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TPWD News Releases

Feb. 27, 2026

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 year. The Toyota ShareLunker program is a cornerstone of Texas Parks and Wildlife’s (TPWD) efforts to grow bigger, better bass.

Feb. 26, 2026

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 Creek produced its first ever Legacy Class fish to become the 81st public waterbody in Texas to etch its name on the elite list.

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).

Feb. 25, 2026

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 hike, bike, fish and explore.

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:

Feb. 24, 2026

“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.

Feb. 23, 2026

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 prized fish.

Feb. 20, 2026

National Invasive Species Awareness Week is Feb. 23-27; TPWD Urges Texans to Help Prevent Harmful, Non-Native Plants and Wildlife

AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) urges Texans to take steps to help prevent the introduction and spread of harmful non-native, invasive species that negatively impact the state’s natural resources and economy.  National Invasive Species Awareness Week, slated for Feb. 23 – 27, is an initiative to raise awareness of the threats of invasive species and provide solutions on how to prevent their spread.

Hords Creek Vaults Onto ShareLunker Stage, J.B. Thomas Returns to the Spotlight

ATHENS – Hords Creek Reservoir just west of Coleman became the 80th waterbody in Texas to produce a Legacy Class ShareLunker entry on Wednesday (Feb. 11), followed by J.B. Thomas with its first Legacy Class Bass of the 2026 collection season on Thursday night (Feb. 12). The Toyota ShareLunker program is a cornerstone of Texas Parks and Wildlife’s (TPWD) efforts to grow bigger, better bass.

Feb. 17, 2026

Wildlife Health Alert: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Detections Continue in Portions of North Texas

AUSTIN —Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) urges caution as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) continues to circulate among wild birds in Amarillo and Lubbock.