Passport to Texas

Jetty fishing at sunrise

Fishing: Fishing License Changes on the Way? Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

For years, whether you hunted or fished, no matter when you bought your license, it expired August 31st.

03— The primary reasoning for that is driven by hunting seasons.

That’s Tom Newton who oversees licensing at Parks and Wildlife. Dove season opens the first weekend of September, followed by a succession of other seasons. By mid-spring most hunters have full freezers and won’t go out again until fall.

Anglers aren’t limited by set seasons. Yet, if an angler buys a license in July, for example, they still have to pay full price even though it will expire in a month’s time.

But that’s changing.

42— We’re looking at the possibility and the fiscal feasibility of converting to an annual basis for all the fishing licenses, because that’s a different situation than the set hunting seasons. There are no real seasons for fishing that would interfere with annual licenses; there are no tagging activities – other than the red drum tag – so we’re looking at that. We have one fishing license that’s now annual that’s called the year from purchase all water fishing license. People really like it and they’re buying it at a brisk pace. So, probably within the next few years we’re going to go to an annual year from purchase on all of the various fishing licenses. Hunting licenses have to remain on the current schedule because of the tagging. The super combos and the combos will probably stay as they are because they have hunting licenses included within them.

The Wildlife and sport Fish Restoration program supports our series and provides funding for private lands and public hunting programs in Texas.

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

Mason Mountain WMA

Conservation: Licenses Fund Conservation in Texas Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

To legally hunt and fish in Texas, you need a license; and the money you spend on them supports habitat conservation and game management. That’s win-win, says Tom Newton, who oversees licensing at Parks and Wildlife.

15— The revenue that we get from the licenses goes a long ways to supporting the operations of fishery programs and wildlife programs that help preserve what you’re harvesting. So, it all goes back in to the hunting and fishing activities for our customers.

Recreational anglers and hunters may begin renewing their licenses as early as August 15…and there’s a variety from which to choose.

27— There’s different categories of fishing: freshwater, saltwater, all water. Hunting – you can get your basic deer hunting license; or you can add endorsements to it to hunt migratory birds. We have different combination licenses tailored to those different activities – they just group them in packages – but the best license that we have is the super combo, which includes all activity – all bird hunting all deer hunting, all types of fishing…and it’s the best bargain for the price of 68 bucks.

Some changes may be ahead for a certain group of licensees. Learn more tomorrow.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program supports our series and provides funding for private lands and public hunting programs in Texas.

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

Feral Hogs in Texas

Hunting: Big Time Texas Hunts Goes Hog Wild Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Feral hogs are responsible for extensive wildlife habitat destruction.

02 — Certainly it is a resource issue in Texas.

Linda Campbell is program director for Private Lands and Public Hunting at Parks and Wildlife. The destructive nature of wild hogs is just one reason why these non-native mammals are new on the menu for this year’s Big Time Texas Hunts…

22 —…[it’s] called the Wild Hog Adventure…. And so we thought, ‘Well, you know — let’s try this.’ Let’s offer a package where people get a great hunting adventure with wild hogs in East Texas. We’ve got a great operator that’s going to run this hunt for us. And so I think this is going to be a great, fun hunt, and an opportunity to hunt our big, mean looking hogs in East Texas.

There are eight premium hunting packages offered in all. Entries are $9 online or $10 by phone, mail or retail. Deadline is October 15. And buying an entry is a win for wildlife conservation in Texas.

19— The money is used to support wildlife habitat and conservation throughout the state, and it also goes to support public hunting opportunities on our wildlife management areas. And [it supports] other types of conservation and habitat work. You’re donating to a good cause that really is very important to the support of the work we do in the wildlife division.

Find more information on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website. Support provided by Ram Trucks. Doing what’s right and good regardless of the degree of difficulty — takes guts. Those are the people who build Ram trucks. RAM.

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

Big Time Texas Hunts

Hunting: Big Time Texas Hunts Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Big Time Texas Hunts offers hunters a chance to win any of eight premium hunt packages on some of the finest private ranches and prime wildlife management areas in the state.

09 —We bill it as once in a lifetime type of hunts. [We have] Really great hunting packages for deer, and birds, and waterfowl, alligator…

Money from the sale of entries supports wildlife conservation in Texas. Linda Campbell is program director for Private Lands and Public Hunting at Parks and Wildlife.

13 — These are fully guided hunts, and so everything is provided: lodging and food; all the guiding is also provided. You just have to get yourself to the location. But other than that – everything is taken care of, including the taxes on the hunt, itself.

You can buy as many entries for each hunt package as you like. Entries cost $9 online or $10 by phone, mail or retail. Deadline to enter is October 15. Most Big Time Texas Hunt packages permit winners to bring along a friend to share the experience.

16— The Whitetail Bonanza, for example. The Exotic Safari – you can bring hunting companions with you. The Grand Slam, which is the hunt for the premier big game animals in Texas – pronghorn, big horn sheep, mule deer and whitetail – you can bring a non-hunting companion on that one.

And new this year to Big Time Texas Hunts is the opportunity to hunt…

02 — Big, mean-looking hogs in East Texas…

More tomorrow. We receive funding from Chevrolet, supporting outdoor recreation in Texas; because there’s life to be done.

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

Cameron Dodd, Northeast Texas Hiking Trail

Hiking: The Northeast Texas Trail Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

When Railroad companies retire sections of track, some extend their rights-of-way to public or private entities, which convert the corridor into recreational trails; considered by some to be long, narrow parks.

Journalism student, Cameron Dodd, hiked much of the 130 mile Northeast Texas Trail earlier this year. Once owned by Santa Fe Railroad, the trail – still in development – stretches from Farmersville, north of Dallas, to New Boston, just west of Texarkana.

07— There are parts of it that are overgrown, and parts of it that some landowners have blocked off; they were just kind of impassable.

Dodd traveled solo carrying a backpacked filled with camping gear and provisions…but company was never far.

10— I met a lot of nice people along the way. I took help when I needed it; wound up spending the night in a cabin of someone I met in Ladonia, and accepting some rides when the trail was impassable.

The trail took him through small towns and open vistas. And along the way, he picked up a traveling companion.

17 — Yeah, this dog showed up one night when I was heating up some beans in Ladonia; he didn’t have any tags on him, and nobody seemed to know whose dog it was, and he kept following me, so…next morning I was walking off to Wolf City, the next town. The dog just followed me, so I just kept him around; he was good company.

Cameron checked the dog for a microchip, and finding none, gave this dog a home. Cameron Dodd’s article on the Northeast Texas Trail appears in the October issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine.

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