TPWD buys 2,850 acres near Abilene

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said on Aug. 5 that it had acquired 2,850 acres in Stephens County for a new wildlife management area, adding public land in a part of North Texas with relatively little public hunting access. The property, acquired on Aug. 3, will become the Robbie Davis Wildlife Management Area, according to the agency. The tract sits in the western Cross Timbers ecoregion and will be operated by TPWD’s Wildlife Division as part of the Cross Timbers and Prairies Ecosystem Management Project. The acquisition closes a process that TPWD had taken to its commission in March, when staff asked for authority to buy about 2,850 acres from a willing seller for a new wildlife management area. At that time, agency staff said the land would expand the wildlife management area footprint in northwest Texas, protect habitat and create new public recreational opportunities, including hunting. (tpwd.texas.gov) ### Where is the new tract, exactly? Stephens County is the site of the new property, and TPWD’s March agenda materials placed it about 10 miles northeast of Breckenridge. San Angelo is not the governing reference point in the agency documents; the state materials describe the acquisition as a Stephens County tract in the northwest region of Texas. (tpwd.texas.gov) The western Cross Timbers ecoregion is the habitat setting TPWD highlighted in its Aug. 5 release. The department said the property includes post oak and live oak forests, several ponds, seasonal wet-weather drainages, and rocky sandstone hillsides and bluffs. ### Why did TPWD want this particular ranch? TPWD said the land offers “good examples of western Cross Timbers habitat” and said the purchase would ensure long-term conservation of the habitat and wildlife on the property. (tpwd.texas.gov) The agency also tied the acquisition directly to public access, saying hunting land is especially valuable in a state dominated by private ownership. (tpwd.texas.gov) March commission records show the same rationale in more administrative terms. Staff told commissioners the tract was suitable for a new wildlife management area and said the purchase would improve public recreational opportunities while conserving fish and wildlife habitat. ### Who is Robbie Davis, and how did the land reach the state? (tpwd.texas.gov) Robbie Davis was the Stephens County ranch owner whose family ranch is being turned into the new wildlife management area, TPWD said. The agency said Davis left the 2,850-acre ranch to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation when she died, with the hope that it would benefit Texans. (tpwd.texas.gov) The Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation received the property in 2015 and then worked with TPWD and the Natural Resources Conservation Service on stewardship, habitat restoration and management activities, according to the release. Anne Brown, the foundation’s executive director, said Davis had entrusted the ranch to the foundation “with the hope it would one day benefit all Texans.” (tpwd.texas.gov) ### What will the public be able to do there? The new wildlife management area will be used as a public hunting site, TPWD said. The agency said it expects to offer walk-in dove hunting and drawn hunts for deer, turkey and possibly waterfowl. Alan Cain, director of TPWD’s Wildlife Division, said the new area would increase public hunting opportunities and support Texas hunting heritage. (tpwd.texas.gov) More broadly, TPWD says wildlife management areas serve as places for habitat research, education, demonstrations of land-management techniques and compatible public uses such as hiking, bird watching and camping, though access varies by site and conditions. ### How big is this addition in the state system? Texas has 50 wildlife management areas covering about 748,768 acres, according to TPWD’s statewide WMA page. The Stephens County tract adds a new unit to that system rather than expanding an existing named area. The new property will also include the Dan Craine Unit, named for former Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation board member Dan Craine. (tpwd.texas.gov) TPWD said the naming was supported by a gift from the Cross Timbers Quail Coalition and contributions from Craine’s friends. ### What happens next? Aug. 5 is the date TPWD publicly announced the acquisition, but the operational work now shifts to the agency’s Wildlife Division and its Cross Timbers and Prairies Ecosystem Management Project. (tpwd.texas.gov) TPWD has not yet posted a public page for the Robbie Davis Wildlife Management Area in its WMA finder, where the department typically lists access details and conditions for individual areas. (tpwd.texas.gov)