Free hunting permits for Big Thicket National Preserve will be available September 1/NPS

This season’s free hunting permits for Big Thicket National Preserve in Texas will be available beginning September 1.

You can get your permit at the preserve visitor center, open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The visitor center is located 8 miles north of Kountze, Texas, at the intersection of US 69/287 and FM 420 at 6102 FM 420.

Big Thicket hunting permits allow hunters to take white-tailed deer, squirrel, rabbit, feral hog, and waterfowl, except for those in the Lake Bayou Hunting Unit, which is a waterfowl-only area. The preserve observes the state of Texas hunting seasons from October 2, 2021, until January 16, 2022.  

Additional feral hogs may be taken during the extended hog-only season, which runs from January 1, 2022, until February 27, 2022. Waterfowl hunting at Lake Bayou will also remain open until February 27, 2022.

• Everyone who hunts in Big Thicket National Preserve must have a Big Thicket hunting permit.
• You must show your current Texas Hunting License to obtain a Big Thicket hunting permit.
• All hunters must apply in-person and may hunt in only one unit. Parents or guardians are no longer be able to get permits for their children. All hunters must be present to get a permit.
• The deadline for returning hunter harvest cards after the 2021/2022 season will be April 1, 2022.

The number of permits issued for each hunting unit varies based on the size of the unit and wildlife management goals for that unit. The following numbers of permits, by hunting unit, are available: Beaumont Unit–200; Beech Creek Unit–150; Big Sandy Creek Unit–400; Jack Gore Baygall Unit–400; Lance Rosier Unit–900; Neches Bottom Unit–150; Lake Bayou Unit–50.