Texas Hunting Leases

You gotta love technology.  I remember as a kid being the youngest and having to get up and change the channel by hand for my dad and brothers.  Being the human remote control on college football days was enough to give you finger cramps by dinner time.  Fast forward to today and you have the internet for watching the show of your choice without commercial interruption and the ability to playback, freeze and fast forward.  Recently, I had a chance to watch some of the online episodes of the Academy Outdoors Show on my laptop.  Academy is smart to put this content on their website for more than the obvious reasons of advertising their already popular brand.  The popularity of web-based video content has been growing tremendously.  One need not look further than YouTube as an example and Academy is ahead of the competition with this one.

The Academy Outdoors show is a first rate program hosted by BASS Fishing Circuit Pro, Chad Brauer, and features incredible photography and a variety of hunting and fishing programming.  The programs run commercial free online and last about twenty minutes each.  You can also see them regularly on the Outdoor Channel from your television.  From Spring Turkey hunting in Tennessee to catching trout and redfish in south Texas, the Academy Outdoors Show has something for everyone.  Go see for yourself!

Texas is blessed with an abundance of wildlife resources and a population of quality outdoors men and women who are worthy stewards of the lands.  Each year, many of our state’s hunters harvest game to nourish their families and willingly share the excess with others.

One excellent way to spread the wealth of the harvest is by donating your surplus fish and game to organizations that help the needy.  One of the oldest in the state is Hunters for the Hungry and their mission is “to provide a healthy source of protein to Texans who need assistance in obtaining well balanced, nutritious meals.”  Last year, Hunters for the Hungry reported a “banner year” by donating over 175,000 pounds of game to over 90 food assistance providers.  These donations went to single parents, elderly poor, the handicapped as well others who suffered temporary personal and financial setbacks. 

Another great organization founded by an association of hunters is Hunters’ Harvest.  Hunters’ Harvest is a group of people that utilize their skill, expertise and love of hunting and fishing to encourage hunters to donate fish and game to a network of ministries across the state.   Hunters’ Harvest sponsors events like ”Clean out your Freezer Day” with local businesses and hunting organizations in order to collect game for their work.

Hunters can help during hunting season by taking their legally harvested game and fish to participating meat processors and drop off centers listed on their respective websites.  You can also help with your donations by contacting them directly as well.

Hunting season begins in just a few months.  Please take time to visit the websites of these organizations and do two things.  First, make as generous of a monetary donation that you can afford towards their work.  Second, make note of the locations where you can drop off your excess game for the benefit of your neighbors who need it most.  It will do your heart and soul some good!

A recent survey by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on Fishing, Hunting & Wildlife-Associated Recreation reaffirms what we already know.  Outdoor recreation, namely hunting and fishing, is big business.  How big?  How about $64 Billion - if you include wildlife watching, you get that number to $120 Billon.  And the two do go hand in hand as many hunters support the observation of game through their management efforts as well as their license and tax dollars. 

The survey is conducted every five years and has some interesting facts to share.  The good news is that 38% of Americans over the age of 16 enjoy some recreational activity related to fish and wildlife.  That is over 87 million people.  The bad news is that the number of those who hunt is shrinking.  Between 1996 and 2006, there was a 10% drop in the number of hunters from 14 to 12.5 million.  The drop in big game hunters was only 2%, but the big hit came from the migratory bird hunters - down 22%!  Now part of the Duck hunter in me wants to blame it on the fact that most of my baby boomer friends say that they are too old and fat to enjoy putting out 1,000 goose rags or humping it through a marsh with a bag of dekes on their backs.  In reality, we all know it’s the decline in habitat and thus the decline of duck populations that have lead many to give up the sport.

Some other hunting related facts include the following:

• Big game, such as deer and elk, attracted 10.7 million hunters.
• Migratory birds attracted 2.3 million hunters.
• The average expenditure per hunter was $1,814.

I always find it amusing when “animal rights” groups call for the abolishment of hunting and fishing.  But all the discussion in the world won’t add habitat and resources.  And, that is about all these groups have to offer since most of their budgets go towards talk and no real action.  But I will leave this for another blog.