Houston Acres, Kentucky

Transcription

ARIEL HAINES IS PRETTY MUCH LIKE ANY OTHER HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT. BUT IN ONE RESPECT, ARIEL IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT FROM OTHER KIDS HER AGE. Ariel, right above your head! [shots] Got him. Alright! ARIEL LIKES TO HUNT. WHILE OTHER KIDS HER AGE ARE BUSY SHOPPING AT THE MALL OR WATCHING TV, ARIEL IS ENJOYING THE OPENING OF DOVE SEASON ALONG SIDE HER FATHER. [shots] Too low... got him! Dove hunting is better than deer hunting because we go deer hunting in November and stuff and I can't say anything, just have to be real quiet. But in dove hunting we can talk and eat and everything. It's cool. We're gonna move on out there because these guys are starting to show up. WHAT'S NOT COOL IS THE DIFFICULTY MANY FOLKS FACE IN LOCATING AFFORDABLE HUNTING LAND. SINCE MOST OF THE LAND IN TEXAS IS PRIVATELY OWNED, MANY SPORTSMEN FACE A COMMON DILEMMA, FINDING A PLACE TO HUNT. [music] [loading gun] GEORGE AND ARIEL HAINES HAVE BEEN HUNTING TOGETHER SINCE SHE WAS JUST 12 YEARS OLD. I like spending time with my dad, he's cool... ...most of the time. Actually now you're starting to shoot a little bit, and you're starting to handle that gun just right now and you're getting on 'em. We spend a lot of good quality time together and with dove hunting you can talk, you can walk around, you can share the time and the event just openly together so it's really, really great. It's been great, man. It couldn't get any better, I don't believe. GEORGE AND ARIEL, ALONG WITH A GROUP OF FRIENDS, HAVE TRAVELED 200 MILES WEST FROM THEIR HOME IN HOUSTON TO GUADALUPE COUNTY. HERE, THE DOVE ARE PLENTIFUL AND THE PRICE IS RIGHT. [gun shots] Good shot, Ariel. Oh, I thought you hit him. [more shots] I can't believe it! Oh man! He's gonna pop up over there. I think they hit him over there. THIS 123 ACRE PATCH OF SUNFLOWERS IS IDEAL DOVE HABITAT. IT'S ALSO PRIVATE LAND. BUT THANKS TO TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE AND COOPERATING LANDOWNERS, THE PROPERTY IS PART OF MORE THAN 40,000 ACRES OF PRIVATELY OWNED LAND LEASED BY THE DEPARTMENT FOR DOVE HUNTING BY THE PUBLIC. IT'S PART OF THE PUBLIC HUNTING LANDS PROGRAM. It is a program where we've gone out and leased lands directly from landowners and then we turn around and allow the public to access those lands through the annual public hunting permit. [gun shot] THE PERMIT ALLOWS HUNTERS ACCESS TO OVER ONE MILLION ACRES OF LAND, AND NOT JUST FOR HUNTING DOVE. DEER, TURKEY, QUAIL, FERAL HOG, SQUIRREL AND WATERFOWL HUNTING ARE ALL AVAILABLE. THE DOVE LEASE PORTION OF THE PROGRAM STARTED IN 1994 WITH 10 LEASES ALONG INTERSTATES 35 AND 37. TODAY, IT'S EXPANDED TO OVER 100 LEASES ALL ACROSS THE STATE. KURT AND JULIA WACKERHAGEN OWN 400 ACRES OF FARMLAND THEY AFFECTIONATELY CALL "POVERTY HILL." WHEN THEY MOVED HERE IN 1941, THE FARM INCLUDED ALMOST 5000 ACRES AND OVER 700 HEAD OF CATTLE. TODAY, POVERTY HILL'S 400 ACRES HOLD ABOUT 100 COWS. I used to farm cotton and milo and corn and everything, maybe 3- or 4000 acres of that and I always kept clean fields, no Johnson grass, no sunflowers or nothing. Now I got sunflowers. [laughs] I'm doing pretty good. THE WACKERHAGENS LEASE ALL 400 ACRES TO PARKS AND WILDLIFE FOR THE PUBLIC DOVE HUNTING PROGRAM. IT WASN'T SO MUCH THE MONEY THAT INTERESTED THEM, AS IT WAS THE CHANCE TO HELP. I used to do a lot of hunting myself and everything, and it's just a program that I think is well worth it for the people that don't have the opportunity to hunt anywhere. [truck drives by] HUNTERS ARE ASKED TO FOLLOW A FEW GENERAL RULES WHEN USING LANDS LEASED FOR PUBLIC HUNTING. THE RULES ARE POSTED AT EACH SITE AND ARE DESIGNED TO INSURE RESPECT FOR THE LAND AND THE LANDOWNERS. Yeah, if you see any more out here, just pick them up. Landowner gives you the privilege to come out and hunt and taking care of the property, no trash, no debris, it's real important. So hopefully they'll continue to let us come out and hunt the property in the future. FOR GEORGE AND ARIEL HAINES, THIS HUNTING TRIP IS MORE ABOUT SPENDING TIME TOGETHER THAN IT IS ABOUT THE BIRDS. AND SINCE ARIEL IS UNDER 17, SHE CAN HUNT FOR FREE, AS LONG AS SHE'S WITH A PERMITTED ADULT. THAT HELPS TO MAKE HUNTING MORE ACCESSIBLE AND AFFORDABLE FOR FAMILIES LIKE HERS, WHICH JUST HAPPENS TO BE THE MAIN GOAL OF THE PUBLIC HUNTING LANDS PROGRAM. We want to see people go out, have a place they can access inexpensively and take the kids hunting. That's what it's really for. [loading gun] [gun shots] Oh yeah! She took the one on the right. I took the one on the left. And we both hit them. That's great. Beautiful looking birds, nice looking birds and the birds are really starting to fly now. The action's starting to pick up some. Looks real good. My second but I'm planning on getting more. [laughs] [music] PARENTS HAVE LONG USED HUNTING TO TEACH THEIR CHILDREN ABOUT SPORTSMANSHIP AND RESPONSIBILITY. WITH THE SUCCESS OF THE PUBLIC HUNTING LANDS PROGRAM, IT'S A TRADITION THAT IS CONTINUING FOR ONE MORE GENERATION OF TEXANS. [music] Oh he's still flying! This is good hunting out here today, Ariel. I mean they're still firing off. Thanks for bringing me, dad. Aw, man, this is a good time, honey. I had a good time. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE PUBLIC HUNTING LANDS PROGRAM, CALL 1-800-792-1112. OR YOU CAN CLICK ON THE TX PARKS AND WILDLIFE WEBSITE.