Passport to Texas

Ready for a day of shooting at clay pigeons.

Shooting Sporting Clays Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Sporting clays came to the US from Britain in the 1960s and gained a fast following; one that continues to grow—especially in Texas.

Texas is the Mecca of the clay target sports.

San Antonio is home to the National Sporting Clays Association and the National Skeet Shooting Association, and from 1987-2002 Mike Hampton was its executive director. A thousand shooters from across the globe travel to the site annually for the National Sporting Clays Championship—shooting more than a half million clay pigeons in 4 days.

The national complex in San Antonio is the largest all around shooting facility in the world.

Competition isn’t the only objective at the facility. Texas Parks and Wildlife Hunter Ed director, Steve Hall, says shooters also visit year-round to hone their skills and learn safety.

Statistically, sporting clays are very safe. In fact, we use the shooting sports to teach safety—especially to youngsters. We have many programs that combine the shooting sports with firearm safety and safe firearm handling.

Sporting clays isn’t just about turning the pigeons to dust. Charlie Wilson, a shooting instructor, says, it’s about enjoying the outdoors.

They get out into the outdoors—it’s good, it’s clean, it’s healthy…and it’s fun.

The Wildlife Restoration Program supports our series and works to increase shooting sports in Texas.

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

Getting experience shooting.

Hunter Education for Safety in the Field Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

If you’re a hunter, or considering becoming one, completion of a hunter education course is a must.

13-Overall, what a person learns in Hunter Education is the safe, knowledgeable, responsible habits that hunters and shooting sports participants would need to responsibly handle a firearm from the home to the field and back again.

Steve Hall oversees hunter education at Texas Parks and Wildlife.

39-The centerpiece for hunter education is the ten commandments of firearm safety. And those apply whether you’re handling them around the gun safe at home, how to store them properly, transport them properly. And then when you’re in the field, it’s called hunter safety. For a reason. There’s other kinds of things that come into play when you’re in the field like where the other hunters are at, what kind of shooting you’re doing; do you know beyond the line of fire of a
shot? Is it on a hillside that you’re shooting and you don’t know what’s ion the other side? So there are lots of things that come into play. And then they all kind of center around knowing your firearm, knowing how to handle it safely, but also knowing the capability of those firearms as well.

Hunter education classes take place year round across the state. Find hunter education classes near you, or take it online, when you log onto the TPW website.

The Wildlife and sport fish restoration program supports our series.

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

Big Time Texas Hunt at Black Gap WMA

Big Time Texas Hunt: Grand Slam Winner Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Do you know when you’re lucky? Houston resident Kelly Hill does. He won the annual Big Time Texas Hunts grand slam package the very first time he entered.

06— I’ve heard that people have entered for several years and haven’t won it. So I know I’m a very lucky guy.

The Grand Slam gives one winner four separate guided Texas big game hunts: desert bighorn sheep, white-tailed deer, pronghorn and desert mule deer.

14—I’ve been on the whitetail hunt, and I’ve been on the mule deer hunt. And they were both absolutely amazing. I’m about to go on the desert big horned sheep [hunt], and then I think sometime in September or October is the [pronghorn] antelope.

The Texas grand slam is one of eight premium guided hunt packages offered in Parks and Wildlife’s Big Time Texas Hunts program.

19—If you were to actually go and pay for one of these hunts – they are very expensive. The fact that Texas Parks and Wildlife has coordinated with these properties that have opportunities to take one of these trophy animals – it’s amazing. And the fact that it’s nine bucks…nine bucks is a pretty cheap entry fee.

You can enter to win the Big Time Texas Hunts through October 15. Purchase entries online for $9 each or for $10 each by phone, mail or where you buy hunting licenses.

All proceeds from Big Time Texas Hunts benefit wildlife conservation, research and public hunting in Texas.

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

Safety training in the field.

TPW TV: Shooting Safety Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Smart hunters make time to practice shooting before the season begins. The smartest hunters use proper safety gear. Learn more on the TPW PBS TV series this month. Series producer, Don Cash.

54 –We offer some advice on how to protect your eyes and how to protect your ears when you’re shooting.

You can watch this the week of July 7th on the Texas parks and Wildlife PBS Television show. If you happen to miss it, we’ve got a YouTube channel, a lot of hunter education and hunter related videos there.

Thanks, Don.

Support provided the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program…funded by your purchase of fishing and hunting equipment and motorboat fuel.

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

Shooting: Girls on the Range, 2 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Conceived of as a day for fathers and daughters to bond over a shared experience at the shooting range, the National Take Your Daughter to the Range Day quickly evolved to include the whole family.

11—We’re still calling it take Your Daughter to the Range Day, but we’re promoting the whole family bonding, family values opportunity, as something the entire family can do together.

Lynne Finch is president and co-founder of the event, scheduled June 9th. She helped form a non-profit around the day, and reached out to shooting ranges via Facebook, and received good response.

24— Especially Texas. We have five ranges registered in Texas, and the ladies out there have been wonderful—sending us ideas that we then send on to other ranges—things that they’re doing. And everyone’s doing it a little bit differently: the format, the structure. But the core is the same. The goals are the same…the safety, the education, and the opportunity.

Some ranges want participants to register in advance of the event. Find a nearby range and their requirements at national take your daughter to the range day dot com.

18— We want this to be an annual event, but we don’t want it to stop there. Going to shoot one time a year isn’t really what this is about. This is about dipping your toes in the water. Trying something new, and then maybe the family finds out this is fun; this is something we can do together.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program supports our series and works to increase shooting sports in Texas.

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