Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration program

We’re in the midst of dove season, which comes with rewards and responsibilities.

We want everybody to have a really good time and be safe while you’re out there. But, so many times we look around a dove area where people have hunted, and we see a lot of trash and debris that the hunter has carried out there.

Hunter education coordinator, Terry Erwin, says leaving trash behind can be harmful to animals that use the land.

Any debris that you took in with you, always take it out. Pick up your hulls especially. The expended shotgun shell hulls that are laying on the ground—cattle will pick those up and eat them. And, sometimes it will be very detrimental to that cattle’s well being.

Packing out whatever you packed in is just one part of being a responsible hunter. The daily bag limit for dove is 15 birds…but what if you shoot your limit and can’t find one of the birds?

If you actually happen to shoot a dove and you can’t find him, although you may only bring home fourteen doves, the one that you didn’t find—let that be part of your bag limit.

Improving your skills and hunting with man’s best friend is all part of responsible hunting.

Always practice and home your shot-gunning skills, and always use a good retriever dog that will help you find that bird so that it’s not wounded and lost.

Find hunting information on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

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

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and the Sport Fish and Wildlife and the Wildlife Restoration Program

Hunting season is here. And while the last thing a hunter wants to think about is a problem in the field, it pays to be prepared.

That means making sure you have everything that’s available that you need even for a short outing, and then always hunt your plan.

Hunter Education coordinator, Terry Erwin also advises to make others aware of your plan.

In other words, let them know where you’re going to be, what time you intend to leave, and what time you intend to return. If you don’t get back during that specified time, then they know to come looking for you.

Hunters should never go into the field alone; they should have a way to communicate with their partners, either by cell phone or two-way radios. And then there are the maps.

So always keep a topographical map and mark the positions on it of where you’re going to be. If an accident were to happen, and you would need help, always have a ranch map, or have someone who knows the ranch location…because if you’re out in stand number 27, and an accident happens, who in the world is going to know where stand number 27 is? So, have a topo map with the stand locations, and easy access—or a map to get directions for the emergency services to get there if at all needed.

Of course, we hope you never need those services. Find hunting safety information on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

Our show…receives support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration program…funded by your purchase of hunting and fishing equipment and motorboat fuel…For Texas Parks and Wildlife I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Wildlife Restoration Program

The deadline to submit your entry to win one of seven exclusive Big Time Texas Hunt packages is October 15.

You know, if you’re lucky enough to win one of these hunts, we can guarantee you that it will be a great hunting experience.

Linda Campbell is program director for Private Lands and Public Hunting. The cost of an entry to win a guided hunting trip is just 10-dollars, and you can enter as many times as you like.

Even if you don’t win, though, you contribute to the work of the wildlife division and what we do to enhance habitat and hunting opportunities for Texans.

Entrants can walk away with deer hunts, bird hunts, and even an alligator hunt. Plus, the winner of the Texas Grand Slam gets the rare opportunity to hunt a desert Bighorn Sheep.

You know, it’s very rare that anybody gets to hunt a desert bighorn sheep; we have so few permits. That’s a guided hunt by our people on our wildlife management areas. They work very hard to provide an excellent quality hunt. Our hunters are generally just delighted with the experience overall.

If you win, but for some reason cannot go on the hunt…

You cannot sell these wins, but you can transfer them to an immediate family members, or to a youth 8 to 16 years old.

Find complete details about Big Time Texas Hunt on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

That’s our show… we receive support from the Wildlife Restoration program….For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Wildlife Restoration Program

Life’s short, Hunt Big—that’s the motto of Big Time Texas Hunts.

Big Time Texas Hunts is a drawing that we offer for some high quality guided hunting packages. We do it to raise money for support of our various wildlife conservation efforts including research, also to increase our public hunting opportunities throughout the state.

Linda Campbell is the program director for Private Lands and Public Hunting. The program, in its 13th year, offers hunters the chance to win one of seven exclusive hunting trips; the first hunt offered through the program was the Texas Grand Slam.

It’s still one of our most important offerings. That’s the opportunity to hunt the four premier big game species in Texas, including: desert bighorn sheep, pronghorn, mule deer, and white tail deer.

The deadline to enter is October 15, and it only costs ten dollars per entry. And you can enter as often as you like.

We have around 80-thousand total entries for all of the hunts per year. You know that’s a gross amount that we earn—several hundred thousand dollars every year to support our research and management of our game species.

We have a link to Big Time Texas Hunts at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show… we receive support from the Wildlife Restoration program….For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Wildlife Restoration Program

Fall hunting season has finally arrived. But before you grab your camouflage and hunter’s orange, make sure your gun is in top working order. Terry Erwin, hunter education coordinator for Texas Parks and Wildlife, says a properly maintained firearm is a safe firearm.

Once your firearm has set up all year, you need to take it out and make sure its clean, and make sure its operating properly. Make sure everything is functioning and that all the springs and screws are tight and in order. You wouldn’t want to get out there and have that shotgun misfire or malfunction.

A properly functioning firearm is only part of the safety equation when out in the field. During dove season, for example, hunters need to be aware of their surroundings, especially when it comes to who’s around them when they pull the trigger.

I would say that when you’re in the dove field, at least be aware of your zones of fire. Make sure that you’re not crossing over or shooting into someone else’s zone. And, doves can see color, but be sure and wear a blaze orange hat, at least to let your hunting partners know the proximity of where you are in relation to them. And always be safe out there in the field.

Find links to hunting safety and other hunting information at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show. Made possible by a grant from Wildlife restoration Program…working to create more shooting and hunting opportunities in Texas…for Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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