Texas Hunting Leases

AUSTIN — Instead of sacking up sweets this Halloween, many young Texans will be bagging wild game during the special youth-only hunting weekend, Oct. 30-31. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department established youth-only seasons to pass the hunting heritage on to the next generation of hunters, make lasting memories and to give kids the first shots.

Wildlife are flourishing thanks to excellent habitat conditions throughout the state this year, setting the stage for what could be a season to remember for many young hunters and TPWD is urging sportsmen to take a kid outdoors.

“The youth-only weekend offers a chance to mentor young hunters and can be a valuable management tool on ranches needing to reduce antlerless deer numbers,” said Clayton Wolf, TPWD’s Wildlife Division director.

TPWD has set aside Oct. 30-31 as special youth-only seasons for white-tailed deer and Rio Grande turkey. A youth-only late season is also available Jan. 3-16, 2011. During the statewide special youth-only hunting weekend, licensed youth 16 years of age or younger will be allowed to harvest white-tailed deer and Rio Grande turkey.

The department has coordinated with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to offer a youth-only waterfowl season in the North and South Duck Zones on Oct. 23-24 for licensed youth 15 years of age or younger.

A Special Youth Hunting License ($7) is required and may be purchased wherever hunting licenses are sold, as well as online and by phone at 1-800-TX-LIC-4U for an additional convenience fee. This year, more than 139,000 special youth hunting licenses have been sold, evidence that hunting continues to be an important pursuit among young Texans.

To make room for the new generation of Texas hunters, TPWD has made an extra effort to open as much public hunting land as possible to youth hunting on department-managed lands. Youth who are hunting on TPWD lands must be accompanied by a supervising adult 18 years of age or older who possesses the required Annual Public Hunting permit, a valid hunting license and any required stamps and permits.

Youth hunts for either sex white-tailed deer are scheduled during the special weekend season on public hunting units, mostly in East Texas. Youth waterfowl hunts are available on many public hunting units.

The Annual Public Hunting (APH) Permit is a $48 permit, valid from Sept. 1 through Aug. 31 of the following year. The APH permit allows an adult access to designated public hunting lands in the TPWD public hunting lands program. With the APH permit, hunting is allowed for small game, turkey, white-tailed deer, exotics, predators, furbearers, and fishing without having to pay daily permit fees and in most instances, without having to be selected in a drawing.

General season bag limits for the county hunted apply during the youth-only weekend, but some additional restrictions may apply in certain areas so be sure to check the 2010-11 Outdoor Annual of hunting and fishing regulations before heading afield.

(NEW BRAUNFELS, TEXAS – May 5, 2010)  The Texas Safari Camps have announced the 2010 Summer Camp dates that will take place in the Texas hill country.  The Hunting and Fishing Adventure camp is all set for its 9th year and will host five camps in 2010 with the possibility of adding camps.  “As of right now are camps are just about full, we are looking at adding a camp or two as we continue to get phone calls,” said Michael Marbach, Executive Director of the Christian Outdoor Alliance. 

The camp is designed for kids ages 10-16 to come out and enjoy God’s great outdoors.  The children have the opportunity to harvest a big game animal, gain their hunter education certificate, angler education certificate, learn about archery, rifles, shotguns, wildlife management, land management, fellowship with other young outdoorsman and have fun on a ranch for a week. 

“This will be an experience that the kids will not soon forget,” said Austin Brashier, the Camp Director.  “To spend a week in the outdoors hunting, fishing, swimming and fellowshipping with other young people will be the ultimate outdoor adventure.”  

 The campers are given the opportunity to raise their own money to pay for camp.  Each year the Adventure Camp offers a raffle that includes hunts, fishing trips and summer camp spots.  The tickets cost is $10 each and 100% of the proceeds go directly toward the camper’s tuition.  

 The camps will take place the months of June, July and August.  The ranches that host the camps are Kent Creek Ranch,  and the 700 Springs Ranch.   This year the girls camp will take place at,  Rhino Outdoors.   

 The daily activities include hunting in the morning followed up by brunch and morning activities. During the afternoon hours the kids spend time swimming and fishing on the different rivers and creeks on the ranches.  During the mid afternoon hours the kids enjoy a quiet fellowship time, hunting videos or sports related activities.  In the evening the campers gear up hunting and playing on the ranch.  After we return from the evening hunt we share stories from the hunt and head to the fire ring for our fireside devotional time.

For more information you can go to the website at www.coacamps.org.  Or you can give us a call at 830-708-1198.

Chances are, if you are a hunter in Texas, you also own a rod and reel. According to statistics compiled by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, there are nearly one million hunters in Texas and just over two million anglers – half of which fish saltwater. And, because you can fish virtually year round, many hunters fill in the gaps between hunting seasons with a wet line, especially outdoorsmen in the coastal United States. The outdoorsmen who share this dual love affair have a strong grass-roots organization to back their interests known as the Coastal Conservation Association or CCA. And, some of their strongest supporters and chapters are hours away from salt water.

CCA began in 1977 with a small group of fourteen concerned recreational saltwater anglers. This group created the Gulf Coast Conservation Association to combat commercial fishing excesses and conserve the resource. Today, it spans 17 states along all three coasts of the United States. In Texas, there are over fifty chapters ranging from Midland/Odessa to Tyler/Longview and all points south. So, what does a marine resources organization have to do with hunting the Llano Estacado or the Piney Woods? Plenty! For one, the health of our coastal bays relies heavily on the freshwater inflows from the state’s rivers and streams whose beginnings stretch deep into the heart of the state. CCA has been on the forefront of legislative activity that will help ensure free flowing fresh water for wildlife to enjoy from top to bottom. Second, the Texas coast is home to many wintering waterfowl species whose migration south provides hunting opportunities state-wide. The key driver for this migration is the health of our bays and coastal marshes which provide invaluable winter food sources for these birds. Finally, because of the reciprocity of hunting and fishing among outdoorsmen, CCA’s strong relationship with organizations such as Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Texas State Legislature is a powerful force in shaping public policy that affects all sportsmen.

As a grass-roots organization, CCA relies on the financial resources and volunteerism of its 50,000 plus members across the state. In many local communities, CCA garners support from their popular fund raising banquets and events that offer local sportsmen an evening of food, fun and friendship. In fact, the San Antonio chapter banquet is the organizations single largest annual fundraiser and the city is hours away from the coast. Also popular is the State of Texas Angler’s Rodeo or STAR Tournament that gives away over $1,000,000 in prizes and scholarships each year. Especially focused on children, CCA and STAR have awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships to kids all along the Texas coast.

There are very few conservation organizations that can boast as strong a record of success as CCA – especially in the relatively short term of its existence. So, if you are looking for an evening of fun for you and your hunting lease buddies before hunting season, look into a CCA event near you.  You are sure to have a good time!