Texas Deer — Big Lake Bottom WMA
Big Lake Bottom WMA
Texas Big Lake Bottom WMA covers 4,249 acres and lies 52 miles south-west of Tyler and 79 miles north-east of Bryan. 100% of it is public land, mostly state land (100%). In 2025, 72 people hunted white-tailed deer here and took 23 — 32% of them killed something. The 2025 draw put up 45 tags here.
Your chance of drawing here
Every deer license type on offer in Big Lake Bottom WMA, with the prior-draw chance for a first-choice nonresident applicant. Type your points in to see your own number.
Chances are from the 2025 draw (the most recent) for a first-choice nonresident. "Points needed" = the cut in the last draw.
Simple view Odds at every point level-
4% Point builder
-
2% Point builder
-
5% Point builder
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | Points needed | Tags / applicants | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EAD-BL ↗ E-Postcard Archery Deer - Big Lake Bottom WMA Archery | 4% Point builder | — | 45 / — | Oct 2 – Nov 15, 2026 |
| EDR-BL ↗ E-Postcard Deer - Big Lake Bottom WMA Rifle | 2% Point builder | — | 24 / — | Nov 20–29, 2026 |
| EYD-BL ↗ E-Postcard Youth Deer - Big Lake Bottom WMA Rifle | 5% Point builder | — | 12 / — | Oct 31 – Nov 1, 2026 |
What these columns mean
- Your odds —
- the share of applicants at your point level who drew this tag in the 2025 draw. Not a forecast: quotas and demand move every year.
- The badge —
- plain language for that number. Likely draw 75% or better · Real chance 40%+ · Long shot 15%+ · Point builder below that, so you are applying mainly to bank a point · Undersubscribed means fewer first-choice applicants than tags, so everyone who applied drew.
- Points needed —
- the lowest point total that still got a tag in the 2025 draw, and how that cut has moved since the earliest draw we hold.
- Tags / applicants —
- tags on offer and first-choice applicants for them, as the agency published them. Under five tags we print counts instead of a percentage, because one applicant either way swings it.
What it costs to apply (2026 nonresident fees)
| License | Up front | Gone if you miss | If you draw |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per application | $3 | $3 | $318 |
Application deadlines: Sep 15, 2026 for EDR, EYD · Sep 1, 2027 (expected) for EAD. Full fee breakdown.
The country
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only — the written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Who owns the ground
- State land 4,249 ac · 100%
Source: PAD-US 4.0 State Downloads - Texas file geodatabase (PADUS4_0Fee_State_TX)
How the hunting has gone
What Texas Parks & Wildlife Department publishes for this area after each season — harvest statistics for everyone who hunted it, not draw odds and not a forecast. Texas Parks & Wildlife Department publishes these per hunt rather than per unit; the rows below add its own figures together, since a hunter holds one tag for the species in a season.
| Season | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 72 | 23 | 32% |
| 2024 | 72 | 27 | 38% |
| 2023 | 135 | 32 | 24% |
| 2022 | 166 | 30 | 18% |
| 2021 | 154 | 24 | 16% |
| 2020 | 173 | 16 | 9% |
| 2019 | 129 | 15 | 12% |
| 2018 | 64 | 3 | 5% |
| 2017 | 58 | 4 | 7% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Archery 11 · 100% · 47 hunters, 23% success
What the agency says about the area
TPWD hunt area type: Wildlife Management Area Unit; 4,500 acres published as available for TPWD drawn hunts
Source: TPWD Public Hunt Drawing System - All Hunt Category Details (2026-27 season catalog)
Boundary: WMA Boundaries for Public Distribution (TPWD hosted feature layer)
Harvest: TPWD Hunts Harvest Summary, 2025-26 season
Harvest: TPWD Hunts Harvest Summary, 2024-25 season