Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

For twenty-two years the Texas Parks and Wildlife television series has aired on PBS stations statewide. This month, series producer, Don Cash helps us kick off the new season.

First week of October we start off with actually a show about becoming a game warden. We followed a game warden class the entire six months; and it’s a really interesting and entertaining look at what goes into becoming a game warden.

Coming in with thirty-four other strangers…it’s just, I mean, overwhelming. C’mon Caroline! Push it…push it…push it…push it. Whoever just groaned is going to love this. One…two… three. Good Job!

The second week of October, Abe Moore has got a really fantastic story on the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, which is extinct – maybe. The third week in October, we have story called fishing the late shift. And, it’s about night fishing, and people who fish at night.

It’s just easier for me to catch fish at night. It’s just fun. I catch some catfish and bass, mainly.

We end the month of October with a story on the Spring Trackers. It follows a couple of biologists with the department as they travel the state and study and monitor and count the springs that are in Texas and try and learn a little more about these wonderful resources that we have.

Thanks, Don. Visit passporttotexas.org for a complete listing of stations airing the series.

That’s our show for today…for Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Texas Parks and Wildlife on PBS and Cable
Stations and Air Times
Times and dates are subject to change, especially during PBS membership drives.

• Amarillo, KACV-TV, Channel 2: October–March, Saturday 6 p.m.
• Austin, KLRU-TV, Channel 18: Monday, 12:30 p.m.; Friday 5:30 a.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m. KLRU2, Cable 20: Tuesday, 11 p.m.
• Bryan-College Station, KAMU-TV, Channel 15: Sunday, 5 p.m.; Thursday, 7 p.m.
• Corpus Christi, KEDT-TV, Channel 16: Sunday, 12 p.m.; Friday, 2 p.m.
• Dallas-Fort Worth, KERA-TV, Channel 13: October–March, Saturday, 6 p.m. Also serving Abilene, Denton, Longview, Marshall, San Angelo, Texarkana, Tyler, Wichita Falls and Sherman.
• El Paso, KCOS-TV, Channel 13: Saturday, 3 p.m.
• Harlingen, KMBH-TV, Channel 60: Sunday, 5 p.m. Also serving McAllen, Mission and Brownsville.
• Houston, KUHT-TV, Channel 8: Saturday, 3:30 p.m.; Friday 1:30 p.m. Also serving Beaumont, Port Arthur, Galveston, Texas City and Victoria.
• Killeen, KNCT-TV, Channel 46: Sunday, 5 p.m. Also serving Temple.
• Lubbock, KTXT-TV, Channel 5: Saturday, 10 a.m.
• Odessa-Midland, KPBT-TV, Channel 36: Saturday, 4:30 p.m.
• San Antonio and Laredo, KLRN-TV, Channel 9: Sunday, 1 p.m.
• Waco, KWBU-TV, Channel 34: Saturday, 3 p.m.
• Portales, New Mexico, KENW-TV, Channel 3: Sunday, 2:30 p.m.
• The New York Network, NYN, Thursday 8:30 p.m.; Saturday 2:30 p.m. Serving the Albany area.

Cable

Texas Parks & Wildlife can also be seen on a variety of government, educational and access cable channels in the following communities: Abilene, Allen, Atlanta, Boerne, Collin County Community College, Coppell, Del Mar College, Denton, Flower Mound, Frisco, Garland, Irving, McKinney, North Richland Hills, Plano, Rogers State University, Texarkana College, The Colony, Tyler, Waco and Wichita Falls. Check your local listings for days and times.

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

It’s illegal for hunters to track deer with dogs. And Game Warden, Major Robert Carlson, says violators can be relentless.

For decades we have had the running deer with dog issue and some 20 years ago when they made it illegal, we just had a significant number of folks that just wouldn’t quit it. We have been actively working on reducing the number of calls, the number of violations that occur with hunting deer with dogs.

