Passport to Texas

Bats emerging for nightly insect feast.

Wildlife: Beneficial Bats Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Bats have earned a bad reputation, which is unfair to the flying mammals, says bat biologist Tara Poloskey.

07— Bats are sort of like the underdog. A lot of people don’t appreciate them, because they’re night flying creatures and typically nightly flying creatures are scary.

Then there are myths about bats: they fly into your hair, they’re aggressive, and they spread disease.

13— I have found them to be so important agriculturally, economically – around the world. There are 12-hundred species, and they live in just about every niche you can imagine; They’re just such amazing creatures.

Poloskey says bats eat their weight in agricultural pests every night, reducing the need for chemical intervention by farmers; and they pollinate a variety of ornamental and edible plants worldwide. Without bats, earth would be a very different place.

19— We wouldn’t have all of the beautiful trees that bats disperse seeds for. We wouldn’t have our lovely tequila that we love so much. So, we would have a lot of insets. We would have less diversity. We would have flowers that don’t bloom anymore. It would be a sad place.

Tomorrow: a fungus is spreading across the US, threatening these beneficial animals.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program program supports our series, and funds diverse conservation projects in Texas.

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

Toyota Texas bass Classic, Image by Larry Hodge

Angling/Conservation: Conservation Practices at the Bass Classic Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Bass anglers in the know – regardless of where they are in the world – make tracks to Texas to reel in big fish.

04—By Texas standards, a big bass is one that’s 13 pounds or larger.

Dave Terre, with Inland fisheries, says the 7th Annual Toyota Texas Bass Classic will bring the world’s top bass anglers to Lake Conroe for a world class tournament. And maybe someone will reel in a 13 pound lunker.

17—Lake Conroe is one of the lakes in the state that’s produced a lot of fish of that size. At no time have we caught a lunker during a Toyota Texas Bass Classic Tournament, but I think this is the big year. I keep making those promises every year, but I think this is the year that it’s going to happen.

Family activities and musical entertainment are also on the agenda of this free event, set for October 4 – 6. But anglers, bass, and conservation, take center stage.

23— This tournament is the most conservation-minded bass tournament in the history of bass fishing. Every fish that’s caught and weighed in this tournament is done so in the boat. Most of them are released immediately after being caught. We do bring a few big fish to the stage for the public to see, but they are taken care of by Texas Parks and Wildlife biologists.

Admission for the event October 4 – 6 at Lake Conroe is free if you sign up for tickets online at Toyota Texas Bass Classic dot com.

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

Toyota Texas Bass Classic, Image by Larry Hodge

Angling: Toyota Texas Bass Classic Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Texas has earned its bragging rights when it comes to our state’s bass fishery. And Lake Conroe is among the top producers of some our state’s biggest bass. So it makes sense the annual Toyota Texas Bass Classic, takes place there.

06—This is a great opportunity for Texas Parks and Wildlife department to promote the great fishing we have in our state.

Dave Terre, with Inland fisheries, says 50 professional anglers will compete over the three days during the seventh annual Bass Classic; the top-10 will fish the final round on Sunday.

11—Lake Conroe was chosen because it is a producer of huge largemouth bass. So, anybody coming to the event will likely
see some pretty good sized fish. Maybe a fish of a lifetime.

Over the years, these events, which are free to the public, have raised funds for TPW youth fishing programs.

20—A total of six of them [events] have provided 1.5 million dollars in funding to support youth fishing programs in our state. No other state has this opportunity. It’s a great opportunity for the public to come see, and enjoy, an event that supports Texas Parks and Wildlife in so many different ways.

The family-friendly Toyota Texas Bass Classic is October 4 – 6 at Lake Conroe. Admission is free if you sign up for tickets online at ToyotaTexasBassClassic.com.

Additional details about the event on tomorrow’s show.

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

Northern Pintail

2013 Waterfowl Season Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Pull out the hip waders; waterfowl season is near. It begins September 14 – 29 with early teal, but it doesn’t end there.

10— Our regular duck season really depends on the different zones. For the most part statewide it will run from the first of November and will run to the last weekend of January.

Kevin Kraai, waterfowl program leader at Texas Parks and Wildlife, says duck hunting provides challenges, not the least of which is the recent drought. Yet, hunters who scout in advance and are willing to travel will reap rewards.

34— Scouting is extremely important [when hunting] waterfowl on any year, and especially during times of drought. So, if people are willing to put in a little bit of time and commitment even during less than optimal conditions they can still have a very successful season. Yes. Absolutely. And that was evident even though we had very poor [habitat] conditions the last few years. The overall harvest of waterfowl in the state of Texas has actually gone up over the last few years purely because these birds are concentrating in larger flocks in certain areas, and hunters have figured that out and are basically targeting those concentrations and have been very successful.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish restoration program supports our series, and is funded by your purchase of fishing and hunting equipment and motorboat fuel.

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

Blue-winged teal

Hunting: Early Teal Season Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

It may feel like summer, but fall waterfowl season is here.

17— The first season that we have for waterfowl begins with our early seasons. Which include all species of teal, and as of the last couple years, in the eastern tier of the state of Texas, we have an early goose season for Canada Geese only that coincides with our early teal season.

Kevin Kraai is the waterfowl program leader at Texas Parks and Wildlife.

34— We are going to have the most liberal season, which is 16 days; teal is doing very well nationally, so we will be having the most liberal season we can have. Can you explain to our listeners how that’s decided. Yes. We have a harvest strategy in place that depicts the season lengths on teal. And basically, by looking at population estimates from the breeding ground surveys – we can determine whether we’re going to have a liberal, a base, or a closed season. And, basically any number of blue-winged teal above 4.7 million will have a 16-day season. And as of right now, we’re far above 4.7 million.

Early Teal season is September 14 – 29, with a six bird daily bag limit – up from 4. Tomorrow: How to get the most out the waterfowl season.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish restoration program supports our series.

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