Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management Area

Elephant Mountain is a robust 23,000 acres in the Trans-Pecos region. You'll find many activities like hunting, camping, and hiking, and you’re likely to spot desert bighorn and mule deer, pronghorn antelope, whiptail lizards, and more.

Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management Area (WMA) covers just over 23,000 acres in the Trans-Pecos ecological region. A private donation in 1985 established the Elephant Mountain WMA serving the purpose of conservation and development of desert bighorn and other large game animals, wildlife-oriented research, and recreational uses such as public hunting.

Additional wildlife species include desert mule deer, pronghorn antelope, coyotes, scaled quail, rattlesnakes, whiptail lizards, and spadefoot toads.

The most prominent feature of the area is Elephant Mountain, which extends from the northern to southern property borders. The large flat-topped mountain of igneous origin rises nearly 2,000 feet above the surrounding table land, and the top covers over 2,200 acres.

Hours of Operation:

• Open year round, except when closed for special permit hunts.

• Driving tour open May 1–Aug. 30

Cost: 

• All general users including anglers who enter and exit the area by boat, must possess one of the following access permits:

• $48 Annual Public Hunting (APH), which covers the following:

• (Youth under age 17 may access these areas free with a permitted adult.)

• Hunt white-tailed deer, feral hogs, dove, quail, turkey, waterfowl, rabbit, squirrel and more
• Over 180 hunting areas, including wildlife management areas, state parks, and approximately 120 dove and small game areas leased from private landowners
• Youth-only and youth/adult hunts for deer, waterfowl, dove, rabbit, squirrel, and feral hogs
• Fishing, camping, hiking, nature watching, photography, and equestrian use are also available on these areas
• $12 Limited Public Use (LPU), which provides access to the same areas as the APH at a reduced cost for fishing, hiking, camping, bird watching, picnicking, wildlife viewing. and equestrian use

Note: Driving tour does not require a permit.

Find out more information about the Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management Area