Hunting in Texas

[Zachlanning1]

Austin is certainly different politically than the rest of Texas but it's still Texas. The lack of public lands and mountains was incompatible with my lifestyle. I was traveling out of state to ride my mountain bike, snowboard, camp, etc. I barely hunted while I lived there because I couldn't get into hunting deer that are eating corn from a feeder on all the deer leases.

Texas is a great state but I caution those moving there from Western States that it can be a huge lifestyle change.

Thanks for the info, I am with you on the deer eating corn thing. I grew up in the Midwest and tree stands and corn were the norm for deer hunting. When I shot my first mule deer in Washington the year I moved here I was hooked on western hunting. But reality is, Washington is a very hard place to hunt and I’d be hunting elk out of state anyway, the conservation efforts are lacking here but also I am not moving for the reason of hunting. My wife and I are looking to be land owners, land in Washington state is not affordable nor reasonable. Lots of money to be made here as a tradesman but 40 acres here cost about 10 times the price it does in Texas. Plus it’s time for something new, if I can convince my wife that winters aren’t bad in Montana or Alaska that’s where we will be heading next haha

 

[Zachlanning1]

Theres national forest in TX and it holds deer. Also a bunch of small WMAs. 5 deer tags a year for $100, year round hog hunting, handfishing, bowfishing, frog gigging, lots of good things going on in TX that people dont even know about.

If you want to backpack hunt you will have to go out of state though.

I am in to all of those things, plus my wife and I have agreed to 2 weeks every year to hunt elk out state so I will get my back packing in if I can’t get it in Texas which is fine. Thanks for the info though you Texans are pretty damn cool.

 

[LostArra]

Austin is certainly different politically than the rest of Texas but it's still Texas. The lack of public lands and mountains was incompatible with my lifestyle. I was traveling out of state to ride my mountain bike, snowboard, camp, etc. I barely hunted while I lived there because I couldn't get into hunting deer that are eating corn from a feeder on all the deer leases.

Texas is a great state but I caution those moving there from Western States that it can be a huge lifestyle change.

Sitting a ground blind by a feeder is a Texas stereotype but you don't have to hunt that way. Private land helps. I've hunted east Texas. My daughter worked there and I hunted her boss's ranch. It was bigger than the BLM parcel I've hunted in Wyoming and not a feeder in sight. I carried in a stand and saw deer. Nothing died but it wasn't a lot different than "out west". You may have to learn some local ways but I think I could hunt all 50 states and enjoy it.

 

[Zachlanning1]

Sitting a ground blind by a feeder is a Texas stereotype but you don't have to hunt that way. Private land helps. I've hunted east Texas. My daughter worked there and I hunted her boss's ranch. It was bigger than the BLM parcel I've hunted in Wyoming and not a feeder in sight. I carried in a stand and saw deer. Nothing died but it wasn't a lot different than "out west". You may have to learn some local ways but I think I could hunt all 50 states and enjoy it.

I am with you on that, everywhere you go is a different hunting experience and other then meat it’s about the time and the people you meet and hunt with. There are pros and cons too everything but in the end we all love to hunt and I don’t want to limit my experiences because of stereotypes.

 

[Ndbowhunter]

I'm as big of a above tree line totally diy back in the bush 20 miles be gone for 18 days kinda guy there is.

That said if you really do your homework, network and make calls you can do a lot of really fun hunts on public land and private in Texas.. and by the time you do all the money to do a diy hunt to harvest a medium animal you can do the same hunt in Texas for similar costs.

It's fun hunts, not serious.

I got in on shooting hogs on the rio grande a few years back. Really fun time.

There's plenty of places that are big ranches low fence that are quite reasonable. A guy can have a good time with friends for a weekend and stack a few exotic does and get some hog hunting done for a days wage give or take

 

[Zachlanning1]

I'm as big of a above tree line totally diy back in the bush 20 miles be gone for 18 days kinda guy there is.

That said if you really do your homework, network and make calls you can do a lot of really fun hunts on public land and private in Texas.. and by the time you do all the money to do a diy hunt to harvest a medium animal you can do the same hunt in Texas for similar costs.

It's fun hunts, not serious.

I got in on shooting hogs on the rio grande a few years back. Really fun time.

There's plenty of places that are big ranches low fence that are quite reasonable. A guy can have a good time with friends for a weekend and stack a few exotic does and get some hog hunting done for a days wage give or take

That’s awesome, I really appreciate all the tips. I have been researching hunting in Texas for the past 2 years planning this move. Especially talking with you guys I have learned a lot and am even more excited to move.

