Spring turkey hunters are going to see a lot of jakes and hear from even more this season, but success in finding mature gobblers will depend on hunting location.

Two hundred Panhandle pronghorns got a new home on the range this week as Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologists transported the animals 500 miles for release on the Marfa Plateau both to bolster the diminished Trans-Pecos herd and help researchers determine why the West Texas herd has been in decline in recent years.

Fifteen Community Outdoors Outreach Program grants from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department totaling more than $629,000 will be helping thousands of Texas children explore and learn about the states’ cultural and natural resources.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission Monday authorized the acquisition of nearly 18,000 acres of biologically diverse and culturally significant land in Val Verde County with 10 miles of frontage along the pristine Devil’s River by leveraging $4 million in public dollars with more than $10 million in private donations.

Forty-six desert bighorn sheep bolted out of transport trailers and up into the Bofecillos Mountains along the Rio Grande this week. The 12 rams and 34 ewes were captured by helicopter at Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management Area and moved to Big Bend Ranch State Park on Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 21-22.

Twenty-nine desert bighorn sheep bolted out of transport trailers and straight up into the Bofecillos Mountains along the Rio Grande at about 3 p.m. today. The 24 ewes and five rams were captured by helicopter at Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management Area this morning and moved to Big Bend Ranch State Park.