Photos Courtesy of Texas Brigades
Learning to measure antlers is but one aspect of cadets attending the North and South Texas Buckskin Brigades camps.
Hurrah For Texas Brigades By Judy Jurek
D
r. Dale Rollins, a retired Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service wildlife specialist, created the Texas Brigades with a single purpose: to educate youth about bobwhite quail. After 28 years and still working with the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch, his zeal for this fine gamebird and all wildlife has not diminished one iota. “I’ve often said my Brigades odyssey mirrored Forrest Gump, when he got the urge to run across America,” Dr. Rollins said. “I had no idea back in 1994 (the same year “Forrest Gump” debuted) that our inaugural camp and effort at Krooked River Lodge would become so popular. I just felt like running! Along the way, we attracted lots of other passionate volunteers who wanted to expand this successful program.” It didn’t take long for his original Bobwhite Brigade to grow into an educational series covering six focal areas and become known as the Texas Brigades. As 2021 ended, a remarkable 4,000 students have graduated from the Texas Brigade camps and programs. Today, their summer camps encompass conservation and stewardship topics on quail, white-tailed deer, black bass, waterfowl, ranching, and coastal species such as redfish.
www.TTHA www. TTHA.com .com
This logo has become a familiar sight around much of the Lone Star state. Started in 1993, the Texas Brigades is still going strong.
What are the Brigade camps about? The purpose of the intense five-day camps is to instill leadership skills and knowl-
The Journal of the Texas Trophy Hunters — THE VOICE OF TEXAS HUNTING®
January/February 2022 |
57
