The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department added nearly 3,000 acres of land in Stephens County for a new wildlife management area.
Wildlife officials said the new area would allow access to hunting land in an area of the state where limited public hunting land currently exists. The WMA will have opportunities for walk-in quail hunting and drawn hunts for deer, turkey, and possibly waterfowl, said TPWD.
What they're saying:
"The new Robbie Davis WMA will go a long way to increase public hunting opportunities and support our hunting heritage that is part and parcel to Texas," said Alan Cain, TPWD Wildlife Division Director. "Hunting has and always will be critical to the conservation of our native lands and wildlife."
Robbie Davis was a ranch owner in Stephens County. When she died, she left the property to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation in the hopes it would benefit Texans.
"Robbie Davis entrusted her family’s ranch to Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation with the hope it would one day benefit all Texans," said TPWF Executive Director Anne Brown. "It’s incredibly rewarding to see that vision fulfilled through this partnership with TPWD and the generosity of so many supporters."
The foundation has owned the property since 2015 and has been working on habitat restoration and land management to prepare the land and ranch.
The WMA will also include a unit named after former TPWF board member Dan Craine. The agency said long-term plans for the area include improvements to benefit bobwhite quail and other grassland species.
"A lifelong conservation advocate and avid quail hunter, Dan has been a passionate supporter of wildlife habitat conservation across Texas," said Brown. "This tribute recognizes his decades of leadership and ensures his conservation legacy will be permanently associated with a place dedicated to the wildlife and landscapes he has worked so hard to protect."
The Source: Information in this article comes from the Texas Park and Wildlife Department.