AUSTIN – For generations, Texas sportsmen and women have understood that fish and wildlife populations and habitats must be managed for present and future generations to appreciate and enjoy. As they take to the hunting field or cast their line into a lake or the Gulf of Mexico, they know they are not only enjoying the state’s bounty but are helping to conserve it.
AUSTIN – Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) biologists say that 2021-22 is expected to be a white-tailed deer season for the books. Last year, the overall white-tailed deer population was estimated to be 5.4 million deer. While that estimate is down from the previous two years, TPWD biologists say that if fawn recruitment predictions hold true this season, coupled with good carryover of deer from last hunting season, hunters and landowners can expect to see an increase in the overall statewide white-tailed deer population.
FORT WORTH — Once common, the Texas horned lizard is now one of more than 1,300 species of concern across the state. But there is good news for the little “horned toad.” Today, a coalition of zoos and wildlife scientists released 204 captive-raised hatchlings into the wild (100 of them hatched at the Fort Worth Zoo), and this follows new evidence this year that previously released lizards are now reproducing. Meanwhile, a landmark bipartisan proposal now moving through Congress, the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, would bring the resources needed to save this species and hundreds like it.
ATHENS – The Texas Freshwaters Fisheries Center (TFFC) will be the site of “The Sunfish Showdown” tournament slated for September 25. The event, held in conjunction with National Hunting and Fishing Day, will run from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and provide fun for the whole family.
AUSTIN— Texas Game Wardens patrolled more than 2,500 hours throughout the busy Labor Day holiday ensuring boaters and anglers enjoyed a relaxing wrap up to their summer.
AUSTIN — The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is currently accepting applications for their 65th Texas Game Warden Cadet class.
AUSTIN – The 2021 early teal hunting season arrives this Saturday (Sept. 11) and Texas hunters can once again expect a good season. Habitat conditions across much of the state are in outstanding shape which is a great sign going into the season.
AUSTIN— With Labor Day weekend approaching, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is reminding everyone to be safe this holiday by following basic boating and water safety precautions. In 2020, Texans took advantage of the outdoors and hit the waters in droves, driving recreational boating accidents to a 30 year high. Outreach efforts by Texas Game Wardens and community partners have resulted in a 24 percent decrease in boating related accidents but numbers remain higher than pre-pandemic levels.
AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) has designated Lake Worth in Tarrant County on the Trinity River basin as “infested” with invasive zebra mussels. Infested status signifies that there is an established, reproducing population of zebra mussels in the lake. The designation is a result of recent sampling efforts.