AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is considering expanding white-tailed deer hunting into 14 counties across the western Panhandle, and creating additional deer hunting opportunities in East Texas. The recommendations are among a slate of proposed deer hunting regulation changes for 2016-17.
AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department reminds hunters that the use of permanent duck blinds on the Caddo Lake Wildlife Management Area is prohibited at the conclusion of this season, which ends Sunday, Jan. 31. No permanent duck blinds will be permitted on the area in the future.
CORPUS CHRISTI – The public will soon have a chance to ask the experts about the spiky, venomous fish invading Texas coastal waters.
AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission at its Thursday public hearing adopted a new interim rule governing Deer Management Permit (DMP) activities as part of the state’s response to the detection of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in captive deer populations.
AUSTIN – At Thursday’s Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting, the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies recognized Game Warden Matt Kiel as 2015 Texas Wildlife Officer of the Year for his work in the field. This marks the 46th consecutive year this award has been presented to a Texas Game Warden.
ATHENS–The Texas State-Fish Art Contest, headquartered at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center (TFFC), reminds Texas teachers and students that the deadline for entries in the 2016 State-Fish Art Contest is March 31, 2016.
SAN ANTONIO – Hunters can show their Texas pride by entering their big game harvest in this year’s Texas Big Game Awards program. The program is accepting entries now through March 1, 2016.
AUSTIN — Twenty chapters of the Texas Master Naturalist program are conducting training classes in the spring of 2016 for volunteers wanting to learn about natural resource and conservation management.
AUSTIN – Prospects are good for the upcoming mule deer hunting season, which gets under way Saturday, Nov. 21 in the Texas Panhandle and Nov. 27 in the Trans Pecos. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologists say above average habitat conditions have bolstered body weights and antler growth this year. Also, the state agency is asking hunters and landowners to submit harvested mule deer for sampling as part of enhanced, statewide monitoring efforts for Chronic Wasting Disease.
ATHENS—Brian Van Zee of Waco has been named fisheries biologist of the year by the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA).