Hunters and landowners participating in the Texas Big Game Awards (TBGA) this upcoming hunting season will see some new rules and changes for this year’s program, including the creation of low-fence and high-fence categories for white-tailed deer and mule deer. 

Texas hunters should enjoy ample opportunities to pursue their favorite quarry this fall without breaking the bank — even if they don’t own a huge ranch or pay for an expensive lease.

Sportsmen looking for an affordable family activity should consider Texas’ public hunting opportunities. The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department will be offering adult and youth only hunts by special drawing for a wide variety of species. Hunt schedules and applications are available upon request and online now. Don’t miss out on a chance to take a kid hunting.

The TAHC, the state’s livestock and poultry health regulatory agency, is concerned about wild (feral) hogs because of the disease threats they pose to domestic cattle and swine herds. Tests on feral, or wild, hogs indicate that about 20 percent of these animals carry pseudorabies, a flu-like pig disease NOT related to rabies, and about 10 percent have swine Brucellosis, the swine form of Brucellosis or “Bangs” disease.