Texans may be defined as folks who are proud enough, brave enough, and stubborn enough to forge their own destinies. The “right” to hunt and fish is championed by the Texas Constitution.

Texas is 268,597 square miles of wide open spaces, great people, booming cities, and vistas painted on the easel of God. Eighty five percent of the 28 million Texans live in urban settings. Most of those folks live within the 60,000-square mile triangle formed by Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston. That leaves plenty of room in the piney woods, desert, post oak savanna, South Texas brush, coastal plains, and panhandle, where outdoorsman may play. Then there’s an additional 367 miles of Gulf Coast shoreline.

In 2017, Texas led the nation by selling 1.7 million fishing licenses and 1.1 million hunting licenses. There are 60 conservation groups made up of hunters and anglers.
Servicing the public, as well as the sportsmen of Texas, is the Texas Outdoor Writers Association. It is an assemblage of related souls committed to reporting hunting and fishing news, environmental concerns, and promoting all aspects of the outdoors.

Fulfilling the technological needs of a changing audience, the association must seek to expand opportunities to likewise grow. With that in mind, the TOWA board of directors greenlighted a new event to bolster participation and supplement the annual conference.

The first TOWA Barbecue and Wild Game Cook Off is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 7 and 8, at the Shaw’s Bend Social Club near Columbus. In addition to the cooking competition, we have scheduled a sporting clays shoot to benefit pediatric cancer research. This event is organized by Sky High for St. Jude’s and hosted by the Texas Historical Shootist Society. We’ll also have bull riding, live music, and a fundraising party.

Our goals are to annually compliment the annual conference, help TOWA build membership, provide another venue for supporting members to showcase their wares, recruit the next generation of writers, and help fight pediatric cancer. Our hope is to energize expansion and propel relationships among the public, writers, publishers, and sponsors.
Adjacent to the property, Thousand Trails RV Resorts has donated access to the Colorado River for angling and boating sponsors.

Please plan on coming, pass the word, and support the Texas outdoors.

Thank You

Herman W. Brune
President Elect

HWB@thelostrider.com