Home Texas Hunting Texas Big Game Awards ready to recognize year’s best

Texas Big Game Awards ready to recognize year’s best

by Lili Keys

Written by TBGA

For 24 years, the Texas Big Game Awards, a partnership of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Wildlife Association, has been a leader in recognizing the contributions that landowners, land managers and responsible hunters make to managing and conserving wildlife and wildlife habitat on Texas’ private lands.

All entries for the 2014-2015 Texas Big Game Awards have been submitted and more than 1,200 hunters, 250 landowners, 160 youth hunters, and 260 first-time hunters will be recognized across Texas at this year’s TBGA Sportsman’s Celebrations. The top 30 big game animals taken this past season will be on display and recognized during the 2015 Statewide TBGA Sportsman’s Celebration held in conjunction with TWA’s 30th Annual Convention, July 9-12th at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa.

Species recognized across the state include white-tailed deer, mule deer, pronghorn antelope, desert bighorn and javelina. Also being awarded across the state will be the top scholarship recipients of the Carter’s Country TBGA College Scholarship Program, as well as the best of the best field photos. In addition, thirteen hunters and their respective landowners will be awarded the coveted Texas Slam Award, given to hunters who harvest all three TBGA qualifying animals in the same season meeting the minimum scoring requirements.

To see some of this year’s entries, make plans to attend one of the TBGA Sportsman’s Celebration events scheduled across Texas. The celebration dates for 2015 include:

  • May 16, Regions 5, 6 and 7 (Post Oak Savannah, Pineywoods and Coastal Prairies), Lufkin, Pitser Garrison Convention Center.
  • June 20, Region 4 and 8 (Edwards Plateau and South Texas), Uvalde, SSGT. Willie De Leon Civic Center.
  • June 27, Regions 1, 2 and 3 (Trans Pecos, Panhandle and Cross Timbers), San Angelo, McNeese Convention Center.
  • July 10, Statewide TBGA Sportsman’s Celebration, held in conjunction with TWA’s Annual Convention, WildLife 2015, July 9-12, San Antonio, JW Marriott Hill Country Resort and Spa.

Photo by TBGA

2014-2015 Texas Big Game Awards Statewide Top Entries
Place LastName FirstName County HighFence AnimalType AnimalCategory GrossScore NetScore Ranch_Name
Best Meritt Rick Gaines N Mule Deer NonTypical 281 2/8 264 3/8 McGuire Ranch
Second Best Hooton Jon Hale N Mule Deer NonTypical 216 207 2/8
Third Best Barton Cy Hale N Mule Deer NonTypical 222 7/8 206 5/8
Best Arbuckle Robert Jeff Davis N Mule Deer Typical 192 5/8 183 1/8
Second Best Keller Henry Oldham N Mule Deer Typical 185 4/8 180 4/8
Third Best Hughes Dan Culberson N Mule Deer Typical 185 3/8 176
Best Starks Hunter Gaines Y Mule Deer NonTypical 176 171 3/8
Best Bartek Larry Atascosa N Whitetail NonTypical 222 3/8 211 2/8 Bartek Ranch
Second Best Hunter Phillip La Salle N Whitetail NonTypical 221 6/8 210 6/8 Charco Marrano Ranch
Third Best Stedman Stuart Dimmit N Whitetail NonTypical 211 4/8 205 Faith Ranch
Best McCormick Robert Bosque Y Whitetail NonTypical 230 1/8 226 Flint Creek Ranch
Second Best McGuire Weldon Bosque Y Whitetail NonTypical 206 7/8 201 Buxton Ranch
Third Best Thomison Aaron Concho Y Whitetail NonTypical 202 1/8 200 Thomison Ranch
Best Ivy Lane Oldham N Whitetail Typical 195 183 6/8 Grape Vine Ranch
Second Best Merritt John Cottle N Whitetail Typical 184 2/8 180 1/8
Third Best Podany David Mills N Whitetail Typical 179 1/8 172 7/8
Best Hengst Ronnie La Salle Y Whitetail Typical 191 6/8 185 6/8 Rancho El Mino
Second Best Belden Brian Mills Y Whitetail Typical 196 2/8 183 3/8 Sandstone
Third Best Naegelin John Atascosa Y Whitetail Typical 192 7/8 183 1/8 D & E Ranch
Best Bazemore Wanda Hudspeth N Pronghorn 86 6/8 86 Double U Cattle Co.
Second Best Cash Gary Deaf Smith N Pronghorn 85 84 Horton Place
Third Best McBride Dan Hudspeth N Pronghorn 84 6/8 83 4/8

 

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