Hunting, Fishing & Natural Recreation

The Clarendon area is a great place for anyone who loves the outdoors. Whether it's fishing, hunting, camping, bird watching, boating and skiing, or horseback riding, there are several opportunities here to enjoy fresh air and all the wonder that Mother Nature has to offer.

Donley County is in the heart of the Salt Fork Loop of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department's Panhandle Plains Wildlife Trail, offering nature lovers the chance to catch a glimpse of coyote, pronghorn antelope, Sandhill Cranes, black-tailed prairie dogs, Burrowing Owls and more.

Local hunting opportunities include whitetail deer, mule deer, pheasant, quail, dove, wild hogs, Rio Grande turkeys, and waterfowl.

Fishing, boating, and skiing at Lake Greenbelt has been a Texas Panhandle tradition since the reservoir opened in 1968 north of Clarendon on State Hwy. 70. Anglers can fish for Yellow Perch, Walleye, Large and Small Mouth Bass, Sand Bass, Blue and Channel Cat, Flat Head, Crappie, and Blue Gill. Additionally, Greenbelt offers developed campsites, RV hookups, a bait and tackle shop, and an 18-basket disc golf course.

Bird and wildlife observation can be enjoyed throughout the county as well as at the Taylor Lakes Unit - Playa Lakes Wildlife Management Area seven miles east of Clarendon on US 287. A viewing blind that offers the opportunity to observe migratory waterfowl and shorebirds on one of three playas at the site. Texas Parks & Wildlife reports that wintering Canada and Snow Geese, as well as puddle ducks, congregate here in large numbers and that more than 200 species of birds have been recorded here.