Passport to Texas

Nilgai can weigh up to 700 lbs., stand 4’5” at shoulder and be up to 6.6 ft long.

Big Time Texas Hunts South Texas Safari Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

Big Time Texas Hunts raises funds for wildlife conservation by offering the public chances to win one of 10 premium hunt packages for $9 per online entry.

One of our most popular hunts is the Grand Slam. Where one hunter will go on four separate hunts over the course of a year… for whitetail, mule deer, pronghorn antelope and Desert Bighorn Sheep on one of our west Texas WMAs. So, it’s a dream hunt package that’s very popular—and one hunter gets drawn every year for it.

Justin Dreibelbis is Texas Parks and Wildlife’s program director for private lands and public hunting. The Grand Slam may be the biggest hunt package, but the newest and certainly a challenging hunt is the Nilgai Antelope Safari in South Texas.

It’s not your typical Texas deer hunt from a stand. This will be a hunt where you’re spending a lot of time in a jeep riding around trying to spot animals. And from that point, once you spot the nilgai, then it’s a spot and stalk. And, you’re actually out in the brush sneaking up on these critters. And it’s just a very fun, challenging hunt, that’s really a good test of a hunter’s abilities.

Enter online through October 15 at the TPW website; $9 per entry. You’ll pay a $5 online administrative fee, but it allows unlimited entries in a single transaction.

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

This could be you, if you enter Big Time Texas Hunts.

The Hunt of a Lifetime Awaits Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

Big Time Texas Hunts is a yearly drawing offered by Texas Parks and Wildlife.

Big Time Texas Hunts is a conservation fundraiser, basically. We try to raise money that we can put directly back into wildlife conservation work on our wildlife management areas and all of our public hunting lands across the state.

Justin Dreibelbis is Texas Parks and Wildlife’s program director for private lands and public hunting. Big Time Texas Hunts provides a chance for you to win a once-in-a-lifetime hunting experience.

So, we have 10 very high quality all-inclusive hunting packages, ranging everywhere from big horn sheep and pronghorn antelope to white-tailed deer and alligators.

New this year: a nilgai antelope safari in south Texas.

They’re originally from India. They were brought in by the King Ranch in the late 1920s. And their populations have really kind of exploded in south Texas along the coast. It’s a really neat animal. A really big, hardy antelope species that is really challenging and fun to hunt. And it is delicious table fare, too.

We’ll have more on Big Time Texas Hunts tomorrow.

Enter online through October 15 at the Texas Parks and Wildlife website; $9 per entry. You’ll pay a $5 online administrative fee, but it allows unlimited entries in a single transaction.

All entries support the work of wildlife conservation in Texas.

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

Waterfowl hunting at Guadalupe Delta WMA.

You Have to be HIP (Certified) to Hunt Ducks Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

If you plan on hunting migratory game birds in Texas this fall, you need to be HIP – HIP certified, that is. HIP stands for Harvest Information Program.

It’s purpose is to gain information on waterfowl and migratory bird hunters nationwide. Basically a name and address and a little bit about their previous year’s hunting activity—as well as what they plan on hunting what they plan on hunting in the upcoming year.

Kevin Kraai is Waterfowl Program Coordinator. He says the HIP program helps wildlife professionals improve resource management practices as well as track various waterfowl populations throughout the country.

It’s a very useful tool in setting the future year hunting regulations and management decisions.

Being a HIP certified waterfowl hunter isn’t just a good idea—it’s the law.

Officially it is a requirement by law that every individual that plans on hunting migratory birds in the state of Texas us HIP certified. If you are not HIP certified and you are hunting migratory game birds, you are subject to game violations.

We have a link to information about becoming HIP certified at passporttotexas.org.

The Wildlife and Sportfish 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.

Deer suffering from Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).

CWD Containment Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

During its March meeting, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commissioners expanded the state’s chronic wasting disease (CWD) Panhandle Containment Zone. This action followed the discovery of CWD earlier this year in a roadkill white-tailed deer.

Texas Parks and Wildlife’s wildlife veterinarian, Dr. Bob Dittmar says: “The state’s wildlife disease management response… focuses on an early detection and containment strategy… designed to limit the spread of CWD from the affected area… and better understand the distribution and prevalence of the disease.”

The test positive roadkill was among more than 10-thousand deer, elk and other susceptible exotic game animal samples…collected from a variety of sources by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department personnel… for CWD testing during the 2017-18 collection year.

Of the samples, more than 2-thousand came from roadkill. The rest were obtained through mandatory and voluntary hunter harvest submissions.

Since 2012 when the state first discovered the disease among mule deer, Texas has recorded 100 confirmed cases of CWD.

Details about each CWD detection in Texas are available on Texas Parks and Wildlife web site.

The Wildlife Restoration program supports our series.

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

Andy’s Mother in Law’s Gumbo Recipe; just substitute rabbit.

Hunting and Eating Rabbit Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

Andy Gluesenkamp calls rabbit the third white meat.

Rabbit really is all white meat; it’s like a cross between pork and chicken. It’s very, very lean; there’s very little fat in the meat, itself.

Director of Conservation at the San Antonio Zoo, Andy has hunted and eaten rabbit since he was a boy.

I grew up eating curried rabbit that my mom made. And no one makes better curried rabbit than my mom.

A self-professed “good cook,” Andy likes to prepare rabbit he’s harvested. Preparation, he says, begins with properly field dressing the animal, which, he adds, is “easy to clean.” Rabbit is a versatile and healthy protein that lends itself to a variety of cooking styles.

I think my buttermilk fried rabbit is pretty good. I also make rabbit gumbo, based on my mother-in-law’s gumbo recipe; and that is exceptional. I’ve also done rabbit pot pie, and Teriyaki rabbit, and grilled rabbit, and poached rabbit. It’s really hard to mess up rabbit.

If you don’t hunt rabbits, yourself, make friends with a hunter who does. Barring that, you may find recipe ready rabbits at farmers markets or at your local specialty grocer.

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