 

[Ndbowhunter]

Watch out for border jumpers too eh!

That field with the shit fence was mexico. Big river my ass

 

[Gerard Marcaurele]

I have lived in Southeast TX nearly my entire life (save for a short stint in the DFW area) and I can’t wait until I can live in the mountains of the west. Hunting down here is ridiculous, and public land is scarce. But, lots of folks love it here. You’ll have tons more opportunity in the DFW area than anywhere else in the state with Hagerman right there. Good luck!

 

[Zachlanning1]

I have lived in Southeast TX nearly my entire life (save for a short stint in the DFW area) and I can’t wait until I can live in the mountains of the west. Hunting down here is ridiculous, and public land is scarce. But, lots of folks love it here. You’ll have tons more opportunity in the DFW area than anywhere else in the state with Hagerman right there. Good luck!

That’s always the irony of it all, I live in a mountainous state that is beautiful don’t get me wrong, it’s just time for something new. The hype of the west isn’t always what it seems, it has its own issues just like everywhere else. To me the grass is green on both sides of the fence, if you do move to the west you will love it there is no doubt. With this future move I have weighed pros and cons and in the end I have come to the conclusion, especially with all this info that life is to short to not go try it somewhere else. Worse case I move to another state and try it again, no point in thinking that one place is better than another. I will tell you if you move west head for Idaho, Montana, or Alaska. The rest of the western states are making it harder and harder every year with hunting, guns, and public lands access. Washington for example has very short hunting seasons with only 10% of hunters being successful every year on average. I have been very blessed to be apart of that 10% almost every year, but that’s mostly luck and timing. If you do move to the west good luck and there is no doubt you will love it.

 

[pchrisla]

I love Texas to death, but prepare to love hog hunting. I fill my freezer on my leased land, but its the hogs at night that keep me going until its time to hunt out west.

 

[EastMT]

Having grown up in the West most of my life, moved all over for the govt, every place is what you make of it.

I even had fun in gulp......Portland Oregon for the year and a half I was there. Lived on the Columbia, had fun running around on it.

If I ever end up way down south, I’d have a nice fishing boat, split a land lease for hogs and deer to keep me busy, try for free range aoudad in West Texas, go West every chance I had. Sure there would be a lot i would miss out west, but I’d still have a blast watching my boy reel in catfish, bass, crappie, and bluegill, maybe chase some tuna offshore, and work on my white legs that I can see my bones through the skin hahaha.

Sure it’s not Alaska, and I would whine (ok cry) when it got really hot, then I’d just have to relearn how to swim as the rivers here are a bit chilly. It the important part is I would have fun watching my boy grow up anywhere, and in the end that’s what it’s all about anyway.




I have yet to be begin to procrastinate.

 

[Zachlanning1]

I love Texas to death, but prepare to love hog hunting. I fill my freezer on my leased land, but its the hogs at night that keep me going until its time to hunt out west.

I already know I am going to be addicted to hog hunting, what’s there not to love about it. No bag limits, open year round. It’s like coyote hunting only it’s easier to eat. I have tried coyote, it was a bad idea.

 

[Bcaulder]

I already know I am going to be addicted to hog hunting, what’s there not to love about it. No bag limits, open year round. It’s like coyote hunting only it’s easier to eat. I have tried coyote, it was a bad idea.

LOL

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[Tartan]

I grew up in Pennsylvania but have lived in the DFW area for almost 10 years. I miss fall weather and the hills of Pa, but there is a lot I really like about living in Texas.

It was pretty daunting at first trying to figure out how/where to hunt and fish when I moved down here. But I attribute a lot of that of having to figure it out for the first time as a young adult fresh out of grad school. I took it for granted how much knowledge about where I could hunt and fish was handed down to me by my mentor growing up.

I got very lucky as I had a good college friend in the area. His roommate's family happens to have 4k acres (low fence) in South Texas and we are invited to hunt it whenever we can. Coming from Pa it was like walking into a TV show. After a couple of years I grew tired of that style of hunting. Now don't get me wrong, I will never turn down a chance to go down there and fill the freezer with does and hogs, but it doesn't provide the challenge that I was looking for.

It can be confusing to find all the land you can hunt, as there isn't really one good location to find all the information you need. But between State land that allows hunting, landowner access programs, corp land, national forest and grassland, it's there. I can't just walk across the street, but I can hunt a bunch of spots within an hour of my house. I laugh at the people who complain about hunter densities on that land. Compared to opening day of rifle season in Pa, this is nothing.

