Texas Youth Hunting Program

What Texas Youth Hunting Program does

Texas Youth Hunting Program (TYHP) is a nonprofit youth hunting program, jointly organized since 1996 by the Texas Wildlife Association (TWA) and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), and operated as an unincorporated program out of TWA's headquarters at 6644 FM 1102, New Braunfels, Texas. Its functional purpose is to recruit, train, and certify youth hunters (ages 9+) in Texas in response to declining youth participation in hunting. The program delivers supervised hunting experiences — over 200 hunts per season across archery, shotgun, rifle, and specialty "Adventure Hunt" formats (including Davis Mountains elk hunts) — with required Hunter Education certification, volunteer Huntmasters providing mentorship, and lodging/meals included. The core technology surface is a WordPress marketing site (tyhp.org), a self-serve application portal (hunts.tyhp.org), and a Square-powered merchandise store; the underlying "product" is a community-led, event-driven operation rather than software.

The business model is donation-funded via TWA combined with a now-mandatory TWA membership for each managing adult (2025-2026 season onward), effectively layering a membership-gate revenue stream on top of tax-deductible donations. Operations are community- and event-driven: youth apply through the website, are selected, and attend hunts hosted on private landowner properties coordinated by three regional Field Operations Coordinators (North, East, South & West Texas) and supported by 1,000+ trained volunteers. Customer segments include youth hunters (primary), managing adults/parents, and Texas private landowners, with TPWD and TWA serving as institutional partners rather than paying customers. Program scale has reached 55,000+ Texans served since founding, with a record 1,200+ youth participants in the 2024-2025 season from a 2,000+ applicant pool, and a target to exceed that mark in 2025-2026.

Name

Texas Youth Hunting Program

Legal name

Texas Youth Hunting Program

Website

https://texasyouthhunting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Texas Youth Hunting Program (TYHP) is a nonprofit program jointly operated since 1996 by the Texas Wildlife Association and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, providing mentored, affordable hunting experiences to Texas youth ages 9+ across 200+ hunts each season.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Hunting Education and Outdoor Recreation Programs

NAICS

Hunting and Trapping (114210)

SIC

Fishing, Hunting And Trapping (900)

akta.pro primary industry

Hunting & Fishing Lodges (Sporting Lodges) (THAGAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Animal Welfare & Advocacy Organizations (AFAEALAC)

Keywords

• Youth hunting education
• Mentored hunting programs
• Hunter education certification
• Wildlife conservation outreach
• Outdoor recreation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

New Braunfels

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Tax-deductible donations support the program to provide memorable outdoor experiences for youth. The program accepts donations through the Texas Wildlife Association.
2. Texas Wildlife Association Membership: Beginning with the 2025-2026 season, the managing adult of each approved youth hunter must provide proof of Texas Wildlife Association membership before attending the hunt. This creates a membership-based requirement for participation.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

TYHP organizes safe, educational, and affordable introductory youth hunts for Texas youth ages 9 and older across a variety of species (white-tailed deer, turkey, javelina, aoudad, feral hogs, exotics, and elk) through a network of trained volunteer Huntmasters and partner private landowners. The program supplies mentors, lodging, meals, and instruction, and supports core offerings with an online application platform, Hunter Education certification events, Adventure Hunts, Huntmaster volunteer training, the Texas Big Game Awards, and a Squarespace online store.

Product overview

The Texas Youth Hunting Program (TYHP) is a single, unified youth hunting program operated jointly by the Texas Wildlife Association and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department since 1996. The core offering is the youth hunt program itself, which enables youth hunters to apply for and participate in supervised hunting experiences through an online platform. Supporting modules include Adventure Hunts (extended specialized expeditions), Hunter Education Week (certification courses), Huntmaster Training (volunteer certification), the Marksmanship Practice Certificate (skill development tracking), and the Texas Big Game Awards (achievement recognition). The program also maintains an online store powered by Square. All offerings are designed to introduce youth to hunting, conservation, and outdoor skills in a structured, safe, and educational environment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Texas Youth Hunting Program (TYHP) Core Youth Hunts Organized, safe, educational, and very affordable introductory hunts for Texas youth ages 9 and older across species including white-tailed deer, turkey, javelina, aoudad, feral hogs, and exotics. Mentors, lodging, and meals are provided, and Hunter Education certification is required for participation.
• Youth Hunt Application Platform Online platform at hunts.tyhp.org where youth hunters (and their guardians) create accounts, register, and apply for specific TYHP hunts. Hunters can download complete hunt lists and seasonal calendar information.
• Adventure Hunts Extended, more challenging hunting expeditions for youth, including free-range elk hunting in the Davis Mountains via The Nature Conservancy partnership. Offers longer-duration hunts with specialized instruction.
• Hunter Education Week Annual event hosted at TWA headquarters (7-acre site) offering both Classroom Course and Internet + Field Course Hunter Education certification options for youth ages 9 and above, including interactive skills trails.
• Huntmaster Training Certification program for volunteers to become TYHP Huntmasters, including instruction on safety briefings, range operations, guiding, and landowner coordination.
• Texas Big Game Awards Recognition program for youth hunters who harvest large game animals during TYHP hunts, with an entry form for submissions.
• TYHP Online Store E-commerce platform (powered by Square) selling TYHP-branded merchandise and program-related items.

