Passport to Texas

Maintaining Bow Hunting Gear Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Before going into the field hunters must ensure their firearms are working properly. Although bow hunters don’t use firearms, proper maintenance of their gear is just as critical to a safe and successful hunt.

10— In archery equipment, we always want to make sure your strings are in good condition, make sure your cables and everything are in great condition. And always check your arrows.

Terry Erwin is Hunter Education coordinator for Texas Parks and Wildlife.

22— One way to find out if an arrow’s in good condition is to take a piece of dry cotton ball, run it up and down the arrow, if you see even one strand of cotton stick to the arrow, discard that arrow—especially carbon graphite arrow. Because if one strand can stick to it, that means that carbon graphite is broken, and it could break and injure you.

Erwin adds the shaft isn’t the only part of the arrow that needs attention before heading into the field.

14— Make sure your veins are all on securely and properly aligned, and if you’re using practice tips, make sure they’re good and tight in there. And when you go to your broad heads, always use a broad head wrench to put them on or remove them from your arrow shaft.

Find bow hunting information on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

The Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program supports our series.

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

Public Hunting Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The state has more than a million acres of public hunting land including wildlife management areas, state parks and state natural areas, where sportsmen and women may harvest a wide variety of game.

And an annual public hunting permit is only $48-dollars.

While hunting on public land offers outstanding opportunity, Todd Merendino, a former Texas Parks and Wildlife biologist—who currently manages conservation programs for Ducks Unlimited—says doing so requires planning and flexibility. We spoke with him during a public waterfowl hunt on Matagorda Island.

37—Public hunting is just a different style or type of waterfowl hunting, primarily because unlike a guided operation or your own private lease, there is an element of unknown of where you’re going to go because folks that are in front of you may pick the spot you wanted to go to, or you may just be unfamiliar with the place and not know a good site to hunt. So there’s a little bit of kind of an uncertain element to in just the fact because of the check in procedure and a paperwork procedure sometimes you’re out in the field extremely early. Just like this morning, these guys will be set up an hour before shooting time. Whereas on a private lease, or a guided operation, you’d probably be getting set up right at shooting time.

The Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program supports our series… and funds the operations of wildlife management areas in Texas.

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

Texas Drought and Teal Season 2011 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

Here’s good news: Teal season begins September 10 and runs 16 days this year, because survey says:

06— This year blue wing numbers are at 8.9 million, and that’s rivaling mallard numbers, which is really unheard of.

Dave Morrison, small game program director at parks and wildlife, says teal breeding grounds up north are as wet as they’ve been in decades.

13—And, so you look up there….more water…there are flood conditions all through the Dakotas…setting up for a great season next year with respect to breeding. You move south to Texas and ducks are going to have to bring their own water…because we don’t have any water down here.

That’s not the end of bad news. Even if we receive substantial storms between now and the season opener thus breaking drought conditions, challenges remain.

11—Even if we do get storms that drop water—there’s no groceries. So, it’s going to be a tough season this year. And, you know, shoot, those teal may get up there, look around, and say ‘Hey, I’m done; I’m moving on to Mexico.’

What advice does Dave Morrison have to offer hopeful hunters?

14—Find you some water. Because, if you’ve got water that’s fresh, and you’ve got some groceries, you’re going to be in a premier spot, because you ought to be able to find some birds sitting n that water. Do you have a secret spot with water that you can tell us about? No ma’am. That’s my secret!

Find hunting information on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website. The SFWR supports our series…

For Texas Parks and Wildlife I’m Cecilia Nasti.

2011 Teal Season Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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[SFX…teal]

Teal season is like Christmas in September for duck hunters.

08—This year the population numbers is going to put the September Teal season at a 16 day season, which will open September the tenth and run through September the 25th.

Dave Morrison, small game program director at parks and wildlife, says the teal population is as high as he has ever seen it and explains how the number of birds determines season length.

21—If it’s below 3.2 million, we have no season. From 3.2 to 4.7, we have a nine day season. Anything over 4.7 is a 16 day season. This year the survey show the blue wing numbers are at 8.9 million. And that’s rivaling mallard numbers which is really unheard of. They’re the second most populous duck this year in our survey—so there’s a lot of blue wings this year.

Despite the surplus of teal, hunters will not see an expansion of the season—ever. Yet, Morrison says hunters may one day see the daily bag limit increase from four to six birds.

19—There’s a lot of people who ask the question, ‘why four during September teal season, and not six like the regular season’? that’s one of the things that we’ve been trying to deal with. There is a group of people right now looking at biological needs and information about blue wings. And hopefully in a year or so we may be able to answer that question, and see if we can go more liberal during that September teal season.

Find hunting information on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

The Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration program supports our series… For Texas Parks and Wildlife I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Become a Volunteer Hunter Education Instructor Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

Since 1971, teaching new hunters the basics of the sport is no longer the sole responsibility of family members—new hunters of a certain age must earn certification.

05—Basically it’s anyone who’s born on or after September 2, 1971; They have to take the course.

The course is hunter education. Terry Erwin oversees the hunter education at Texas Parks & Wildlife, and says volunteer instructors are the backbone of the program.

07—Many of the individuals have gone through the Hunter education course themselves, and found out that they really wanted to give something to the sport.

Volunteers also save taxpayers a nice chunk of change in the process.

07—If you put a dollar value on it, probably in volunteer hours and things like that, way exceeding half a million dollars.

The volunteer aspect goes beyond the classroom; these dedicated instructors also take on mentoring roles.

12—We always encourage every instructor to take at least one or two youth hunting each year that they train. That starts a mentoring process in which that student goes out under the training and guidance of an experienced hunter.

Learn how to volunteer by logging onto the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

The Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program supports our series and works to increase fishing, hunting, shooting and boating opportunities in Texas.

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