Pat Mayse: Rules (WMA)

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Phone: (903) 328-9597
Address:
525 Madewell Rd
Paris, TX 75462

Contact: Jack Jernigan

Dates Open: Open year round, except entire area closed for Special Permit hunts.

Registration is required.

General Access

There are eight information/registration stations located around the Pat Mayse WMA.

Permits Required

Hunters 17 years of age and older need an Annual Public Hunting (APH) Permit otherwise, no permit is needed for non consumptive use. For more details see the permit section below.

Area Rules and Regulations

General Access

• Must possess required permits, stamps or license.
• ALL public users (hunters and non-consumptive users) of the Pat Mayse (WMA) must check in upon entering and check out at the end of their activities at the self-registration station.
• Cannot possess a firearm, archery equipment, crossbow, or other device for taking wildlife resources on the Pat Mayse (WMA) except during designated hunts and with proper permits in possession.
• May not enter restricted areas identified by boundary signs and/or marked on Pat Mayse (WMA)maps or those areas identified verbally by area personnel.
• Must obey all restrictions posted at the Pat Mayse WMA or contained within the Texas Parks And Wildlife Public Hunting Lands Map Booklet or supplement to booklet.
• Users may not be under the influence of alcohol or consume alcoholic beverages while engaged in hunting activities, or publicly consume or display an alcoholic beverage while on the Pat Mayse WMA.

Hunter Orange

• Must have visible at least 400 square inches of hunter orange material with orange headware and at least 144 square inches appearing on both chest and back during daylight hours at times when hunting with firearms is permitted while at the Pat Mayse WMA. Exemptions Include:
  1. Authorized department personnel.
  2. Persons hunting turkey or migratory birds.
  3. Persons within the enclosed passenger compartment of a motor vehicle.
  4. Persons within designated campgrounds, vehicle parking area or departmental check station.
  5. Archery hunters Notice : Non-consumptive users on the area during any firearm hunts for any species must wear hunter orange during daylight hours.

Hunting

• Hunt Method is by compartment. The hunter is allowed to move around and hunt within an assigned compartment (area) having easily recognizable boundaries defined by roads, streams or boundary markers.
• Hunters will either walk in or drive their personal vehicles to compartment.
• Hunters may bring their own portable stands for use in their compartment. However,they may not remain in place for more than 72 hours, and cannot use use metal nails, spikes, screws, or bolts to attach such structures to the timber. Pat Mayse WMA DOES NOT PROVIDE BLINDS
• May not take any species, sex or type of wildlife resource not designated as legal game as shown in the LEGAL GAME LEGEND of the Pat Mayse WMA map within the Public Hunting Lands Map booklet.
• May not take or attempt to take a game animal or game bird other than during legal shooting hours of the open seasons and by means and methods established by the Statewide Hunting and Fishing Proclamation and the Migratory Game Bird Proclamation, or as otherwise specified for the Pat Mayse WMA in the Public Hunting Lands Map Booklet.
• May not take or attempt to take a predatory animal other than during the open seasons and by the means and methods established by the Statewide Furbearing Animal and Trapping Proclamation or as otherwise specified for the Pat Mayse WMA in the Public Hunting Lands Map Booklet.
• May not take a feral hog, rabbit or hare other than during legal shooting hours of the open seasons and by means and methods as specified for the Pat Mayse WMA in the Public Hunting Lands Map Booklet.
• May not bait for wildlife unless authorized by the department specifically for the Pat Mayse WMA during a specific activity and time period. Note : Baiting is defined as the placement of salt, mineral, grain, sugar-based products, or other food substance used as an attractant for wildlife. The use of scent lures simulating animal odors is not considered baiting.
• May not use deadfalls or lethal chemicals for taking wildlife resources.
• May not use recorded or electric calling devices to take wildlife resources other than predatory animals or as otherwise specified for the Pat Mayse WMA by department personnel.
• Hunters drawn for an Special Permit hunt may scout the area prior to their hunt, except during other Special Permit hunt dates.
• All flagging and markers placed by hunters must be removed at end of hunt.

