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Winter recreation By Jason Schaefer Granger Lake offers outdoor fun During the colder months of the year life at Granger Lake seems to slow down. The birds and bugs are quiet and the children that delight in the cool water under the heat of the summer sun are nearly nonexistent. But for campers, hikers, hunters and boaters that prefer their solitude and the winter weather, these conditions could be no more perfect. “The people who are out here now, that’s exactly why they come out this time of year,” Park Ranger Brandon Randig said. “It’s a lot quieter, and there’s not a lot of the hustle and bustle you see over the summer.” For hikers, the nature preserve surrounding the lake offers loops of trails along two systems totaling 12 miles. The Willis Creek equestrian trail is available for a lakeside horseback ride through the wilderness. On the south side of the lake, with its head in Taylor Park, the Comanche Bluff trail heads three miles west toward Highway 95, dead-ending in a primitive camping area perfect for backpackers who want to spend the night roughing it. When camping and hiking, bring plenty of water and prepared foods like trail mix, dried meats or food bars. Camp fires are not allowed, as the county is under a strict burn ban, so preparing hot meals is restricted to cooking over an enclosed flame in a barbecue pit. Fishermen looking to make a winter boating trip should be cautious of low lake levels this time of year. Due to drought conditions, fishing spots that may have been accessible before have likely grown shallow. “The best place to launch your boat is Wilson Fox Park,” Randig said. “The ramp there is the deepest. When you’re out on the lake, the main thing to keep in mind is to stay cautious. If you’re tearing along and don’t see a shallow spot, you could hit the shore.” During deer season, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department opens the Granger Wildlife Management Area to the public for draw hunts. Hunters must purchase a TPWD public lands hunting permit along with a traditional license and any applicable stamps to hunt at Granger Lake. “A hunter can purchase one of these permits, go out and hunt just about any time,” Area Manager Trey Carpenter said. “But it doesn’t allow them to just shoot anything they want.” Game managers draw between 100 and 120 hunters each year for whitetail buck and turkey hunts on the 8,000-acre management area surrounding the lake. During the season, TPWD holds five five-day archery hunts and three gun hunts each year. The names of about 25 hunters are drawn in an on-site lottery for each hunt. Dove, quail, waterfowl, rabbit and squirrel shotgun hunting is allowed during applicable seasons, and archery hunting for feral hogs is allowed year-round. No hunting is allowed in park areas. The Granger Lake equestrian trail will be closed for a TPWD draw hunt Jan. 5 to 9 and Jan. 12 to 14. Check the Granger Lake web site, www.swf-wc.usace.arm?y.mil/granger/, for additional information.
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