Texas Outdoors News
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department News Releases
Our mission is to manage and conserve the natural and cultural resources of Texas and to provide hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation opportunities for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
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03-13 | 2026 Abandoned Crab Trap Removal Program Removes 973 Derelict Traps from Texas' Bays
GULF COAST -- During this year's annual Abandoned Crab Trap Removal Program (ACTRP), participants from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's (TPWD) Coastal Fisheries Division, Texas Game Wardens, volunteers and partner organizations along the Texas Gulf Coast rallied together to search for and discard derelict traps from Texas' Bays.
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03-13 | J.B. Thomas, O.H. Ivie Serve Up Three Legacy Class Lunkers Including the Second Double Lunker Day of 2026
ATHENS - The final month of the 2026 Toyota ShareLunker program collection season is off to a roaring start with four Legacy Class entries submitted by anglers across the state. J.B. Thomas and O.H. Ivie in West Texas contributed two of those fish Sunday evening with the second double lunker...
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03-11 | Options Abound at Texas State Parks for Spring Break
AUSTIN -- For many Texans, spring break is around the corner, and those planning their travel routes and trips should take a gander at the happenings at the more than 89 Texas State Parks.
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03-10 | Toledo Bend Supplies its Second Legacy Class ShareLunker of 2026
ATHENS - Toledo Bend Reservoir in East Texas was front and center again with its second Legacy Class entry of the 2026 Toyota ShareLunker program collection season. The Toyota ShareLunker program is a cornerstone of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's (TPWD) efforts to grow bigger, better, bass.
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03-06 | Spring Break Coastal Safety Reminder from Texas Game Wardens
AUSTIN-- As spring break approaches and warmer weather draws visitors to the Texas coast, Texas Game Wardens encourage everyone planning recreational fishing, boating or beach activities to make safety a part of their plans.
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03-05 | Lake Tyler, Lake Fork Bump ShareLunker Collection Total to Double Digits
ATHENS - The 2026 Toyota ShareLunker program collection season reached double digits with 11 Legacy Class entries on Thursday and Saturday afternoon thanks to Lake Tyler and Lake Fork.
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03-05 | TPWD to Open Oyster Harvest Area in Matagorda Bay
AUSTIN - The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is opening TX-14 in Matagorda Bay to commercial and recreational oyster harvest beginning 12:01 a.m. Monday, March 9.
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03-05 | TPWD Abrirá un área de Cosecha de Ostras en la Bahía de Matagorda
AUSTIN - El Departamento de Parques y Vida Silvestre de Texas (TPWD) abrirá el área de TX-14 en Matagorda Bay a la cosecha comercial y recreativa de ostras a partir de las 12:01 a.m. del lunes 9 de marzo.
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02-27 | O.H. Ivie Lands its Second Legacy Class ShareLunker of 2026
ATHENS - O.H. Ivie is back on the board with its second Legacy Class ShareLunker of the 2026 Toyota ShareLunker program collection season Saturday evening. O.H. Ivie, the reigning lake champion for the most Legacy Class largemouth bass over the past six seasons, produced the first Legacy Class fish this...
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02-26 | Purtis Creek State Park Lake, Ellison Creek Reservoir Continue to Rewrite ShareLunker Record Books
ATHENS - Purtis Creek State Park Lake and Ellison Creek Reservoir (Lone Star Lake) combined for the first double lunker day of the 2026 Toyota ShareLunker collection season on Monday (Feb. 16). The day was made even more memorable with both Legacy Class fish setting new waterbody records while Ellison...
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02-26 | Funding Available for Grassland Restoration in High Plains, Rolling Plains of Texas
AUSTIN - Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), in partnership with Quail Forever, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is now accepting applications for the Panhandle Grassland Restoration Incentive Program (PGRIP).
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02-25 | Palo Pinto Mountains State Park Open for Visits Beginning March 1
STRAWN-- For the first time in more than 25 years, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is opening the gates to a state park in North Texas. Palo Pinto Mountains State Park, located between Abilene and the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, offers Texans 4,871 acres of former ranch land to...
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02-25 | Public Input Sought on Proposed Texas Hunting Regulation Changes for 2026-27
AUSTIN -- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is accepting public comment until March 26 for the following proposed changes to the 2026-27 Statewide Hunting and Migratory Game Bird proclamations:
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02-24 | "Go Early and Go Often" -- Fair Number of Gobblers, Jakes on the Landscape for the 2026 Spring Wild Turkey Season
AUSTIN --Hunters can expect to see an abundance of two and three-year-old gobblers for the 2026 spring turkey season. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) recorded good production through summer turkey surveys in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
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02-23 | Timely Rain is Key to the 2026 White Bass Run
AUSTIN - Angler success during the 2026 white bass run could boil down to spring rains across portions of the state, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) biologists predict. Some areas are seeing good water levels and flows, but timely rainfall will boost chances for anglers to reel in these...
