CEO.CA Chairman's Briefing

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - February 19, 2026) - Hercules Metals Corp. (TSXV: BIG) (OTCQB: BADEF) (FSE: C0X) ("Hercules" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the signing of a letter of engagement with Equity Exploration Consultants Ltd. ("Equity") to manage drilling operations at the companies' Hercules Property in western Idaho (the "Property").

Equity is a senior geological consulting firm, based in Vancouver, BC, with nearly forty years experience managing large, complex drill programs for both junior and major mining companies across North America ("Equity").

Equity's expert geologists and senior exploration managers will work alongside Hercules' existing technical team to expand operational capacity at the project, improve drilling efficiency, increase production, reduce sampling and analytical turnaround times, and provide greater flexibility to scale up drilling operations while accelerating the delivery of results to market.

Chris Paul, CEO and Director of Hercules Metals, commented, "We are pleased to welcome Equity to the Hercules team as we expand our overall operational capacity, extend our exploration season, and position the project to support additional drill rigs. Equity's involvement is expected to enhance sampling and assay turnaround, while providing our technical group with greater flexibility to focus on geological targeting and improved data workflows. Together, these initiatives are intended to sharpen our exploration execution, increase drilling productivity, and support a stronger and more consistent flow of results as we advance into an important growth phase for the Company in 2026."

Reconnaissance Induced Polarization Survey

Hercules has engaged Simcoe Geoscience Ltd. ("Simcoe") to conduct a reconnaissance scale 2D induced polarization ("IP") survey over prospective targets identified by a two-phase magnetotelluric ("MT") survey carried out across the project in 2025. The program will evaluate chargeability responses associated with strong conductivity anomalies at the "Pegasus" and "Hook" targets.

Conductivity in porphyry systems generally increases in areas characterized by strong shallow porphyry alteration, interconnected sulfide veining, or massive sulfide replacement, which can be associated with shallow hypogene enrichment zones or large skarn systems. Chargeability is distinct from conductivity and is more typically linked to disseminated sulfide mineralization, representing broader mineralized shells around porphyry copper systems.

Utilizing both datasets, rather than relying on either in isolation, increases confidence in geological interpretation and drill targeting, particularly as the integrated results may help distinguish between a potential mineralized core and the outer pyrite shell of a system.

The first phase reconnaissance survey has been designed with long lines, approximately 3.5-4.5 km in length, to maximum depth of investigation, with 100 m dipole spacing to maintain shallow data resolution. The actual depth of investigation at both targets will be dependent on the conductivity of their near surface geology.

Figure 1: Planned initial reconnaissance IP lines (pink) overlaid on an MT conductivity slice 800 m below surface. The stippled pattern outlines areas of younger geological cover, including zones of younger silver-lead-zinc mineralization. Anomalous Mo-in-soil results within an erosional window through the younger cover are shown as blue squares.

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Discussion of New MT Anomalies

A two-phase MT survey completed in 2025 defined several new targets that are planned for drill testing during the upcoming 2026 exploration campaign. The first phase covered the entire Hercules Property at 1,000 m spacing and successfully imaged the Leviathan porphyry center, previously discovered through blind drilling in 2023, at the northern end of a broad 6-kilometer-long corridor. A second phase of higher resolution surveying within this anomalous trend outlined several discrete, vertically extensive conductive targets. The following sections describe two of those targets, which are currently being evaluated with IP geophysics to collect additional chargeability data in advance of initial drill testing.

Pegasus

The Pegasus MT anomaly is concealed beneath post-mineral basalt cover, in an area that has never before been explored. A geologically constrained inversion model shows the presence of a cylindrical shaped conductive feature, which may be consistent with an as yet undiscovered porphyry center along trend, representing a compelling target for 2026 drill testing.

The target's prospectivity is further supported by nearby skarn mineralization located immediately to the east on the adjacent Cuddy Mountain property held by Scout Discoveries^[1].

All necessary permits, including approval from the Idaho Department of Lands, have been received, enabling drill testing of the Pegasus target in 2026.

Figure 2: North-south cross section, looking west, at a constrained MT conductivity inversion over the new Pegasus target. Anomalous conductivity patterns share a similar geometry and orientation to that of the Leviathan porphyry center along trend to the north, indicated by the outlines interpreted above. New IP chargeability data will further refine 2026 drill targeting.

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Hook MT Anomaly

The Hook is a lower tenor conductivity target that occurs within a separate subparallel conductivity trend to the Leviathan corridor described above. At surface, the Hook target is largely obscured by landslide cover. Despite this, anomalous copper and molybdenum in both soil and rock sampling suggest the potential for mineralization below landslide cover.

