Hunter Education Works!!!

RESPONSIBLE BEHAVIORS

1. BE SAFE - Sporting Arms, Hunting and Outdoor Safety
2. BE LEGAL - Compliance to Hunting, Wildlife and Outdoor Regulations
3. TAKE A GOOD SHOT! - Proper Shot Placement, Distance Estimation, Vital Zone, Shot Angle, Sporting Arms and Ammo/Arrows/Broadhead Selection, PRACTICE, etc.
   
4. TAKE CARE OF GAME - Field Dressing, Transportation, Storage, No Waste, Enjoying Meals with Family and Friends, Donation Sources

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS

1. DO WHAT IS RIGHT - Taking Non-wounding Shots, Landowner/Other Hunters/Non-hunter Considerations, 'Unrwritten' Laws
   
2. OBSERVE FAIR CHASE - Respect for Game, Enjoying the Entire Experience, Sense of Challenge and Companionship
   
3. PRESENT A GOOD IMAGE - Leaving it Better Than You Found it (Photo: Waste from those who disrespect the resource and hunting's image), Visiting Public Areas; Engaging Others in a Respectful Way, Joining Conservation Efforts/Orgs.
4. TAKE GOOD PHOTOS - Social Media and Other Considerations, Respect for Game and Resources; Wildlife, Birds and Other Experiences

You get the idea and can ADD YOUR OWN EXAMPLES and considerations.

Steve Hall, Hunter Education Coordinator

Junior Munoz - Area Chief Instructor - Austwell, was recognized as the International Hunter Education Association (IHEA) - USA's "50 for 50" State Instructor of the Year at their recent conference in Idaho. One instructor in each state is recognized, and Junior will officially receive his award package in September from IHEA-USA.

Junior was extremely active in 2022 and 2023 certifying new instructors, most recently, USFWS employees at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, where Junior works.  He and fellow Area Chief, Ruben Rangel, Brownsville, have long been teaching and hunting partners and have held many student courses and outreach events in the Rio Grande Valley.  Munoz also traveled to at least five different cities conducting student courses for partners and ranges that asked him for help.  He conducts many youth and mentor hunts, Hunting 101s (e.g., Turkey Hunting 101, Trapping 101, etc.), and numerous outreach events, especially for veteran groups such as Serve Outdoors.  He and Rangel led the Instructor Meeting in the Valley this past year, and he assists S TX Hunter Education Specialist, Brock Minton, any time he is asked. CONGRATULATIONS Junior! Well-deserved!  Photo: Munoz receives a congratulatory knife from Hunter Education Coordinator, Steve Hall, at Munoz's place of work -- Aransas National Wildlife Refuge headquarters. The knife represents a state recognition, in preparation for the national award he will receive.

Irving Police Activities League - N TX

N TX Hunter Education Specialist, Monica Bickerstaff recently attended Grand Opening Ceremonies at the Irving Police Athletic League’s (PAL) new facility on N. O’Connor Rd, Irving. More than 200 attendees celebrated alongside the city’s mayor, PAL Board members, other dignitaries and PAL youth and their family members during the facility’s ribbon cutting ceremony. Renovations made to Irving’s old National Guard Armory have afforded PAL more space in which to conduct their popular physical activity programs. Irving PAL’s goal, as stated on their website, is: “…to help “at-risk” kids develop self-esteem, discipline, and mental courage through a structured program of physical activity and exposure to positive role models. Irving PAL is available to boys and girls, ages 8-18. Primary programs are boxing, fitness, wrestling, soccer, basketball (summer) and the “Urban Outdoors” program which includes archery, camping, fishing, hunting, kayaking, mountain biking and rock climbing.” Photo: Etched in curbing and sidewalks surrounding the new facility are the names of dedicated officers and coaches, including Bickerstaff’s, having positively impacting PAL youth through the years. Thank you, and congratulations PAL!

In partnership with Lake Whitney Army Corp of Engineers personnel and “Urban Outdoors” program coordinator Chelsey Jones, Irving Police Media Affairs Coordinator and North Texas Hunter Education Specialist, Monica Bickerstaff, delight in making mentored deer hunts possible for PAL youth earning the opportunity to participate in the hunts -- using crossbows.

DOVE HUNTING 101

On average, Texas accounts for 30% of the total mourning dove harvest and 87% of the total white-winged dove harvest in the United States each year. Mourning doves are the most popular and most numerous game bird in the US, with a range that extends throughout most of North America. Texas supports a large population of both resident and migratory mourning doves. Historically restricted to the lower Rio Grande Valley, white-winged doves have expanded across most of the state since the 1990s and continue to expand range-wide throughout much of the southwest US. Outside of the Rio Grande Valley, white-winged doves are strongly associated with urban habitat in Texas. Approximately 300,000 hunters take the field in Texas annually, resulting in a yearly economic impact of $316 million ($478 million when adjusted for inflation - Southwick and Allen 2007).

