Passport to Texas

Mason Mountain WMA

Conservation: Licenses Fund Conservation in Texas Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

To legally hunt and fish in Texas, you need a license; and the money you spend on them supports habitat conservation and game management. That’s win-win, says Tom Newton, who oversees licensing at Parks and Wildlife.

15— The revenue that we get from the licenses goes a long ways to supporting the operations of fishery programs and wildlife programs that help preserve what you’re harvesting. So, it all goes back in to the hunting and fishing activities for our customers.

Recreational anglers and hunters may begin renewing their licenses as early as August 15…and there’s a variety from which to choose.

27— There’s different categories of fishing: freshwater, saltwater, all water. Hunting – you can get your basic deer hunting license; or you can add endorsements to it to hunt migratory birds. We have different combination licenses tailored to those different activities – they just group them in packages – but the best license that we have is the super combo, which includes all activity – all bird hunting all deer hunting, all types of fishing…and it’s the best bargain for the price of 68 bucks.

Some changes may be ahead for a certain group of licensees. Learn more tomorrow.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program supports our series and provides funding for private lands and public hunting programs in Texas.

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

Feral Hogs in Texas

Hunting: Big Time Texas Hunts Goes Hog Wild Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Feral hogs are responsible for extensive wildlife habitat destruction.

02 — Certainly it is a resource issue in Texas.

Linda Campbell is program director for Private Lands and Public Hunting at Parks and Wildlife. The destructive nature of wild hogs is just one reason why these non-native mammals are new on the menu for this year’s Big Time Texas Hunts…

22 —…[it’s] called the Wild Hog Adventure…. And so we thought, ‘Well, you know — let’s try this.’ Let’s offer a package where people get a great hunting adventure with wild hogs in East Texas. We’ve got a great operator that’s going to run this hunt for us. And so I think this is going to be a great, fun hunt, and an opportunity to hunt our big, mean looking hogs in East Texas.

There are eight premium hunting packages offered in all. Entries are $9 online or $10 by phone, mail or retail. Deadline is October 15. And buying an entry is a win for wildlife conservation in Texas.

19— The money is used to support wildlife habitat and conservation throughout the state, and it also goes to support public hunting opportunities on our wildlife management areas. And [it supports] other types of conservation and habitat work. You’re donating to a good cause that really is very important to the support of the work we do in the wildlife division.

Find more information on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website. Support provided by Ram Trucks. Doing what’s right and good regardless of the degree of difficulty — takes guts. Those are the people who build Ram trucks. RAM.

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

Big Time Texas Hunts

Hunting: Big Time Texas Hunts Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Big Time Texas Hunts offers hunters a chance to win any of eight premium hunt packages on some of the finest private ranches and prime wildlife management areas in the state.

09 —We bill it as once in a lifetime type of hunts. [We have] Really great hunting packages for deer, and birds, and waterfowl, alligator…

Money from the sale of entries supports wildlife conservation in Texas. Linda Campbell is program director for Private Lands and Public Hunting at Parks and Wildlife.

13 — These are fully guided hunts, and so everything is provided: lodging and food; all the guiding is also provided. You just have to get yourself to the location. But other than that – everything is taken care of, including the taxes on the hunt, itself.

You can buy as many entries for each hunt package as you like. Entries cost $9 online or $10 by phone, mail or retail. Deadline to enter is October 15. Most Big Time Texas Hunt packages permit winners to bring along a friend to share the experience.

16— The Whitetail Bonanza, for example. The Exotic Safari – you can bring hunting companions with you. The Grand Slam, which is the hunt for the premier big game animals in Texas – pronghorn, big horn sheep, mule deer and whitetail – you can bring a non-hunting companion on that one.

And new this year to Big Time Texas Hunts is the opportunity to hunt…

02 — Big, mean-looking hogs in East Texas…

More tomorrow. We receive funding from Chevrolet, supporting outdoor recreation in Texas; because there’s life to be done.

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

Hunter Education

Hunter Ed: Proposed Changes on Horizon Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

People of all ages take Hunter Education, but…

09— For the most part it tends to be that middle-aged, young professional who wants to try hunting; they want to eat local – if you will – and know where their food source is coming from.

Robert Ramirez oversees the program. The certification class is mandatory for those born on or after September 2, 1971. Currently it’s two days and ten hours of classroom instruction or home study with a field day. Yet, Ramirez says there’s a proposal to add more options.

07— We’re going to embrace the technology that’s out there. It’s dynamic; it’s no longer a static webpage where you’re just reading text.

The interactive program offers online skills tests – much like online learning technologies found on the internet currently. Opportunities also exist beyond the computer screen.

18— We’re going to offer some follow-up activities: mentored hunts, wildlife 101 type courses utilizing our wildlife staff, inland fisheries locations, state park locations, law enforcement … to have a follow up activity to the basic hunter education course that is optional.

The public can help shape the future of Hunter Education.

15— They’ll have the opportunity for comment on our Hunter Education proposal. And at that point, I encourage them to evaluate the changes, because the commission will rule in August.

There’s more information on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

That’s our show for today…with funding provided by Chevrolet, supporting outdoor recreation in Texas; because there’s life to be done.

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

Learning Hunter Safety

Hunter Ed: Training Equals Safety in the Field Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Voluntary hunter education started in 1971 to satisfy requirements for Texans hunting in Colorado.

05— And so, that’s really the beginnings in Texas of a formal hunter education course.

Robert Ramirez, who oversees Hunter Education, says by 1987 this training program became mandatory in Texas with the first mandatory certifications occurring in 1988.

09— And at that point, if you had taken it voluntarily, we would recognize that. And, subsequently, our incident accident rate has dropped.

Ramirez says in 1968, Texas recorded 105 hunting accidents with 37 fatalities. Since mandatory hunter education, those numbers have dropped substantially.

20— Today, we’re below three incident accidents per hundred thousand. So, great strides [have been achieved] since it became mandatory. Who has to take it? Well, anyone who was born September 2, 1971 or later is required to have it, you are exempt if you were born before that.

Currently Hunter Ed involves a two day classroom experience, or a home study course. But if approved, online opportunities will expand.

23— We’re going to embrace the technology that’s out there. It’s dynamic; it’s no longer a static webpage – it’s interactive. And then you’re going to have the video aspect with broadband technology what it is right now, you can insert a lot of that dynamic video with professional actors to get the main, basic points of Hunter Ed across to the general public.

Tomorrow: You can determine the future of Hunter Ed.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program supports our series funded by your purchase of fishing & hunting equipment and motorboat fuel. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.