- ANNOUNCER: The Texas Parks and Wildlife Television Series is supported in part by Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation -- conserving the wild things and wild places of Texas, thanks to members across the state.

Additional funding is provided by Toyota.

Your local Toyota dealers are proud to support outdoor recreation and conservation in Texas.

Toyota -- Let's Go Places.

- NARRATOR: Coming up on Texas Parks and Wildlife... - It's a quick and easy way to use the coals from your fire to make an oven out of a pot.

- Casting!

- Whoa!

Got him!

- All right!

- Say the magic words.

- Arby!

[gunshot] - Nice!

Hee-hee!

That was awesome!

[theme music] ♪ ♪ - NARRATOR: Texas Parks and Wildlife, a television series for all outdoors.

[birds chirping] - NARRATOR: On a crisp February morning at Cleburne State Park, south of Fort worth, a group arrives to get set for their monthly meet out.

While they have an almost religious devotion to their gathering, this is not a church group.

And while they share some specialized knowledge, it's no secret society either.

In fact, sharing their secrets is part of why they gather.

These folks are members of the Lone Star Dutch Oven Society.

- That's probably good right there.

- The Chisholm Trail Chapter to be precise.

And they are preparing for a DOG.

-RICK: When we get together, it's called a DOG, a Dutch oven gathering.

- NARRATOR: That just means they're about to fix lunch.

- We cook and we eat and we talk about cooking and eatin'.

[laughing] [clanking] - WOMAN: Should be really good when it comes out.

- NARRATOR: The Dutch oven is a cast iron cook pot, but not just any.

It holds a special status in Texas.

Shared with the bluebonnet, the mockingbird and the pecan tree, among other icons.

The legislature even named it the Official Cooking Implement of the State of Texas.

In case you didn't know we had one of those.

-LAVOY: They burn really well.

- NARRATOR: Lavoy Oates, is about to make the Official State Food in his.

- We're gonna be cooking chili.

My wife can't eat real spicy chili, but she's not here today, so I'm gonna spice it up a little bit.

Yeah.

- WOMAN: When the cat's away.

- That's it, I'll mix all that up.

Then add little cayenne pepper in this one here anyway.

But we don't add beans to it.

- No, because you're in Texas.

- No beans, that's right.

So it's called chili with beans.

Chili don't have beans, but this is chili with beans.

- That'll be good, just a Texas thing you know.

- Right.

- Some people kind of get upset, being in Texas, you don't add beans to your chili.

- Every third Saturday, we just get together and cook.

And just something that we do just for fun.

[upbeat music] - NARRATOR: Step aside diets, and make way for the casseroles.

- We're cooking chicken Alfredo casserole.

Chicken cordon bleu casserole.

- It's just a beanie weenie casserole.

- Chicken enchilada casserole, Mexican rice, and a Bundt cake.

- NARRATOR: Oh yeah, and the desserts.

- Bread pudding.

- DENNIS: Also, a crumb cake.

- Anything that you can cook on your stove at home, we can cook in a Dutch oven with one exception.

- And that is ice cream.

And Rick Alexander proved that out here one day.

- You can't cook ice cream on your stove at home, but I can make it in a Dutch oven.

- He made ice cream in a Dutch oven.

He sure did.

[laughing] [upbeat music] - There's always a lot of variety.

There's a lot of different dishes.

- And then I'll add my secret spices to it.

And it's really not secret.

It's just garlic salt, onion flakes, oregano.

- You reckon I could try that when you're done?

-Yes sir.

-All right.

- The skills that they're teaching are skills that have been used for literally hundreds of years.

This is the same sort of cooking that someone may have done on the Chisholm Trail, which runs right through here.

[somber music] -DENNIS: It's kind of associated with the cook on the, on the cattle drives.

And the chuck wagon.

The ovens came west with the pioneers.

- MICHAEL: When pioneers and travelers would travel across the United States, it was a quick and easy way to use the coals from your fire to make an oven out of a pot.

And it's been modified and tweaked and perfected since then, but it's still the same basic techniques.

Those techniques still work very very well today.

- This type of cooking is a little more precise in that you're using briquettes.

They put out a certain amount of heat.

You can use a certain number of briquettes to get real precise with your heating.

They call these camp Dutch ovens.

So, if it has the ring in the legs, it's called a camp Dutch oven.

And they put the ring on there so it'll hold the charcoal.

- They've been coming here for years, teaching Dutch oven techniques and sharing their experience and sharing their food with visitors here at the park.

- The number of coals in that ring, it's pretty close to the diameter of the pot plus four.

It's not really complicated, it's just, there's just a few tricks and things that you learn to do that makes all the difference in the world, as to whether or not you burn something, whether you get it completely done.

