(a) Zone Boundaries.      
        (1) Zone A: that portion of Texas lying west of a line beginning at the international toll bridge at Laredo, thence northeast along U.S. Highway 81 to its junction with Interstate Highway 35 in Laredo, thence north along Interstate Highway 35 to its junction with Interstate Highway 10 in San Antonio, thence northwest along Interstate Highway 10 to its junction with U.S. Highway 83 at Junction, thence north along U.S. Highway 83 to its junction with U.S. Highway 62, 16 miles north of Childress, thence east along U.S. Highway 62 to the Texas-Oklahoma state line.       
        (2) Zone B: that portion of Texas lying within boundaries beginning at the junction of U.S. Highway 81 and the Texas-Oklahoma state line, thence southeast along U.S. Highway 81 to its junction with U.S. Highway 287 in Montague County, thence southeast along U.S. Highway 287 to its junction with Interstate Highway 35W in Fort Worth, thence southwest along Interstate Highway 35 to its junction with Interstate Highway 10 in San Antonio, thence northwest along Interstate Highway 10 to its junction with U.S. Highway 83 in Junction, thence north along U.S. Highway 83 to its junction with U.S. Highway 62, 16 miles north of Childress, thence east along U.S. Highway 62 to the Texas-Oklahoma state line, thence south along the Texas-Oklahoma state line to the south bank of the Red River, thence eastward along the vegetation line on the south bank of the Red River to U.S. Highway 81.       
        (3) Zone C: the remainder of the state, except for the closed areas specified in paragraph (4) of this subsection.       
        (4) Closed areas:                  (A) that portion of the state lying east and north of a line beginning at the junction of U.S. Highway 81 and the Texas-Oklahoma state line, thence southeast along U.S. Highway 81 to its junction with U.S. Highway 287 in Montague County, thence southeast along U.S. Highway 287 to its junction with Interstate Highway 35W in Fort Worth, thence southwest along Interstate Highway 35 to its junction with U.S. Highway 290 East in Austin, thence east along U.S. Highway 290 to its junction with Interstate Loop 610 in Harris County, thence south and east along Interstate Loop 610 to its junction with Interstate Highway 45 in Houston, thence south on Interstate Highway 45 to State Highway 342, thence to the shore of the Gulf of Mexico, and thence north and east along the shore of the Gulf of Mexico to the Texas-Louisiana state line; and                   (B) that portion of the state lying within the boundaries of a line beginning at the Kleberg-Nueces county line and the shore of the Gulf of Mexico, thence west along the county line to Park Road 22 in Nueces County, thence north and west along Park Road 22 to its junction with State Highway 358 in Corpus Christi, thence west and north along State Highway 358 to its junction with State Highway 286, thence north along State Highway 286 to its junction with Interstate Highway 37, thence east along Interstate Highway 37 to its junction with U.S. Highway 181, thence north and west along U.S. Highway 181 to its junction with U.S. Highway 77 in Sinton, thence north and east along U.S. Highway 77 to its junction with U.S. Highway 87 in Victoria, thence south and east along U.S. Highway 87 to its junction with State Highway 35 at Port Lavaca, thence north and east along State Highway 35 to the south end of the Lavaca Bay Causeway, thence south and east along the shore of Lavaca Bay to its junction with the Port Lavaca Ship Channel, thence south and east along the Lavaca Bay Ship Channel to the Gulf of Mexico, and thence south and west along the shore of the Gulf of Mexico to the Kleberg-Nueces county line.         
      (b) Season dates and bag limits.      
        (1) Zone A: October 28, 2023 - January 28, 2024. The daily bag limit is three.       
        (2) Zone B: November 24, 2023 - January 28, 2024. The daily bag limit is three.       
        (3) Zone C: December 16, 2023 - January 21, 2024. The daily bag limit is two.       
      (c) No person may hunt sandhill cranes in this state unless that person has obtained a department-issued federal sandhill crane permit valid for the season in which the hunting occurs. The permit required by this subsection is free.     
     Source Note:        The provisions of this §65.318 adopted to be effective September 1, 2019, 44 TexReg 4063; amended to be effective September 1, 2020, 45 TexReg 5011; amended to be effective September 1, 2021, 46 TexReg 4170; amended to be effective September 1, 2022, 47 TexReg 4854; amended to be effective August 3, 2023, 48 TexReg 4123