Passport to Texas

Let’s Hunt BIG!

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This is Passport to Texas

For just 9 dollars you can enter to win a Big Time Texas Hunts package and support wildlife conservation at the same time.

Big Time Texas Hunts is a conservation fundraiser.

Justin Dreibelbis is the Private Lands and Public Hunting Program Director at Texas Parks and Wildlife.

Since 1996 we have brought in 14 million dollars plus of gross revenue to go directly to wildlife conservation and public hunting opportunity. We started with one single grand slam package then and its now evolved into ten different high-quality hunting packages.

Including: Nilgai Antelope, Desert Bighorn Sheep, Muledeer, Pronghorn, White-tailed deer, alligators, wild hog, waterfowl and others. Each hunting package includes meals and lodging, on-site transportation and professional guides.

Enter one of them or all of them online for only $9 each. There is a $5 online administration fee, but for that, you can enter as many times as you want in a single transaction. Just go to the Texas Parks and Wildlife website and search for Big Time Texas Hunts.

The deadline to enter is October 15th. Don’t miss your chance to win the hunt of a lifetime and support wildlife conservation in Texas.

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

The Kraken doing its job as an artificial reef.

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This is Passport to Texas

Early in 2017, Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Artificial Reef Program created a new underwater oasis for marine life by using a 371-foot cargo ship called The Kraken; sunk about 65 miles off the coast of Galveston.

Seven months after sending the Kraken to the gulf sea floor, biologists returned to investigate what has become one of the state’s largest artificial reefs.

What we’re going to see, we don’t know until we get down there.

Dale Shively oversees the artificial reef program for Texas Parks and Wildlife.

It only takes them a few months to get a significant amount of marine growth. [Chris Ledford] There’s a lot of fish on that ship.

Texas Parks and Wildlife artificial reef specialist Chris Ledford says prior to reefing the Kraken, biologists witnessed a couple of sharks in the area, but no reef species. And now it’s teeming with marine life.

I wasn’t expecting it to proliferate that much, that quickly after sinking. Considering the ship has only been down here for 6 months, it’s got a lot a lot of productivity going on. We’re really happy with the way its progressing. I don’t think it really could have gone any better than what it’s showing up to be. It looks great. It’s really cool.

See the reefing of The Kraken, and the results, on the Texas Parks and Wildlife TV series on PBS the week of October 6. The new season of this award-winning series begins the week of October 13. Check your local listings.

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

Mountain Biking at Big Bend Ranch State Park

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This is Passport to Texas

Texas Parks and Wildlife’s recreational trails program develops new pathways in the state through a competitive grant program. Trails allow visitors to enjoy scenic vistas, pursue recreational sports, escape find solace and explore areas that might otherwise be inaccessible.

We fund everything from natural surface single-track mountain bike trails to twelve-foot-wide concrete trails that are accessible to everyone.

Erick Hetzel is the State Park Trails Coordinator for Texas Parks and Wildlife

That’s a really important aspect of the program. We want to serve a broad spectrum of the population of Texas.

Trails provide access to natural environments in an increasingly urban landscape.

They’re providing recreational trail experiences for people who need them. And the population of Texas needs them. We don’t have a lot of public land and we’re able to drop these little recreational trail experiences into these sometimes small communities that really need a trail around the local woods.

Trails also provide connection.

They can have experiences with nature and experiences with the outdoors right in their own community. And, that’s one of the biggest positives about our program.

There are over 1,100 miles of state park trails waiting for you to explore.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

Takings a perky pup for a walk with the family in a state park.

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This is Passport to Texas

Hiking opportunities at Texas state parks are varied. There are 1100 miles of trails and dozens of daily organized treks. Some of them have added elements to intrigue and delight.

Show up at the Davis Mountain State Park Interpretive Center on Thursday mornings and hike with a homeless dog. Help these hopeful rescues enjoy the trail as they await a forever home; you’ll get some puppy love and exercise.

Exercise caution before nibbling native plants. Although many are edible, a lot are not. Find out which native plants are nibble-worthy on ranger-led hikes, available in some of our state parks.

Does tippling interest you more than nibbling? Dinosaur Valley State Park provides the perfect place to explore how early Texans distilled, hid and sold moonshine during the Prohibition-Era.

If exploring is your thing: become a Galveston Bay explorer. Scout the salt marsh wetlands with naturalist guides and investigate the critters, fish and birds that inhabit Galveston Bay. The hike includes a hands-on-seining opportunity.

Visitors to Estero Llano Grande State Park have an opportunity to take part in their Friday butterfly and dragonfly walks. Some of these beautiful insects are found nowhere else but South Texas.

For a comprehensive list of all state park hiking opportunities go to our website, click the calendar tab and then choose Hikes and Nature Walks.

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

Mason Mountain WMA–location of the Big Time Texas Hunts Exotic Safari.

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This is Passport to Texas

Have you ever dreamed of hunting the kind of game only found on other continents? Then Big Time Texas Hunts Exotic Safari may be for you. Janis Johnson.

The winner of the Exotic Safari Package gets to hunt two animals, he gets to choose between a gemsbok, a scimitar-horned oryx, an axis deer or new this year a common waterbuck. You get to bring a hunting companion along and he or she also gets to harvest an animal.

Johnson oversees marketing for Big Time Texas Hunts . The safari takes place at Mason Mountain Wildlife Management Area.

What’s new this year, the winner will also take home a Ruger American rifle, and that’s a 300-win mag. We’re also including a Vortex Diamondback scope. So this is going to be an awesome hunt for the winner. It’s a real premium hunt, and the addition of the Ruger rifle and scope makes it even more special.

Those items courtesy of McBrides Guns of Austin. The hunt package also includes food and lodging, expert guide services by Texas Parks and Wildlife biologists, and if you harvest animals: up to two shoulder mounts to preserve the experience.

Add to that an opportunity to fish, harvest unlimited feral hogs, and to bring along a third guest as a non-hunting companion.

Deadline to enter Exotic Safari, and all Big Time Texas Hunts hunt packages is October 15; entries are $9 each on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website, with a $5 administrative fee for online transactions.

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