We'll let that simmer there for a little while.

- It takes about 15 to 20 briquettes to cook your entire dinner.

Add one to the top and one to the bottom for 25 degrees.

These people are absolutely amazing.

- DENNIS: That looks really good.

- NARRATOR: Just after noon, cooking is complete and pots are lined up buffet-style.

Some curious visitors, perhaps drawn by delicious aromas, are welcomed to join.

- DENNIS: We're eating lunch, you want some lunch?

You're welcome.

It's all cooked in a Dutch oven.

- WOMAN: Yeah?

- DENNIS: Go right ahead.

And you're welcome to eat with us.

- MICHAEL: They always invite people to try what they have cooked, to call them, email them and learn the trade.

They've been asked to do this demonstration monthly somewhere else, and they choose to keep coming back here to their park, Cleburne State Park.

And we're just thankful to have them.

- NARRATOR: Recipes and laughs are shared.

And a few new folks are introduced to an old way of cooking.

- DENNIS: The food is really good.

We have a lot of fun, you know, cooking outdoors.

I think the number one thing is just the people.

Food, fun and fellowship-- that's what it's all about.

- NARRATOR: Needless to say, no one leaves with an empty stomach.

- I like to say, if you come to one of our events and you go home hungry, you're not doing it right.

[laughing] [inspiring music] ♪ ♪ [rushing water] [music and birds chirping] ♪ ♪ - WOMAN: Golden-fronted Woodpecker on the orange over there!

[Woodpecker calls] - Now one thing you need to practice with your binoculars.

You need to practice pulling up the binoculars and having what you want to see in your field of vision.

[hummingbird flutters] So we are going to practice with this hummingbird feeder.

That is a skill that birdwatchers have to have.

- Mr. Conway kinda got us all into birding, he's a really big a naturalist person.

- We asked him to create a team and we're now a birding team for our school!

- Oh!

[birds chirp] - FEMALE STUDENT: It helps a lot to like the intertwine the hands on visual scene and learning with like our curriculum.

- Wait look, there was good movement there!

Look at that!

- This is a really good park for people who aren't real knowledgeable about nature.

They can come out, they can see a lot of birds.

[woodpecker pecks] - There are over 500 species of birds in this ecoregion alone, a lot of the birds here are very colorful!

You can't beat the color of a Altamira Oriole or a Green Jay.

They're just beautiful birds, they are just wonderful to see.

Ok, look right here look right here guys, come look!

Look on the ground at the end of that stump there, there's a common paraque, he's sleeping on the ground.

Everybody see it?

Looks just like the leaf litter, a beautiful bird!

Nice!

[footsteps] - We invite them to come in and enjoy themselves for breakfast in the morning.

Ha, ha!

I'm Paul Love and I'm a just a volunteer here with the Audubon Society.

They give me funds to purchase feed for the birds and I keep em fed.

And they enjoy it and I enjoy it!

It has sunflower seed, it has peanut butter, corn meal, oatmeal, anything I can find to put into it that I know they are going to like.

[Green Jay calls] - You can hear him, he's hungry!

- WOMAN: There's stuff in the trees, look, look, look, look, there's like eight of them!

[birds calling] - CLIFF: Look who's on the corn on the cob!

- WOMAN: A Green Jay!

- CLIFF: Look at that!

- WOMAN: Whoa, get it!

That's awesome!

- I can go to the outdoors and have something to do, and it's something you know it's kind of relaxing and peaceful.

You just need your binoculars and you can just do it anywhere!

So that's what I like about it and the birds are neat ya know!

To see different birds!

[chachalaca calls] - CLIFF: Look at all those Chachalaca's sitting there!

- RUAYDA: It's not very bright but I like the noise it makes!

- It would make a good ringtone wouldn't it!

- Yeah!

Ha!

- Chachalaca, Chachalaca, Chachalaca!

[birds call] - My favorite probably is the Green Jay, I know that's kinda like the hallmark of South Texas down here, everybody will come from miles around just to see that bird!

[Green Jay calls] It's just cool, a lot of them are like camouflaged or blending in, but that one really pops out!

[wings flutter] - CLIFF: See that Altamira Oriole there.

He's beautiful, look how he's orange and black.

And that's just down here in South Texas!

- WOMAN: I actually enjoy being outside and looking at nature.

Now it flew away from the feeder!

[wings flutter] There's all kinds of different species so they're, they have different colors or different bills or they're just large or smaller!

[upbeat music] - CLIFF: Oh, on this right hummingbird feeder, there's another Golden-fronted Woodpecker.

You see it?

- SAVANNAH: Yes!

- CLIFF: Drinking that sweet nectar, when you see the top of the head, see that little red top, the red spot on the top of the head, that's a male!

