TBGA offers recognition avenue

The Texas Big Game Awards Program is a great resource for lucky deer hunters to have their buck officially scored and get a little recognition at the same time.

TBGA is a hunter/landowner recognition program. It’s main purposes are promoting quality wildlife and habitat management across the state.

Currently in its 34th season, TBGA is a joint effort between the Texas Wildlife Association and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Since 1991, the program has taken in more than 42,000 entries from across the state.

The program is divided into eight regions with categories for whitetail deer, mule deer, pronghorn antelope, javelina, youth and first harvest. Scored entries must meet B&C minimum net scores established for the individual region.

Hunters who harvest a white-tailed deer, mule deer, pronghorn antelope, javelina, or desert bighorn sheep this season meeting the minimum Boone and Crockett (B&C) net score requirements for their respective region may be eligible to receive recognition in the Scored Entry category, as well as the landowner of the property from which the trophy was taken.

A certified score is required for entry in the scored entry category. All scored entry animals must be scored by a registered TBGA or B&C scorer prior to entry. There are low fence and high fence categories for white-tailed deer.

TBGA maintains a running list of certified TBGA and B&C scorers on its website, texasbiggameawards. org. There are dozens of scorers and phone numbers listed for cities and towns all around the state. It doesn’t cost anything to have an animal scored.

The First Big Game Harvest category is open to hunters of any age who harvest their first big game animal, including whitetail bucks and does, mule deer, javelina and pronghorn. There is no minimum scoring requirement.

The Youth Division is open to any youth hunter (under 17 years of age when they purchase their hunting license) with a Special Resident Hunting License who harvests a white-tailed deer, mule deer, javelina, or pronghorn antelope, buck or doe, regardless of score.

TBGA recognizes the state’s top bucks and the landowners who produced them during a series of regional banquets held during the summer months. Hunters who enter deer are invited to bring their mounts for display. Hunters also receive certificates of recognition. Those who take the top scored entries in each region are invited to attend a statewide banquet in held in San Antonio.

The program also awards nine college scholarships to graduating high school seniors and college freshmen, sophomores and juniors totaling $25,000. All applicants for the TBGA scholarship program must major in an agriculture and/or natural resource-related field of study.

Based on where you live within the TBGA program’s regional designations, one (1) $2,500 scholarship will be awarded to an applicant residing in each of the eight TBGA Regions at their respective regional banquets. The overall top scholarship applicant will receive a $5,000 college scholarship to be awarded at the Texas Wildlife Association’s (TWA) annual convention in July.

Any entering college freshman (graduating high school senior), or entering college sophomore, or entering college junior is eligible to apply for one of the available scholarships. The scholarship applications will be reviewed and ranked by a scoring committee using set criteria. Applicants do not have to participate in the TBGA to be eligible for the scholarships.

For more information about scholarships, check out texasbiggameawards.org.