Wardens developed strategies to deal with the crime.

Some of the things we’ve done is for 3 years during deer season we had special operations where we brought in about a dozen wardens from across the state. Every time one of the violators loaded a dog, we made sure they seen a Game Warden truck. And so that reduced their opportunity to actually hunt.

A change in the law helped Wardens with enforcement.

Basically what those law changes, and proclamation changes did, was it helped us because it made the offense of hunting deer with dogs easier to prove and it also made it a higher class misdemeanor with the opportunity for it to become a felony with subsequent charges.

That’s our show for today…we had research and writing help from Loren Seeger…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

East Texas is known for more than its pine trees. It’s also known for being the only place in the state where running deer with dogs is commonplace.

Running deer with dogs is an illegal “sport” whereby a dog owner sends Fido into the woods to flush deer into the open. If the dog’s master correctly calculates the outcome of the chase, his prize is a clear shot at a whitetail. Game Warden Major Robert Carlson.

The dog trails the deer and the sport of it is for me [as the dog’s owner] to determine where that deer is going to cross the road and that’s where I need to be standing for me to shoot the deer. When they’re doing this, they’re running across people’s personal property. You know, it just boils down to that was a legal activity years ago, but you were supposed to shoot them on your property. You don’t have a right to turn a dog loose for it to wreak havoc on everybody’s personal property.

Running deer with dogs was made illegal twenty years ago. Major Carlson says this unlawful sport persists, and interferes with those who hunt deer legally.

What happens is with the deer running through there on a semi-regular basis, well that keeps the deer heard stirred up and run off so that the legal hunters can’t hunt either.

Beefing up efforts to eliminate the activity is tomorrow.

That’s our show for today…with research and writing help from Loren Seeger…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Sometimes tragedy makes us appreciate the people and things around us. During Hurricane Rita and Katrina, Game Wardens worked tirelessly to help restore communities hit by the storms.

Major Rolly Correa, Region 9, explains how these highly trained men and women have finally gained well-deserved recognition across the Lone Star State and beyond.

I think within the past few years we’ve really been able to show the public and people just what we really do. It’s always been a covert thing- it’s working behind the scenes.

When Hurricane Rita and Katrina came into play they saw us working the rescue operations and getting out there into the field. People realize that ‘Wow, they are a viable force to deal with and help in emergency situations and things of that nature.’

Game Wardens protect our state from daily tribulations, and are always there when needed…

It’s opened a lot of eyes and I think that people now realize that Game Wardens are commissioned peace officers that will respond to the calls from the Sheriff, Police Chief who needs assistance. We will be there with the equipment and highly trained officers and professional people that will assist in anything we do.

You can find more information about Game Wardens on the Texas Parks & Wildlife website.

That’s our show for today…with research and writing help from Loren Seeger…. for Texas Parks and Wildlife… I’m Cecilia Nasti

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Approximately 500 Game Wardens dedicate themselves to protecting our state’s natural resources every day. While most of the people Game Wardens come in contact with are harmless, Assistant Chief of Fisheries Enforcement, Kris Bishop, says that’s not always the case.

In general, the people that we come in contact with are good, family people. They’re taking their family, their children out hunting, and fishing, and boating. That’s how they want to spend their free time. The kind of person who goes out and communes with nature is usually a good person and they have good intentions, and so that’s the average person that we meet.

But occasionally, you are going to meet the criminal element no matter where you are. It’s going to be anywhere. You’ll always have that certain amount of danger out there because most of the people that we’re dealing with have knives, guns, things like that, on them. That’s part of what they’re doing. They’re either fishing they they’ll have a filet knife, or they’re hunting and have a rifle or a shotgun. There’s always that little bit of an element of you could possibly get into a situation with a bad person.

Wardens receive extensive training on handling dangerous situations. Find more information about game wardens, including how you can become one, at the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

That’s our show for today…with research and writing help from Loren Seeger…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

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