Texas Youth Hunting Program. Need your help!

[dailordasailor]

I wanted to take a chance to introduce to all the Texas forum members; the Texas Youth Hunting Program (TYHP). To start, I'll add the blurb from the organizations website:

"The Texas Wildlife Association (TWA) and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) have joined forces to offer youth hunts that are safe, educational, and very affordable. We sponsor introductory, instructive youth hunts for a variety of species. We provide mentors, lodging, and meals."

I started volunteering with the program about two years ago after learning about it on a Texas forum. I'm not a native Texan and had never heard of such a program but had my first experience as a "guide" on a doe hunt in Lampasas. My hunter actually didn't get a deer on that hunt but I was hooked. The experience summed up:

Friday- you arrive around 4pm to set up your tents and get to the archery/rifle range
Saturday- You hunt the morning, have midday activities such as fishing, Game Warden education, Hunters Ed field portion, etc, then hunt the evening
Sunday- Hunt the morning, then everyone fills out thank you letters to the landowner and helps clean up camp

That is just a basic lineout of the hunts. There are adventure hunts which are longer and typically are spot and stalk for elk, pronghorn, audad, etc.

Each youth pays $200 to be on the hunt (unless sponsored by a company or individual) which is only cost associated with the experience. Every hunt has volunteers in the form of a cook, a Huntmaster, and guides. Huntmaster works with landowners and the youth/parents and handles organizing the day to day while the guides are in the blinds with the hunter/parent. I have been on around 7 of these hunts including a spot and stalk for antelope in the panhandle. Even when no game is taken, you can see the change in the youth and often the parents view of the outdoors. To me, the main goal of these experiences is to remove the hurdles new hunters have with getting into the sport and help bridge the knowledge gap. Many of these parents aren't hunters themselves and without the program the kids would never have a chance to try hunting. The program also has bows, rifles, and shotguns that they loan out for these hunts when needed. This last weekend I was on a hog hunt where one youth was using a program compound bow that he picked up for first time three weeks prior and received lessons from a TYHP program coordinator. He knocked down two pigs at ~30yards and you would of thought he won the Superbowl.

I wanted to share this with the forum as I am always impressed with this program. Texas has limited public land and large cities. For many children, without this program, hunting isn't on their radar. Through TYHP, kids get to go camping, learn firearm safety, learn how to process game, and make connections in the hunting community. I personally am in contact with multiple pass hunter's parents, as are most guides, to answer questions or for them to share harvest photos.

The Ask, the programs biggest hurdle is hunting opportunities. The program has taken over 22,000 kids hunting over the years, but property owners pass away, people sell property, state agencies change access on public, etc. I know we have many Texas residents and those in surrounding states on this forum. The program needs more landowners help... The restrictions/options are endless from a property owners standpoint. There are hunts for females only, hunts for certain age groups, pig, doe only, exotics, waterfowl, turkey, small game, etc. The landowner/lease holder can put whatever restrictions desired on the hunt. Also the landowner is always welcome to be a guide, or cook or be as much a part of the hunt as they please. One thing stressed to all participants, leave the property as good, if not better than when we arrived. The program also hunts in nearby states. I will be leading an OTC archery antelope hunt in Colorado this year on public land. They've done private land hunts in OK and NM as well.

I am happy to answer any questions, and am in no way employed by the organization or have any financial connection to it. The program only has a handful of paid employees and is otherwise a volunteer organization. TYHP also carries the necessary insurance to protect the program and property owners.

Thanks,
Dale

 

[rookhawk]

It’s a great idea in concept. I remember when my kids were young we applied for dozens of hunts with TYHP but never got drawn/accepted. It seems like an ideal scenario for those in TX or within an hour or two drive of the hunt location that can go on short notice.

 

[dailordasailor]

TYHP hunts don’t work that way unfortunately rookhawk. Were you applying for youth hunt draws with parks and wildlife?

TYHP actually puts hunters who haven’t ever hunted with program at top of list. If a kid signs up this year, they will hunt. After that, it’s more of a random draw in the system. Only last minute adds would be a hunter backs out and you happen to call office to check on availability and they add you in.

 

[wesheltonj]

Sounds like a great program. But as long as TWA keeps opposing listing Elk in Texas as a game animal, I will never give them a Penny.

 

[rookhawk]

TYHP hunts don’t work that way unfortunately rookhawk. Were you applying for youth hunt draws with parks and wildlife?

TYHP actually puts hunters who haven’t ever hunted with program at top of list. If a kid signs up this year, they will hunt. After that, it’s more of a random draw in the system. Only last minute adds would be a hunter backs out and you happen to call office to check on availability and they add you in.

It’s been several years, but last we used the system you’d log into what looked like a calendar system. It would state the rules for each given hunt (ages, dates, resident only, etc.) . You’d then try to apply on the TYHP site for a given hunt. It is a wonderful idea and I hope it has worked the kinks out of the system. We worked on it for a couple seasons and could never get a hunt to coalesce, often because the determination would be made so close to hunt date we’d never be able to book flights in time.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

It’s been several years, but last we used the system you’d log into what looked like a calendar system. It would state the rules for each given hunt (ages, dates, resident only, etc.) . You’d then try to apply on the TYHP site for a given hunt. It is a wonderful idea and I hope it has worked the kinks out of the system. We worked on it for a couple seasons and could never get a hunt to coalesce, often because the determination would be made so close to hunt date we’d never be able to book flights in time.

This sounds like the TPW draw hunts. There are a lot of youth only hunts and opportunities.

 

[dailordasailor]

I believe that is indeed TPW hunts and I’ve never been drawn either. TYHP the kids and parents know 1.5 months out usually with plenty of communication from the office as well as the Huntmaster about the hunt.

Texas does have some fantastic draw hunt opportunities. If only I could indeed get drawn…

 

[Russ16]

If I still lived in Texas I would absolutely find a way to get involved.

Since I don’t is there another way to contribute? You mention the $200 the family has to pay unless they are sponsored. Is there a way I could sponsor a kid or two each year? Or some other way to contribute?

 

[dailordasailor]

The organization is always open to donations of course. I can reach out to the north Texas coordinator about sponsoring a specific hunt. Typically the "sponsored" hunts is a company paying for the 5 kids or whichever. If you wanted to look at the schdule of hunts and say "i'll sponsor two kids for xxx hunt" that would be simple enough.

From being on the hunts, pop up blinds and blind chairs would be a great donation. The program has the $7 stools for blinds that ware on you after the first hour and blinds get damaged overtime. I actually bring 3 chairs to each hunt, keeping a kid comfortable helps with the long sits and staying quiet/still.