In the Spring Turkey Zone
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Get your ducks in a row for the spring turkey hunting season. Check the season forecast. Hunting looks promising thanks to a carryover of mature gobblers. Read more in this news release. |
Understand the prospects. Watch turkeys and hunters try to outwit each other in this video from the Texas Parks & Wildlife television show. Tune up your turkey caller. Can you talk a bird into your sights? Check out three techniques in this video demonstration of effective turkey calling. Take a "turkey hunting law" quiz. You have a turkey hunt planned for Saturday afternoon, but you haven’t had a chance to get a hunting license yet. So, on Saturday morning, you decide to buy your license online. Will you be able to hunt turkey legally later that day? Find the answer to this question and more in “Are You King of the Roost?” a quiz from Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine. Last, review county seasons and bag limits.
Lease Your Land for Public Hunting
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Offering public hunting on your land is a great way to achieve your management goals and to support the hunting heritage of Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife is looking to lease land for small game hunting, including opportunities for dove, quail, pheasant, waterfowl, squirrels and rabbits.
TPWD was recently awarded a grant for $813,068 to lease access from landowners willing to work with the state to provide public hunting and other recreational opportunities.
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The grant is funded through the USDA’s Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program, or VPA-HIP.
“This grant is fabulous news for hunters, anglers, paddlers, birders and others across Texas,” said Linda Campbell, TPWD Private Lands and Public Hunting Director. TPWD is interested in leasing land near population centers and along major travel corridors. Read more about short-term leasing for small game on the website and in this flyer. Interested in becoming a leasing partner? Contact Linda Campbell at Linda.Campbell@tpwd.state.tx.us or 512.389.4395 or Kelly Edmiston at Kelly.Edmiston@tpwd.state.tx.us or 512.389.4595.
Texas Youth Hunting Program Expands
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Want to introduce your kids to hunting, but feeling the need for support? The Texas Youth Hunting Program offers youth hunts that are safe, educational and very affordable. The program is expanding hunting opportunities. Visit their web site beginning in August to see the many opportunities being offered during the upcoming hunting season. |
Instructive introductory youth hunts are offered each season for deer, turkey, hogs, javelina, exotics, dove, small game, waterfowl, and other species. Mentors, lodging and meals are included.
Turkey and hog hunt applications are still being accepted for this spring. Sign up for all fall hunts when they are posted on the program website this summer.
Learn more about youth hunting opportunities through Texas Parks and Wildlife. Statewide youth hunt information for 2012-2013 will be posted about August 15 on these web pages.
New Hunters Alert: Take Hunter Ed Now
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If you are new to hunting and will be age 41 or younger this fall, you may need to take hunter education this summer. Every hunter (including out-of-state hunters) born on or after Sept. 2, 1971, must successfully complete a Hunter Education Training Course, or be accompanied while hunting. Minimum age of certification is 9 years of age. |
Hunter education instructors are always needed. Help share the hunting legacy of conservation and sportsmanship by becoming a hunter education instructor.
Find out more about joining the program.
Hunting Regulation Changes Proposed
Is Your Shotgun Clean All Year?
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Looking forward to your next hunting opportunity or trip to the firing range? Keeping your shotgun clean all year contributes to a successful field experience. Refresh your skills with these video tips, and invest in your next great field experience by taking good care of your firearms. |
Finding Public Hunting Access
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Public hunting access may be one of the best kept secrets of Texas hunting. Spring is a great time to learn more, so you can plan your days in the field for the new season. The Annual Public Hunting (APH) Permit ($48) provides nearly year-round hunting on almost one million acres of land. The APH permit (valid from September 1 through August 31 of the following year) allows an adult access to designated public hunting lands without having to pay daily permit fees and usually without having to be selected in a drawing. |
With the appropriate Texas hunting licenses and stamps, holders of an APH Permit may take children under age 17 hunting free of charge on these public hunting lands. Through the Public Hunt Drawing System, hunters may apply for a wide variety of supervised, drawn hunts including special drawings for both adults and youth hunters. In addition, TPWD offers special hunt package drawings for exotic wildlife and quality native animals on TPWD managed lands as well as on specially leased private properties. Learn more in this Q & A about Hunting & Wildlife. Then read up on Walk-in Hunts. Check out the maps of public hunting lands for 2011-2012. Updated maps and drawn hunt dates for September 1, 2012 through August 31, 2013 will be available in the summer.
This e-newsletter is made possible by the generous support of Toyota.
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