This weekend, more Texans will go deer hunting than at any other time except maybe for the two upcoming holiday breaks. The feeling a hunter gets when opening weekend rolls around is typically priceless, especially for a young person or someone new to hunting.

I had the chance to conduct shotgun activities at Leon McNeil's City Kids Adventures hunt near Mason in Oct. What a pleasure it was introducing young men and women to target (wing) shooting skills along with them getting the opportunity to hunt big game animals -- courtesy of generous landowners who host "Managed Land Deer" and hog hunts at their ranches.  It never gets old!  It is also in the spirit of what our new Texas R3 Strategic Plan is all about. It makes good business sense, too, when more Americans embrace conservation through the hunting, target shooting and outdoor heritage - part of our core values!

Happy, SAFE, LEGAL and ETHICAL Hunting this season!

Steve Hall, Hunter Education Coordinator

New HE Staff Member - Austin

Please welcome Kevin Vo, new Hunter Education Administrative Asst., who will be housed at Airport Commerce Park alongside Andrea Cleveland, Keith Powell, and Steve Hall.

Kevin is originally from Rockport but has been living and working in Austin for 14 years.  He says, "I enjoy being outdoors, from running to hiking the trails to swimming and fishing at the lake.  Besides being outdoors, my favorite activities, living in Austin, are eating, cooking and trying new foods."  Kevin should be at home trying new foods such as venison, wild hog meat, elk and other animals hunted by staff.  He plans to complete hunter education and help field staff on mentored hunts and at events such as the instructor conference. He is excited about helping instructors (YOU!) with your program needs, incentive awards, ORS troubleshooting and related matters!

R3 - Recruitment

Photo: Leonard, Jasmone and Suzonne Goudeau, Louisiana, took advantage of and became advocates for the Texas Youth Hunting Program. Each shot their first deer during the "Super Hunt" near Fredericksburg in 2009.  Young people like the Goudeaus play a critical role in recruiting others to enjoy the outdoors, secure natural food sources, and be part of conservation successes in America.

In October, the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies' Plenary Session featured a wealth of national speakers addressing the theme of "The Outdoors are Better Together!"

Led by Dr. Mamie Parker, PhD, Former Head of Fisheries, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the plenary session addressed research, attitudes, current demographics and future strategies to help fish and wildlife professionals, including hunter educators, find new ways to reach more diverse audiences with hunting and target shooting opportunities, despite the many complex issues and barriers. 

Dr. Parker has a way of connecting with the audience -- like no other. Her warm spirit, welcoming and inclusive nature and Louisiana childhood/sibling experiences -- combined with her gift for speaking, connecting the dots and describing her work experiences, primarily with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, enabled her to instantly motivate and charge the hundreds in the audience with communicating "our story" and navigating complex issues together.  She was followed by researcher, Mark Duda, Founder and Executive Director of Responsive Management, Elevated Wild's Wade Truong and Rachel Owen, Orvis Company CEO, Simon Perkins (virtually) and Xavier Duckett, founder of Humble Hustle Company, Inc, a local non-profit begun in 2015 bringing resources, exposure and equity to black youth in Roanoke, Virginia, the host city of the SEAFWA Conference.  The group of speakers addressed all facets of increasing diversity in hunting, target shooting and the outdoors -- a topic apropos to TPWD's R3 Strategic Plan and TPWD's Diversity & Inclusion efforts.

Photo: David Baxter, Houston, longtime HE Instructor & TYHP Huntmaster, shows a Cave Creek 'Superhunt' hunter how to skin and process her first white-tailed deer.

Shotgun (wing) shooting was a big hit at the recent City Kids Adventures hunt on private ranches in the Texas Hill Country in October.  Participants who took deer and hogs learned how to take care of the animals "from field to freezer" on their own and have to take the individual responsibility to handle chores, teamwork, lunches and everything involved in the hunt.  Between the morning and evening hunts, students participated in archery, shotgunning and other outdoor activities -- spawning even more interest in target shooting and other conservation opportunities. 

Of the 30+ kids had never shot a shotgun, but all of them busted at least one fast-moving clay birds. Looks like their hunting skills were handy when it came to hitting moving targets.

Leon's son, Lee Charles McNeil summarizes each hunt with an inspirational message for participants and partners -- spirituality, culturally, and in building overall character.

