Outdoors With Mat Taylor
Spring turkey season approaching quickly

Former Soil Conservation Service employee and longtime writer Mat Taylor offers his outdoors column for Dispatch Record readers. He can be contacted at (254) 518- 2262 or via e-mail at mntaylor@agristar.net.

A few days ago, I saw something moving in the pasture in front of my home. It was a flock of six wild Rio Grande turkeys. Most were jakes, young male gobblers. I was somewhat surprised, as they are the first turkeys I have seen on our property in several years.

I am glad to know a few turkeys are still in the area. Despite the dry weather, the turkeys seemed to be in good condition.

Spotting the birds reminded me the spring Rio Grande turkey season begins March 29 and runs through May 11. There is also a special youth-only weekend March 22-23. The bag limit is four gobblers.

The spring turkey season is when hunters dressed in full camouflage sit concealed near a decoy, use a turkey call and try to lure a lovesick gobbler within range of a shotgun.

Speaking of hunting, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is inviting landowners to advertise their hunting leases through a new Internet service the agency is developing called "Hunt Texas Online Connection."

In the first half of 2008, the department wants landowners to register for the new free service. In May, TPWD plans to begin promoting it to the public. Hunters are advised to check back in May after landowners have had a chance to register their leases.

The service allows landowners to list hunting lease opportunities in Texas, including last-minute openings. It provides complete anonymity for landowners until they are ready to contact potential customers. Hunters eventually will be able to search by lease type, county, game species and other information.

Texas Parks and Wildlife wants to make it easy for people looking for a place to hunt to connect with landowners offering hunts on their property, said Mike Berger, wildlife division director.

"This is one way we are trying to better serve our license-buying public," he said. "It's important to keep the Texas hunting tradition strong, since hunting supports wholesome family recreation, pumps more than $1 billion per year into Texas local economies, and provides an economic incentive for private land stewards to protect wildlife habitat."

To register, landowners can visit the Hunt Texas Online Connection Web page on the TPWD site at www.tpwd.state.tx.us/ hunttexas. Click "Get Started," select a user name and password, log in, and begin typing in fall 2008 lease opportunities.

TPWD hopes to build a substantial base of lease opportunities for the public. In mid-May, the agency will begin promoting the service via hunting publications, online and through print, radio and TV news coverage.

Anyone can send questions, comments and/or suggestions about the new service to hunt.texas@ tpwd.state.tx.us, with separate e-mail addresses also available for support and general inquires not related to Hunt Texas Online Connection.

Interested parties also may phone (512) 389-4505.

I am still seeing white-tailed bucks that survived the hunting season. Although I have observed a couple of large bucks, most of them are immature deer. Prior to the adoption of antler restrictions for the county, many of these bucks would have been shot.

It is good to know there is a potential for these deer to grow to maturity and make someone a good trophy.

Bucks should be shedding their antlers in a few weeks, and the process of growing another set will begin anew.