We Will Not Be Tamed ambassadors Josh Crumpton and Edgar Diaz have been friends for several years. Their friendship has deepened as Josh has taken Edgar under his wing and into the field…
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Josh Crumpton is a 7th generation Texan who owns and operates Spoke Hollow Outfitters and is the primary steward of Spoke Hollow Ranch in Wimberley. Josh is an avid angler and huntsman, with a passion for being in the outdoors, and he has a calling to share his knowledge and joy with others…
Amber Haynes has been hunting her entire life. Her dad started taking her out into the field with him when she was a toddler, and her love for the outdoors led to her launching her own apparel business…
Spending time outdoors with his daughter is second nature for We Will Not Be Tamed ambassador Dan Oko…
Spending time outdoors is Edgar Diaz’s creative muse. His company Sigh Line Provisions has a worldwide following, and his outdoor-inspired bracelets can be found in more than 95 retail outlets around the globe…
Alton Jones Jr. is hard-wired for his career as a professional bass angler. Growing up, Alton traveled the country with his dad, Alton Jones Sr., as his father competed in professional fishing tournaments…
Erika Thompson is the founder and owner of Texas Beeworks, and she’s also a Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation We Will Not Be Tamed ambassador…
Freelance writer and We Will Not be Tamed ambassador Dan Oko has visited state parks all over the state and has written about them for many different publications…
We Will Not Be Tamed Ambassador John Dunaway guest hosts this month’s podcast from a dove hunt that has become a cherished tradition for his family and friends.
Like everyone else, the Stewards of the Wild have had to pivot during these times of COVID. While crowded events for TPWF’s young professionals organization are off the calendar for now, Stewards chapters across the state are still going strong…
Capturing the beauty of Texas and the wonder of Texas wildlife is all in a day’s work for photographers Hector Astorga, Earl Nottingham and Jonathan Vail. Listen in!
We Will Not Be Tamed ambassador Tony Smith has built a business around his passion. The founder of Jarvis Boards in Austin gave up a successful professional career in finance to do what he loves…
We Will Not Be Tamed brand partner Roam Ranch is proud of its bison herd, which is 100% grass fed and pasture raised…
We Will Not Be Tamed ambassadors Katie Forrest and Taylor Collins are passionate about taking care of the land they steward in the Texas Hill Country.
Firestone & Robertson Distilling Company has been making waves in the whiskey world since they debuted their first blended whiskey in 2012…
When disaster strikes, private philanthropy often comes to the rescue. In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation created the Re-Build Texas Fund to help Texas communities recover from the devastating storm…
Western artist Teal Coke Blake’s love for the tradition of ranching and cowboying is unparalleled and shines through his work…
Conserving the wild things and wild places of Texas is one of the reasons Stephen McGee has signed on as a We Will Not Be Tamed ambassador with Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation…
Walking the talk is something We Will Not Be Tamed Ambassador Alvin Dedeaux tries to do every day. A couple of years ago, Alvin spent his birthday picking up trash on the Colorado River…
“It was intense, horrible, incredible, wonderful, humbling and brutal.” That’s how first-time Texas Water Safari finisher Pam Le Blanc described the 260-mile odyssey…
They don’t call the Texas Water Safari “the world’s toughest canoe race” for nothing! The annual event draws about 150 die-hard paddlers who test their mettle in a 260-mile canoe race from San Marcos to Seadrift.
Caprock Canyons State Park is home to the Texas State Bison Herd. Each year park staff do an annual check-up of the majestic animals to make sure they are healthy.
Inspiring Texans to conserve the wild things and wild places of our state is the goal of TPWF’s We Will Not be Tamed campaign. At a recent Texas Land Conservation Conference held in Austin…
Alvin and Lenée Dedeaux went fishing on one of their first dates… and they’ve been fishing together ever since…
Game Warden Rachel Kellner helped organize “Women Who Wander” that attracted more than 600 women to the banks of the Frio River…
Jesse Griffiths has been a trend-setter in the Austin restaurant scene for more than a decade…
Explore Ranches is a new Texas company connecting people to majestic ranches in the Lone Star State and beyond.
