School me On Texas Whitetail Leases

[MTlan66]

If you are in Texas and a bowhunter, check into the public land around the many lakes. I left Texas many years ago and I imagine all kinds of things have changed, but there was a lot of Corps land that held significant deer numbers, and some surprisingly large bucks. Especially if you’re willing to hike a few miles in.

 

[ddowning]

Whitetail and dove are by far the most expensive meat per ounce. Everyone has to have a $50K truck, $20K mule, $4k rifle and the newest camo fashion to sit in a heated deer blind and shoot animals at a known distance from their daily food source. Very sporting.

A gree with this. I grew up in the best parts of Iowa. I always thought if I could own a little land it would be great. Finally bought a small piece with a house and moved there in late 2020. It was awesome for about 2 years. After that, the neighborhood changed. 3 new hunters moved in and now I have massive buyers remorse. 1 hunter can change the entire area unless you can lock up massive acreage. Then you still have to deal with poachers, fence sitters, etc.

If I didn't live here with a wife that more or less refuses to leave, I would probably sell and move. Given the current situation, I'm just trying to figure out ways to pay for more land.

It wasn't long ago you could kill giants on small pieces around here. With the way they market land now it is very expensive and way oversold. People without experience hunting and managing a lot of property have no clue the lie they are being sold. I used to have access to hunt and manage 865 contiguous acres with one guy for the same labor for lease trade I get now for 80 acres. Lease prices here doubled from 2024-2025 and many are now using apps and websites to do day leases. It costs more and more and the quality of hunting in most areas is down the tubes because all the large tracts have been divided into 40 acre parcels and marketed to the ignorant as big buck meccas. The great hunting is in very specific, highly controlled, highly managed areas. It used to be a little land management on a small piece and you could do well. Now everyone is doing it with zero control and you have 15+ hunters hunting the exact same deer. Very few, if any sections hold 15+ mature bucks.

I personally used sd cameras for the first time last season. They are cheating in my opinion. Add in scent holding enclosed blinds and it's even worse. I love deer hunting the old way, but it's dying and it's going to take a lot of money to hang onto.

 

[WoolOverAll]

If you are in Texas and a bowhunter, check into the public land around the many lakes. I left Texas many years ago and I imagine all kinds of things have changed, but there was a lot of Corps land that held significant deer numbers, and some surprisingly large bucks. Especially if you’re willing to hike a few miles in.

Bow hunting public still has some good opportunities as long as you get deep in there. Any PHL remotely close to the big cities will be crawling with hunters though. There are a lot better opportunties for other game across the state. I chase pigs and small game on public and am usually the only one there. Waterfowl seems to be very territorial and guys will throw fits if you are in 'their' spots. I'm hoping they open more lands to aoudad hunting.

 

[Femur]

are there leases in OK as well?

 

[Cactus kid]

shoot animals at a known distance from their daily food source. Very sporting.

so to be clear, you only shoot animals at unknown distances no where near their food sources?

 

[Moccasin]

No matter how good the lease is, dont expect to stay more than a few years. They will pass away, leave it to their kids, and they will sell it immediately-

Definitely. Or, they will allow you to stay on and start raising prices. Or, they will subdivide and have you pay the same with exponentially more hunters in a reduced area.