{"id":7012,"date":"2012-03-05T05:41:16","date_gmt":"2012-03-05T11:41:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/?p=7012"},"modified":"2013-11-15T20:29:40","modified_gmt":"2013-11-16T02:29:40","slug":"in-texas-you-may-soon-be-able-to-hunt-with-a-silencer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/2012\/03\/05\/in-texas-you-may-soon-be-able-to-hunt-with-a-silencer\/","title":{"rendered":"You Could be Hunting with a Silencer Soon in Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo Courtesy of boboroshi via flickr creative commons. www.flickr.com\/photos\/boboroshi\/4379040397\/<\/p>

Silencers make hunting easier on the ears, but some control control groups worry about safety.<\/p><\/div>\n

StateImpact Texas intern Dave Barer contributed research and reporting to this article.<\/em><\/strong><\/h5>\n
UPDATE: On March 30, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department approved the use of silencers while hunting in Texas. Read about the new rule here.<\/a><\/h5>\n

Without making much noise, a new proposal is headed to the Texas Parks and Wildlife<\/a> Commission. If it passes, hunters in the state will be able to use a silencer when hunting deer, birds, and even alligators.<\/p>\n\n

The Parks and Wildlife Department says the rule change is primarily about protecting hunters\u2019 hearing and maintaining the tranquility of the outdoors.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome neighbors don\u2019t want to hear gunshots, and they’re less likely to hear or be disturbed by gunshots through a firearm with a suppressor or silencer attached,\u201d Scott Vaca, TPWD Assistant Chief of Wildlife Enforcement, told StateImpact Texas.<\/p>\n

Just how quiet is a firearm with a silencer or suppressor attached?\u00a0 Well, if you don’t happen to have the equipment at home, you can watch this video<\/a> to hear the difference a silencer can make.<\/p>\n

\u201cA silencer doesn\u2019t make it completely silent, whenever you still use your normal .223 ammo or your .22 ammo or whatever. But it quiets it down quite a bit,” Don Steele, a guide who leads hunting tours in the state, told StateImpact Texas.<\/p>\n

Silencers are already allowed in the state for hunting feral hogs (an invasive species that the state is willing to do\u00a0almost anything<\/a> to control) and hog hunting is something Steele has a lot of experience with. Despite what Parks and Wildlife says, he says silencers can be useful for more than just ear protection.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have an opportunity when you miss to shoot a few more times without everything scattering, running off,” he said.<\/p>\n

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