As chief marketing officer of Howler Brothers, an outdoor apparel brand based in Austin, Rick Wittenbraker’s love of the outdoors manifests itself every day…
Jordan Shipley’s career has taken him from the Friday night lights to the pre-dawn light of a South Texas deer blind…
We Will Not Be Tamed ambassador Leon McNeill has been connecting children to nature for more than 20 years. His program, called City Kids Adventures…
The family that plays together, stays together. Leon McNeill and his family exemplify that saying, and they are sharing their love of the outdoors
Chuck Naiser has been called the godfather of fly fishing guides on the Texas coast. His friend, David Sikes, has been the outdoor writer…
Diablo Paddlesports is a Texas born and bred company that operates out of a warehouse in Maxwell, Texas, near San Marcos…
Matt Morris, Xochitl Rodriguez and Jay Kleberg have spent a lot of time in the rugged beauty of the Franklin Mountains. The mountains have nurtured them and healed them…
Pro Tips
From teamwork learned on a football field in high school, college and then the NFL, to the life lessons learned in the field hunting, Stephen McGee applies those lessons to every aspect of his life. A self-described financial quarterback for the clients he advises, Stephen finds work/life balance by spending time outdoors with family and friends. Check out Stephen’s pro-tip on rifle shooting.
Listen in as Jorge Avalos shares everything you need to gear up for your next bike ride.
Jorge Avalos – Pro Tip: Bike Gear from TPWF on Vimeo.
Videos
Chuck Naiser’s passion for fishing, and for the coastal resources he loves, has evolved into a fierce determination to make a difference for the next generation that will enjoy these waters long after he is gone. In recent years, Chuck has formed Flatsworthy, an organization which encourages mutual respect among the many recreational users of the coastal flats of Texas. Flatsworthy recently completed a service project at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.
News Articles
If you ask JT Van Zandt what’s new in his life, his answer is simple. “Nothing, really,” he says with a laugh. “I just take people fishing. Then, on my days off, I go fishing. Family is priority. I have young children, so I have to balance it all. The same as everyone else out there, just trying to live my best life.” Read more…
John Dunaway remembers his very first dove hunt like it was yesterday.
“When I was 13, my dad took me to meet up with his friends in South Texas, who got together every year at a farm near Brownsville for the opening of dove season,” said John. “Everyone was just relaxing and enjoying being with each other. There were dogs, coolers, grills and it was just a big outdoors party. I will never forget that.”
John joined his dad as often as he could through the years as he went off to college and then built a career. He graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, and during the course of his early career, he sailed to dozens of different countries for months at a time, working his way up to captain. In 2017 he was selected to join the prestigious Houston Pilots, and now his workday is spent in the Houston Ship Channel, navigating huge ships through the tricky waters of the #1 port in America by volume of ships and tonnage.
Photo: John Dunaway
He spends as much of his downtime as he can outdoors, and whether ashore or afield, he documents the often neglected or poorly depicted lifestyles of hunting and shipping through his Abstract Conformity website and Instagram feed. Abstract Conformity is his approach to sharing stories with details that are often overlooked by the mainstream viewer, continuously adapting this voice as he learns and grows.
“While at sea, I tried to share a narrative about what was going on that most people don’t have a chance to experience. There are so many stories to tell. The same goes for time in the field, holding a gun or shooting an animal. The passion people have for it that ends in a heartbeat. The story is so much more than the moment.”
Photo: Jonathan Vail
Several years ago, he was dove hunting with friends and family at the same South Texas farm he first hunted as a boy. The small group hunted, threw their dinner on a grill, and enjoyed Paloma cocktails. A mariachi band serenaded them from a distance, and John had an epiphany.
“We decided right then and there to make it an annual tradition, mariachi band and all,” John recalled. “So, the next year there were like 12 guys. And then there were 25. And the last few years it’s been about 70. It’s about hunting and relaxing and camaraderie.”
Photo: Jonathan Vail
John does all the heavy lifting to make the event happen, and several brand partners have jumped on board to provide product and other extras to make the event shine. The annual get-together is called “Paloma Blanco,” and John makes no excuses for the technically incorrect grammar.
“My Spanish-speaking friend keeps wanting to correct it to Paloma Blanca, but it’s too late now. Everyone knows it as Paloma Blanco, and that’s what it will remain.”
Photo: Jonathan Vail
Being a We Will Not Be Tamed ambassador for Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation gives him a new platform to spread the word. We Will Not Be Tamed calls us to appreciate the wildness of Texas, the vastness of our Texas spirit and why we should be inspired to conserve it.
