Big Lake Bottom WMA

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Phone: (903) 480-1221
Address:
16149 N US HWY 287
Tennessee Colony, TX 75861

Contact: Chuck Taylor

Dates Open:

Open year round but closed for Drawn Hunts.

Registration is required.

Description

Big Lake Bottom Wildlife Management Area lies adjacent to the Trinity River and is located about 10 miles southwest of Palestine, Texas in Anderson County. Beginning in 1990, the WMA land was purchased in an effort to preserve a relict tract of quality bottomland hardwood habitat which is rapidly disappearing in the Post Oak Savannah Ecoregion of Texas. Texas has lost over half of its wetlands which include bottomland hardwoods and riparian corridors. Additional tracts of land were acquired from a sand and gravel company or purchased to mitigate habitat losses giving the WMA approximately 4,253 acres of land.

Until 2009, Big Lake and most of the shoreline were encompassed within the WMA's boundaries. Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) no longer owns the lake, but the WMA retains the name "Big Lake Bottom". The Texas Department of Corrections has constructed several prison facilities to the north and adjacent to the WMA. Other properties adjacent to the WMA are privately owned and hunted or leased to hunters.

Big Lake Bottom WMA lies almost completely within the Trinity River floodplain and has topography, soil types and vegetation characteristics of a flood plain with alluvial deposits produced by the gradual buildup of land from sediment deposition left by water. As a result of the flat terrain of the land, often times the WMA is covered in shallow, slow moving floodwaters, 5 to 60 days a year. The WMA is normally inaccessible several times a year for extended periods due to high water or wet soil conditions.

History

Historical human use of the land around and including the WMA was primarily for beef cattle production and commercial production of timber was a minor agricultural use. Within the past 50 years, much of the pine and hardwood timber in the area was logged; but some large stands of hardwood re-growth and isolated older trees remain. The previous owner of Big Lake Bottom did not harvest the timber but leased the property to hunters. White-tailed deer were the primary species hunted and to a lesser degree squirrel, hogs and waterfowl. In 1990 and 1996, eastern wild turkeys were unsuccessfully stocked on neighboring land; however subsequent translocations have been more successful with wild turkey seen intermittently on the WMA and surrounding properties in recent years. Limited alteration of the land on Big Lake Bottom WMA has preserved the high-quality bottomland hardwood habitat that is lacking in many areas of the state today.

Goals

Big Lake Bottom WMA was purchased to protect and enhance the bottomland hardwood habitats and the flora and fauna in the area through the development and management of habitat and populations of native wildlife species, and to protect the cultural and archeological resources there. The established management area will be used for hunting, fishing, non-consumptive recreational activities and to facilitate research investigations and demonstrations in a way that is compatible with the protection and management of the natural resources. In the future, TPWD will increase management practices such as moist soil management, mechanical brush control and regulated hunting, as well as provide a research site for trained wildlife biologists.

Flora/Fauna Natural Resources

Big Lake Bottom WMA lies within the Post Oak Savannah Ecoregion and is representative of a bottomland hardwood habitat type. Soils are poorly drained black Kaufman clay, a common soil type in areas that are unprotected from floodwaters often referred to as "black gumbo mud". Although 90% of the WMA is characterized as bottomland hardwood forest, the vegetative communities and total habitat qualities differ depending on specific locations within the management area. The primary vegetation type is Water/Willow Oak-Elm-Hackberry Forest. The dominant vegetative overstory is made up of Overcup oak, sugar hackberry, hickory, willow oak, water oak, cedar elm, water elm and green ash. Bur Oak, southern red oak, post oak, and woollybucket bumelia are common on the few upland terraces. The major understory species include eastern redbud, possum-haw holly, greenbrier, poison oak, rough leaf dogwood, grape and coralberry. The vegetative ground cover is dominated with sumpweed, poison oak, dewberry, rushes, sedges and flatsedges. Where grasses occur, they include panicums, paspalums and woodoats. Most of the forbs present are annuals and include giant ragweed, goldenrod, wild petunia and camphor weed.

Nutrition for wildlife is high during the fall months as a result of the abundant mast provided by the water and willow oaks. The abundance of acorns and the tract's low elevation also create excellent migratory waterfowl feeding areas for species like mallards and wood ducks during the fall and winter months. This area also has interspersed open areas that possess a great diversity and amount of ground vegetation. Game such as white-tailed deer, squirrels, feral hogs, rabbits, mallards and wood ducks are common on the WMA. Observant visitors may also see bobcats, skunks, coyotes, armadillos, painted buntings, indigo buntings, white-eyed vireos and pileated woodpeckers. Species such as the Wood Stork, Alligator Snapping Turtle and Timber Rattlesnake are all listed as occurring on the management area and are listed as state threatened.

Cultural Resources

No historical structures, pictographs, middens or cemeteries are known to exist on Big Lake Bottom WMA. The Antiquities Code of Texas (Title 9, Chapter 191 of the Texas Natural Resources Code of 1977) calls for the location and protection of all archeological sites to be owned by the State of Texas and any violation of the terms of the Antiquities Code is a criminal act punishable by a fine and/or jail term.

Research Activities

A critical function of the Big Lake Bottom WMA is to provide a site for research to be conducted on wildlife populations and habitat. Biologists hope to gain knowledge and understanding of management techniques to help make sound recommendations for land managers/owners in the area.

Recreational Opportunities

Hunters interested in waterfowl and small game need only possess an APH Permit and valid hunting license to gain access on designated days during the appropriate season. Deer hunters, both archery and gun, are randomly selected during the E-Postcard hunting permit drawing to avoid over harvesting of deer on the WMA.

Visitors may enjoy birding, hiking, photography or camping at the Big Lake Bottom WMA. There are no roads, so access is limited to foot traffic. ATVs are only allowed for hunters selected for the E-Postcard hunts. Visitors 17 years of age and older must possess either an Annual Public Hunting or Limited Public Use Permit to utilize the WMA. These permits are available at all license sale locations in Texas or by calling 1-800 TXLIC4U (895-4248). Permits are not for sale at the WMA.