Passport to Texas

Outdoor Stories: Snakes Alive! Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

When David Guthrie was a boy growing up in Round Rock, he and his buddies regularly camped out in the woods and fields around his parent’s home.

David told his Texas Outdoor Story of a particularly memorable camp out.

51—In the middle of the night it started to rain. So we packed up our things, and just took off and went back to my parent’s house and then we crashed on the living room floor. And the next morning I remember feeling something on me – it was moving across my leg – and I woke up and I looked down and there’s this enormous bulge around my leg.

It was a three foot one inch long black racer; it was a rather memorable experience. I had a lot of sleepless nights as a kid after that (laughter).

Have your own Texas outdoor adventure to share? Just go to passporttotexas.org and click on the outdoor stories link.

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

Outdoor Story: Matagorda Island Message in a Bottle Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Terri McDonald of Rockport, responded to our request for listeners’ stories about their favorite Texas State Parks, historic sites or wildlife management areas. Her favorite is Matagorda Island Wildlife Management Area.

09—Absolutely love it. There’s no cars…very few people…it’s just like going back in time to a beach a hundred years ago.

The slow pace leaves a lot of time for one of Terri’s favorite pastimes — beach combing.

09—We’ve found tons of seashells, beautiful driftwood, four messages in bottles…. You just never know what you’re going to find out there.

Terri says she’s contacted three of the people whose message she found in the bottles.

28—The oldest one was from 1969. A soldier in the Vietnam War had dropped it off of Cape Canaveral. And we found it at the bottom of a dune that had been sheared off by a storm. So it had been buried under sixteen feet of sand for years and years. So we got in touch with him through the help of the Corpus Christi Caller Times Military Reporter. And it was a long time ago – he had almost forgotten doing it.

Thank you Terri. Now it’s your turn. Go to passporttotexas.org and click on the outdoor stories tab and share your tale of the great outdoors…because Life’s Better Outside.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

Wildlife: Animal Calls Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Kissing the palm of your hand may sound like what a kid might do to practice for their first lip lock. But it’s also useful for attracting wildlife…the four legged variety.

:10—[kissing sound] I can do that to a bobcat that’s sitting out there behind a bush at a hundred yards, and it’ll start him towards me almost immediately. It just sounds delicious.

Gerald Stewart is a consultant for Johnny Stewart wildlife calls. Gerald’s dad, Johnny, created the business, which featured recorded animal sounds.

:23—Dad realized early on in the development of the business, that these sounds could be used by quite a wide variety of people. Photographers, nature lovers, bird watchers, hunters, researchers, or people that just want to simply show their grand kids [raccoon call] the eyes of a raccoon coming through the grass at night…just for the joy of being able to see something wild, literally a few feet away from them.

Screech owls are common in residential neighborhoods, and are a good animal to call when you’re with children.

:15—[screech owl] It’s easier to call screech owls with children around. Screech owls are a gregarious little bird, very social. And will put up with human presence. After a minute or two of being there, humans can just start talking and milling around and the little screech owl just sits in the tree.

Learn about native wildlife by logging onto the Texas Parks and Wildlife web site.

That’s our show for today. For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.

TPWD TV: The Crappie Guys Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Crappie is a fun fish to catch, and a tasty fish to eat. This month on the Texas Parks and Wildlife TV series, meet two men, in a story called The Crappie Guys, who use the fish as a teaching tool and as a way to bring families together. Series producer, Don Cash.

61—We focus a little bit on a guy named Tommy Tidwell, who is a High School science teacher in Georgetown. Tommy’s also a part-time fishing guide for crappie at Lake Granger. So, for Tommy, crappie are not just a fish to catch, but they’re also something that helps him in his science classes.

The whole point of catching crappie is to take them home and eat them. Our very own Texas Parks and Wildlife boating safety director, Tim Spice, cooks up some crappie. And I can tell you from experience Tim does a great job—they tasted wonderful.

Thanks, Don. The show airs the Week of March 18. Check your local listings.

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

State Parks: Park Improvements Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

There’s good news coming from state parks. Money earmarked by the legislature in years past for improvements in state parks is finally being put to use. Our state park guide, Bryan Frazier has details.

61—So, I think people maybe who have not been to a park in awhile—maybe since last year—will find some pretty interesting things that they like. Things that are really important to them. Things like new and improved camp sites, new and improved restrooms. Fifty amp service on electric sites for big RVs in a lot of our parks. Things that really will impact a person’s park experience when they get there.

Money from past biennium that’s just now being spent so that they’re park experience is better. Their campsite is maybe a little bigger. They’ve got a nicer electric hook-up or a full hook-up campsite that maybe a year ago was only water and electricity. We had more than 40 state parks tht got these capital repairs and improvements. And I think when people get out there this outdoor recreation season beginning in the spring, they’ll find some good things they like.

Thanks, Bryan.

That’s our show for today…with funding provided by Chevrolet, supporting outdoor recreation in Texas; because there’s life to be done.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife I’m Cecilia Nasti.