Lifetime License Winner Happy His Luck Hadn’t Run Out

Steve Lightfoot, 512-389-4701, steve.lightfoot@tpwd.texas.gov

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AUSTIN – Daniel Hidalgo won $1,000 in Las Vegas many years ago and hadn’t won anything since.

So when he went to his local Big 5 Sporting Goods store in Midland to buy a fishing license and saw a display advertising Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Lifetime License Drawing, the last thing he thought was that his single entry would win.

But he didn’t leave Lady Luck behind in Vegas as he had thought. Hidalgo’s was the winning entry in the June 30 drawing.

“I was thrilled when they called me and told me I won,” he said. “Luck was with me.”

Hidalgo won a lifetime super combo hunting and fishing license and will be able to hunt and fish in Texas for the rest of his life without having to purchase another Texas state hunting and fishing license.

Hidalgo said he, his brother and nephews usually get to fish and hunt about once a year. However, with the money he’ll save with the lifetime license, he said it is “very likely” he’ll take his family outdoors more often.

Another lucky Texan hunter or angler will win a lifetime license in another drawing on December 30. Entries for the December drawing go on sale on Aug. 15 and must be purchased by Dec. 27 to be eligible for the drawing.

Entries to win the lifetime super combo license – a $1,800 value – are only $5.

Participants can purchase entries anywhere Texas hunting and fishing licenses are sold or online at tpwd.texas.gov/buy/. They can also buy an entry over the phone by calling 1 (800) TX LIC 4 U (895-4248).

Entries received for the Dec. 30 drawing that do not win will be automatically entered for a second drawing that will be held on June 30. The deadline for entering the second drawing will be June 27.

There were more than 11,500 entries in the two drawings last year, raising more than $56,000 for on-the-ground conservation projects. The proceeds from the drawing fund TPWD projects such as fish stocking, wildlife management, habitat restoration and land conservation.

Only Texas residents are eligible to win the Lifetime License. Participants may purchase as many entries as they like, and the winner may also give the license as a gift to a friend or family member who is also a Texas resident. For more information on rules and to find a local retailer where you can purchase an entry, visit tpwd.texas.gov/lifetime.