Since 1981, Operation Game Thief has been protecting Texas’ natural resources with the help of a nature-loving public that calls in with tips about law-breakers.

When our game wardens respond, and they can catch the individual, and make the arrest by citation—or physically take them to jail—upon their conviction, that individual can be eligible for a reward payment of us to one thousand dollars.

Eric Howard, Operation Game Thief program administrator, says most people who call the Crime Stoppers-like hotline aren’t interested in a reward.

It’s more just pride—love of Texas’ natural resources. When a person calls in, they’re asked, do they want a reward. About 60-65% will say no, they’re just calling in because they see something that they know isn’t right and they just want it stopped.

Game Warden Howard tells us about an incident this fall in which a man captured two hawks in Laredo and transported them to North Carolina. The case was still unfolding at the time of our interview.

Someone contacted the Operation Game Thief hotline number, and a Game Warden responded through a very lengthy investigation—not only through Texas Parks and Wildlife—but the USFWS, and NC Fish and game Service. It was determined that the person did not have a license, was not permitted to have the hawks and was not any kind of falconer.

And that made the trapping and transport illegal. Learn more about Operation Game Thief, and find the hotline number on the Texas parks and Wildlife website.

That’s our show… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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From the Operation Game Thief Website:

Poachers are stealing from you! Help stop to illegal hunting and fishing in Texas. If you have information which will assist game wardens in apprehending persons who are violating the hunting and fishing regulations of this state, Operation Game Thief needs your help!

Call immediately! Dial toll-free, 1-800-792-GAME (4263), any time, day or night and provide the following information to the Texas Parks and Wildlife police communications officer:

• the nature of the violation
• the location of the violation
• the name and/or description of the violator
• a description of any vehicle or boat involved in the violation
• any other important information which will assist in apprehending the violator

If you wish to remain anonymous, a code number will be assigned to you. You do not have to give your name if you do not want to. The more information you can provide at the earliest opportunity will increase the probability of and arrest and conviction.

Report illegal hunting and fishing – call 1-800-792-GAME (4263).
“This information will not be used for any purpose other than to attempt to apprehend the offender being reported.”

“If this violation is currently in progress,
please call 800 792-4263 (GAME) immediately.”

If you plan on hunting migratory game birds in Texas this fall, you need to be HIP – HIP certified, that is. HIP stands for Harvest Information Program.

Its purpose is to gain information on waterfowl and migratory bird hunters nationwide. Basically a name and address and a little bit about their previous year’s hunting activity—as well as what they plan on hunting what they plan on hunting in the upcoming year.

Kevin Kraai is Assistant Waterfowl Program Leader. He says the HIP program helps wildlife professionals improve resource management practices as well as track various waterfowl populations throughout the country.

It’s a very useful tool in setting the future year hunting regulations and management decisions.

Being a HIP certified waterfowl hunter isn’t just a good idea—it’s the law.

Officially, it is a requirement by law that every individual that plans on hunting migratory birds in the state of Texas us HIP certified. If you are not HIP certified and you are hunting migratory game birds, you are subject to game violations.

We have a link to information about becoming HIP certified at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show for today…made possible by a grant from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program…funded by your purchase of fishing and hunting equipment and motorboat fuel

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

How far would you travel to ensure the future of your favorite exotic aquarium fish?

We had some folks telling us that they would go as far as 50 miles to find an appropriate body of water.

You may think releasing your pet fish into Texas waters, when you can no longer care for it, is humane. Yet these exotic aquarium species disrupt natural ecosystems and out-compete native fish for resources.

Priscilla Weeks is a senior research scientist at the Houston Advanced Research Center, http://www.harc.edu/. Her team is using a Texas Parks and Wildlife grant to research why people release their fish into Texas waters.

I think there might be a stereotype where folks think that it is easy, emotionally, just to release a fish. But actually what we’re finding is folks are very attached to their pets.

Weeks says research shows whether a person gets rid of their fish depends on personal preference.

What we’re finding so far, but this is very preliminary, is that different individuals prefer different attributes of a fish. So it’s not necessarily that it grows too big in my tank because I may like a big fish.

…but if you don’t like big fish, you could have a problem. So what do you do?

Weeks says some people think releasing a fish is the only option, but, among the alternatives are euthanizing and the less drastic—taking it back to the pet store.

