By TPWD
Talk about a good start to the season.
Thirteen lucky sportsmen are making special plans for hunting season as winners of this year’s Big Time Texas Hunts. The hunters were selected by random computer drawing from applicants in the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department program.
All told, hunters bought 68,174 Big Time Texas Hunt entries during this year’s sales period. This generated $640,825 in gross revenue to support wildlife research, habitat management and public hunting.
The winner of this year’s Big Time Texas Hunts crown jewel, the Texas Grand Slam hunt package, which includes four separate guided hunts for Texas’ most prized big game animals; desert bighorn sheep, white-tailed deer, pronghorn antelope and mule deer is Buddie Gunter of Corpus Christi.
Gunter said he has been entering Big Time Texas Hunts for several years and is looking forward to taking his son with him on the hunts.
“Fortunately I’m self-employed and pretty flexible so I can make it work,” he said. “I’m looking forward to taking my son with me and having a good time. That desert bighorn is a once-in-a-lifetime deal so that’s going to be awesome.”
Following are the winners of this year’s Big Time Texas Hunts.
- Texas Grand Slam – Buddie Gunter, Corpus Christi, TX
- Premium Buck Hunt – Thomas Archer, Bastrop, TX
- Exotic Safari – John Klee, Swansea, IL
- Whitetail Bonanza – Scott Shimek, Pearland, TX; Richard Sims, Arlington, TX; Matthew Hrncir, Tomball, TX; Keith Mack, Winnsboro, TX; Gregory Fox, Sweeny, TX; Charles McCall, Broken Arrow, OK
- Big Time Bird Hunt – Nancy Beaulieu, Beaumont, TX
- Gator Hunt – Ron Lott, Tyler, TX
- Texas Waterfowl Hunt – Donald Wilson, Houston, TX
- Wild Hog Adventure – William Kabela, Port Lavaca, TX
All winners have been notified. Entries for next year’s Big Time Texas Hunts will go on sale May 15, 2015.
