It's halfway through the summer!  Hope you had  a memorable Independence Day celebration! 

Because of our liberties, freedoms and rights -- the moments we share with family and friends are especially symbolic of our WAY OF LIFE! Thank God our way of life includes the heritage of hunting, especially for us "commoners" who do not rule over or own the landscapes on which we traipse -- nor the wildlife. Necessary for survival during the founding of our country, hunting continues to sustain us by providing billions of pounds of nutritious, organic meats that would otherwise have to be commercially processed and delivered to the masses -- an impossible feat. Hunting also provides the benefits of conserving wild places & habitats, physical exercise & recreation, spirit & well-being, and spending quality time outdoors with family & friends - OUR PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS!

We are so very fortunate to live in the United States -- bestowed to freely participate in hunting, fishing and the outdoors!  THANKS to all those who protect and defend our rights as a free, representative republic and who pass on sound values and educate the public --YOU!

I say "Live on and prosper!"  Steve Hall, Hunter Education Coordinator

JOIN US FREE Instructor IN-SERVICE!

AUG.17th; 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.; East Montgomery County Improvement District Bldg. located at 21575 Hwy 59 North Room 102. (North feeder road - 1st. driveway on right after you pass Community Drive/99 toll Rd).  Entrance door is on the south side of the building. 

Area Chief, Duke Walton and TPWD Hunter Education staff have worked with the Ashby Foundation to educate (bow)hunters on reducing wounding loss by selecting and practicing with arrows and hunting points that work effectively to ensure a clean kill.  Robert Neilson, Cypress, Ed Ashby Bowhunting Foundation President, says, "The foundation has made its mission to assist bowhunters in using the right equipment. Participants include instructors and bowhunters wanting to improve recovery rates. It works!

Please sign up with Duke Walton @ dukewalton69@yahoo.com.  Bring a sack lunch & drink. Coffee & donuts provided. Explore arrow lethality, reduction of wounding and performance of arrow shafts combined with the proper points (weight). This workshop will cover why hunters don't get pass through on archery shots & how to improve your success rates. Bring your bow to try out this method after the lunch.  It also will be set up as a Bow Hunting 101 for credit.

Arlington Sportsman's Club (ASC) Hosting YHEC OCT 2019

The Texas Youth Hunter Education Challenge, for youth ages 9-18, is scheduled for Saturday, October 12th, at Arlington Sportsman's Club, 11500 CR 525, Mansfield, TX 76063, from 7 am to 7 pm. Cost is $35.00 (includes T-Shirt and  meal). Extra meals are $8.00 each -- to be noted on registration form.

To obtain registration forms, please contact:

Deborah Laughman, Texas State YHEC Treasurer; 6249 E. FM 916; Grandview, TX 76050; LDL3Laughman@gmail.com; 817-991-5525. Return completed forms to Deborah Laughman with check made payable to YHEC Outdoor Sports, the memo line should state “YHEC Registration.”

Deadline for registration is September 30, 2019.  (Note: There will be a $10 fee added for registrations received after 9/30/18.) This is both a spectator and participant event, so families and friends are invited. 

There are 6 scoring events: 22 cal. rim-fire rifle, muzzle-loading rifle, shotgun, archery, a combination wildlife identification/hunter skills trail, and a 'hunter responsibility' exam.  Olympic style medals will be awarded for first, second, third and fourth place in each event. You must provide your own equipment and ammunition, but there is some loaner equipment available, in case a participant lacks the necessary equipment. Teams that have been involved in the Challenge are certainly invited, once again, but, if you can put together a team between now and October, please consider it (especially Professional Educators and 4-H Clubs).

If you have questions or you want to VOLUNTEER for the event, please contact:

David Hammonds, Texas State YHEC Director; 153 Scott Lane; Weatherford, TX 76085; mrdavidhammonds@att.net; 817-915-4294  

Dennis Cunningham, Emory ( Certified 2007)

Why I became a Hunter Education Program VOLUNTEER - I became a Hunter Education Instructor because I saw the need for this in my County.

My most prized sporting arm - Browning Xbolt .270

My favorite hunt – Whitetail deer, elk run a close 2nd.

My tee-shirt would say - “WATCH THAT MUZZLE!”

Charles Marcus, Helotes (Certified 2011)

Why I became a VOLUNTEER - I was inspired by the great job that John Rodriguez, Area Chief (retired) had done in class motivating all the younger hunters including my two sons.  Not only do I enjoy teaching, but have become further motivated by being with other Instructors (e.g. James Kephart, Kirk McClelland) and learning how they do it.  It's turning off the cell phones and getting them to really listen and be motivated.  When they come up to you (even the old timers) and tell you they learned something –it makes teaching that more worth it.

My most prized sporting arm - Matthews Monster Compound Bow -  Being out there and knowing you have to be perfect for that clean, safe and ethical harvest makes you that much of a better hunter.  I also love my Weatherby .300 to take whitetail deer at 200 yards, but it’s not as up close and personal.  My family and I eat everything we harvest (My two sons also are bow hunters, but use rifles, too).  Inside I just have more confidence with the added challenge, and I have to practice even harder to be 100%.

My favorite hunt – White-tailed deer and hogs - So far I have only been lucky enough to hunt whitetails and hogs.  Hunting deer has been fun because I do have to be smarter and fight their instincts especially their sense of smell.  Hopefully someday I will get a chance for other species

If you could have a tee-shirt printed with any message, what would it say? “Hunting is a Precious Privilege! Don't Blow It!"

