Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

[SFX – mourning dove]

The mourning dove is the most ubiquitous game bird in Texas, and wildlife biologist, Jay Roberson, acquaints us with the species.

05—Its pointed tail, fairly streamlined, whistles from the wind going through the feathers on take-off.

[SFX dove in Flight]

It also has a unique way of drinking.

12—This is about the only bird species that doesn’t tilt its head back when it drinks water. It siphons water in like we might when we’re drinking from a stream. They don’t tilt their head back like a quail or a pheasant or a turkey.

The mourning dove is not fussy about where it nests.

18—They’ll nest in almost any situation in any tree. Their nest is really a flimsy platform of twigs; It only takes them two to three days to build that nest. And they go through a nesting cycle in about 30 days total. And they repeat that again. And they have about two young per nest attempt.

Roberson tells us that this bird creates “pigeon milk” for its babies!

13—Through digestion of seed and regurgitation of that seed in a high fat, high protein paste for the young – that allows them to be very successful at their nesting attempts.

Is it any wonder they’re ubiquitous?

The Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program supports our series, and funds conservation work throughout Texas. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

 

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Producer’s Note: Information in online text version has been updated, and varies slightly from audio version.

This is Passport to Texas

[SFX—mourning dove call]

Dove season always signals the beginning of all fall hunting opportunities.

September first marks the beginning of the season in the north and central zones, but the season doesn’t open in the south zone until September 17.

And that is to protect late-nesting mourning doves. We have indications from studies that a significant proportion of young are produced after September first in South Texas. And obviously, we want to set the hunting seasons when we’re not going to affect the survival of the young that are still in the nest.

Jay Roberson is a wildlife biologist. He says protecting the species not only makes good conservation sense, it makes good economic sense.

A Southwick Economic Survey, in 2005, indicated that over three hundred million dollars are generated annually to local economies from dove hunting. Over three thousand jobs are created because of dove hunting, and about twenty one million dollars in sales tax is generated annually from dove hunting. This comes from leases, gasoline, groceries, hunting licenses, goods and services at local stores. So it is an extremely important species.

Find all the hunting information you need in the 2010-2011 Outdoor Annual.

The Sport Fish and Wildlife restoration Program…supports our series, and is funded by your purchase of fishing and hunting equipment and motor boat fuel.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

 

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This is Passport to Texas

For $10-dollars by mail, or $9 online, anyone can enter Big Time Texas Hunts for the chance to win one of seven exclusive hunting trips, including the popular Texas Grand Slam—an opportunity to hunt all four of Texas’ premier big game animals:

07—White-tailed deer, mule deer, pronghorn antelope, and desert bighorn sheep, which is very rare to get the chance to do that.

Linda Campbell is Program Director of the Private Lands and Public Hunting Program. Other packages include the Whitetail Bonanza, Premium Buck, Big Time Bird Hunt, Exotic Safari and more.

14—Enter as many times as you wish to for one or more packages. Most of our hunts are held on private lands—high quality ranches with great lodges. We feed people well, and they’re fully guided. And it’s a really neat opportunity.

The goal of the program is to raise money for wildlife management and research, habitat conservation and public hunting opportunities in Texas. Deadline to enter is October 15.

13—And that is so we can draw the hunters, get them in touch with the outfitters and people can get in the field. In certain areas the rut happens early, so we want to get the hunters in touch with the outfitters and get them going by the time deer season begins.

Find a link to Big Time Texas Hunts on our website, passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show… we receive support from the Wildlife restoration program…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

 

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This is Passport to Texas

Most people support conservation in theory. Yet, hunters and anglers support it in practice when they buy licenses.

12—All of the money from hunting and fishing license sales finds its way back into wildlife conservation and wildlife management, whether it’s a hunting activity or a fishing activity.

Tom Newton, a license revenue manager, says money from the sale of licenses is significant.

12—License sales, which includes hunting and fishing, of course, all of our recreational licenses, and our commercial licenses…we usually net somewhere around ninety million dollars depending on how the year went.

Resident hunters and anglers aren’t alone in supporting conservation in Texas, their non-resident counterparts also make an important impact.

11—It’s a very large impact. For the hunters, the licenses generate 2.7 million in annual revenue. And fishing licenses, approximately 3.5 million in license revenue.

Even if you don’t hunt or fish, when you buy hunting or fishing licenses, you help support conservation work in Texas.

Hunting licenses go on sale August 15; with dove season fast approaching, Newton recommends buying early to avoid lines.

That’s our show… made possible by a grant from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program…funded by your purchase of fishing and hunting equipment and motorboat fuel.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

 

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This is Passport to Texas

The average age of Texas hunters is mid-forties. As these hunters decrease their time in the field, some increase their time in the classroom.

06—Some become [hunter education] instructors, and really want to give back to something they’ve enjoyed all throughout their lives.

Terry Erwin oversees the hunter education program at Texas Parks and Wildlife, where there’s a growing need for instructors with special skills.

13—Parks and Wildlife has a lot of constituents who are bilingual, and who just speak Spanish. We are looking for bilingual instructors that are able to teach the hunter education program in Spanish and English.

The Hispanic population in Texas is growing, and Parks and Wildlife wants to ensure this group has access to hunter education, and a great outdoor experience.

11—We certainly could use those instructors to help us reach those constituents that we normally wouldn’t be able to reach. And, we do want to offer them [Spanish speaking constituents] an opportunity to get out in the outdoors and enjoy it.

We have information on becoming a volunteer Hunter Education instructor at passporttotexas.org.

We record our series at the Production Block Studios in Austin.

The Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program supports our show…and is funded by your purchase of fishing and hunting equipment and motor boat fuel.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

 

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