Free web service connects hunters with places to hunt in Texas

Research surveys show that finding a place to hunt is a barrier for many people in today’s Texas.

Research surveys show that finding a place to hunt is a barrier for many people in today’s Texas, which is why Texas Parks and Wildlife Department created the Hunt Texas Online Connection, a free Web service that allows anyone to view hunting opportunities posted by private landowners across the state.

In early 2008, the department invited landowners to list hunting lease opportunities in Texas for free, including last-minute openings. Currently, hunters can search more than 450 hunting opportunities by lease type, county, game animal, cost per hunter and other parameters. The service is free to both hunters and landowners.

"Anyone looking for a hunting lease in Texas can use this free service to find listings from landowners throughout the state," said Linda Campbell, TPWD program director for private lands and public hunting. "This is one way we’re trying to better serve our license-buying public. It’s important to keep the Texas hunting tradition strong, since hunting supports wholesome family recreation, pumps more than a billion dollars 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 main Hunt Texas Online Connection Web area on the TPWD Web site. Click "Get Started," select a username and password, log in, and start looking at hunting opportunities. Leases can be seen without registering and logging in, but users must register in order to contact landowners.

After users fill out the online registration form, they’ll get an email with a long URL ending in the word "activate" — users must click this link to complete registration. If users don’t receive the activation email, it might be because a security system is blocking it. In that case, users could try placing hunt.texas@tpwd.state.tx.us in their address book or allowed email rules.

Hunters and landowners will determine if they are the right fit for each other, and all transactions will be between landowners and hunters. The new service also provides links to privately operated hunting lease Web sites as a convenience for the public. TPWD does not independently verify, endorse or warrant any of the information posted on Hunt Texas Online Connection, or any information contained on the privately operated hunting lease Web sites that are linked from the service.

Anyone can email questions, comments and suggestions about Hunt Texas Online Connection to hunt.texas@tpwd.state.tx.us. The TPWD Wildlife Information staff at (512) 389-4505 can also provide basic assistance with the service.