Calhoun, Refugio, Victoria County, Texas · 7,410 acres
Guadalupe Delta Wildlife Management Area Hunting 2026: Species & Access
Guadalupe Delta Wildlife Management Area covers 7,410 acres near Tivoli in Calhoun, Refugio, Victoria County. Four separate units — Mission Lake (4,447 acres), Hynes Bay (1,008 acres), Guadalupe River (1,138 acres) and San Antonio (818 acres) — spread across the freshwater-to-saltwater transition where the Guadalupe River empties into San Antonio Bay along the Texas coast between Houston and Corpus Christi.
01 — What you can hunt here
| Species | Notes |
|---|---|
| Waterfowl | The primary draw — hunted through both the Annual Public Hunting permit and regular day permits. Shooting hours end at noon, when all hunters must exit the property. |
| Alligator | One alligator per hunter listed on the permit; legal methods include hook-and-line, archery with a retrieval line, hand-held snare, and harpoon or gig. Shotguns may only dispatch an already-secured alligator, never shoot at a free-swimming one. |
02 — Access rules specific to this WMA
- Waterfowl hunting runs through the Annual Public Hunting (APH) Permit plus regular day permits — unlike some Texas WMAs, APH access does work here.
- Computer-drawn Special Permits are also used for certain hunts, separate from the APH system.
- Hunt party size is capped at 5 people.
- All hunters must be off the property by noon, when legal waterfowl shooting hours end.
04 — Facilities
Camping: Not specified as available on the WMA. No shooting range on-site.
Split across four physically separate units in three counties — confirm which unit's access rules and boundaries apply before a trip, since they aren't one contiguous tract.
05 — Where to go next
Guadalupe Delta is one of the Texas WMAs where the standard $48 APH Permit actually works — a contrast with Kerr in the same state, which is draw-only. The four scattered units mean 'Guadalupe Delta' isn't one property to scout but four, each with its own footprint in the coastal marsh where the river meets the bay; the noon exit deadline for waterfowl hunters is worth building a hunt morning around.
Texas hunting license costs and permits →
Verified · Texas Parks and Wildlife Department · Last verified 2026-08-09
Publisher's note. Read from TPWD, retrieved 2026-08-09. Review due 2027-08-01. WMA-specific rules and closures can change between seasons — confirm before you hunt.