Passport to Texas

Magnificent Rio Grande Gobbler

Rio Grande Turkeys Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

Everything’s big in Texas – including the Rio Grande turkey population.

The Rio Grande is really a neat bird from a Texas standpoint, because Texas has, by far, most of the Rio Grandes in the country. There are Rio Grande turkey populations in Okalahoma and Kansas as well, but they’re very small compared to the Texas population.

Former upland game bird specialist T. Wayne Schwertner currently serves as Assistant Professor of Wildlife, Sustainability, and Ecosystem Sciences at Tarlton State University.

So, the Rio Grande turkey is a uniquely Texas bird. It’s adapted to the arid conditions of the western part of the state, to the brush lands and prairies. Versus the eastern turkey which is much more adapted to the forests of east Texas and the east United States.

Spring Rio Grande season varies by zone, with the South Zone kicking off March 19 and the North April 2. Hunters will find the bulk of the birds west of I-35.

The Rio Grandes occupy the central half of the state, from about I-35 to the Pecos River, and all the way from the Panhandle down to the Rio Grande Valley.

The Wildlife Restoration Program supports our series and works to increase hunting opportunities in Texas.

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

Turkey at the Matador WMA

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Seven miles north of Paducah… in the Texas Panhandle… the Matador Wildlife Management Area offers about 28-thousand acres of rolling grasslands.

Former assistant area manager, Bill Adams, said it’s open to the public.

It’s open throughout the year for hiking, bird watching, nature tours, horseback riding… We have 76-miles of road on the area, and it will take you through a diversity of landscapes.

The site is off limits to the casual visitor only a few times a year.

We have a few hunts during the year that it’s closed. And those are our gun hunts for feral hogs, and deer and also for our spring turkey hunts.

Adams says turkey hunting is strictly regulated on the Matador.

We’ve got three good roosting sites for those turkeys, but they’re range is limited to those roost sites. We have to regulate the number of hunters we allow to take those Toms. We also have to consider natural mortality of the turkey population in the area. We want to be careful with what we harvest. Regulating that harvest is a way we can provide for public hunting but also provide for betterment of the turkey population on the Matador.

That’s our show… made possible in part by the Wildlife Restoration Program… helping to fund the operations and management of more than 50 wildlife management areas.

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

Cactus and wetlands along Powderhorn Lake. Photo courtesy of the Nature Conservancy, Jerod Foster

Membership Has its Privileges Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

Volunteers are vital to the work of Texas Parks and Wildlife. If you don’t have time to volunteer but still want to help, there’s always membership in the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation is the official non-profit partner of Texas parks and Wildlife. And we fund transformational projects that benefit the people of Texas.

Anne (Annie) Brown is executive director of the foundation; membership dues help fund conservation of Texas’ wild things and places, for generations to come.

We have two levels. We have a hundred dollar level, and that’s for individual/family. And then we have a forty-five dollar level. And the difference between those is the hundred dollar level, you receive a subscription to Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine, and at the forty-five dollar level you do not.

Supporters receive members-only communication, special invitations, and updates about Texas parks and Wildlife from Director, Carter Smith. The best benefit is the diverse projects members help to fund.

So, Powderhorn Ranch is one of our largest initiatives, and that will hopefully be complete in March of this year. That was a 49-million dollar acquisition. Our pronghorn restoration project in West Texas—trans-relocating pronghorns to their natural area in West Texas. Our Guadalupe Bass program that we do in Central Texas with the department on Central Texas rivers, restocking native Guadalupe Bass to those rivers….

Find information on becoming a Texas parks and Wildlife Foundation member at tpwf.org.

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

Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation is the official non-profit partner of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

And we fund transformational projects to benefit the people of Texas.

Anne (Annie) Brown is executive director of the foundation, which works to ensure the continued vitality of Texas lands, waters, and wildlife for the benefit of all Texans. She invites interested persons to consider membership in the foundation.

It’s really a way for individuals to help conserve Texas wild things and wild places for generations to come. All of the funds that are raised in our membership program go into special projects.

Special requests from parks, such as for bird blinds, or youth hunting programs, and neighborhood fishing opportunities are just a few of the projects membership helps to fund.

So this is really funding that is made available for special projects that benefit the land, water and wildlife in Texas.

Find out how to become a member when you log onto the Texas parks and Wildlife foundation website at tpwf.org.

We try to make it easy. We have two levels.

Membership has its privileges. That’s tomorrow.

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

Wildlife Trails Maps from Texas Parks and Wildlife, available for purchase or free digital download.

Spring Break: Wildlife Trail Maps & Migration Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Beginning in February and continuing through May, birders watch the sky for spring migrants.

Texas is unique in that it has a great funnel of flyways. Spring migration is a great time to go and experience all the different birds that come through Texas.

Liz Tomberlin works in Nature Tourism at Texas Parks and Wildlife. From casual birders to listers, these maps have something for everyone! There are well-known sites such as High Island as well as lesser-known local gems and private ranches. To find the road less traveled—grab a Wildlife Trail map.

And what our Wildlife Trail maps do is give them more of an individual experience and give them places that might be hidden gems in the community where they can go and avoid the crowds and see all the birds in a different spot that’s not so well known.

Which of the nine illustrated maps would Liz suggest?

Definitely upper Texas coast, central Texas Coast, and Lower Texas Coast, are some of the best places to see the spring migrants. Will these maps also tell people what birds to look out for? Yes, it does! Each site description tells you different times when you can see these birds, what you can expect to see at the site, and where to go to actually view them. It’s a great tool to have if you want to come and see the spring migration.

Download free digital versions of the maps from the Texas Parks and Wildlife website; hard copies may be purchased. Find information at the TPW website.

That’s our show… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.