for regular waterfowl season only. Pace and Middleton Tracts open for earlyteal and regular waterfowl season. Please see supplemental hunt map for details on East Unit hunt ponds. SH 73 SH 63 FM 1985 SH146 SE CLO NO HUNT ZONE PORT ARTHUR WINNIE 7 SH 8 ANAHUAC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE 45 GALVESTON BAY GALVESTON SABINE LAKE LA SH 124 CL O FM 562 CLOSED 10 B AYTOWN FM 563 87 SH 61 HOUSTON EAST BAY 0 No Hunting Zone. This sign marks the boundary of no hunting areas on the refuge. All hunting is prohibited beyond this sign. O CL N D ITC H CLOSED PACE TRACT PUBLIC HUNTING AREA T BA Y B AY ER CLOSED SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR Title 50, Code of Federal Regulations. Section 32.4 EA ACCESSIBLE HUNT BLIND Reservoir JAC K SO ST By order of the CLOSED PRIVATE LAND OY To pursuing, hunting, capturing, taking or killing of migratory birds. NUMBERED FIELDS B A YO U RO AD This portion private property Hunt Specific Phone Numbers 409-267-5138 Reservations/Check Station Area Closed. Certain areas of the refuge are closed to visitors for management purposes. Unauthorized entry beyond this sign is prohibited. East Unit Supplemental Hunt Map Area 7 ION ANCE REFUGE ROADS OYSTER BAYOU BOAT RAMP (ACCESS TO PACE TRACT) 5 4 CLOSED ON ENTR MAJOR ROADS 8 EAST BOAT ROLLER 1 2 PRIVATE LAND AREA CLOSED 87 CHECK STATION CS U CS n) BA YO En Stati o EL M e Refu g heck rom C iles (F M .4 6 trance 7 SH 8 Miles 20 40 Kilometers SH 82 GULF OF MEXICO CLOSED CLOSED AD RO IR RE SE RV O Q 46 Boat Roller 0 Pond 250 500 1,000 Yards CLOSED ! 2 R ! 12 ! 5 ! 3 ! 36 Reservoir ! 40 ! 41 ! 28 O N ! M !38 ! 26 39 ! 25 ! 24 D 6 E ! 23 F G ! 15 ! 16 ONIO I ! 10 ! ! 29 18 ! 11 ! 31 ANAHUAC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE ! 9 ! 34 ! 19 ! 33 CHAMBERS ! 32 L ! 20 ! 50 ! 35 F TR IN A AY ATERW TAL W S A CO GALVESTON N DITCH PRIVATE LAND 0 0.25 0.5 0.75 D SE CLOSED JACKSO O CL GU 21 ! 13 H ! 14 ! 8 Y OU N BA ! ! 30 ! 7 EAS ! 37 B AY O T BAY U C ! 4 1 Miles SH 124 K L Handicap Accessible Hunt Blind Catwalk OAD ! ! 1 ! 47 Parking Available Road IT R 42 ! 43 Levee T UN ! 44 Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, East Unit Supplemental Hunt Map EA S ! P 45 U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE Check Station 2.15 mi These coordinates provide East Unit Hunt Pond Coordinates* Pond 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 -18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 29 Latitude 29.637667 29.626622 29.620148 29.618404 29.620939 29.616248 29.613881 29.612950 29.610354 29.607429 29.604432 29.624285 29.610274 29.608003 29.607841 29.605481 -29.603965 29.596737 29.598588 29.600738 29.595559 29.611661 29.609606 26.608640 29.608640 Longitude -94.429805 -94.425410 -94.433945 -94.431659 -94.429903 -94.434882 -94.432672 -94.430728 -94.414555 -94.418719 -94.418710 -94.447794 -94.433624 -94.433496 -94.436554 -94.453360 --94.431783 -94.425411 -94.462733 -94.464625 -94.463409 -94.437444 -94.439449 -94.442390 Pond Latitude Longitude 26 -28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 --50 29.608150 -29.611494 29.604567 29.602920 29.614999 29.595383 29.601187 29.609615 29.611160 29.618344 29.615273 29.607194 29.608122 29.612153 29.612609 29.627083 29.629382 29.633529 29.634602 29.630126 29.632971 --29.600531 -94.445615 --94.441283 -94.430168 -94.435349 -94.436818 -94.423322 -94.419313 -94.420211 -94.424975 -94.434167 -94.430512 -94.466343 -94.461959 -94.467037 -94.462854 -94.465533 -94.462383 -94.468632 -94.462818 -94.447297 -94.442976 ---94.460266 approximate locations for hunt ponds on the East Unit of Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge. Coordinates for hunt ponds are designated to help hunters have a safe and productive hunt by maintaining the 200 yard minimum distance from other hunting groups.