It's easy for hunters to get spoiled in Texas.  From September through May there is at least one ongoing hunting season for some game animal or bird in every region of the state, which includes the nation's highest number of deer, turkeys and migrating doves.

Today at Pheasants Forever’s National Pheasant Fest, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced plans for a new Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general signup. Secretary Vilsack also announced increased acreage allotments for three CRP practices significant to wildlife, and then signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Pheasants Forever.

The 621 Pheasants Forever chapters, 103 Quail Forever chapters and 125,000 members of "The Habitat Organization" nationwide completed over 22,000 wildlife habitat projects in 2009, benefitting over 500,000 acres for pheasants, quail and other wildlife. This includes over 8,300 acres of land acquired and then opened to public hunting and recreation as state-managed wildlife areas or federal Waterfowl Production Areas.

Many Conservation Reserve Program contracts are due to expire this September, and landowners need to give careful consideration as to what comes next for once highly erodible land, according to Texas AgriLife Extension Service personnel.

The 2008-2009 pheasant season has ended or is winding down in a few states as quickly as the temperatures outside have been plummeting. To date, the winter of 2008-2009 has been harsher than recent years in many places across the pheasant range. This has created a myriad of inquiries to Pheasants Forever's offices from people concerned about pheasant populations.