Weapons

• May not possess a loaded firearm within or on a motor vehicle except as provided for a disabled person. Note : Rules for a disabled person are defined within the Public Hunting Lands Map booklet.
• May not possess a loaded firearm within a designated campsite, designated vehicle parking area, or departmental check station.
• May not discharge a firearm, bow and arrow, or crossbow from, onto, along, or across a designated road or designated campsite.
• May not use or display a firearm or other weapon in an obviously unsafe or threatening manner.
• No hunting within 500 yards of Pat Mayse WMA hunter check station.
• A person having a concealed handgun license may possess a concealed handgun.
• May not possess buckshot on the Pat Mayse WMA unless authorized by the Department for a specific activity and time period.
• May not use a firearm that utilizes rimfire ammunition or a muzzleloader smaller than .45 caliber in taking deer.
• May not use a rifle, handgun, or shotgun with slugs to take a game bird.
• May not use a crossbow to take deer or feral hog during the archery only deer season unless the person has a permanent upper limb disability
• May not use a firearm to take deer during a deer archery only hunt or feral hog during a feral hog archery only hunt.
• May not discharge a firearm for purposes of target shooting in areas other than target practice areas designated by Pat Mayse WMA personnel and during times designated by Pat Mayse WMA personnel.

Vehicles, Dogs and Horses

• May not use a motor vehicle, other than on designated roads (fire guards along fences are not designated roads). Disabled person and someone directly assisting a disabled person are exempt from this regulation to the extent that they may drive directly to and from the hunting area, if it is a designated hunt area.
• Pat Mayse WMA speed limit is 5 mph on all designated roads unless otherwise posted.
• May not hunt from a motor vehicle, except as provided for a disabled person.
• May not operate an all terrain vehicle (ATV) on Pat Mayse WMA property unless person is disabled with documentation from a physician and possesses an ATV license from Texas Department Of Public Safety or the ATV Safety Institute (must check in with Pat Mayse WMA staff) Disabled person may have 1 person with them for assistance that is exempt.
• Horseback riding is permitted on the Pat Mayse WMA except during hunt dates listed in the Public Hunting Lands Map booklet.
• Horses must be kept in a designated campsite with halter and lead.
• May not hunt, pursue, or take feral hog, turkey, or deer with dogs at any time.
• May not use a dog to hunt predatory animals during daylight hours within an open general season for deer on the Pat Mayse WMA.
• Must keep all dogs in designated campsites confined or leashed.

Camping

• May not camp or build a fire anywhere other than in a designated campsite.
• No type of open fire is allowed during a burn ban. Strictly enforced, contact Lamar county officials at 903-737-2420 to determine if a ban is in effect.
• May not cause, create, or contribute to excessive or disturbing sounds beyond the persons immediate campsite between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
• May not establish a camp and leave it unattended for a period of longer than 24 hours.
• Must remove refuse from the area upon departing.
• Fallen branches may be used in campfires, however cutting of firewood is prohibited.

General Conduct

• May not write on, scratch, or otherwise deface natural features, signs, buildings, or other structures.
• Do not disturb or remove plants, wood, rocks, gravel, sand, soil, shells, artifacts, or other objects from the Pat Mayse WMA without proper authorization.
• Must comply with all instructions on permits, leaflets, and posted notices.
• Follow all directives given by departmental personnel in the discharge of official duties.

Permits

• To enter the Pat Mayse WMA and participate in any of the authorized activities at designated times, a person must possess one of the appropriate permits unless it is an activity or time period for which no permit is required.
• Annual Hunting (APH) Permit- cost is $48 and is available where hunting and fishing license are sold. The APH Permit allows an adult access to Pat Mayse WMA designated public hunting for small game, turkey, quail, white-tailed deer, and predators without having to pay a daily entrance fee. An APH Permit is not needed for Special Permit (SP) hunts when drawings are done in Austin. Holders of an APH Permit may take their children under age 17 hunting free of charge (with the required license and stamps) on the Pat Mayse WMA, thereby making them aware of the need for proper management of wildlife resources and introducing them to the sport hunting ethic.
• Limited Public Use (LPU) Permit - cost is $12 and is available where hunting and fishing license are sold. The LPU Permit allows an adult to enter, camp, birdwatch, hike, horseback ride, etc on the Pat Mayse WMA but they may not hunt or fish on the interior waters of the Pat Mayse WMA or possess firearms or archery equipment.
• A non-hunting or non-fishing adult assisting a permitted disabled person is not required to possess either the APH Permit or LPU Permit.