"Whew!  My neck is beginning to swell!" --the adage most often heard from hunters when the weather turns cold.  As bucks continue to rut mid-state and in South Texas, we are in the proverbial heart of the hunting seasons in mid-December.

I hope you get to reward yourself with some hunts and fill your freezers full with low fat, protein-enriched venison, turkey, waterfowl, hog and other wild game meats.

As you think about giving this time of year, be sure to include a donated deer or other wild game to the needy through Hunters for the Hungry or a local food pantry.  Millions of pounds of wild game meat are donated each year by hunters, continuing to demonstrate why hunting can be a very giving action as well as a sound conservation practice.  CONGRATS to all those who give back.  Along with teaching hunter education, the GIVE BACK phase can be a truly rewarding way to feel good about ourselves as hunters.

Steve Hall, HE Coordinator

PHOTO:  Landowner Steven Mohr, Stonewall, shown here with his daughter, hosts youth hunters at their place each year during the Cave Creek Wildlife Management COOP "Super Hunt" as part of the successful TYHP program. 

Kasey Mock with Fever Pursuit recently sent an email with an article entitled How to Manage Hunters and Guests on Your Land written by Attorney Judon Fambrough, Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University.  I remember using excerpts from the publication entitled “The Texas Deer Lease” (Technical Report 570) available at no cost from the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University.  It can serve as a valuable tool in addressing questions from students regarding leases, liabilities, waivers, contracts and other considerations when it comes to hunting and other nature-based activities on private lands.  Click on the link above and view your free copy today!

October 20, Tarrant County Game Wardens Clint Borchardt and Travis Porter wrapped up a one year investigation into illegal hunting on Tarrant Regional Water District property next to Eagle Mountain Lake and Azle High School.  Over the past year the wardens had located numerous stands, feeders, a compound bow and even a rifle stashed in the woods.  While in the area one evening, wardens noticed a person with a light walking through the woods.  When the wardens made contact and identified themselves, the subject turned and pointed his rifle at the wardens and then threw it on the ground.  The subject was quickly detained and the subject stated that he was hunting ring-tailed cats.  Warden Porter transported the subject to jail where he was booked in on Hunting without Landowner Consent and Aggravated Assault with a deadly weapon on a Peace Officer.  Wise County Game Warden Chris Dowdy and Officer Odom with the Tarrant Regional Water District responded to the scene to help look for further evidence.  A blood trail was found with the subjects shoe prints following behind the blood trail.  No game was located, but DNA evidence was recovered.  The following day, officers with TRWD located the subject's bicycle that he admitted to using to get to the property.  A search of that area also uncovered a loaded sawed-off 20 gauge shotgun stashed in the woods near the bicycle.  Further search of the property revealed five more stands and two more feeders.  (Cases pending)