Passport to Texas

Blue-winged teal

Early Teal in Texas Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Early teal season provides waterfowlers an opportunity to harvest ducks before the regular season opener in November. Whether hunters get a nine day or sixteen day season depends on the birds.

15—If the breeding population is above 4.7 million, you’re allowed a 16 day, 6 bird [daily] bag limit season. If it’s below 4.7 and above 3 million, you have a nine day season. Anything below – I believe it’s 3 million – the season’s closed.

Kevin Kraai (CRY) is waterfowl program leader for the wildlife division of TPW. It’s been a good year for teal.

15—We’ve had a sustained long-term wet period [this year]. And the blue wing teal have just responded favorably to that.

A 16 day season opens Saturday, September 12 and closes Sunday, September 27. Kevin Kraai says to make sure you’re prepared.

11—Each hunter has to be certified in the Harvest Information Program. Additionally, they will need to have a migratory game bird stamp, offered by the state of Texas. As well as a [federal] waterfowl duck stamp.

Find hunting information for all game species on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program supports our series. Through your purchases of hunting and fishing equipment, and motorboat fuels, over 40 million dollars in conservation efforts are funded in Texas each year.

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

Fred Gipson, writer of “Old Yeller”. Memorabilia from Mason, TX Memorial Library.

Old Yeller: Not Just About a Boy and His Dog Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Old Yeller by Fred Gipson is—at its heart—a story about a boy and his dog. It’s also about our connection with nature. Gipson gives readers a sense of what it was like to live close to the land in Texas’ Hill Country of the 1860s.

07—He’s talking about hunting—sitting quietly. In which, if you haven’t hunted, you sit for hours listening and watching.

Cynthia Pickens wrote about the book and its author for Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine. Through his protagonist, a boy named Travis, Gipson reminds all that nature rewards us when we slow down to enjoy it.

25—To him, it was like a picture show. It was like entertainment. And I don’t think many of us realize that that can be the case. If you go out and sit in nature, and if you sit long enough, you will start to see the creatures and the light in the trees and the water playing over the creeks… It is a form of entertainment. It is lovely and peaceful, and anybody can do that. You can do it in your neighborhood; you can do it in your backyard.

Whether you read it as a child, or have young readers in your home, Pickens says Old Yeller is timeless.

20— I think it’s for any reader, and especially any person who’s interested in the Texas outdoors. I hope it would encourage children to go outside and see nature, because it’s a wondrous place. There’s lots to see if you open your eyes and your ears. And, all parents should give their children a copy of Old Yeller for Christmas [laughs].

Find Cynthia Pickens article that looks back at Old Yeller and Texas author Fred Gipson in the August/September issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine.

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

Fred Gipson, writer of “Old Yeller”. Memorabilia from Mason, TX Memorial Library.

TPW Magazine: Old Yeller Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Perhaps you read the book, or saw the Disney film. Either way, many people, including writer, Cynthia Pickens, found the story of Old Yeller by Fred Gipson moving.

04— It is a universal story: the love between a boy and his dog.

Pickens wrote about the book and its author for Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine. She says she read it as a child and again as an adult. I asked what part of the story her younger self found most compelling.

09—The whole scenario of the terrible decision that Travis had to make as a kid, and carry out. I was just in awe that a boy could do that.

If you haven’t read the novel, we won’t reveal the “terrible decision” the book’s young protagonist, Travis, faced. Pickens says the book captures 1860s rural life in the Texas Hill Country, and created a strong sense of place, which she could appreciate better as an adult reader.

24— When I reread the book as an adult, I could certainly see the place and the time. Maybe, as a child, you don’t really focus on those kinds of details, but as an adult reading the book, I’m like, ‘oh, prickly pear flats, and cedar trees, and rocky gulches that they rode through…’ So, when you reread it as an adult, you definitely get that this is a Texas book and that it could have been written by no one but a Texan.

Cynthia Pickens says Old Yeller can inspire a sense of wonder about the natural world in young readers.

Find her article Looking back at Old Yeller and Texas author Fred Gipson in the August/September issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine.

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

TPW TV: Birding Basics Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Birdwatching continues to grow in popularity in Texas.

07—Texas is a good place to start birding, because there are more species of birds documented in the state of Texas than any other state in the country.

Texas Parks and Wildlife ornithologist, Cliff Shackelford appears on a segment of the Texas Parks and Wildlife PBS TV series next week along with avid teen birder, Jesse Huth. Together they offer tips on birding basics. Like how to use binoculars.

09— If you spot a bird, what you want to do is look right at the bird, and bring the binoculars right up to our eyes while you’re still looking at the bird. And the bird should be right in that field of view.

If you want to do more than just casually look at birds, you’ll need a field guide. And it may surprise you to know most birders prefer guides with paintings rather than photos of the birds. Cliff Shackelford.

08—Paintings are a lot better, because the artist does a lot of homework trying to get the one images to be the fitting image for the bird.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Nature Tourism director, Shelly Plante is also in the segment, reminding folks of the trail maps available to find birding hot spots.

07— People can buy these maps for the region in Texas they’re going to visit, or tht they live in, and they can go see hundreds of birding hot spots throughout the region.

Watch the birding basics segment on the Texas Parks and Wildlife PBS TV series next week. Check your local listings.

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

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

From a previous class: grilled quail with cauliflower mash, pickled onions and micro greens.

Learn How to Prepare Wild Game and Fish Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Fall is in the air…and on your plate. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Central Market Cooking Schools statewide join forces again to present their regular wild game and fish cooking classes.

On Tuesday, September 15, Central Market Cooking Schools in Dallas, Fort Worth, Plano, Southlake, Austin, San Antonio and Houston will all feature a hands on cooking class of early fall favorites, including quail, snapper and venison.

A Parks and Wildlife representative will be on hand to talk about game and fish management, hunting, fishing and engaging the great outdoors; they’ll also answer attendee’s questions. It’s like dinner and a show.

Participants will learn how to create flavorful fall inspired dishes, including White Wing Dove-style Grilled Quail, Vietnamese-style Baked Snapper, and West Texas Venison Chili.

These highly popular classes help food enthusiasts explore the renewed interest in hunting or fishing for a meal and preparing their own bounty at home.

The Central market / Texas parks and Wildlife fish and game cooking classes take place every other month; each is different, and features game and fish of the season.

Classes fill fast. Find registration information at passporttotexas.org.

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

________________________________________________________

Copy and paste the link of the Cooking School nearest to you into your browser to find registration information.

Austin: http://tiny.cc/atx
Dallas: http://tiny.cc/dal
Fort Worth: http://tiny.cc/fwt
Houston: http://tiny.cc/houtx
Plano: http://tiny.cc/pltx
San Antonio: http://tiny.cc/satx
Southlake: http://tiny.cc/sltx