Texas Volunteers Help Ensure the Future of Hunting
Texans are known for their bold spirit. That enthusiasm carries over for Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation volunteers in the Lone Star State. Even though their state wildlife agency does not officially recognize elk as a native, free-ranging species, volunteers support the mission and generate funding for it and for activities in their own backyard.
Twenty-two RMEF chapters raised more than one million dollars over the years to bolster nearly 300 in-state projects like hunter education, mentored hunts, natural resource education, shooting sports, hunter outreach and advocacy, and outdoor skills instruction.
Stewards of the Wild is one such group that received RMEF backing. It looks to advance the state’s outdoor traditions and conserve its wildlife, habitat and resources in line with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. In 2021, seven young professionals with diverse backgrounds took part in a mentored hunt at Powderhorn Ranch in Calhoun County (see photo below courtesy Jonathan Vail).
RMEF dollars and volunteers supported mentored hunts from 2019 to 2022 at the Parrie Haynes Ranch south of Killeen for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Texas. Participants took part in three-day hunts with RMEF volunteers from two different chapters serving as mentors and learned about tracking and field dressing game, wildlife management, chronic wasting disease and other issues.
Helping to take care of that same land, RMEF hosted the 2021 Texas Rendezvous (top photo) on that same landscape. Volunteers spent several hours building fencing to benefit year-round activities at the ranch.
(Photo credit: Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation)