- That's pretty clever!

[chuckles] Wow, there's like a lot more birds than I realized, so now I'm like looking at birds more I guess than I had before, so it's fun!

[upbeat music] - PAUL: This is South Texas, it's Mother Nature.

Kids need to understand that.

And learn how Mother Nature provides for everybody out here!

[upbeat music] [gentle music] - We are at the Prairie Rose Ranch.

It's kinda like a paradise.

You don't come out here and stay up tight.

I bought Lake Emma in 1990.

We named all of our lakes after our dogs.

We did a lot of fishing and duck hunting and it was just fabulous from the beginning.

- Had a fish earlier, David.

- You did?

- Three and a half pounds.

- Wow.

- Yeah.

- Nice.

- And I'll always been interested in conservation.

I like it to be as close to natural as it can be.

And I think the fun part is just seeing it go back to the way it was a hundred years ago or maybe a thousand years ago.

I mean, that's my philosophy, do what's best for the wildlife.

[birds chirping] Grass is sure green and pretty this year.

[Trevor] It is, it's coming in.

- Now, we planted some of this too for the deer.

- Ron's a joy to work with.

In the last 10 years or so, he has worked very hard to reopen some of these areas to allow the native grasses to come back in, to restore a more open oak Savannah habitat which was here historically.

[birds singing] I've been very impressed with Mr. Guard's holistic approach to land management.

[birds chirping] - Friends of mine told me once that I must be part beaver 'cause I'm constantly damming up every ditch or creek that I can find.

That way there's a lot of water for the wildlife and wild fowl.

[birds chirping] The thing that gives me the most joy is taking other people fishing.

- Casting.

- Wow, got him.

- Getting that net for Ron.

- Oh, he's pretty.

- Good job, Ron.

- All right.

[laughs] - He's in perfect condition.

[Ron] They really get excited when they catch a fish.

There's a lot of people that just don't have the opportunity to get out and be close to nature.

That's probably why I do photography and taking pictures of just about everything.

[camera shutter clicks] [gentle music] - Properties like this help to preserve that habitat so that our future generations enjoy wildlife and nature and being outdoors.

[gentle music] - That's been my most important thing probably of my life other than my family.

Now, my son would say he enjoys as much as I do.

David does most of the hard work while I supervise them.

[Ron laughs] That's a lot of fun.

You want them to continue when you're gone, you want them to continue taking care of it, doing really good work for conservation.

That's what it's all about.

- When moving through the field, you're either here, or you're here at all times.

Never here, never down here.

- Okay.

[upbeat music] My name is Ashley Taylor.

I am a native Texan.

I've lived here my entire life.

Okay.

- You now have a live loaded gun.

[takes deep breath] - I have a background in education, and prior to what I do now, I was a principal.

Oh, geez, okay.

I've never even shot a shotgun before.

- Pretty good.

- All right, I did it!

Oh, well, that's new.

I am excited about giving it a try, and it's just something completely outside of anything I would ever do prior to this.

[upbeat music] - I'm Josh Crumpton, at Spoke Hollow Outfitters.

So, in my thirties, I was pretty interested in the sustainable food movement, which, in a roundabout way, led me to hunting.

[upbeat music] As I got into it, I realized that I really had a fuel and a passion for introducing people to hunting, bringing new people into the outdoors.

[upbeat music] Sometimes the bird is gonna fly right into our face.

You're gonna go to shoot it like this, it's gonna come, go over your head.

Instead of doing this, you get in the process of doing this.

[upbeat music] [dog whining] - That makes sense to me.

- Then I'll turn this over to you.

- Okay.

[upbeat music] Well, I guess, too, that you have to know what birds you're allowed to shoot too, right?

- JOSH: And when you're allowed to shoot them, and when you're not.

- There's so much more to it.

When it comes to hunting, I really have no background, really no experience.

Oh God.

[gun firing] They were right in my face.

[upbeat music] [gun firing] Aw, it just, again, it just happened so quickly.

Oh, there he is.

Oh God, it's right there.

[upbeat music] [Ashley laughing] - Line 'em up.

[upbeat music] - I don't wanna shoot that way.

I gotta be ready.

- JOSH: Working with Ashley's been fantastic.

- I don't wanna miss the bird.

- JOSH: A lot of times we get people who come out, and, in one day, we cram in a lot.

We go from clay shooting to into the field, to shooting birds.

Good boy.

But working with the stewards program, and having Ashley as a mentee, has given me an opportunity to, really, over a few months, really talk about the dynamics of shooting.

Do it!

[gun firing] Nice, there it is, yes!

- Yeah!

- Good job.

Nice, Sally, here.

Sally, here.