As others have stated don't forget about access to other states. Day trips to Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana are feasible. You take you're already liberal bag limits in Texas and add those, you can take more deer than you can eat in a year. Don't forget about pig hunting year round and many counties have no closed season on rabbits and squirrels.

I've found the fishing in north texas can be challenging without a boat, though there are many streams and rivers you can fish across the state and oklahoma and arkansas has some fantastic fishing that reminds me of home.

The bad: Snakes, every damn plant has thorns, and summer heat (although there are pros to nicer weather the rest of the year)

Do I wish I had mountains out my back door? Yes. But, weighing the pros and cons for my family and career, I am happy here and will work in as many trips out west for bigger hunts as I can.

 

[cuerro viejo]

It’s only a life style change if you are lazy. Hunting options actually expand. Will be a big change of scenery and your sense of state boundaries is really going to change but public hunting ability is still there in force , I find I hilarious, someone stated they drive to CO, etc “because” there is no public land in TX. More like not an ever year accessible elk option on public land is a better choice of words. We still have 1 million plus acres of public land hunt, which doesnt include coastal flats/tidal areas. There are public land draw hunts that have elk on the menu. But tough draws.

180” deer are killed every year within DFW. That’s no even including the WMA, NF, and State draw areas.

I highly recommend looking at all COE, WMA and State draw options. You are about to have a lot of cool critters on menu, some are pretty easy draws like LM nilgi

Also Oklahoma is 35-45 mins north of DFW. Adds even more public hunting options.

No reason you can’t hunt atleast 30 plus days in TX via public land. Deer season alone gives you 30 weekend days.

 

[Gerard Marcaurele]

That’s always the irony of it all, I live in a mountainous state that is beautiful don’t get me wrong, it’s just time for something new. The hype of the west isn’t always what it seems, it has its own issues just like everywhere else. To me the grass is green on both sides of the fence, if you do move to the west you will love it there is no doubt. With this future move I have weighed pros and cons and in the end I have come to the conclusion, especially with all this info that life is to short to not go try it somewhere else. Worse case I move to another state and try it again, no point in thinking that one place is better than another. I will tell you if you move west head for Idaho, Montana, or Alaska. The rest of the western states are making it harder and harder every year with hunting, guns, and public lands access. Washington for example has very short hunting seasons with only 10% of hunters being successful every year on average. I have been very blessed to be apart of that 10% almost every year, but that’s mostly luck and timing. If you do move to the west good luck and there is no doubt you will love it.

I completely understand. I’ve got ties where I am, and it’s not something I take lightly. I enjoy my job and company, so I’m just hoping that I can keep my head up and explore the West to see what it has to offer.

 

[Zachlanning1]

I grew up in Pennsylvania but have lived in the DFW area for almost 10 years. I miss fall weather and the hills of Pa, but there is a lot I really like about living in Texas.

It was pretty daunting at first trying to figure out how/where to hunt and fish when I moved down here. But I attribute a lot of that of having to figure it out for the first time as a young adult fresh out of grad school. I took it for granted how much knowledge about where I could hunt and fish was handed down to me by my mentor growing up.

I got very lucky as I had a good college friend in the area. His roommate's family happens to have 4k acres (low fence) in South Texas and we are invited to hunt it whenever we can. Coming from Pa it was like walking into a TV show. After a couple of years I grew tired of that style of hunting. Now don't get me wrong, I will never turn down a chance to go down there and fill the freezer with does and hogs, but it doesn't provide the challenge that I was looking for.

It can be confusing to find all the land you can hunt, as there isn't really one good location to find all the information you need. But between State land that allows hunting, landowner access programs, corp land, national forest and grassland, it's there. I can't just walk across the street, but I can hunt a bunch of spots within an hour of my house. I laugh at the people who complain about hunter densities on that land. Compared to opening day of rifle season in Pa, this is nothing.

As others have stated don't forget about access to other states. Day trips to Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana are feasible. You take you're already liberal bag limits in Texas and add those, you can take more deer than you can eat in a year. Don't forget about pig hunting year round and many counties have no closed season on rabbits and squirrels.

I've found the fishing in north texas can be challenging without a boat, though there are many streams and rivers you can fish across the state and oklahoma and arkansas has some fantastic fishing that reminds me of home.

The bad: Snakes, every damn plant has thorns, and summer heat (although there are pros to nicer weather the rest of the year)

Do I wish I had mountains out my back door? Yes. But, weighing the pros and cons for my family and career, I am happy here and will work in as many trips out west for bigger hunts as I can.
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Great info, I am excited for the move. I have a boat that will be coming down here behind my truck on the way, it’s a salmon boat for the moment but she can be a bass boat in no time.

