A Place to Hunt - Texas Parks and Wildlife [Official] Video Lecture | Hunter Education: Becoming an Expert Hunter - Hobbies

ARIEL HAINES IS PRETTY MUCH
LIKE ANY OTHER
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT.
BUT IN ONE RESPECT,
ARIEL IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT
FROM OTHER KIDS HER AGE.
Ariel, right above your head!
[shots] Got him.
Alright!
ARIEL LIKES TO HUNT.
WHILE OTHER KIDS HER AGE
ARE BUSY SHOPPING AT THE MALL
OR WATCHING TV,
ARIEL IS ENJOYING THE
OPENING OF DOVE SEASON
ALONG SIDE HER FATHER.
[shots]
Too low...
got him!
Dove hunting is better than
deer hunting
because we go deer hunting
in November and stuff
and I can't say anything,
just have to be real quiet.
But in dove hunting we can
talk and eat and everything.
It's cool.
We're gonna move on
out there
because these guys are
starting to show up.
WHAT'S NOT COOL IS THE
DIFFICULTY MANY FOLKS FACE
IN LOCATING
AFFORDABLE HUNTING LAND.
SINCE MOST OF THE LAND IN
TEXAS IS PRIVATELY OWNED,
MANY SPORTSMEN FACE
A COMMON DILEMMA,
FINDING A PLACE TO HUNT.
[music]
[loading gun]
GEORGE AND ARIEL HAINES HAVE
BEEN HUNTING TOGETHER
SINCE SHE WAS JUST
12 YEARS OLD.
I like spending time with
my dad, he's cool...
...most of the time.
Actually now you're starting
to shoot a little bit,
and you're starting to handle
that gun just right now
and you're getting
on 'em.
We spend a lot of good quality
time together
and with dove hunting
you can talk,
you can walk around,
you can share the time and
the event just openly together
so it's really, really great.
It's been great, man.
It couldn't get any better,
I don't believe.
GEORGE AND ARIEL, ALONG
WITH A GROUP OF FRIENDS,
HAVE TRAVELED 200 MILES WEST
FROM THEIR HOME IN HOUSTON
TO GUADALUPE COUNTY.
HERE, THE DOVE ARE PLENTIFUL
AND THE PRICE IS RIGHT.
[gun shots]
Good shot, Ariel. Oh,
I thought you hit him.
[more shots]
I can't believe it!
Oh man!
He's gonna pop up
over there.
I think they hit him over there.
THIS 123 ACRE PATCH
OF SUNFLOWERS
IS IDEAL DOVE HABITAT.
IT'S ALSO PRIVATE LAND.
BUT THANKS TO
TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE
AND COOPERATING LANDOWNERS,
THE PROPERTY IS PART OF
MORE THAN 40,000 ACRES
OF PRIVATELY OWNED LAND
LEASED BY THE DEPARTMENT FOR
DOVE HUNTING BY THE PUBLIC.
IT'S PART OF THE PUBLIC
HUNTING LANDS PROGRAM.
It is a program where we've
gone out and leased
lands directly from landowners
and then we turn around and
allow the public to access
those lands through the annual
public hunting permit.
[gun shot]
THE PERMIT ALLOWS
HUNTERS ACCESS
TO OVER ONE MILLION
ACRES OF LAND,
AND NOT JUST FOR HUNTING DOVE.
DEER, TURKEY, QUAIL, FERAL HOG,
SQUIRREL AND WATERFOWL HUNTING
ARE ALL AVAILABLE.
THE DOVE LEASE PORTION OF
THE PROGRAM STARTED IN 1994
WITH 10 LEASES ALONG
INTERSTATES 35 AND 37.
TODAY, IT'S EXPANDED TO
OVER 100 LEASES
ALL ACROSS THE STATE.
KURT AND JULIA WACKERHAGEN
OWN 400 ACRES OF FARMLAND
THEY AFFECTIONATELY CALL
"POVERTY HILL."
WHEN THEY MOVED HERE IN 1941,
THE FARM INCLUDED
ALMOST 5000 ACRES
AND OVER 700 HEAD OF CATTLE.
TODAY, POVERTY HILL'S 400 ACRES
HOLD ABOUT 100 COWS.
I used to farm cotton and milo
and corn and everything,
maybe 3- or 4000 acres of that
and I always kept clean fields,
no Johnson grass,
no sunflowers or nothing.
Now I got sunflowers.
[laughs]
I'm doing pretty good.
THE WACKERHAGENS
LEASE ALL 400 ACRES
TO PARKS AND WILDLIFE FOR THE
PUBLIC DOVE HUNTING PROGRAM.
IT WASN'T SO MUCH THE MONEY
THAT INTERESTED THEM,
AS IT WAS THE CHANCE TO HELP.
I used to do a lot of hunting
myself and everything,
and it's just a program that I
think is well worth it
for the people that don't have
the opportunity
to hunt anywhere.
[truck drives by]
HUNTERS ARE ASKED TO FOLLOW
A FEW GENERAL RULES
WHEN USING LANDS LEASED
FOR PUBLIC HUNTING.
THE RULES ARE
POSTED AT EACH SITE
AND ARE DESIGNED TO
INSURE RESPECT
FOR THE LAND AND
THE LANDOWNERS.
Yeah, if you see any more
out here, just pick them up.
Landowner gives you the
privilege to come out and hunt
and taking care of the property,
no trash, no debris,
it's real important.
So hopefully they'll continue
to let us come out
and hunt the property
in the future.
FOR GEORGE AND ARIEL HAINES,
THIS HUNTING TRIP IS MORE
ABOUT SPENDING TIME TOGETHER
THAN IT IS ABOUT THE BIRDS.
AND SINCE ARIEL IS UNDER 17,
SHE CAN HUNT FOR FREE, AS LONG
AS SHE'S WITH A PERMITTED ADULT.
THAT HELPS TO MAKE HUNTING
MORE ACCESSIBLE AND AFFORDABLE
FOR FAMILIES LIKE HERS,
WHICH JUST HAPPENS TO
BE THE MAIN GOAL
OF THE PUBLIC HUNTING
LANDS PROGRAM.
We want to see people
go out,
have a place they can
access inexpensively
and take the kids hunting.
That's what it's really for.
[loading gun]
[gun shots]
Oh yeah! She took the
one on the right.
I took the one on
the left.
And we both hit them.
That's great.
Beautiful looking birds,
nice looking birds
and the birds are really
starting to fly now.
The action's starting to
pick up some. Looks real good.
My second but I'm planning
on getting more. [laughs]
[music] PARENTS HAVE LONG
USED HUNTING
TO TEACH THEIR CHILDREN
ABOUT SPORTSMANSHIP
AND RESPONSIBILITY.
WITH THE SUCCESS OF THE PUBLIC
HUNTING LANDS PROGRAM,
IT'S A TRADITION
THAT IS CONTINUING
FOR ONE MORE
GENERATION OF TEXANS.
[music]
Oh he's still flying!
This is good hunting out
here today, Ariel.
I mean they're still
firing off.
Thanks for bringing me, dad.
Aw, man, this is a good time,
honey. I had a good time.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE
PUBLIC HUNTING LANDS PROGRAM,
CALL 1-800-792-1112.
OR YOU CAN CLICK ON THE
TX PARKS AND WILDLIFE WEBSITE.