About the TBGA: Celebrating its 17th season, the Texas Big Game Awards (TBGA), a partnership of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and the Texas Wildlife Association (TWA), continues to be the leader in recognizing the contributions that landowners, land managers and responsible hunters make to managing and conserving wildlife and wildlife habitat on Texas’ private lands.  The Texas Big Game Awards program is designed to recognize 1) the quality of big game animals in Texas, 2) the hunters who harvest these animals, 3) the land managers who produce these animals through their management efforts, 4) the importance of our hunting heritage, and 5) the achievements of young and new hunters.  For more information on the program visit www.TexasBigGameAwards.com Or call (800) TEX-WILD, ext. 114.

Hunters who harvest a white-tailed deer, mule deer, or pronghorn antelope this season meeting the minimum net score B&C requirements for their respective Region, may be eligible to receive recognition in the “Scored Entry” category as well as the landowner for where the trophy was taken.  Also new this year is the recognition only, of the hunters and landowners where desert bighorns are taken in Texas.  Hunters of any age who harvest their first big game animal in Texas are eligible for the “First Big Game Harvest” category.  Hunters who harvest a white-tailed deer, mule deer, javelina, or pronghorn antelope are eligible whether they harvest a buck or doe, regardless of score of the animal in this category.

The TBGA website for this season will include the $20,000 College Scholarship Program sponsored by Carter’s Country Outdoor Stores.  Scholarship applications will be available in December and due by March 15, 2008.  All program information, program history, entry rules and minimum scores are also featured on the website.  Also this fall, keep up with news on the TBGA program and current hunting issues with the TBGA News Link this fall.  

You can also find a local scorer in your area for official entry forms, or download the First Harvest/Youth Division forms on-line, as no scorer signature is required for those entries.  The TBGA website will also feature photos of entries that are entered this season.  Last season over 700 photos were mailed in.  You can check out links to great TBGA Sponsors too.  

And, any youth hunter (under 17 years of age when they purchase their hunting license) with a Special Resident Hunting License who harvests a white-tailed deer, mule deer, javelina, or pronghorn antelope is eligible for the “Youth Division” whether they harvest a buck or doe, regardless of score.  The javelina is a new species added to the Youth Division and First Harvest Division this season.

The Texas Big Game Awards is proudly sponsored by: Statewide Sponsors Hixon Land and Cattle Company, Carter’s Country Outdoor Stores, and Budweiser.  Texas Regional Sponsors include: Remington Arms, Leupold and Stevens, Gerber Legendary Blades, Thompson Center Arms, C. Young and Company, DoskoSport, Mossy Oak Brand Camo, Tecomate Wildlife Systems, Smith’s Abrasives, Hunter’s Specialties, Moultrie Feeders, ThermaCell, Wildgame Innovations, Bass Prop Shops, Under Armour, Nunley Brothers, Universal Scoring Products, BogGear, Cocoon ATV Products, Game Guard, Academy Sports and Outdoors, Cabela's, Drury Outdoors, and Record Rack Premium Game Feeds.

 www.TexasBigGameAwards.com

Washington, DC (October 15, 2007)—Your help is needed in securing increased funding from the Senate Ag Committee for the conservation title in the 2007 Farm Bill. The Senate Finance Committee marked-up Farm Bill tax legislation last week, providing an increase in funding for conservation programs through conservation tax credits to landowners in CRP, WRP, GRP, endangered species recovery expenditures and other fish and wildlife opportunities. Unfortunately, some members of the Senate Ag Committee wish to divert those savings away from conservation to other titles in the Farm Bill.

Please call your senators as soon as possible to ask them to support more funding for conservation programs. Phone calls are more effective than email. You can call 202-225-3121 for a Capitol Hill operator who will connect you to your congressman. If you need help finding your senators' contact information, go to the U.S. Senate website at www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

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