Passport to Texas

Ladies Goose Hunt outside of Bay City, Texas

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This is Passport to Texas

Hunting is attracting new groups of enthusiasts.

Women are the number one growing group in a lot of the outdoor activities—especially in the shooting world. More women today are shooting now and learning to shoot a firearm and to hunt than any other group.

Heidi Rao is a Hunter Education specialist for Southeast Texas. She says many among this new tide of hunters—both women and men—identify as locavores. People who seek locally sourced, sustainably raised food.

So, they’ve become more interested in hunting because they know the animal was naturally fed—in nature, of course—and so if they shoot it, they’re directly part of that process. And then they learn how to cook it and prepare it, so it’s a complete that circle of life.

Not all people with a budding interest in hunting are ready for big game like deer or feral hogs. For them, Rao suggests something smaller, but no less challenging.

Squirrel hunting is a very great way to introduce somebody to hunting whether they be a youth or an adult.

Heidi Rao returns tomorrow to tell us what it takes to have a successful squirrel hunt, and why small game like squirrel don’t seem to get the attention they deserve.

The Wildlife Restoration program supports our series, and works to increase shooting and hunting in Texas.

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

Ralston Dorn [left] and a fellow workshop attendee [right] discuss Dorn’s success in the field. He shot his first deer (a doe) during a mentored deer hunt for adult novices, at Inks Lake State Park.

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This is Passport to Texas

Armed with his father’s vintage Weatherby 2506 hunting rifle, Dallas paramedic, Ralston Dorn, climbed into the idling pickup that would take him and his mentor to a blind at Inks Lake State Park, where they would wait and watch, and hope for a chance to harvest a deer.

We got there at 6 a.m. when it was dark. It was quiet. You got to watch the sun rise. The birds come in. The feeder went off at seven, and then five or ten minutes later, my guide ironically said: ‘Alright deer, come on out’ just as a joke. And sure enough, about five minutes later two doe popped out.

Under the direction of his mentor, Justin Dreibelbis, Ralston brought the rifle to his shoulder, and put the deer in his scope.

You know, my adrenaline’s flowing. And then he’s looking through his binoculars and I’m looking through the scope. And he’s telling me—alright–doe on the right is good to shoot. Alright, doe on the left is not good to shoot. Then it got to a point where the one on the left became the good one to shoot. My heart was racing. I did have to try and control my breathing. And so I took the shot. I just kind of let the trigger surprise me. And it went off and it was exactly where I was aiming. So it was a good shot. She ended up expiring about 20 yards from the blind. We waited for about 15 minutes in the blind, and then went to the point of impact.

Ralston Dorn shot his first deer during a new mentored deer hunt program for adult novices. Additional mentored hunts are in development.

The Wildlife Restoration program supports our series.

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

Ralston Dorn looks on as  Chef Jesse Griffiths demonstrates how to break down a deer during the Mentored Deer Hunt for Adult Novices at Inks lake State Park.

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This is Passport to Texas

I met Ralston Dorn the week before Christmas at Inks Lake State Park, during the first of its kind mentored deer hunt for adult novices.

I come from a family of hunters—on my mom’s side. They all hunt. And my dad hunted when I was younger. But, I myself, have never been deer hunting, so I wanted to learn how to do it.

Ralston, whose middle name is “Hunter” is a paramedic from Dallas.

The first day of the program taught us a lot of what we needed to know in preparation for the hunt. What kinds of shots to take. What kinds of shots not to take. Ways to load and unload the rifle and carry it. How to be safe….

Ethics and proper care in the field were also covered. Ralston brought a family heirloom to use on his hunt.

My father’s Weatherby 2506 that he used to deer hunt with when I was a little kid. When I was about 10 years old, he quit deer hunting, and hasn’t hunt in probably 21 years. And so that gun probably hasn’t been fired in 20 years [chuckles]. So, it was nice to keep the tradition going on in my family with that firearm.

Tomorrow, find out if Ralston’s father’s vintage rifle, combined with the knowledge and skills he learned during the mentored hunt workshop brought him luck in the field.

The Wildlife Restoration program supports our series…as well as hunting and the shooting sports in Texas.

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

Workshop organizer, Chris Hall, and workshop attendee, Ralston Dorn.

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This is Passport to Texas

The week before Christmas, five men and two women—myself included—met at Inks Lake State Park in Burnet for the first of its kind mentored hunt for adult novices. Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Justin Dreibelbis was an organizer.

Chris and I are both really excited to have a program that allows them to get that knowledge and come out here—and feel comfortable asking questions, so they can learn how to do it. Now they can go take their kids, and hunt with their friends and family and enjoy the outdoors.

Chris Hall is lead ranger and hunt coordinator at Inks lake state park.

We set out to allow an opportunity and an experience for individuals later in life who have not had the opportunity to hunt or to enjoy the experience of the outdoors in that capacity. And, to give a total turn-key experience—start to finish—of ethics, proper care and maintenance. As well as the hunting experience, itself.

Hunter Ed Coordinator, Steve Hall took us to a shooting range at a nearby ranch where we learned safe firearm use. We shot balloons and paper targets until we got it right.

Now, with the deer tomorrow, though, the first shot is the one that you want to count. You try to do any sighting in or practice right before the hunt, because then you get out all the ‘ooga boogas’ out that you can on the range. So that when tomorrow morning shows up—the shot counts.

Tomorrow—hunters put their newfound skills to the test.

The Wildlife Restoration program supports our series.

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

Making sausage in the Feral Austin Commercial Kitchen.

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This is Passport to Texas

Chris Houston of Austin is a hunter and home cook; he butchers and processes what he harvests; but that’s not always been practical.

We have a decent sized [kitchen] counter space, but certainly a limited area and limited equipment.

Hunters, says Houston, go to processors because of limited workspace, equipment, and a lack experience. He adds processors are decent folks who provide a good service – but he still wonders what comes back to him.

Am I getting back my animal in the sausage? Am I getting all the meat that I had taken in there?

Houston taught himself to butcher and process, and excels at it now. To empower others to do the same, he offers a fully equipped commercial kitchen and his knowledge as Feral Kitchen, a wild food workspace.

Butchering and sausage-making tends to feel complicated. However, it can be really simplified. And so, we really want to pass on that education and that confidence to others. We’ve been offering some classes on general game butchering, and some other classes on sausage-making to kind of help people take that step in the learning curve to doing it themselves. And, really, to just try and simplify the entire process.

Learn more about butchering and processing wild game on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

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