White-tailed Deer

Lore & Background

Brazos Bend State Park opened in 1984 and is run by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The park occupies land bordering the Brazos River and includes low-lying areas left over from the river's previous meanderings. Pre-Columbian inhabitants included a series of Native American groups, most notably the Karankawa. The land passed through a variety of landowners' hands, resulting in some existing structures on the park grounds, including a brick cistern. The park's current nature center is built into a structure previously utilized as a hunting cabin. Over the years, improvements were made to the various water bodies in the park for both recreational and flood management purposes. A low-elevation levied walkway surrounds the perimeter of some of the larger water bodies, such as Elm Lake and 40 Acre Lake. While significant modifications were made to the land within the park in the past, the current management strategy is to allow, in balance with the recreational elements of the park's mission, the maintenance of a natural landscape. In 1984 the park was officially opened to the public, its lands having been donated to the state several years previously. In 2009, the park celebrated its 25th anniversary with a variety of special events and recognitions. Today the park is operated by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, which manages state parks across Texas and oversees conservation, recreation, and public access programs within protected lands.

In Their Own Story

The white-tailed deer is one of the mammals found in Brazos Bend State Park, alongside the Mexican long-nosed armadillo, common raccoon, and nutria. The park is a haven for a diverse mix of native wildlife and plants covering an equally diverse range of ecosystems, including areas of coastal prairie, bottomland forest, and a wide range of wetlands including open and semi-open lakes and transitional marshlands. The park is open year-round, with the exception of several weekends a year during which it is closed for controlled hunts to manage the white-tailed deer population. The park offers numerous Scouting programs, an orienteering course, and is a popular spot for geocaching. Popular activities include hiking, fishing, and wildlife viewing. Bird watching in Brazos Bend is a popular activity, especially during the migratory seasons, and the park hosts annual events such as A Simple Christmas celebration, Prairie Heritage Days, and the July 4th Bike Parade.

Reader's Guide

White-tailed deer are found in Brazos Bend State Park, a 4,897-acre state park along the Brazos River in unincorporated Fort Bend County, Texas. The park is run by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and opened in 1984. The park is open year-round, except for several weekends a year when it is closed for controlled hunts to manage the white-tailed deer population. The park contains recreational day-use areas including a dining hall, campground, and picnic areas, but its primary character is a natural park. Its recreational opportunities revolve around enjoyment of its diverse ecosystems and species. The park also hosts educational programs put on by Texas Parks and Wildlife staff and the Brazos Bend State Park Volunteer Organization, including bird and photography hikes, alligator and snake education programs, and guided hikes of Creekfield Lake. The park is also home to the George Observatory, a satellite facility of the Houston Museum of Natural Science, which contains three domed telescopes; the largest is the Gueymard Research Telescope, which has an aperture of 0.91 m (36 in).

Did You Know?

• Brazos Bend State Park closes for several weekends a year for controlled hunts to manage the white-tailed deer population.
• The park is 4,897 acres (1,982 ha) along the Brazos River in unincorporated Fort Bend County, Texas.
• The park opened in 1984 and is run by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
• White-tailed deer are one of the mammals found in the park, along with the Mexican long-nosed armadillo, common raccoon, and nutria.
• The park's current nature center is built into a structure previously utilized as a hunting cabin.