Pat Murphy WMA

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Phone: (806) 269-1031
Canadian, TX 79014

Contact: Kelli Bashaw

Dates Open: Open year-round, except closed for Special Permit hunts.

Description

The W. A. (Pat) Murphy Unit of the Gene Howe Wildlife Management Area is located in the Northern Rolling Plains of Lipscomb County, Texas. The tract was donated to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department by Mr. W.A. "Pat" Murphy of Lipscomb, Texas. Primary purposes of the unit include wildlife management, public use, and research.

The Murphy Unit is comprised of 432 acres of mid-grass prairie, 368 acres enrolled in CRP and 89 acres of creek bottom. Common plant species in the mid-grass prairie include sandsage brush, sand plum, sideoats grama, little bluestem, and blue grama. Dominant plants found in the creek bottom include eastern cottonwood, sand bluestem, switchgrass, indiangrass, and sand plum. Of the 368 acres in CRP, 256 acres was recently restored to native mid-grass prairie. The remaining 112 acres is dominated by Old World bluestem grass.

Numerous wildlife species occur on the Murphy Unit, including bobwhite quail, scaled quail, Rio Grande turkey, lesser prairie-chicken, pronghorn, white-tailed deer, mule deer, coyote, bobcat, black-tailed jackrabbit, raccoon, eastern cottontail, Texas horned lizard, mourning dove, prairie rattlesnake and western massasauga rattlesnake.

Students, teachers and scientists use the Murphy Unit for instructional, educational, and research purposes. Do not disturb any markings, flags, traps, etc. that you encounter, as this may affect results.