Big Thicket National Preserve

You can fish anywhere in the Preserve. You will need a current Texas State Fishing License and you must observe all State of Texas fishing regulations. Note: The first Saturday in June of each year is the annual "Free Fishing Day," and no person is required to have a fishing license or stamp while fishing on that day.

Specific units of the Preserve are open to hunting during the prescribed fall-winter hunting season for the State of Texas (93rd Congress, Public Law 93-439, Sec. 4. (c), October 11, 1974). Free permits, issued in person only, are provided during the month of July each year per public notification. The number of hunting permits for units open to hunting are limited.

A limited number of free hunting permits for the 2005-2006 fall hunting season will be issued as follows:

Units	Number of Permits Available by Unit	Dates	Locations
Big Sandy Creek Unit Beech Creek Unit	400 permits 150 permits	July 8, 2006	Woodville High School, Eagle Drive, Woodville
Beaumont Unit Jack Gore Baygall Unit Neches Bottom Unit	200 permits 400 permits 150 permits	July 15, 2006	Lumberton High School, 103 South LHS Drive, Lumberton
Lance Rosier Unit	900 permits	July 22, 2006	West Hardin High School, Highway 105, Saratoga

Further information is under the heading of “News.” For any additional information, please call (409) 951-6831, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday or by email at leta_parker@nps.gov.

Note: Beginning in 2007, Big Thicket will have an extended feral/exotic hog hunting season. This extended season will begin on January 15, 2007, and end on February 28, 2007. Hunters can request a permit for the extended season while registering for a hunting permit at one of the regularly scheduled registrations. The only legal species to hunt in Big Thicket during this extended season is the feral/exotic hog.

Fur trapping is permitted in the Preserve on specific units (93rd Congress, Public Law 93-439, Sec. 4. (c), October 11, 1974). Trapping is permitted during the months of December and January only. Twenty-one free permits are available during the month of October at the Preserve Visitor Center, 7.5 miles north of Kountze, Texas, at the intersection of Hwy 69 and FM420.

For further information on this subject, please call 409-951-6831 Monday through Friday.