It’s an invitation-only event, but John is pleased to include a member from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation (TPWF) each year. That’s because he is a TPWF We Will Not Be Tamed ambassador and he appreciates what TPWF is doing for the wild things and wild places of Texas. We Will Not Be Tamed calls us to appreciate the wildness of Texas, the vastness of our Texas spirit and why we should be inspired to conserve it.
“Paloma Blanco exemplifies what I love the most about being outdoors. It’s a gathering of friends that are like-minded in the same pursuit of the outdoors. It’s work colleagues, industry friends, and hunting partners. All these people with different walks of life that wouldn’t necessarily cross paths, but they all share the same appreciation for the outdoors.”
Those crossed paths have resulted in philanthropy donations to benefit conservation. Several of John’s brand partners have made donations to TPWF, including Epic Western and Black Rifle Coffee Co. John has also donated a “golden ticket” to the event, which has benefitted TPWF for two years.
“My message to others is simple. This is what I do with my life, and how I choose to pursue my passion for the outdoors. There are so many different ways to embrace our natural world. This is my choice. But if you find something that resonates, you can carry that forward by getting involved and pass it on.”
Photo: Jonathan Vail
John is raising his family near Houston, where he has duck hunted for decades. As the years have passed, development pressure has paved over many of the wild places he used to enjoy.
“It’s painful for me to see what is happening. What will our kids have in the future? Where are we going to take them to see nature and wildlife amidst our concrete jungle? It has intensified my passion for pushing that message out there and conserving what we have. Because when it’s gone, it’s gone. People need to understand that if you don’t take care of it and it goes away, you are not going to it get back.”
Follow along with John on his adventures on Instagram @abstractconformity.
Find out how you can live the wild life.
We Will Not Be Tamed ambassador and fishing fanatic Jaz Robinson feels lucky to have visited Palo Pinto Mountains State Park before it is open. Read more…
“It means more fishing during the workweek,” she said. “I’m thankful for that time change because I can fish more than just on the weekends.” Read more…
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Emily Newsom and her nine siblings were practically raised outdoors. “We were what people now call free-range kids. We had chores and schoolwork, but when we had free time, we loved to run around and explore. Half the time my mom didn’t know exactly where we were, except that she could likely find us outside.”
Texas chef Jesse Griffiths is passionate about cooking wild game and sourcing local ingredients for Dai Due, his nationally renowned restaurant in Austin. He is also an enthusiastic advocate for hunting.
Fly fishing is not just a passion for Alvin Dedeaux. He is also fortunate to make his living at it. Considered to be one of Texas’ premier fly fishing guides, Alvin spends his winter and spring months chasing largemouth and Guadalupe bass on his home waters of the Colorado River.
El Paso native Xochitl Rodriguez is an artist deeply rooted in the Franklin Mountains desert landscape that she treasures. Her life is driven by family, philanthropy, and a relentless desire to show her daughter just how big and breathtaking the world can be.
Catherine and Cory Kruse love the outdoors and are raising their 7-year-old daughter Claire as a free-range kid. “We want her to fall in love with the outdoors the way she wants to fall in love with it, so we give her free rein to experience anything she is interested in,” said Catherine. Read more…
Clay Spencer grew up in Fort Worth and has been visiting his family’s ranch near Lampasas his entire life. “Literally almost since the day I was born,” said Clay. “It is such a special place. I grew up exploring the land, searching for arrowheads and making memories that I still treasure. You feel connected to the land and the people who have found solace there for thousands of years.” Read more…
Danielle Prewett and her husband live off the land, hunting and fishing for the protein that ends up on their dinner table. She is a passionate advocate for healthy whole foods and believes there’s nothing more wholesome than fish and game that you harvest yourself. Read more…
Though it can be a contentious topic for some, you won’t find Jaz Robinson complaining about daylight saving time.
“It means more fishing during the workweek,” she said. “I’m thankful for that time change because I can fish more than just on the weekends.” Read more…
Though it can be a contentious topic for some, you won’t find Jaz Robinson complaining about daylight saving time.
