Freshwater fish include black bass (smallmouth, largemouth,
Guadalupe & spotted bass), bluegill, crappie, sunfish, white and sand
bass, striped bass and catfish, including channel, blue and flathead yellow
catfish.
Along the Gulf Coast some 250 different species await your
hook. The most popular are redfish, speckled trout, Spanish and King mackerel,
wahoo, bonito, tuna, sailfish, marlin, pompano, flounder, grouper, jewfish,
red snapper, drum and sheepshead.
Game birds include a big variety of migratory waterfowl that
winter in Texas, plus wild turkeys, blue and bobwhite quail, mourning,
white-tipped and white-winged doves, pheasants, prairie chickens, chachalacas
and sandhill cranes.
The most sought after Texas game animal is the white-tailed
deer, found pretty much all over Texas, but is most heavily seen in the
Central Texas Hill Country. Mule deer and pronghorns are found in West Texas
and the Panhandle. Other huntable animals include feral hogs, squirrels and
javelinas.
Hunting in Texas can be very successful, though it requires
some special arrangements for non-residents. Texas has three large areas of
public lands, in the form of National Forests, in the eastern part of Texas
that is freely accessible for hunting.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department offers a variety of public
hunting on more than one million acres of land under its control in which
hunters may participate through the purchase of an annual permit, a daily
permit, or selection in a drawing.
Public hunting information is available from the Parks &
Wildlife Department. You can call toll-free in Texas 800.792.1112 or
512.389.4505 for non-residents.
