Passport to Texas

Bison: Room to Roam Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The official state bison herd—at Caprock Canyon SP—may be the last true example of the great southern bison.

08— They have roamed this area for centuries, and they have never had any outside influence.

No outside influence as it relates to genetics, says Park Superintendent Donald Beard. The herd will roam freely again with the completion of phase one of a park restoration project.

27—We are in the process of doing a lot of restoration work to return a lot of this park back to what it looked like 300 years ago before European man settled this area. Turning it back into grasslands and giving these bison some area to roam. We’re going to start with the park—fence it off—and turn them back loose again, and hopefully have a wild herd. The management will be as limited as possible, where we don’t have to interact with them, and they are truly wild again.

Park visitors get to experience these examples of true living history up close and personal, says Beard.

23—The way it’s set up is kind of like a Yellowstone type experience. You drive into the park and you are in the boson range, You are on the same side of the fence with them. It’s not like going to a wildlife park where they’re behind another fence—you will be in the area with them. You may have to stop and wait for the herd to cross in front of you. It’s a unique experience to be able to see these animals they once were—roaming the range free.

Celebrate the bison herd this month; we have details on tomorrow’s show.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Southern Plains Bison Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Almost lost to extinction, a small herd of southern plains bison—the state’s official herd—roams 300 acres at Caprock Canyon State Park in the Texas Panhandle.

04—This herd was started back in the 1870s by Charles Goodnight.

Park Superintendent Donald Beard says Goodnight, a legendary Texas cattle rancher, brought bison to Palo Duro—after his wife Mary Ann expressed concern about the number of animals being slaughtered.

08—They are probably the last true example of the great Southern Plains Bison. This is how they were when the roamed freely.

Superintendent Beard says the herd has unique genetic markers not found in other bison, which is just one reason to preserve their lineage.

15—Strictly for science, it’s a very important herd. Not only that, but the history behind this herd is amazing. This is one of the five foundation herds that bought bison back from the brink of extinction in the late 1800s.

And not just in Texas.

09—Charles Goodnight made a deal with the National Park Service, and sent some bulls to Yellowstone. So this herd here helped bring the Yellowstone herd back up as well.

Soon, the official herd of Texas will be a step closer to roaming wild. That’s tomorrow.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Texas Drought and Teal Season 2011 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Here’s good news: Teal season begins September 10 and runs 16 days this year, because survey says:

06— This year blue wing numbers are at 8.9 million, and that’s rivaling mallard numbers, which is really unheard of.

Dave Morrison, small game program director at parks and wildlife, says teal breeding grounds up north are as wet as they’ve been in decades.

13—And, so you look up there….more water…there are flood conditions all through the Dakotas…setting up for a great season next year with respect to breeding. You move south to Texas and ducks are going to have to bring their own water…because we don’t have any water down here.

That’s not the end of bad news. Even if we receive substantial storms between now and the season opener thus breaking drought conditions, challenges remain.

11—Even if we do get storms that drop water—there’s no groceries. So, it’s going to be a tough season this year. And, you know, shoot, those teal may get up there, look around, and say ‘Hey, I’m done; I’m moving on to Mexico.’

What advice does Dave Morrison have to offer hopeful hunters?

14—Find you some water. Because, if you’ve got water that’s fresh, and you’ve got some groceries, you’re going to be in a premier spot, because you ought to be able to find some birds sitting n that water. Do you have a secret spot with water that you can tell us about? No ma’am. That’s my secret!

Find hunting information on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website. The SFWR supports our series…

For Texas Parks and Wildlife I’m Cecilia Nasti.

2011 Teal Season Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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[SFX…teal]

Teal season is like Christmas in September for duck hunters.

08—This year the population numbers is going to put the September Teal season at a 16 day season, which will open September the tenth and run through September the 25th.

Dave Morrison, small game program director at parks and wildlife, says the teal population is as high as he has ever seen it and explains how the number of birds determines season length.

21—If it’s below 3.2 million, we have no season. From 3.2 to 4.7, we have a nine day season. Anything over 4.7 is a 16 day season. This year the survey show the blue wing numbers are at 8.9 million. And that’s rivaling mallard numbers which is really unheard of. They’re the second most populous duck this year in our survey—so there’s a lot of blue wings this year.

Despite the surplus of teal, hunters will not see an expansion of the season—ever. Yet, Morrison says hunters may one day see the daily bag limit increase from four to six birds.

19—There’s a lot of people who ask the question, ‘why four during September teal season, and not six like the regular season’? that’s one of the things that we’ve been trying to deal with. There is a group of people right now looking at biological needs and information about blue wings. And hopefully in a year or so we may be able to answer that question, and see if we can go more liberal during that September teal season.

Find hunting information on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

The Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration program supports our series… For Texas Parks and Wildlife I’m Cecilia Nasti.

State Parks: Possum Kingdom Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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There seems to be an assumption that Possum Kingdom State Park and Lake aren’t fully functional because of this year’s spring wildfire and past bouts with golden algae. State Park Guide Bryan Frazier says nothing could be further from the truth.

At Possum Kingdom SP, they did have a close call with a wildfire, and it did actually impact the park.

And the recreation here is unmatched. From the fishing, to the scenery, to the cabins and the campsites that are right along the lake shore—those are going un-rented, even on weekends now. And we’re trying to get the word out: Possum Kingdom is alive and well and doing great!

Thanks, Bryan!

That’s our show for today…with funding provided by Chevrolet…building dependable, reliable trucks for more than 90 years.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife I’m Cecilia Nasti.