Ahh --cooler weather!

October is my favorite month. The start of archery season, events such as fall Becoming an Outdoors-Woman workshops (see below) and hunter education courses in full swing -- all very good reasons to celebrate this autumn!

In September, I was able to join my brother, Tom, and son, Ryan, and his friends, on our annual elk bow hunt in the beautiful mountains and public lands of Colorado, my home state.  As usual, I hiked my rear off and created lasting memories. This year, my wife, Karen, and I were able to spend time with our first grand baby, Keelan John, Ryan and Kelsey's son -- who is ready to start another Hall generation on a truly American & family Hunting Heritage. Godspeed KJ!

Steve Hall, Hunter Education Coordinator

Keep Texas Wild!

The last weekend in September, we celebrated National Hunting and Fishing Day to honor YOU, hunters and anglers, for your help in conserving Texas's wildlife and wild places. You fund Texas's wildlife management programs through the purchase of hunting and fishing licenses and stamps, as well as through taxes paid on hunting and fishing equipment, firearms and ammunition. This generates millions of dollars for conservation programs that benefit both game and non-game species statewide. 

We at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department couldn't do our work to manage or conserve wildlife populations and habitats for present and future generations without your support. And today, we're rolling out a Texas plan for recruitment, retention and reactivation (R3) that aims to connect more people with the outdoors and each other through hunting, fishing, boating and shooting sports. 

We invite you to work alongside us in this effort. Bring someone new hunting and fishing with you. Show them how life's better outside. Harvesting fresh game or releasing a catch-of-a-lifetime is undoubtedly its own reward. But even richer are the memories made with family and friends while sharing time on the water, waiting in the silence of the deer stand for daylight to peak through, or gathered around a campfire at the end of a long day afield telling tall tales, and recounting the day’s events.

Sign up Today! CAHSS Newsletter. Keep up with national R3 News! In their most recent newsletter, the Council featured National Hunting & Fishing Day, Increased Hunting & Recreational Access on Federal Lands, Multi-state Conservation Grant approvals by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and  Recovering America's Wildlife Act.

Justin Koons - 2020 Professional Educator of the Year

Justin Koons, Providence Village, was honored recently with the 2020 Professional Educator of the Year Award. Frisco ISD's Liberty High School administrators and students were on hand as N TX Hunter Education Specialist, Monica Bickerstaff, presented the award. Koons teaches the Outdoor Tomorrow Foundation's Outdoor Adventures curriculum including hunter education to hundreds of students each year. Congratulations Justin! 

Above, Heidi Rao, BOW Coordinator, tells the women to "Say howdy!" at the start of the October BOW workshop beginning with orientation, topics and instructors, and the introduction of the Lakeview Methodist staff who take care of the women while they enjoy two full days of outdoor, hands-on activities to improve their outdoor knowledge and skills.

Claire Iseton, Houston (L), teaches birdwatching to a group on Saturday morning out looking for Northeast Texas avian species to add to their life lists and learn about bird behaviors, calls, identification, and best optics used to identify Texas animals, especially the birds.

Wild Game Processing

Randy Spradlin, W Texas Hunter Education Specialist, leads the bandwagon on processing wild game into yummy roasts, steaks, hamburger, and sausage.  A popular BOW offering, participants learn how to get their animals from "Field to Fork".  Here, Randy takes advantage of a freshly killed hog to teach BOW participants how to field dress and skin the tasty swine critters. Here, Marcia Kaiser, Ft. Worth, enjoyed learning how to make the proper cuts. "Oooh...cool!"

Shooting Sports - Popular at BOW

Larry Hysmith, Texas AgriLife 4-H Shooting Sports  & Natural Resource Leader, and longtime TPWD hunter education partner (nearly 30 years!) led the rifle and handgun basics hands-on activities at the October BOW workshop.  Larry covered nomenclature and fundamentals of shooting before allowing the women to shoot six different rifles on their way to understanding the basics.  "That was a 'blast'!" said Holly Simonette.

Game Wardens Teaching Hunter Education at Many Courses

Guadalupe County Warden, Emily Slubar, and Bastrop County Game Warden, Sonny Alaniz, assisted with an in-person FIELD course consisting of how to safely cross fences with a firearm, blood trail tracking of a downed animal, "Shoot! /Don’t Shoot!" hunting scenarios, .22 long rifle live-fire exercises and much more. There were 16 students, and all passed!

