Very cool. I really hope TPWD manages to get the property.

Thanks for posting. 'Hope it works out. I have yet to see Big Bend State Park, but it's on my bucket list. I've been to the Nat'l park a few times. I've applied for Black Gap hunts a couple of times (without success); 'bet they'll add this parcel to the draw system, if the purchase goes through.

Oh yay.Still my beating heart.What is TPWD gonna do,issue 1 antlerless permit for the area and have 10,000 guys apply for it as usual? The way TPWD runs some of it's WMA's is a f'king joke. Black Gap WMA is well over 100,000 acres and they dont allow a single rifle hunter onto the area.Is the deer herd on the area so fragile it cant survive a few deer being taken off the area each year?

They allow between 10 to 12 rifle hunters on Black gap for deer every year.

This is an area for big horn sheep too. Hopefully they will allow more of this hunting also.

Not this year.I checked and didn't see a single permit for rifle hunts.If they acquire the addition acreage it will be way over 100k acres and not a single rifle hunter allowed on the area.Oh they might throw us a bone(thanksTPWD) and allow a few bowhunters onto the area because they know dam well bow hunters don't have any impact on the deer population whatsoever.

You might want to look again. They are drawing 8 rifle tags with more possible standbys.

You apparently weren't checking the mule deer hunts, because they have 8 permits available that allows for a mule deer or whitetail.

Okay found it under the mule deer category. Wow,a whole 8 permits this year.And over 2500 applicants.Good luck on those odds. What if they draw 8 permits out of the hopper and there is only 1 name on each permit? Then only 8 guys will hunt the 100k+ plus property. Again,what a joke. If the news about adding more acres to the WMA was posted on a hiking forum it would be great news,for hikers.But this is a HUNTING forum,as in having some place to HUNT. It just seems like the people at TPWD making these decisions just flat out don't want hunters on these areas!
But they cave in a little and throw us a bone here and there to keep us quiet.

I had success at draws and a lot of misses. Over all I have had nothing but great experience with the TPWD draw hunts. My son was drawn on a Mule Deer hunt 20 yrs ago at Blackgap. We had a great time even though he did not kill a MD. There are a lot of draws for WT,MD, and many other species. All you have to do is apply. These are very budget friendly hunts that working people can participate in. They continue to grow more opportunities through the years. Good luck if you get drawn for Blackgap because it is rough country, but beautiful.

TPWD should increase the number of permits available on several of their WMA's by 6 fold,at least. That would give a whole lot more guys the opportunity to hunt that WMA. Would the so-called "quality" of the hunt be hurt? Maybe.Big deal.Is it the end of the world? At least more guys would get to hunt.With the current system a lot of guys will literally grow old and die while waiting to be drawn.Raise the fee to 300.00 if you are drawn. That would prove you are serious about wanting to hunt that WMA.Enforce strict antler restictions,for mulies and whitetails.One deer limit,period.Some WMAs are so over-managed its gotten ridiculous. Each year the number of permits are decreased but the number of applicants goes up.All the while TPWD is rolling in the dough and laughing all the way to the bank.I apologize for the rant but after watching TPWD's shenanigans for the last 42 years I'm fed up with the way they operate.

I think this is great. I hope to visit it sometime in the near future.

I'd much rather TPWD increase the size of Chaparral by 100X than buy some desert land in the middle of nowhere.

I don't get all giddy everytime TPWD makes an announcement they have acquired some new tract of land in south or west Texas because I know chances are I'll never be allowed to set foot on the place,at least not for hunting. It bugs me that we hunters have so little say-so in the way TPWD manages some of its WMA's.Nobody at TPWD is an elected official so its not like we can vote them out if we aren't happy with the way they do things.

Well me too, but 150,000 acres at 5,000 per acre is 750 million dollars. They'd have to charge 5,000 per super combo license to cover that. If it stays in private ownership I know I'll most likely never get to hunt there.

Totally agree. There needs to be some changes to the way they are doing things. Anyone can look up the TPWD's budget and where they get their money and what they spend it on (supposedly). It will make your blood boil though, just a warning. That is, if you are fed up with lease prices and have ever been to any other states with thousands or millions of acres of public hunting land.

I have been fortunate enough to meet many of them and some are considered academic and field experts that are constantly doing surveys to help improve the habitat. I cant even imagine why you would want to stain it with politics.

Oh somebody will get to hunt it, just won't be the common man...