Passport to Texas

Maintaining Bow Hunting Gear Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Before going into the field hunters must ensure their firearms are working properly. Although bow hunters don’t use firearms, proper maintenance of their gear is just as critical to a safe and successful hunt.

10— In archery equipment, we always want to make sure your strings are in good condition, make sure your cables and everything are in great condition. And always check your arrows.

Terry Erwin is Hunter Education coordinator for Texas Parks and Wildlife.

22— One way to find out if an arrow’s in good condition is to take a piece of dry cotton ball, run it up and down the arrow, if you see even one strand of cotton stick to the arrow, discard that arrow—especially carbon graphite arrow. Because if one strand can stick to it, that means that carbon graphite is broken, and it could break and injure you.

Erwin adds the shaft isn’t the only part of the arrow that needs attention before heading into the field.

14— Make sure your veins are all on securely and properly aligned, and if you’re using practice tips, make sure they’re good and tight in there. And when you go to your broad heads, always use a broad head wrench to put them on or remove them from your arrow shaft.

Find bow hunting information on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

The Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program supports our series.

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

Prehistory and New Technology Join Forces Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

New technology brings prehistoric Texas to life at Dinosaur Valley State Park. Our SP guide Bryan Frazier has details.

58— Dinosaur Valley State Park, by Glen Rose, Texas—it’s SW of Ft. Worth—has been famous for years for its dinosaur footprints in the Paluxy riverbed.

The park’s friend’s group, and then the community of Glen Rose got involved and provided the funding for this. And then the ad sales from local businesses can be on there and it’s a source of revenue for our park. So, everybody wins with this. And this technology seems to be the wave of the future and Dinosaur Valley is embracing it.

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.

TPW TV--Lone Star Land Stewards Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Texas landowners who take extra effort to conserve and improve their land. Meet some of them the agency honored with the Lone Star land Steward Award this month on the TPW TV series. Producer Alan Fisher.

Coming up in November, we’ll visit a different a LSLS Award winning ranch each week, including the Leopold Conservation Award Winner—the Temple Ranch in South Texas.

I think one thing that a viewer could take away is that whether it’s a very small property, or a huge ranch with many thousands of acres, there are little things that really do add up to make property better places for wildlife. The temple Ranch segment airs the week November 6 through eh 12th. If you happen to miss these segments on the TV show, you can also view them on our Parkws and Wildlife YouTube channel.

Thanks, Alan.

The Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program supports our series.

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

TPW Magazine--Deer Season Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine editor, Louie Bond says November may be the month when most of us are gearing up for the holidays…

But for a lot of Texans, and especially those who read our magazine, it is deer month. And we have two really unique perspectives on deer hunting, I think. One is on the conservation end, because how would we even have any deer to hunt if it hadn’t been for the great conservation programs—not only in this agency—but for ranch owners like our Leopold Conservation winners: Buddy and Ellen Temple of the Temple Ranch.

And, then on the other side of things… What a lucky editor I am to have a great guy like Carter Smith as the head of this agency. He is a fantastic writer; and so whenever I can I try to wheedle him into telling some of his own great stories. And this month he shares with us the story of his first hunt, and some of the philosophy about why he hunts, and why he loves to hunt. And I think it’s great for our readers—both for those who like to get out hunting and those who like to read about it.

Thanks Louie. Read articles online at tpwmagazine.com.

The Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program supports our series…and is funded by your purchase of fishing and hunting equipment and motorboat fuel.

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

Battling the Alligator Gar Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

Alligator gar, virtually unchanged from prehistoric times, is attracting an enthusiastic 21st Century following.

:04—The species in recent years has become very popular amongst anglers and bow fishers.

David Buckmeier is a fisheries scientist for parks and wildlife. To fish for gar, you have to know where to find them.

:21—Most alligator gar are found in coastal rivers along the eastern part of the state; rivers like the Trinity are very, very well-known for their alligator gar populations. They’re also found in our coastal bays. They’re an interesting species in that they can go back and forth—maybe not into full salt water like in the gulf—but definitely in the bay systems. And they can go back and forth into the river and into those upper parts of those bays.

The alligator gar is the largest freshwater fish in Texas and gives anglers a good fight.

:16—Yes, they actually fight quite well. As you can imagine, any fish that weighs 150 or 200 pounds has a lot of power. So, they do fight; they actually jump quite a bit. They’ll completely clear the water. There’s some variations; some of them are more sluggish than others. But, they’re very entertaining and that’s the reason, I guess, for the popularity.

Anglers may keep one of these big fish per day. Lean more about freshwater fishing at the Texas parks and Wildlife website.

The Sport Fish and Wildlife restoration program supports our series…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.