Deer Symposium Upcoming - Oct. 29th

Mark your calendars for a West Texas Deer Symposium to be held in Childress, Texas on Friday, October 29, 2021! Get your questions answered concerning deer movement, growth, genetics and what you can do to manage deer on your property! Featured speakers include biologists from TPWD, Arizona Game and Fish Department, Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.  The registration fee which includes a BBQ lunch catered by Top Notch BBQ is $15.00 per person.  Checks payable to Childress Chamber of Commerce, PO Box 35, Childress 79201.

Waterfowl Photography Workshop:

Richards Outdoor Photography, LLC is extremely excited to offer a rare opportunity for eight photographers to experience the legendary Hindes Ranch with Dave Richards and his sons, Joseph and James, November 18-20, 2021!  

When most people think of the Hindes Ranch, they think of big whitetails. Unknown to most, the Hindes Ranch supports a wide variety of waterfowl species that migrate each year through the Central Flyway. Miracle Lake provides a winter sanctuary for thousands of migrating Greater white-fronted (speckle-bellied) geese. In addition, it also provides prime habitat for migrating snow geese, Northern pintails, American widgeon, gadwall, Northern shoveler, green-winged teal, blue-winged teal, ring-necked ducks, redheads, canvasbacks, mottled ducks, and a multitude of shorebirds. 

Fee includes room, meals, non-alcoholic drinks, snacks, transportation on the ranch and expert instruction from Dave and Joseph Richards on how to successfully call and photograph waterfowl and more.

REGISTER at www.richardsoutdoorphotography.com

Wildlife Management 101 at Kerr WMA

John Kinsey, TPWD Wildlife Biologist, presented the latest information on Feral Hogs during the Wildlife Management 101 Workshop at Kerr WMA.  Hog eradication research has been very popular considering the damage they cause to landscapes on both public and private lands.  According to biologists, there are now reproducing populations in all Texas counties, the last being El Paso.

Dove Hunting 101 - Classroom

Junior Munoz, Area Chief Instructor, Austwell, is shown here giving the classroom portion of the Dove Hunting 101 workshop held on National Hunting & Fishing Day weekend at Resaca De La Palma State Park near Brownsville. The morning consists of learning about dove identification, biology, behaviors, hunting techniques and, of course, hunting safety & laws.

Dove Hunting 101 - Field & Live Fire Activities

After completing the classroom portion, Dove Hunting 101 participants get to practice their shotgunning and wing shooting skills during the field portion of the workshop, typically held in the early afternoon after lunch. Along with Junior were Area Chief, Ruben Rangel, Brownsville, and staff member, Brock Minton, S TX Hunter Education Specialist.

Anthony Cantu enjoyed his first hunt under the tutelage of mentor/guide, Shelby Bessette while at the Dove Hunting 101 at Resaca De La Palma (RDLP) State Park in late September. There were seven first time dove hunters present on the hunt.  A Special Thanks goes out to Kelly Malkowsky, RDLP State Park Superintendent, for partnering with Brock Minton, S Texas Hunter Education Specialist, to make this National Hunting & Fishing Day Hunting 101 and Mentor Hunt combination possible.

Rare Hunting Incident During Colorado Combined Muzzleloader and Bowhunting Season

A Houston man died in a September hunting incident when a PA muzzleloader misidentified the bow hunter, thinking he was an elk. The incident is currently being investigated since such negligence carries criminal as well as civil penalties in Colorado.  Colorado has averaged about one fatality per year for the last two decades -- a much better safety record since hunter education and hunter orange laws were instituted in 1970. READ MORE HERE!

Photo taken from Come to Life Colorado

Video-Conferences & Webinars

Join Texas Wildlife Association and their Conservation Legacy Program Staff for Live Animal Video Conferences and On-Demand Webinars a variety of topics about wildlife, water and natural resources conservation in Texas.

For example, their upcoming Live Animal Video-conferences include:

Colorado

Ryan and Steve Hall took a time out while on their Colorado elk hunt to honor Terry Erwin at the conjunction of a high mountain trail west of Alamosa, CO -- one they can revisit from time to time to relive wonderful memories of Terry and his passion for teaching hunting skills to others. They honored his guidance, friendship, and hard work on behalf of hunter education, Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Hall family.

Call of the Wapiti

One of the greatest pleasures in Terry's life was to go on Western Big Game hunts, including going to Colorado several times, successfully taking big bulls on each of two such adventures.  Once, he relived his excitement in seeing an elk wallow during one of his hunts. Terry now overlooks one of the Hall's favorite bow hunting wallows -- a place they often visit during their Colorado bow hunts.