“It means more fishing during the workweek,” she said. “I’m thankful for that time change because I can fish more than just on the weekends.” Read more…
Wildlife cinematographer Austin Alvarado has a passion for the wild and rugged Big Bend region of Texas. He fell in love with the place while working a summer internship at Far Flung Outdoor Center while in college. Read more…
We Will Not Be Tamed ambassadors Josh Crumpton and Edgar Diaz have been friends for several years. Their friendship has deepened as Josh has taken Edgar under his wing and into the field…
Josh Crumpton is a seventh-generation Texan and calls himself the Chief Executive Outdoorsman of his company Spoke Hollow Outfitters in Wimberley, Texas. He is also the primary steward of Spoke Hollow Ranch, a 1,000-acre spread nestled within the city limits of the fast-growing Hill Country town he calls home. Read more…
Amber Haynes has been hunting her entire life. Her dad started taking her out into the field with him when she was a toddler, and her love for the outdoors led to her launching her own apparel business…
Amber Haynes has been going on hunting trips with her dad since she was a toddler. “I was really fortunate to grow up with a dad that really enjoyed bird hunting and shotgun shooting and took me with him just so he could spend time with me.” Read more…
Spending time outdoors with his daughter is second nature for We Will Not Be Tamed ambassador Dan Oko…
Edgar Diaz has always been called by the ocean and mountains, where he developed his love of fishing, mountain biking and snowboarding. Read more…
Alton Jones Jr. is hard-wired for his career as a professional bass angler. Growing up, Alton traveled the country with his dad, Alton Jones Sr., as his father competed in professional fishing tournaments…
Alton Jones Jr. is hard-wired for his career as a professional bass angler. Growing up, Alton traveled the country with his dad, Alton Jones Sr. as his father competed in professional fishing tournaments. Read more…
Dan Oko has lived all over the United States. He was born in California, raised in New York City, went to school in Michigan to study philosophy and creative writing, and began his reporting career in Seattle. Read more…
Erika Thompson is the founder and owner of Texas Beeworks. As a child, she was fascinated with insects and spent nights and weekends collecting every bug she could find. Read more…
Dan Oko has lived all over the United States. He was born in California, raised in New York City, went to school in Michigan to study philosophy and creative writing, and began his reporting career in Seattle. Read more…
Palo Pinto Mountains State Park Superintendent James Adams knows that he has a dream job. Not only is he watching over the development of Texas’ newest state park in North Texas near Strawn, he’s also raising his family close to home. Read more…
We Will Not Be Tamed Ambassador John Dunaway guest hosts this month’s podcast from a dove hunt that has become a cherished tradition for his family and friends.
Chisos, a young boot company headquartered in Austin, has made conservation a core principle since it launched in 2019. In addition to maintaining the culture and iconography of that most Texan of footwear—the cowboy boot—Chisos pursues sustainable practices while maintaining traditional, handcrafted production methods. Read more.
Wildway and Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation have joined forces to further their missions to conserve the wild things and wild places in the state, both now and for generations to come. Read more.
When I hear the sentence, “We Will Not Be Tamed,” one place immediately springs to mind: Devils River State Natural Area. Trust me, this is a mental picture that is earned. Devils River is the hardest park to reach in our state. Not only is it out in the middle of nowhere – the closest city of any size is 60 miles south in Del Rio – but getting to the park turn-off is only half the battle…
Owen Temple can be described in many ways. Musician. Family man. Land Steward. He’s been a singer-songwriter for 25 years, and is known throughout Texas, the Midwest, and the Eastern U.S. as a first-class songwriter and a compelling performer. He’s also the father of four, who lives with his wife and children in Austin. The family spends a lot of time outdoors, and they love to visit Texas State Parks…
Capturing the beauty of Texas and the wonder of Texas wildlife is all in a day’s work for photographers Hector Astorga, Earl Nottingham and Jonathan Vail. Listen in!
We Will Not Be Tamed ambassador Tony Smith has built a business around his passion. The founder of Jarvis Boards in Austin gave up a successful professional career in finance to do what he loves…
We Will Not Be Tamed brand partner Roam Ranch is proud of its bison herd, which is 100% grass fed and pasture raised…
We Will Not Be Tamed ambassadors Katie Forrest and Taylor Collins are passionate about taking care of the land they steward in the Texas Hill Country.
Firestone & Robertson Distilling Company has been making waves in the whiskey world since they debuted their first blended whiskey in 2012…
Caring for animals is second nature for Kim Smith. Whether it’s the hundreds of doggies that visit her pet resort, Pawderosa Ranch, each month or the cattle, free-range chickens and honeybees she raises on her ranch near San Antonio, Kim loves critters of all kinds…