Ivan Benavides, Pasadena

(Certified 2000)

Why I became a VOLUNTEER - I was taking my student hunter education class back in 1999, when the instructor asked me about becoming an instructor because of my bilingual skills. (There were no Spanish-speaking instructors at that time.)  Three months later, I was certified as an Instructor, translated most of the material to Spanish and put together the first Spanish-speaking course in 2000 (See Photo - Ivan R) with the help of Heidi Rao (L) 

My most prized sporting arm – This is a hard one, but I will pick the over-under-shotgun for its versatility (although, there are some precision rifles like Ruger that I like, too.)

My favorite hunt – All hunts are great, each has its own special thrill, the waiting on a deer to pass or hear that turkey responding your call and coming closer -- great experiences!

My tee-shirt would say – “Drop you Phone, Pick the Outdoors”

In an effort to better communicate all the great things to do outside, NSSF operates www.StepOutside.org which is a network of 29,000 localized websites that allow folks to know what is going on in their town or city when it comes to outdoor activities such as camping, fishing, hunting, hiking, boating and target shooting.   We want to list as many such events as possible (not just hunting and target shooting related) so people will get outside more. I know your state agency and volunteers host a lot of events, so we invite you to list these events by clicking “Submit An Event” at StepOutside.org. If you’ve got a list of events that you need help submitting, just email the list to Ed Panian at epanian@AmericanTowns.com.  No costs or stipulations, we just want to get people outside. Feel free to pass this around to other divisions and call me with any questions.   Let’s get people outside

Jim Curcuruto Director, Research & Market Development, National Shooting Sports Foundation, 11 Mile Hill Rd Newtown, CT 06470 203-426-1320 ext. 234 Cell 203-610-9909

Click Here to Join NSSF and Support Your Industry.

Start making plans for the upcoming hunting season now by applying for Drawn Hunts! There are a wide variety of high-quality hunts across the state, including special drawings for both adult and youth hunters. The online system is now accepting applications, and the first hunt category deadline is one month away.

APPLY HERE!

First application deadline is August 1st! Application deadlines are on the 1st and 15th of each month, with the last deadlines in October. Drawings are usually held the following business day. E-Postcard Hunts and US Forest Service Antlerless Deer Permits require a 2019-20 Annual Public Hunting Permit to apply and will be available beginning August 15.

Highlights

• New Hunt Areas and Categories – New Muzzleloader and Upland Game hunts available at the Trinity River NWR
• Youth Only (age 8-16) hunt categories have no application or permit fees

How it Works

• Browse hunts by category or location.
• Use your Customer ID as your identifier.
• Apply for multiple areas in the same category.
• The application fee is $0, $3, $10, depending on the hunt.
• After you apply, you can check your drawing status at any time.
• If you are drawn for a hunt, an $80 or $130 permit fee is required for most hunts. Some hunts have no permit fees.

Questions? Contact us at hunt@tpwd.texas.gov

PHOTO (From L to R) - Heidi Rao (SE TX), Randy Spradlin (W TX), Morgan Harbison (C TX), Brock Minton (S TX), Steve Hall (TPWD HQ), Monica Bickerstaff (N TX)

N TX, Monica Bickerstaff, D/FW monica.bickerstaff@tpwd.texas.gov; 469-601-8349 w/c

S TX, Brock Minton, Corpus brock.minton@tpwd.texas.gov; 361-825-3249 w; 361-944-3617 c

SE TX, Heidi Rao, Houston heidi.rao@tpwd.texas.gov; 713-829-1377 c

W TX, Randy Spradlin, Abilene randy.spradlin@tpwd.texas.gov; 512-923-3509 w/c

C TX, Morgan Harbison, College Station, morgan.harbison@tpwd.texas.gov; OR, Steve Hall, Austin steve.hall@tpwd.texas.gov; 512-389-8140 w; 512-550-7330 c

Get Ready for VATAT in late July!

The Vocational Agriculture Science Teachers Association of Texas Annual Conference for Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources will be held July 28- August 2 in Corpus Christi, Texas at the Convention Center. As always, the Ag Clays training will be held on Sunday July 28th and Monday July 29th.  Please get with morgan.harbison@tpwd.texas.gov to reserve your spot. The Hunter & Boater Education Instructor Course will be held Monday, July 29th, beginning at 8am to around 11:30 a.m., then hunter education will finish up at Corpus Christi Pistol and Rifle Range beginning at around 1:00pm.  Please contact brock.minton@tpwd.texas.gov.  Additionally, a workshop entitled, "Teaching Ethics as Part of Hunter Education" will be offered in hopes to help teachers make "Honorable Hunters" out of their hunter education students.  Please contact steve.hall@tpwd.texas.gov for more information.  As in years past, also plan to pick up boxes of student manuals and Outdoor Annuals at VATAT!

National Shooting Sports Month^® is August! 

Last year’s celebration of National Shooting Sports Month^® was a big success. Hundreds of industry partners from manufacturers, retailers, ranges and outdoor media to about a dozen state wildlife agencies all supported this effort in a variety of ways. With your support we can make National Shooting Sports Month a resounding success, which will, in turn, support PR so you can keep doing the great things you are doing for hunters, conservation and wildlife populations.     If you’ve already got some shooting sports related events planned for this August, get on board today by adding them to the events calendar to receive a promotional package consisting of shirts, hats and promotional signage to help raise awareness around the month. Another option to introduce new people to target shooting is by hosting an NSSF^®- endorsed First Shots intro. experience.