In This Issue:
This is, perhaps, the most special time of year when it comes to our way of life — living the American hunting heritage! As much as it is a time when we give THANKS for the bountiful harvest and spending quality time around dinner tables at family homesteads, it is also a time of year to give THANKS for the awesome privilege we as hunters share with each other in the great outdoors, especially in Texas. It is surely awe-inspiring when the fall colors arrive over clear Hill Country streams, vast West Texas vistas, spreading Panhandle plains and mesas, sprawling South Texas brush lands, salty coastal marshes, big East Texas Pineywoods, and the rolling North Texas Blackland/Cross Timbers.
Texas truly has it all, and we can certainly be THANKFUL that we are with our loved ones, living in the Lone Star State, especially this time of year.
THANKS to YOU for your achievements on behalf of safe, responsible hunting!
Peace and safe travels on your visits to spend valuable time with friends and family!
Steve Hall, HE Coordinator
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Texas Parks & Wildlife Department’s Hunter Education Staff and the Hixon Land & Cattle Ranch near Cotulla once again teamed up to host the best IHEA-USA Heritage (a.k.a. ‘Dream’) Hunt ever!
A BIG THANKS goes to the Hixon family, especially Timo Hixon, and ranch manager, Mike Hehman, for making the hunt such a huge success. Mike’s guides (Eddie, Blake, Landon, Hutch, and Game Warden, Ryan Johnson), cooks (Bubba and Andrew) and staff (Simoney, Veronica, Gabe) were gracious and made for a fantastic experience. The food was five-star for sure!
Rusty Weed, Videographer & Editor with Careco TV was on hand for his second Dream Hunt, filming for Wade Middleton’s Outdoor Shows and Focus Group’s web site.
Finally, what would a hunt be without industry sponsors including: Birchwood Casey, Browning, Buck Knives, Bushnell Optics, Cabela’s, Careco TV, Federal Premium, GrovTec, HIVIZ, Lansky, Otis, Wiley X and YETI.
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2016 Hunt Participants:
Student/Parents:
Anthony/Dennis Oro (MA)
William/Daniel Schulte (MO)
Trenton/Jill Halvorson (MN)
Instructors:
Scott Crossland (OH)
Somerset Jones (AK)
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TPWD & Texas Animal Health Commission, in partnership with Texas A&M Agrilife Extension, are providing free training to landowners, managers and others interested in collecting CWD tissues for testing under TAHC’s Certified CWD Postmortem Sample Collector program.
A classroom/hands-on training for CWD postmortem sample collection, certified individuals will then be able to collect samples necessary to meet CWD testing requirements for TAHC’s Herd Certification Program and for TPWD deer breeder facilities, deer breeder release sites, and other TPWD deer management permits including the Trap Transport and Transplant (TTT) or the Trap, Transport, and Process (TTP) permits. Certified collectors may also collect samples from hunter-harvested CWD susceptible species (white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, red deer, sika deer, and their hybrids) on their property and provide those samples to TPWD to help meet statewide CWD surveillance goals.
Pre-registration is required and space is limited to the first 50 participants.
Date: Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Time: 9 AM – 12 PM; *FREE* – No Cost
Location: Zapata County Community Center, 605 N US Hwy 83, Zapata, TX 78076; Lunch/snacks will be provided.
Please contact Zar Rodriguez at (956) 765-9820; Za***********@ag.edu to sign up for the training.
For general questions concerning the training, contact any of the following individuals:
Your participation in this program and sampling of susceptible species is essential to Texas achieving its CWD management strategies and surveillance goals. Thank you for your interest and participation!
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CLFT (Conservation Leaders for Tomorrow) will complete the 2015/2016 year hosting 14 workshops for 225 participants. In October, CLFT completed its 100th workshop at McGraw Foundation in Dunfee, Illinois, the primary sponsor and coordinator of the program, nationally. Thanks to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, CLFT continues to grow its presence in the Western US and offer University Students travel at no cost nationally. The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies plays a significant role in supporting CLFT Professional Workshops, signing agreements with 3 of the 4 regional associations, representing 25 states that cost share in the delivery of the program.
Along with training professionals from state fish and wildlife agencies and wildlife students from universities, Texas will host a new format for its own agency professionals, March 20-22, at Camp4All near Brenham in Burton. The program aims to deliver hunting, hunter education, and wildlife management/conservation topics to those employees who serve the hunting constituency, but who don’t necessarily have a background to support the knowledge and skills involved in that aspect of the agency.
PHOTO: Game Warden Albert Flores, CLFT Instructor, trains Texas university students alongside instructor Selma Glasscock, director at the Welder Wildlife Management Area near Sinton, where the annual CLFT workshop is held every January. Other Texas CLFT national instructors include Jim Cathey and Denise Harmel-Garza, Texas Hunter Education partners, Monica Bickerstaff, N TX Hunter Education Specialist and Steve Hall, Hunter Education Coordinator.
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If you can assist with upcoming hunts and are not already involved in the Texas Youth Hunting Program, you can still assist with DEER HUNTING 101, hunter education and live-fire activities, as long as you are a qualified hunter education instructor. If you are interested in the following hunts, please email Steve Hall and we’ll see about putting you to work. It will be a good time to escape the cities and spend time outdoors mentoring new hunters. Please JOIN US!
- Inks Lake State Park Dec. 7th – Physically Challenged/Mentor Hunt
- Inks Lake State Park Dec. 13th – Novice/Mentor Hunt & Deer Hunting 101
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International Hunter Education Association | NRA Programs & Services
NSSF Hunting & Ranges | Texas Hunter Education Instructor Association
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