Texas is widely known for its hunting culture and abundant game populations. However, in perhaps no other state is access to land for hunting so financially based and, therefore, financially limiting to the average person. Federal- and state-owned land constitutes < 2% of the state, with a mere fraction of this allotted to open access hunting. Moreover, it is among the states that have deviated furthest from the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. The Texas chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers is the voice of sportsmen & recreationists in Texas who value wild land and water that support healthy wildlife populations and their habitat, public access and opportunity to that land and water, and the concept of fair chase. Our priorities are to:
- Expand public access and opportunity on the few public lands we have, and to work within the existing landscape of land ownership to increase hunting access to private lands to more members of the public
- More closely align Texas hunting culture with the North American model in regards to fair chase, the privatization of wildlife, and the fair distribution of hunting opportunities
- Engage the Texas hunting & fishing community at the federal level, so as to:
- preserve our opportunities for public access to federal lands & waters outside of Texas,
- help to ensure that federal legislation promotes healthy fish & wildlife populations and ecosystems, and clean air & water, and
- exemplify to those outside of Texas of the challenges that Texas sportsmen face, and thereby inspire them to preserve their public land opportunities and prevent further erosion of the North American model in their respective states.
