Big Lake Bottom WMA
Phone: (903) 389-7080
Address:
1670 FM 488
Streetman, TX 75859
Contact:
Corey Mason
Dates Open:
Open year round except closed for Special Permit Hunts.
Entire area closed: October 7-11, 23-27, and October 30 - December 15, 2006.
Description
The Big Lake Bottom WMA is owned and operated by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). The 2,870-acre management area lies adjacent to the Trinity River and is located about 10 miles southwest of Palestine in Anderson County. It was purchased by TPWD to preserve the rapidly disappearing Post Oak Savannah's bottomland hardwood habitat. Currently 2,870 acres of the area are accessible and open for public use. The management area is not totally contiguous, but fragmented by private tracts of land. It is accessible from county roads at two locations.
The topography, soil types, and vegetation of the area are representative of the Post Oak Savannah river bottoms. Soils are of poorly drained clays, common on flood plains that are unprotected from flooding. Since the terrain is flat and lies within the river's flood plain, the area is often covered by shallow slow moving floodwaters. The area is normally inaccessible several times a year for extended periods due to high water or wet soil conditions. Over 90 percent of the management area is bottomland habitat of mature hardwood timber. A systematic inventory of the management area's plant community has cataloged over 450 plant species.
Principal wildlife species found on Big Lake Bottom WMA include white-tailed deer, feral hog, ducks, mourning dove, fox squirrel, gray squirrel, bobcat, raccoon, skunk, armadillo, coyote, gray fox, and many species of reptiles and migratory birds.
- Public use of the area is allowed during daylight hours only.
- Caution should be taken since area is often muddy or under water.
- Entry is restricted to designated entry points only.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, TX 78744