Passport to Texas

Blue catfish – a fighter and biter for those who “noodle.”

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Noodling or hand fishing is a preferred way to land big catfish, for some.

15— What they do is they find holes that are typically on the bank, or in structure timber, what have you. And, fishermen will search around in the water blindly, feeling in holes until they find these fish, and then they’ll pull them out with their hands.

Whether the anglers get the catfish, or the catfish get the anglers is up for debate.

07— Some of them will tell you they’ll be as gentle as a kitty cat, and some of them will meet you at the door, ready to snap on.

Kris Bodine is a research scientist at Heart of the Hills Fisheries Science Center.

09—They [hand fishers] tell me that actually blue catfish are a little more aggressive than the flat head catfish, and a lot of the hand fishers don’t want to catch blue catfish because they’re so aggressive.

Although hand fishing is not a new sport, it only became legal in Texas in 2011, which means researchers are in the beginning stages of studying this unique user group.

16—It seems at the outset right now, in terms of the data we’re collecting, that we don’t have a very big user group. There’s probably not a lot of folks going out there hand fishing. In fact, they don’t even have a very long window to do it. It’s typically during the spawning season, so they only have a couple months to hand fish.

A survey for hand-fishing enthusiasts. That’s tomorrow.

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

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

Trophy buck taken by Tom Roughton with guide Rene Garza, January 17, 2006.

TPW TV: Buck Fever Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

While hiking, you spy a buck in the distance with large, perfectly formed antlers. Your heart races; your breath becomes shallow; your nerves tingle. Hunters call this buck fever. What do perfect antlers look like?

06— Nice smooth lines, tall tines coming off the main beams; very symmetrical one side to the other.

John Stein should know; he’s curator at the Buckhorn Saloon and Museum in San Antonio, where antler and taxidermy covered walls draw visitors by the thousands.

05— Overall, in the collection, there’s over 12-hundred trophies that are on the walls –of all difference species.

Some hunters pay landowners handsomely to bag trophy animals—money that’s funneled into land management and conservation. For 25 years, deer experts at the Kerr WMA have studied the genetic and nutritional aspects of antler growth in bucks, and have shared the data with landowners; biologist, Gene Fuchs.

15— The information that we’ve gained from this study shows that through selection – by never allowing a buck that was a spike to ever breed a doe – we produced no spike antler yearling bucks two years in a row. And, the percentage of good quality antler yearling bucks has steadily increased.

Learn more this week when a segment called Buck Fever airs on the TPW PBS TV Series. Check your local listings.

Caprock Canyon trail

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National Trails Day, which is Saturday June 7 this year, encourages us to celebrate the outdoors on foot.

04— Most of our parks have programs and trail-type events every weekend of the year.

But, Thomas Wilhelm, with Texas State Parks, says there are special trail events around the state this Saturday.

12— Bastrop is having a special hike so you can see the rejuvenation efforts that are taking place in Bastrop following the wildfires. Estero Llano Grande and Resaca de la Palma down in the valley are having special bird-centric hikes.

There are other hiking events and even trail building, maintenance and repair opportunities at parks across the state, too. Thomas Wilhelm says, in the end, the point is to get outside and experience nature.

23— Being on the trails is the first step to really embracing nature. It’s low impact. You’re just doing something we do every day – you’re just doing it in a different atmosphere. So, you really get to experience things that you may overlook day-to-day, even though it’s right there beside you (even though it’s right there beside you). So, it starts people on the path to really appreciating nature and wildlife and everything that’s around them.

Find information about National Trails Day and Texas State Parks trail information at texasstateparks.org.

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

Hiking in Big Bend State Park

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Hiking is a popular outdoor activity at Texas State Parks.

07— Our trails really give people an opportunity to experience everything about state parks without getting too involved.

Thomas Wilhelm works with state parks. He says while hikers and walkers do get closely involved in the appreciation of nature, they do not need to involve themselves in training or even buy specialized equipment to spend meaningful time on the trails.

12— We have hikes from beginner level paved hikes all the way to very difficult hikes. So, regardless of your skills or your interests – there’s a trail that’s perfect for you [in a state park].

This includes equestrian trails and ADA Accessible trails. The trails in Texas State Parks offer hikers opportunities to experience native flora and fauna, as well as solitude, peace and calm. And, for those who like to exercise their brain along with their bodies…

15—There’s also opportunities with interpretive hikes that have panels along the way that explain what’s happening. So, you’re either learning something about nature or about history — or whatever it may be. So it’s both a relaxing experience or an enlightening experience.

Find trail information at texasstateparks.org.

That’s our show for today…Funding provided in part by Ram Trucks. Guts. Glory. Ram.

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

A family sharing fishing fun at a state park.

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Fishing is an enjoyable way to spend time with family and friends.

06— We think it’s a valuable thing for people to be connected with fishing and the outdoors, and we’d like to facilitate that connection.

Aquatic education training specialist, Caleb Harris, says the neighborhood fishin’ program is just one way TPW facilitates that connection between people and nature.

05— Every metropolitan center has a neighborhood fihin’ pond. And all those locations are on the [TPW] website.

He’s referring to the Texas Parks and Wildlife website. This time of year, the inland fisheries division stocks neighborhood fishin’ ponds with catfish. Harris says although spending time with family and friends catching fish is fun, something deeper transpires among those who connect with the outdoors.

09—When people are connected to the outdoors in a way that they enjoy it – like fishing – they become stewards of it. They want to protect it. Conserve it. Be good users of it.

June 7 is National Free Fishing Day! Find a nearby neighborhood fishin’ pond as well as tackle loaner programs when you log onto the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

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.