That’s our show…with research and writing help from Gretchen Mahan. For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Fires can be very healthy for habitats

If you’re just getting started in prescribed burning, it’s a very valuable tool. It’s something that was one a way of maintaining the environments that we had.

David Synatzske is the manager of the Chaparral Wildlife Management Area. He says there are two main types of burns.

Basically, there are restoration fires where you are trying to restore habitats; where you’re trying to get back to what habitats were at one time. Then you have maintenance fires, fires that maintain the existing habitat.

Those fires are used to accomplished different goals.

People burn for different reasons. Some people burn to open country up, to control brush encroachment. Other goals might be to simply create a change in under story, to create more grass or to create more forbs.

There are different ways of conducting burns.

If you have a fairly open type of habitat and you only want to control the undergrowth, you may burn it with a backfire as opposed to a head fire.

The season the burn is conducted also has a dramatic impact on the results. More on that, tomorrow.

That’s our show…we had research and writing help from Kate Lipinski… providing funding for the operations and management of the Chaparral WMA.

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

Some hunters are required to take a hunter education course before heading into the field.

That’s if they’re born on or after September two, nineteen seventy one.

Terry Erwin, hunter education coordinator for Texas Parks and Wildlife, says there’s an easy way to find out if you’re required to take it.

If they’ll just take a quick look at their license, right under their city where they have HIP [harvest information program] certification, it should say HE [hunter education] required, or Hunter Ed required. If it’s on there, then that means they need to take the course. And we have plenty of courses scheduled throughout the state, especially right coming up before Thanksgiving, and again right before the Christmas holidays.

Those taking the course learn more than just how to aim and fire.

Oh, they learn firearm safety, they learn wildlife management, recreation safety, they learn about conservation, they learn about ethics, responsibility and game laws. All those things they need to be a safe, responsible hunter out in the field.

Find a link to Hunter Education classes at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…made possible in part by the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program…working to increase hunting, fishing, shooting and boating opportunities in Texas.

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

Duck hunters are bracing for what could be one of the best waterfowl hunting seasons in many years thanks to ideal habitat conditions brought on by our rainy spring and summer. High Plains Mallard Management Unit season opened October 20… the north and south zones followed suit November 3 – all zones have split seasons.

Splits in seasons are a management tool, if you will. It provides an opportunity to let the birds rest. Because, if you give them an opportunity to rest, you get more birds coming in; it’s kind of like you get two opening days.

Dave Morrison is waterfowl program leader for Texas Parks and Wildlife. The north and south zones close Nov. 25, resume December 8, and all three zones end their seasons January 27. The 2007-2008 waterfowl season will also see the second year of the Hunter’s Choice program.

A lot of people like it, some of them don’t like it. Because when you went to Hunter’s Choice, you went from six total birds per day down to five. BUT, what it did, it did away with season within a season.

We have details on Hunter’s Choice tomorrow. Find all hunting regulations and seasons in the 2007-2008 Outdoor Annual.

That’s our show for today…our series receives support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration program… working to increase fishing, hunting, shooting and boating opportunities in Texas…

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

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.
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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

Turkey hunters look forward to spring.

Any time that I can be out in the spring where it’s starting to get warm and the flowers are starting to bloom, and the spring smells are out in the air, it’s a good time to be out in the woods.

Steve DeMaso is Upland Game Bird Manager.

There have been times where I’ve called birds up and not even thought about shooting them, just call them in and watch them strut and relax and enjoy the scenery.

For those who do wish to harvest a bird, DeMaso says the season – which varies around the state — looks promising.

Throughout the state we’re expecting this spring to be a pretty good turkey season, if we get good hunting conditions. And by good conditions I mean it’s not abnormally hot, dry, or we don’t get a month of thunderstorms. But if we can get some nice spring days, I think we ought to have a pretty good season this year.

And where will hunters find these big birds?

The Edward’s plateau, the cross timbers, the rolling plains and south Texas would be the primary area for the Rio Grande. And then the Pineywoods, over in northeast Texas would be the primary area for the Eastern birds.

Remember to always consult your Outdoor Annual for hunting regulations

That’s our show… made possible by the Wildlife Restoration Program… helping to fund the operations and management of more than 50 wildlife management areas.

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