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Hunting & Fishing at Aransas NWR Complex
hunters with deer and hog

The Refuge offers public hunting opportunities through annual Archery and Rifle Hunts for white-tailed deer and feral (wild) hog. Applications are available during the summer months online, by mail (call us at 361-286-3559 with your mailing address) or you can come by the Visitor Center to pick one up. Permits are issued on a first come, first served basis. Fees for the 2006 hunts were $60 for the Archery Hunt and $125 for the Rifle Hunt.

The 2006 Archery Hunt was held for nine consecutive days, September 30 - October 8, 2006. 33,520 acres were open to bow and arrow hunting. See the 2006 Hunting page for more information, including Archery Hunt results.

The 2006 Rifle Hunt offers 19,496 acres and is being held on weekends of November 4 & 5 and 18 & 19, and December 2 & 3 and 16 & 17, 2006. It consists of four 2-day (Saturday and Sunday) hunts. See the 2006 Hunting page for more information, 2005 Rifle Hunt results, and 2006 results so far.
The Refuge also hosts two youth hunts, one on the Tatton Unit and a second on Matagorda Island NWR. These rifle hunts are for white-tailed deer and feral hogs and both are held around the last week in December and the first week in January. The Tatton Hunt is coodinated with our partner, Texas Parks and Wildlife Law Enforcement Division. For the Tatton Hunt, contact the Refuge at 361-286-3559. For the Matagorda Island Hunt, contact the Refuge or our partner, the Texas Wildlife Association for more information on the TX Youth Hunting Program.
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Austwell, TX
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Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) administers public hunts for white-tailed deer, feral hogs, mourning dove and waterfowl on Matagorda Island. For more information about recreational opportunities at the north end of the island, call the TPWD Bay City Office at 979-244-6804 or 979-244-7697.
wade fishing in San Antonio Bay

Fishing Season is open from April 15 - October 15. Five shoreline access points to San Antonio Bay are made available to the public during daylight hours only. Wade fishing out from the shoreline is popular.

Bay and surf fishing are permitted year-round at Matagorda Island. For more information about recreational opportunities at the north end of the island, call the TPWD Bay City Office at 979-244-6804 or 979-244-7697. 
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