Final preparations are being made for the Friday, September 29 opener of the 2023 State Fair of Texas (SFOT)! Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) will join in the Fair’s opening weekend activities by setting up numerous Get Outside Texas Parks & Wildlife activities in Fair Park’s Poultry Barn. TPWD staff look to our dedicated volunteers to assist (Friday – Sunday, September 29 – October 1) with fun, hands-on activities like BB gun shooting, archery, fishing, camping skills and more. Volunteers are sought to sign up via TPWD VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES for scheduled shifts (9:30 am – 3 pm; 2:30 pm – 7:30 pm; 9:30 am – 7:30 pm) any or all three days of the event! Training will be provided onsite.  All volunteers will receive a T-shirt and parking and grounds pass for the day. A detailed Fairgrounds Map and printable Parking Passes will be emailed after you sign up for various shifts.

Admission passes will be provided by SFOT and available onsite at WILL-CALL.

Big Tex asked if you have any questions? "Contact my TPWD pardner, Monica Bickerstaff, N TX HE Specialist, at monica.bickerstaff@tpwd.texas.gov or call or text her at 469-601-8349."

Hope to see y’all at the Fair!

NEW INSTRUCTORS

Krista Liewald, Cypress, and Lynny Osenbaugh, Houston, completed their Hunter Education Instructor Course taught by Cheryl LeJune, Area Chief - Tomball. Both Krista and Lynny are active in the Becoming an Outdoors Woman Program and we are excited they are ready to give back even more to the community by becoming instructors. To become an instructor, be sure to go to TPWD's Hunter Education Website at Become an Instructor.

A BIG THANKS to fellow Game Warden Elizabeth Guevara for her assistance and to Area Chief Hunter Education Instructor, Jr. Munoz - Aransas NWR, for leading the course and helping with supplies/set-up. As always, your communication and flexibility with these events are greatly appreciated. Thanks to partners and staff at Powderhorn WMA. Dan (Walker), we appreciate your willingness to be involved with the educational programs, and for providing a clean, safe environment to host the field course. 

To our administrative staff from the Victoria LE office (Rachael Harryman & Sue Whitehead), thanks for keeping track of the course materials and supplies! This year we also partnered with the Texas Game Warden Association who provided breakfast and refreshments for the course. Finally, we would like to again thank Capt. Jake Huddleston with H2O Outfitters, for donating four dove hunts to students who drew the lucky tickets. - Jessica Pelzel, TPWD Game Warden 

Cynthia Guajardo-Echols

"Today…just so humbled and honored. Anyone who really knows me knows my heart and soul is in helping first responders who are struggling.  Struggling with things that humans should never have to see or endure. My heart and soul also lie with walking alongside officer’s families and departments who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. I am so fortunate that my bosses support me and allow me to do this as it is not one of my primary (or secondary) duties. Today in Austin I was awarded a Director’s Meritorious Service Award for my peer work and assisting Sgt. Chris Wilson’s family...

Dear Texas Target Range Owners and Managers,

We appreciate the fact that your target range business is helping people learn about firearms, become more proficient and comfortable with them, and to enjoy time at the range with family and friends.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) thanks you for your efforts and for continuing to build support and participation, while retaining high standards of safety and ethics.

Shared Goals for Shooting Sports Clearly, we share common goals. As defined in our Texas Strategic R3 plan, TPWD's goals are to:

• Increase access to safe places to target shoot in Texas, and
• Increase participation in shooting sports, including recreational shooting and archery. By operating your facility, you are part of the solution to goal #1, along with TPWD target range grants. And to help achieve goal #2, we are using recent grant funding to create a statewide marketing campaign focused on increasing participation in shooting sports.

How You Can Help Spread the Word

You can play an important part in generating awareness about these new resources. Simply print out the attached PDF file and post it at your range location(s) – or email it to your members or customers. You can also find a copy of this file to download at TPWD's Texas Shooting Sports Pages.Together we can build a community of sports shooters, both online and offline, who shoot more frequently and bring others along to enjoy the fun. Thank you in advance and if you have questions or suggestions, please email us at marketing@tpwd.texas.gov.

Steven Jung - Lucas

Grand Prairie Gun Club Instructor, Steve Jung passed away August 14th. He was part of the hunter education instructor team that held many courses at a Texas target range grant building and range located in North Texas. According to his obituary, Steve was "an avid history buff, Boy Scout leader, jokester, target shooter and shooting instructor, Steve enjoyed the simple things in life. His sense of adventure and love of nature took him on many trips to Philmont camping with the Boy Scouts and other camping trips with his family."  North Texas and the Club members surely will miss his passion and talents, as with the Texas Hunter Education Program, a program of which he was extremely fond.

Obituary Here

Rhonda Esakov - Georgetown

A national International Hunter Education Association (IHEA)-USA award-inning instructor, Rhonda Esakov, passed away August 19th.  Among her many accomplishments in hunter education, boy scout training and a host of other youth shooting sports endeavors, Rhonda was honored as the IHEA-USA and Federal Instructor of the Year in 2010 and accepted the award at the IHEA-USA conference held in Estes Park, Colorado. Rhonda also held the following  positions:

• Area Chief, Hunter Education at Texas Parks and Wildlife
• Boy Scouts of America Volunteer
• NRA Training Counselor, Range Safety Officer, Instructor of Rifle, Shotgun, Pistol, Home Firearm Safety, Muzzleloader
• Texas State Rifle Association Foundation Youth Shooting Sport Director

Memorial Service expected to be September 30 at Ramsey Funeral Home & Crematorium at 5600 Williams Dr. Georgetown. Be sure to search for her obituary in September.  She will be greatly missed in the Hunter Education Community!