- Oh my gosh, I did it.

- JOSH: Dead bird.

Arby, dead bird.

- Here, sit.

Sit.

- JOSH: Tell him sit first.

- Sit.

- JOSH: Hand on it.

[dog panting] - Good boy.

- You can tell it's a hen because-- It's gonna be really cool to follow Ashley through this season, and watch the challenge get turned up each time.

[Ashley gasping] - I have a bird in the back.

[upbeat music] I am so excited right now.

Yes!

I wanna keep going.

- JOSH: You wanna keep going?

- Yes, I love it.

[upbeat music] ♪ ♪ Ready?

Follow me this way.

Arby, come on.

Get used to this idea of keeping track, mentally.

- ASHLEY: All the moving parts, yeah.

Last year, my sister went on a mentored hunt.

And on the hunt, she was talking about how it completely changed the way she viewed hunting, and viewed hunters, and so, I really wanted to be a part of that.

I wanted to see what it was like.

- JOSH: We got the dog on point in front of us.

- ASHLEY: Okay.

- Keep moving.

- Right there?

- JOSH: Keep moving right there.

Now call him.

- ASHLEY: Oh, there's two right here.

- JOSH: Okay, now call for Arby.

- ASHLEY: So, they're gonna go that way, or at my face?

- JOSH: Maybe at your face, but I'm gonna get down.

Go ahead.

You're in charge, boss lady.

- All right.

- Say the magic words.

- ASHLEY: Arby!

[dog panting] [gun firing] Nice, hee hee!

That was awesome.

Tell him "dead bird."

- Dead bird, Arby.

[dog panting] Heel.

Sit.

Good boy.

Drop.

Good boy.

[upbeat music] - I work with Stewards of the Wild.

We've volunteered our time, provided our dogs, and helped this mission to get more adults into the uplands.

[upbeat music] - What a day!

[upbeat music] ♪ ♪ I'm excited, I'm nervous.

[upbeat music] - Nothing new out here than anything else we've done before, just more challenging.

Let's go get your bird.

So, we're gonna walk from here all the way along that cliff van behind us.

[upbeat music] - This is super humbling.

- I got birds above me, and I got one single peeled off below me that Ashley took a couple shots at that we might be able to run that thing down.

Over.

- I was just like, oh my gosh.

This hunt was so different because we were always on the move.

You have to be ready to move quick.

[upbeat music] - Do it again.

[gun firing] There's a lot of youth programs out there, and youth programs are critical, but there's not enough adult-focused programs like this.

Yoo-hoo!

These are adults that have families, Ashley has kids, and these are also adults who can immediately start to support conservation efforts.

And now, she's out there to support and grow the mission.

So, we recruited one more person.

- ASHLEY: And I feel so blessed and so grateful to be a part of this.

[upbeat music] [rhythmic music] - Hi, I'm Heidi Rao, hunter education specialist with Texas Parks and Wildlife.

Let's talk about the safe zones of fire while hunting.

When hunting in a group, each hunter has a safe zone of fire.

This is an area where you can safely take a shot.

If you shoot beyond your safe zone of fire, this could have dangerous or deadly results.

It's easy to find your safe zone of fire.

Start by focusing on an object ahead of you like a tree.

Hold your thumbs up and slowly bring them to the side of your body until your thumbs disappear out of vision.

This is about a 45-degree angle and the area where you can safely take a shot.

This is your safe zone of fire.

It's that easy.

If you are hunting with another person, be very careful to never cross into that person's safe zone of fire.

In fact, no matter how many hunters there are, even one hunter, you should never swing outside of your 45-degree safe zone of fire.

Another thing to think about is target fixation.

When a bird flushes, you can easily forget about your surroundings and your safe zone of fire.

If you're excited and only focusing on your target, you can quickly lose track of your safe shooting zone.

You can even lose sight of buildings and roadways.

This is very dangerous.

Bottom line, don't let target fixation override your sense of safety.

Firearm safety is your responsibility.

So, always be aware of your safe zone of fire, even when you're excited.

We always want to enjoy safe and memorable hunts.

[crickets chirp] [crickets chirp] [crickets chirp, water flowing] [crickets chirp, water flowing] [crickets chirp, water flowing] [crickets chirp, water flowing] [crickets chirp, water flowing] [crickets chirp, water flowing] [crickets chirp, water flowing] [crickets chirp, water flowing] [crickets chirp, water flowing] [crickets chirp, water flowing] [crickets chirp, water flowing] This series is supported in part by Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation -- conserving the wild things and wild places of Texas, thanks to members across the state.

Additional funding is provided by Toyota.

Your local Toyota dealers are proud to support outdoor recreation and conservation in Texas.

Toyota -- Let's Go Places.