Poachers Caught with 3X Legal Limit Said ‘This Was More Ducks Than They’d Seen All Season’

Texas game wardens busted four men from Louisiana last week who had three times the legal limit of ducks in their possession. The men were also caught using lead shot, while one of them did not have a hunting license. After checking and interviewing the group, game wardens found roughly 250 shotgun shells and hulls containing lead shot, along with the 54 ducks that the group killed, according to a statement by Texas Game Wardens on Facebook.

In that post, game wardens said the men admitted to using lead shot to hunt waterfowl even though they knew it was illegal under federal law. Some of those loads were still in their shotguns. A few of the poachers also gave an excuse for why they knowingly went over the legal limit of six ducks per person.

“Three of the hunters, residents of Louisiana, admitted to knowing they had exceeded their daily bag limit but didn’t want to stop shooting as they claimed this was more ducks than they had seen all season long in both Texas and Louisiana,” the Facebook post reads.

The illegal take happened along the Brazos River on Jan. 25, the second-to-last day of duck season in the area. Game wardens with Texas Parks and Wildlife were patrolling the river’s icy sloughs when they heard gunfire, and they followed that sound to a nearby private lake.

At the entrance of the lake, they found a man in camo who “appeared evasive” and was urgently sending a text message. The man then directed the game wardens to a duck blind, where three “nervous hunters” were packing up their gear and offering conflicting details about the size of the group.

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While one of the wardens was questioning the three hunters, another warden found a fourth individual, who was hiding nearby and trying to hide “a stringer of ducks.” He didn’t have a hunting license, either.

Game wardens issued citations for exceeding the bag limit, hunting without a valid license, and using lead shot for waterfowl. Total fines for the group, including restitution costs for the dead ducks, amounted to more than $7,000.