An eighteen year-old high school senior on his first alligator hunt harvested the largest alligator ever certified in Texas. Braxton Bielski bagged the behemoth 800-pound, 14-foot, 3-inch gator during a recent drawn public hunt on the James E. Daughtrey Wildlife Management Area. The coveted permit provides the only opportunity to hunt and harvest an alligator on Choke Canyon Reservoir, situated within the Daughtrey WMA boundary. Read more of the story.

“He’s wanted to hunt alligators for years,” said his dad Troy Bielski, a Houston police officer who has applied annually to TPWD’s special drawing hunts for the chance to fulfill his son’s dream. He said TPWD staff provided a thorough orientation before their first-time ‘gator hunt experience.

If hunting 'gators is your thing, you can also enter to win the ultimate guided alligator hunt at the J.D. Murphree WMA through the Big Time Texas Hunts.

It could happen to you! Just ask the high school senior with the Texas record alligator! Now is the time to submit your entries. 

Each year, TPWD’s Public Hunt Drawing System provides special access to some of the state’s high-quality managed wildlife habitat. Over 5,000 hunters selected through random computer drawings are invited to wildlife management areas, state parks and leased private property for these supervised hunts for a variety of game, including: white-tailed deer, mule deer, pronghorn, javelina, alligator, exotics, feral hog and spring turkey. You can apply one time in each hunt category that interests you.

New opportunities this year include:

• A new night-time Alligator Management (ALM) Hunt will take place at Angelina Neches/Dam B WMA
• Government Canyon State Park will offer a feral hog hunt after a long absence from the program. 
• Bastrop State Park, new to the program, will offer a youth deer hunt for the first time.

The 2013-2014 Applications for Drawings on Public Hunting Lands describes these special opportunities by target species and location and includes complete rules and regulations. Read tips for the application process. Deadlines for entry vary by hunt, ranging from August 1 - October 10. There is a $3-$10 application fee per hunt.

Hunters are selected from 30 different hunt categories, including eight specifically for youth only, and choose a preferred hunt date and location from hunt areas stretching across the state. There’s even a provision for hunting buddies to apply as a group — in some cases up to four hunters can apply together on one application. 

Get ahead of the game. Use some summertime to earn your Hunter Education Certification. Here are your current options:

1. Online home study plus field day using a current Outdoor Annual to complete the Texas Regulations quiz. Then attend and pass a one-day field course. Learn more and find one-day field course opportunities near you.

2. Structured two-day course including structured instruction and field course. Sign up for a class in your area now.

Every hunter (including out-of-state) born on or after September 2, 1971, must successfully complete a hunter education course, purchase a “Hunter Education Deferral,” and/or be accompanied. Your certification is good for life and is honored by other states and provinces requiring hunter education. 

Hunting is safe and getting safer, thanks in part to this mandatory hunter education. Read this story summarizing the latest report from the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

TPWD is considering revising the hunter education program to make certification more convenient. If adopted, these changes would take effect in early September. After September 1, call 1-800-792-1112 or visit the hunter education page for details about changes to course options. 

P.S. - 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.

It’s not just about sharing a great outdoor experience. Watch “Passing Down the Hunting Legacy,” a video that explains the larger picture. Hunting license sales - the backbone of conservation efforts across all fifty states - have declined over the past decades, challenging conservation programs to protect wildlife and their habitat. Also lost are those lessons learned in the field that make clear the ties between clean, ample water, healthy lands and abundant wildlife.

Learn more about the Texas Youth Hunting Program. The future of hunting and wildlife in Texas is in the hands of our youth. 

In 1963, with the passage of House Bill 21, the state legislature merged the Texas Game and Fish Commission and State Parks Board to become the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, overseen by a three-member commission. This year we celebrate 50 years as an agency and look back on some of the landmark milestones including:

1969 – The TPW Commission approved the first-ever spring turkey hunting season for 1970.

1971 – Desert bighorn sheep restoration begins with the release of 20 sheep on the Black Gap Wildlife Management Area.

1996 – Texas Youth Hunting Program begins, providing hunting opportunities for young people while passing on the heritage of conservation ethics and hunter safety.

2008 – The Texas Game Warden Training Center moves to a new facility where $20 million in donations helps establish a nationally recognized conservation law enforcement training facility.

Celebrate with us -- Help keep Life Better Outside in Texas by promising to do one or more actions on our online pledge form, and as a thank you we'll send you a free copy of the Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine’s 50th Anniversary special issue and a free "Life's Better Outside" window sticker.

Thanks for supporting the great Texas outdoors.

Sharpen your aim. Time spent this summer improving your aim will pay off this fall in the field with a more enjoyable and safer experience for you and your hunting group. Sharpen your skills and help younger hunters you’re mentoring at some of the many Texas shooting range options.  Here are two resources to help you locate a range near you: National Shooting Sports Foundation's Shooting Range Finder and Texas State Rifle Association’s Range List.

You could get the ultimate chance to help reduce the feral hog population when you buy an entry for the Texas Wild Hog Adventure, a new feral hog weekend hunt option in this year’s Big Time Texas Hunts. Food, lodging, transportation to and from the stand, and quartering of the hogs are provided. Entries for this and all other Big Time Texas Hunts packages are just $9 each online or $10 by phone or at retailers where hunting licenses are sold.

P.S. - Remember feral hogs are a game species you can hunt all year with a current Texas hunting license.

One angler recently apprehended by game wardens violated the daily bag limit for white bass – by catching 21 fish too many. The guy blamed his dog.

Texas Game Wardens lay their lives on the line as they do their very serious work enforcing laws to protect citizens and wildlife, often lending a helping hand along the way and sometimes making us smile with their tales. Read more of their stories in this recent Game Warden Field Notes.

In case you have your eye on the calendar, here are some dates to remember:

• August 15 – Licenses go on sale, including the best deal, the Super Combo license.
• August 15 – The 2013-14 Outdoor Annual Hunting and Fishing Regulations will be available wherever hunting licenses are sold and online. Pick one up when you buy your license.
• September 1 – In just 65 days, dove season begins in the North and Central zones. Catch the forecast in the August 28 edition of Hunt Texas.