"🙏🏾Long term relationships are one of our guiding principles towards inspiring change. An interesting part about this type of inspiration roots itself in the mutualistic benefit that extends from all members of said relationship. Theoretically upon the long-term investment into the present and future success of a child, the progress of one becomes the progress of all. Moreover, when this progress is cemented within the outdoors and all that it entails, it can be shared with all and translated towards your goals, life, and responsibilities. This hunt with these life changing relationships marks 5 years of continued progress, strengthening our universal appreciation for inspiration. Skeet shooting, archery, basketball, corn hole, and last but certainly not least an amazing deer hunt demonstrate the annual progress towards our collective engine for change. Thank you to all who continue to make our hunting experience better every year. It takes a village…" Lee Charles McNeil 

Photo:  Steve Hall, Hunter Education Coordinator, presents Lee Charles McNeil a gift for serving as the keynote speaker at the last Texas Hunter Education Instructor's Conference alongside his dad, Leon McNeil, who started City Kids Adventures in San Antonio.

2019 W TX Instructor of the Year

Yancey Dempsey, Happy, recently accepted his award from Randy Spradlin, W TX Hunter Education Specialist on his tour to the Panhandle to deliver instructor courses, Hunting 101s and other workshops.  Among other accomplishments, Yancey has held down the fort for hunter education in the vast landscapes between Lubbock and Amarillo.  He has hosted numerous courses and Upland Game Hunting 101 workshops and hunts on private lands. Thanks, Yancey, for all you do in the best-named town in Texas!

Neasloney Wildlife Management Area (WMA) - 18 Years of Success!

Students from Schulenberg High School were all smiles!

"We had a great shooting sports event at the Neasloney on October 6th and 7th. We had 62 high school students the first day; 75 the second day. We had nine stations that included shotgun, archery, .22 pistol, hunter skills trail, air rifle, .22 rifle, and wildlife techniques. We received lots of praises and thanks from the participants. I overheard several kids talking about how they now wanted to get an archery or shooting sports program started at their school. I think we made a lasting impression with the youth in attendance. We also had some school administrators visit and were very pleased with the program. Thank you all for your participation! Everyone jumped in, setup their station, and ran it very professionally. It is awesome to work with such great people! I appreciate all the hard work it took to make the event a success!"

Trent Teinert - Natural Resources Specialist, Neasloney WMA Manager

Chaparral WMA - YSSE's Since 1995

Total of 33 Students from Cotulla High School participated in the Youth Shooting Sports Event (YSSE) in early October at the Chaparral WMA near Artesia Wells.  Events included trap, sporting clay, .22 small bore, large bore, black powder pistols & rifles, and handguns (large bore). Schools that joined Cotulla included La Pryor and Devine High Schools. David Synatzke, retired Area Manager, started the YSSE with Hunter Education Staff members, Terry Erwin, Charlie Wilson and Steve Hall back in the mid-1990s.  Area Chief (above) Jimmie Caughron, Ballinger, former West Texas Hunter Education Specialist, assisted Brock Minton, S TX Hunter Ed Specialist, with YSSEs.

East Texas Hunter Education Instructors Dick McCarver, Mt. Pleasant (L), and Jim Beach,  Brashear (orange vest), along with TPWD Game Wardens , certified 31 students in Northeast Texas. Thanks, too, to Shawn Roberts - National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) Regional Director, for assisting and sponsoring the annual course that included field skills and live-fire exercises.  Below, Game Warden, Jerry Ash, Jr., Mt. Pleasant, takes the class through field exercises, game laws and responsibility.  Thanks NWTF & Northeast TX Hunter Education Team!

JNC Archery, Amarillo, Hosted its 5th Annual Fall Family Night & Hunting Expo October 23.

Photo: TPWD Game Warden, Stewart Rogers, Dallam County, spends time educating youngsters at Operation Game Thief Trailer.

Jon Hairston, Amarillo, hunter education instructor and owner of JNC, hosts the annual event -- this one attracting over 200 participants. Some of the participants completed a hunter education course the following day as part of the Expo weekend. Olympic-style and 3-D archery, taxidermy demonstrations and "wildlife skins & skulls" also were available. Randy Spradlin, W TX Hunter Education Specialist, helped to coordinate the event which included Randall, Potter, Dallam, Hartley, Donley and Deaf Smith County Wardens.

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

TYHP Hunting Season 21-22

Currently, TYHP has already held 47 hunts and have another 107 on the books for the next two months! This is a call for anyone who wants to volunteer to email  Biana Nicklow, TYHP East Texas Field Operations Coordinator, at bnicklow@texas-wildlife.org for more information! Roles most often needing filled are guides and cooks. TYHP has a new "Volunteer Orientation" -- a small portion of the more extensive Huntmaster (Hunt Coordinator) training workshops. “Are you wondering what it takes to be a TYHP volunteer?" is essentially what is covered in the orientation.

Nicklow says, "Join us for a live Zoom session to learn more about TYHP and how you can help us teach children the importance of safe, legal and ethical hunting in Texas. In this 30-minute Zoom session you will learn about our mission, our TYHP guidelines and have the opportunity to ask questions. Seats are limited!” YOU can register here: https://forms.gle/GbTUMd98BL3CTD4E9