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• The Nature Conservancy - Davis Mountains PreserveminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022TNC provided access to their Davis Mountains Preserve for TYHP Adventure Hunts offering free-range elk hunting. The hunt materialized at TWA's annual Wildlife Convention in 2022 with site visit leading to rapid planning.
• Texas Wildlife Association (TWA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1996TWA and TPWD organized TYHP in 1996 in response to declining youth hunters. TWA provides organizational support, staff, headquarters, and serves as the managing organization. TYHP operates as a program under TWA. The managing adult of each approved youth hunter must provide proof of TWA membership (from 2025-2026 season onward).
• Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1996TPWD is a co-organizer of TYHP since 1996. They set Hunter Education requirements that TYHP enforces. TYHP directs hunters to TPWD for Hunter Ed certification classes. TPWD also operates public hunting opportunities including draw hunts that complement TYHP.
• Texas 4-H Shooting SportsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTYHP references Texas 4-H Shooting Sports Programs as a resource for youth to build year-round shooting skills including rifle, archery, and shotgun. 4-H is recommended as a complementary program for practice between hunts.
• Operation OrphansminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTYHP volunteers support Operation Orphans, a program that provides hunting weekends for children in the orphanage system. TYHP guides assist youth hunters during these special events.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Quality Deer Management Association: A nonprofit focused on deer herd management and hunter education. QDMA's landowner-cooperative approach and youth outreach share TYHP's private-landowner-dependency structure, with somewhat narrower species focus.

Broad incumbents

• Ducks Unlimited: Large U.S. nonprofit dedicated to wetlands conservation and waterfowl hunting. DU operates youth education and hunter-recruitment programs and parallels TYHP's blend of conservation mission with hands-on hunting exposure for new participants.
• Pheasants Forever: Upland game bird conservation nonprofit with youth wings such as "Pheasants Forever / Quail Forever" youth events. Operates a chapter network and landowner partnerships analogous to TYHP's volunteer- and landowner-driven delivery model.
• Safari Club International: An international hunting-conservation organization that runs youth education programs and supports state-affiliate youth hunt initiatives. Operates at a broader global scope than TYHP but addresses the same recruitment pipeline.
• National Wild Turkey Federation: A national nonprofit conservation organization focused on wild turkey habitat and hunting heritage. NWTF runs youth engagement programs (e.g., JAKES) similar in structure to TYHP and shares the hunting-recruitment mission, making it a relevant broader-incumbent peer.
• Boone and Crockett Club: A historic North American conservation and fair-chase hunting organization that maintains wildlife records (Texas Big Game Awards parallels B&C's scoring system). Shares TYHP's conservation-plus-hunting-heritage ethos and recognition-program format.
• Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation: A conservation nonprofit focused on elk and elk habitat, with a heritage program that introduces youth and new participants to elk hunting — directly comparable to TYHP's Davis Mountains Adventure Hunt model.
• Whitetails Unlimited: A national deer-conservation nonprofit that funds habitat work and runs youth events similar to TYHP. Comparability is high because whitetail deer are TYHP's primary species and TU's membership/event model is structurally aligned.
• National Shooting Sports Foundation: The trade association for the firearms and shooting-sports industry. NSSF runs national R3 (Recruitment, Reactivation, Retention) initiatives — exactly the framework TYHP operates under — making it a strategic peer in the hunting-heritage mission space.

Others

• Mossy Oak Gamekeeper Kennel & BioLogic (Gamekeeper): A conservation and land-management content/community brand supporting private landowners and hunter education. While not a nonprofit or direct peer, Gamekeeper reinforces the same private-landowner / wildlife-conservation narrative TYHP depends on for volunteer and host-property recruitment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/texas-youth-hunting-program

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Texas Youth Hunting Program