Passport to Texas

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

The mourning dove is the subject of a nationwide banding program. Small silver leg bands placed on the doves allow wildlife biologists in Texas, and elsewhere, track harvest rates of these ubiquitous birds.

We’ll also determine survival rates, where they go, when they get there, and when they leave. And all kinds of good information.

Jay Roberson is the leader of the webless migratory game bird program. The bands are packed with information.

And it has the toll free number on it that people can call. And a nine digit number and the office location of the bird banding lab in Laurel Maryland.

If you harvest a banded dove, call the number on the band.

All the work we put in on banding doves is for naught, if they’re not reported by hunters or people who find them. And, it’s very important that hunters check their birds that they bag – make sure that their birds are not banded. If they are, we ask they report the number to the toll-free number: 1-800-327-BAND.

Learn how to report a leg band at passporttotexas.org.

Dove season opens September first in the North and Central Zones. Buy your license early to avoid long lines at the end of the month.

Our show receives support from the Wildlife Restoration Program…providing funding for the Private Lands and Public Hunting Programs.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Copy and paste the following link into your browser and go to the site where you can report the dove band: http://www.reportband.gov/ .

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

With your hunting license, a $48 annual public hunting permit, and the two map booklets of public and private hunting lands, a great hunting experience is closer than you think.

Just for dove hunting alone, this program has a hundred and fifty-five areas in the public dove and small game map booklet. And another fifty areas in the annual public hunting lands map booklet. So, over two-hundred areas just for small game.

Dove season opens September first in the North and Central Zones. Kelly Edmiston, public hunting program specialist, says there’s more than dove and small game on these lands.

There’s also deer and feral hogs and spring turkey and a lot of waterfowl. So, for forty-eight dollars and a hunting license, you can hunt a lot of game birds and a lot of game animals.

And the heavy rains this year mean we could see improved hunting statewide.

All of this rain, believe it or not – in spite of what a lot of people think – is happening almost at the right time, because what’s happening is everything is greening up and the habitat is improving. It’s improving to the point that I think, probably come this fall, a lot of people will notice that the hunting is going to be better.

Public hunting permits go on sale August fifteenth wherever licenses are sold. Find more information at passporttotexas.org.

Our show receives support from the Wildlife restoration program…working to increase shooting and hunting opportunities in Texas. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Link to 2007-2008 Hunting Seasons [You will Need Acrobat Reader]
Link to Hunter Education Information

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

With the fall hunting season looming on the horizon, now is the time to apply for drawn public hunts.

A lot of our deadlines have changes from previous years so people who want to apply need to check our website or look at their public hunting lands booklet to make sure that they get their application in by the deadline.

Kelly Edmiston is a public hunting program specialist. Special drawings for controlled hunts — offered through the Public Hunting Program – make affordable, quality hunting experiences a reality for thousands of hunters annually.

This year we’ve added three new categories: an archery mule deer, a gun mule deer, and a private lands pronghorn hunt.

If being drawn for an archery or pronghorn hunt is your dream, register now.

Mid-August, August sixteenth, is going to be the deadline for all of our archery hunts and all of our pronghorn hunts. Basically what we want to do is have people selected and have their attendance confirmed and their permit fees sent in and their permits given back to them in time for the archery season, which is an early season.

Depending on the hunt, expect to pay a non-refundable application fee of either three or ten dollars per hunt. Other fees may apply. Find links to drawn public hunts information at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…with support from the Wildlife restoration program…working to increase shooting and hunting opportunities in Texas

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Link to Fishing License Information
Link to Hunting License Information
Link to Big Time Texas Hunt Information
Link to Public Hunting Information

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

Hunting and fishing licenses for the 2007-2008 seasons go on sale statewide this month.

The new season, dove season, opens September first. It’s on a Saturday. I think it would be a very good idea for hunters to start buying their licenses and their super combos as soon as our sales season opens, which is August fifteenth.

Tom Newton manages licensing at Texas Parks and Wildlife. Buying your license early is like planning your morning commute; you can sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic or you can leave early and breeze through. Whether you buy licenses now or later — be aware of two changes.

We had a license that we called a special resident license that encompassed young hunters and the older hunters. And we took that licenses and we split it into two. Now we’re going to have one senior and one youth hunter. The other thing that we’ve done…our temporary day plus licenses have been consolidated into one single license; we had twelve.

Now there’s a one day license for residents and a one day license for non-residents.

Which will un-complicate things considerably.

Get your licenses online, or at 17-hundred retailers statewide, state parks, game warden offices and Texas Parks and Wildlife headquarters. Find license links at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…with support from the Wildlife restoration program…working to increase shooting and hunting opportunities in Texas.

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

Link to Fishing License Information
Link to Hunting License Information
Link to Big Time Texas Hunt Information
Link to Public Hunting Information

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

It’s August: time to renew hunting and fishing licenses.

The licenses are effective beginning September first, but they actually go on sale August 15th.

Tom Newton manages licensing at Texas Parks and Wildlife.

The fishing is broken down into saltwater or freshwater, or what we call an all-water, which covers both. There’s a couple of different hunting licenses, which is your standard deer hunters, or turkey hunters. With the hunting license you have to purchase a couple of stamps if you’re a bird hunter.

Those include the upland, migratory and federal duck stamps. The best license to buy — if you plan on hunting and fishing — is the Super Combo.

Which encompasses everything: All the stamps, all of your hunting options, all of your fishing options. The only thing you need in addition to that is your federal duck stamp. So, the Super Combo – at sixty-four dollars – is the best priced license. And, like I say, you buy that, you need nothing else for the whole year.

It takes an average of five minutes to process a license sale transaction. Even if there are only four people ahead of you, you’ll still be in line for twenty-five minutes. So buy early. Licenses are available online and at 17-hundred agents statewide.

All of our parks sell licenses. All of our law enforcement sells licenses as we do here at Headquarters.

That’s our show…with support from the Wildlife restoration program…working to increase shooting and hunting opportunities in Texas.

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

Link to Fishing License Information
Link to Hunting License Information
Link to Big Time Texas Hunt Information
Link to Public Hunting Information

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