Enter August drawing for waterfowl hunting location at BRA reservoirs

The Brazos River Authority has set the 2021 dates for its annual drawings for designated waterfowl hunting blind locations on its three reservoirs.

The lottery-style drawings return to in-person events after the drawings in 2020 had to be held online due to restrictions put in place due to COVID-19.

BRA employees will host the drawings at each of its three lakes: Possum Kingdom Lake, in Palo Pinto County, Lake Granbury, an hour southwest of Dallas-Fort Worth in Hood County; and Lake Limestone, located on the upper Navasota River.

Hunting on BRA reservoirs is only permitted during duck season and only at the designated blind locations.

Participants must be at the Lake Office during the drawing to enter and win a spot.

Hunters must be at least 18 years old, have a valid 2021-2022 Texas hunting license, and the license must have the Texas Duck Stamp Endorsement and the current federal Waterfowl Stamp. One entry is allowed per person. The $200 permit fee is due at the time of the drawing for those selected.

The total number of blind locations won’t be known until closer to the draw date. Prior to the drawing, each location is reviewed to ensure it’s still accessible by water and no new houses or structures have been built nearby. Since each lake is a water supply reservoir, the lake level could drop after an extended period without rain, or, rise significantly during floods.

Lake Granbury has up to 15 spots a year. There are up to 29 available sites at Lake Limestone and up to 33 locations at Possum Kingdom Lake.

Davy Moore, Lake Limestone reservoir manager, said when participants arrive, they put their name on a piece of paper, and all the pieces of paper are then dropped in a hat for the drawing.

The first name drawn gets the first pick of the blind location, he said. They’ll continue drawing names until every spot has been assigned.

“We’ve got a good system where one lake ranger will sit there with Google Earth open to show the participant each hunting location, so they can zoom in and pick the one they want, while someone else is drawing names, and another person is helping everyone fill out paperwork and take money,” he said.

Moore said the drawings are usually complete by 10:30 a.m.

Hunters are responsible for providing their own blind. Four hunters may share a designated blind area. If fewer entries are received than the number of available sites, the remaining sites will be available on a first come/first serve basis.

The 2021 drawing dates are:

• Possum Kingdom Lake:
  8:30 a.m. Aug. 27, 2021 at the Possum Kingdom Lake Office, 301 Observation Point Road in Graford. Checks or credit cards accepted.
• Lake Limestone:
  8:30 a.m. Aug. 27, 2021 at the Lake Limestone Office, 20226 Sterling Robertson Dam Road in Thornton. Check or money order accepted.
• Lake Granbury:
  8:30 a.m. Aug. 27, 2021 at the Lake Granbury Office, 4552 Mambrino Highway in Granbury. Check or money order accepted.

To learn more about Texas hunting laws, including information about hunting licenses and seasons, go here.

For additional questions, email information@brazos.org.