 

[Zachlanning1]

Th

It’s only a life style change if you are lazy. Hunting options actually expand. Will be a big change of scenery and your sense of state boundaries is really going to change but public hunting ability is still there in force , I find I hilarious, someone stated they drive to CO, etc “because” there is no public land in TX. More like not an ever year accessible elk option on public land is a better choice of words. We still have 1 million plus acres of public land hunt, which doesnt include coastal flats/tidal areas. There are public land draw hunts that have elk on the menu. But tough draws.

180” deer are killed every year within DFW. That’s no even including the WMA, NF, and State draw areas.

I highly recommend looking at all COE, WMA and State draw options. You are about to have a lot of cool critters on menu, some are pretty easy draws like LM nilgi

Also Oklahoma is 35-45 mins north of DFW. Adds even more public hunting options.

No reason you can’t hunt atleast 30 plus days in TX via public land. Deer season alone gives you 30 weekend days.

thanks for the great info, I wish I was down there now. That’s one of the things I am most excited for is the longer seasons. You have about 5 weekends in Washington for archery deer, and even less for rifle. Its awesome to hear these great things. I will still always love elk hunting but it’s no thing to head out of state for that. And lazy is not my gig, hunting and fishing is all I do.

 

[Zachlanning1]

For all you north Texas guys who have given me some great info, if you have the time when I get down there in October I’d love to buy you a beer. It’s a ways down the road but just want you to know this info helps me a lot and I want to thank you for it. I will be moving to McKinney more then likely, and since I have a boat I will be fishing hard to get to know the lakes in the area, so if you even want to tag along for that your welcome too.

 

[Shane]

Leasing isn't all bad. It just depends on what you lease. The only downside is it isn't free. Some groups put a lot of hunters on smaller acreages to reduce the individual cost. That gets to be an experience closer to hunting an OTC unit in western states - lots of people, lesser trophy quality, etc. But if budget allows, you can lease large ranches with fewer hunters, allowing an experience more like a limited entry draw on public land - . And you don't have to spend money for years, waiting to accumulate preference points. The license (with tags included) is cheap, and you can buy another one OTC every year.

You don't have to use blinds or feeders if you don't want to. It's an option, but it's not a necessity. Rattling and spot and stalk hunting with a rifle is a LOT of fun. It's what I do most of the time. You can set up bow stands on trails, pinch points, near a food plot or water hole, etc. and never mess with a feeder, if you have an objection to feeders. But using feeders really isn't any different than hunting around food plots, ag fields, apple trees, oak trees, water holes, etc... It's as much about supplementing nutrition as it is about attracting deer to a certain spot.

Hunting larger private ranches, to me, is the best of both worlds. Large acreage gives you room to roam. And private land means no sea of orange to compete against. While high fences are not uncommon, the vast majority of land in Texas is low fence.

You have lots of different ecosystems in Texas. There is whitetail hunting in most of them. Mule deer and aoudad can be found in the Panhandle and in the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas. Pronghorn can be found in those same regions, along with free range elk in the Davis Mountains. Even desert bighorn, if you can afford a landowner tag or draw one of the 2 tags available every year (as I was blessed to do a few years ago). Hogs are everywhere. Turkey are everywhere. Pheasant in the Panhandle. Quail are in lots of areas across the state. Ducks, geese, cranes in many areas of the state. And then there are the exotics other than aoudad. They started decades ago on high fenced ranches in the Hill Country, and those are common all over the state now. But every year there are fires and/or floods that take out some fences here and there. There are more and more free-ranging exotics every year. In some parts of the state, they are as numerous as the native whitetail. Nilgai in deep South Texas....axis all over the Hill Country along with blackbuck, fallow, elk....you name it.

You can hunt them on public land as well as private (either package hunts or annual lease). It's like hunting Africa in many ways. It's definitely different than National Forests in the west, but Texas is an AWESOME place to hunt. Most of it isn't free. Neither is hunting national forest in the west though. You spend more on applications, tags, and gear to hunt there, while access to hunting ground is free. In Texas, you spend more on access, but tags are cheap - and not ever required for exotics. The cost isn't really that much different either way, you're just paying for different things in different states. I typically give away a few deer every year to friends that like the meat but don't hunt, and my freezer is always packed full of venison that I had an absolute ball hunting with my son, dad, and other friends. Hunting is AWESOME no matter where you get to do it. I'll be hunting axis this summer in the Hill Country, and then chasing elk in September in Colorado, and then back home to hunt whitetail (and more axis) in Texas in the fall. I'm pretty sure it's all gonna be fun.