Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program

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.

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Wildlife Restoration Program

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

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Wildlife Restoration Program

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.

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