Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge Outing: Jan. 28, 2023

  • 7 – 8 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023 lasting as long as one likes.
  • Caravanning isn’t planned for this event as some participants will want to arrive at sunrise.
  • HNWR is 1 hour-40 minutes from downtown Fort Worth near Sherman. It is recommended to arrive near daybreak to take advantage of the early light.
  • A map of the Refuge may be obtained here. The red dotted lines in the map indicate the automobile tour route. Wildlife Drive, leading from Meadow Pond Trail north to the Visitor Center, is the most traveled and provides excellent viewing opportunities for ducks, egrets, gulls, pelicans, visiting snow geese and raptors. One may also drive out around the pads via Oil Field Road.
  • Directions to Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge may be found via this Google maps link. The route chosen takes one to the south entrance of the Refuge to Wildlife Drive.
  • A suggestion: Take advantage of your car. It’s a portable blind and allows one to keep warm while shooting on cold winter days.
  • Above, Refuge snow geese by Charles Morris.

Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge is a great place to enjoy the thrill of thousands of migrating snow geese during the winter. The Dec. 27 census by the Refuge tallied over 6,000 mostly along Wildlife Drive. Please drive slowly. Pull over to the side of the road for your photographs.

There are a few trails for hiking. Check the Refuge map listed above. Barn owls, barred owls, great horned owls, as well as harrier hawks can be seen. Don’t forget to keep an eye out for the two resident bald eagles. They like to perch on top of the utility poles near the oil pad sites. Last but not least, many species of songbirds can be observed. The last tally of red-winged blackbirds in December was over 450.

This is an all day outing with no time constraints. Breakfast can be found at various restaurants on the drive up to Hagerman. McDonald’s in Gainesville is located on California Street on the right side of I-35. There is another McDonald’s on Hwy. 82 in Whitesboro. The Rib Crib in Gainesville is a good place for lunch if you like BBQ. It’s on the west side of I-35 south of the Hwy. 82 crossing.

The Club asks participants to observe COVID precautions suitable for their circumstances.