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Pictures from Wildlife Management Areas

Tidal flats

Tidal flats and green grass at
Peach Point WMA.

Bighorn sheep

Bighorn sheep running across the grass at Elephant Mountain WMA.

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Wildlife Management Areas of Texas

The rural landscape of Texas offers a natural beauty and character unsurpassed. Texas boasts some of the most beautiful and abundant populations of plants and wildlife to be found anywhere.

Past generations of Texas families lived in or near rural, natural areas of the state, and understood the value and necessity of healthy natural systems. But today most Texans live near cities and towns, and many of us have lost our connection with the land.

The Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) of Texas offer a unique opportunity for the public to learn and experience the natural part of Texas and the systems that support life. WMAs are operated by the Wildlife Division of Texas Parks and Wildlife. Today, we have 51 Wildlife Management Areas, encompassing some 756,464 acres of land. WMAs are established to represent habitats and wildlife populations typical of each ecological region of Texas. Today, nearly every ecological region in the state is represented, with the exception of the Cross Timbers and Prairies in north-central Texas.

WMAs were established as sites to perform research on wildlife populations and habitat, conduct education on sound resource management, and to provide public hunting, hiking, camping, bird watching and a host of other outdoor recreational opportunities - all of which are compatible with the conservation of this valuable resource.

WMAs offer a chance to experience Texas's natural beauty - from the high, wide skies of the Panhandle in the north, to the southern tropical thorn forests of the Lower Rio Grande Valley - and from the spectacular western vistas of the Trans-Pecos, to the lush green mystery of the Pineywoods in East Texas.

Take a natural tour - visit a Wildlife Management Area! You must have a permit to visit a WMA. The only exceptions are driving tours and special educational events. Required permits.

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