A single float rock sample collected during a non-selective 2024 lithogeochemical sampling program revealed the presence of quartz-veined porphyry in the immediate vicinity of the Hook target. The sample was entirely oxidized, but carried anomalous molybdenum (48 ppm), which could be consistent with porphyry leach capping, under which conditions molybdenum is generally immobile. The exact source of the float is unknown, however its angular character and preservation suggest a proximal origin, reinforcing the potential for a nearby porphyry center.

While less intense than other conductivity anomalies on the Property, it may signal the presence of a different style of porphyry alteration and mineralization, or a different erosional level than that of Leviathan. The target lies along trend from anomalous chargeability shown on maps published by Scout Discoveries near to the Railroad target on their adjacent Cuddy Mountain property¹.

A second-year categorical exclusion permit application with the United States Forest Service ("USFS") has successfully completed NEPA review, which will likely allow for drill testing of the Hook target in 2026, as the Company continues to evaluate the potential for additional concealed porphyry systems throughout this underexplored portion of the Property.

Figure 3: Silicified and quartz veined porphyry sampled above the Hook target during non-selective lithogeochemical grid sampling in 2024. The sample shows complete oxidation of sulfide minerals, but with anomalous molybdenum (48 ppm), which may be consistent with leach capping of shallow porphyry alteration.

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Figure 4: East-west cross section, looking north, at a constrained MT conductivity inversion, showing Leviathan and the new Footwall MT anomaly (left) and the new Hook target (right). Chargeability response from a 2023 IP survey over the Leviathan is displayed (hotter colours are stronger chargeability), while a new IP survey is currently in progress over the Hook target. Although muted, the conductivity response at the Hook target is strongly elevated relative to the background response throughout the district and warrants IP evaluation for potential disseminated sulfide mineralization.

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Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved for disclosure by Dillon Hume, P.Geo. and Vice President, Exploration for the Company. Mr. Hume is a "Qualified Person" for Hercules Metals within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

About Hercules Metals Corp.

Hercules Metals Corp. (TSXV: BIG) (OTCQB: BADEF) (FSE: C0X) is an exploration Company focused on developing America's newest porphyry copper district, in Idaho.

The 100% owned Hercules Project, located northwest of Cambridge, hosts the newly discovered Leviathan porphyry copper system, one of the most important new discoveries in the country to date. The Company is well positioned for growth through continued drilling, supported by a strategic investment from Barrick Mining Corporation.

With the potential for significant scale, the Company's management and board of directors aims to deliver value to shareholders through proven discovery success.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. Any securities referred to herein have not and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws of an exemption from such registration is available.

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains certain information that may be deemed "forward-looking information" with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements, or developments in the industry to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information includes statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "could" or "should" occur. Forward-looking information contained in this press release may include, without limitation, the expected execution of future exploration programs on the Property; assay results of future drill holes; results of operations, and the expected financial performance of the Company.

Although the Company believes the forward-looking information contained in this news release is reasonable based on information available on the date hereof, by its nature, forward-looking information involves assumptions and known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information.

Examples of such assumptions, risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, assumptions, risks and uncertainties associated with general economic conditions; the Covid-19 pandemic; adverse industry events; the receipt of required regulatory approvals and the timing of such approvals; that the Company maintains good relationships with the communities in which it operates or proposes to operate, future legislative and regulatory developments in the mining sector; the Company's ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources, and/or inability to access sufficient capital on favorable terms; mining industry and markets in Canada and generally; the ability of the Company to implement its business strategies; competition; the risk that any of the assumptions prove not to be valid or reliable, which could result in delays, or cessation in planned work, risks associated with the interpretation of data, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits, the possibility that results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations, as well as other assumptions risks and uncertainties applicable to mineral exploration and development activities and to the Company, including as set forth in the Company's public disclosure documents filed on the SEDAR+ website at www.sedarplus.ca.

THE FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS PRESS RELEASE REPRESENTS THE EXPECTATIONS OF HERCULES METALS AS OF THE DATE OF THIS PRESS RELEASE AND, ACCORDINGLY, IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AFTER SUCH DATE. READERS SHOULD NOT PLACE UNDUE IMPORTANCE ON FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION AND SHOULD NOT RELY UPON THIS INFORMATION AS OF ANY OTHER DATE. WHILE HERCULES METALS MAY ELECT TO, IT DOES NOT UNDERTAKE TO UPDATE THIS INFORMATION AT ANY PARTICULAR TIME EXCEPT AS REQUIRED IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAWS.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

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¹ This news release contains information about adjacent properties on which Hercules has no right to explore or mine. Readers are cautioned that mineral deposits on adjacent properties are not indicative of mineral deposits on the Company's properties.

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