Texas hill country

[GatorGar247]

Golden Triangle?

Bridge City

 

[gelton]

Bridge City

Born in Pt Arthur, graduated from Pt Neches

 

[cuerro viejo]

Born in Pt Arthur, graduated from Pt Neches

My best friends from PT Arthur.

 

[GatorGar247]

Born in Pt Arthur, graduated from Pt Neches

I work in Port Neches. At What use to be Huntsman..

 

[Button]

Fishing is excellent year-round on the coast, from bay to offshore.

In the past 10+ years I’m seeing less and less geese in my home area. Still plenty of duck and crane though.

Plenty of Dove, deer, and pig.

unfortunately Texas metro areas are oozing out into the country side.

 

[cuerro viejo]

I’m considering a job offer on the north side of San Antonio.

I’ve never been anywhere near TX so I’m just wondering what life is like for an outdoorsman.

Look at the Texas parks and wildlife draw hunts and the FED WMA’s/NWR’s

Off top of my head you have about 15 whitetail draw areas and another 5 exotics including nilgi in a 3 hour radius. Not counting duck hunting and fishing

Aransas WMA and Laguna Atacosta /lower grande would be my first choices.

There are actually a lot of places to hunt if you aren't scared to put some hard hunting effort in.

 

[C.patterson]

Unfortunately, Texas is lacking in public hunting area. There are a few solid WMAs on the coast and most lakes allow waterfowl hunting if that is your thing. As for the Texas hill country, it’s one of my favorite places but can get super freaking hot in the summer. Also, that’s close to prime area for dove.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

The best thing about being from the heart of Texas is, no matter which way you head, you're headed out of Texas.

 

[gelton]

The best thing about being from the heart of Texas is, no matter which way you head, you're headed out of Texas.

Yeah, after about 650 miles

When coming into Texas on I-10 from Louisiana the sign says - El Paso 850 miles.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

Yeah, after about 650 miles

When coming into Texas on I-10 from Louisiana the sign says - El Paso 850 miles.

My sister-in-law lived in El Asshole for two years. Great place to be FROM.When I was there we drove by the Sun Bowl. I then released why, during the New Years Sun Bowl game, The camera on the blimp never panned to the south. Juarez, Mex. nuff said.

 

[gelton]

My sister-in-law lived in El Asshole for two years. Great place to be FROM.When I was there we drove by the Sun Bowl. I then released why, during the New Years Sun Bowl game, The camera on the blimp never panned to the south. Juarez, Mex. nuff said.

Couldn't be any worse than New Mexico. Unless you are on the interstate it's like 60mph max (what is it with those safety corridors) and about 80% of the populace are economically disadvantaged and regulated to the reservations.

 

[CentexBowhunter]

I lived DFW for 3 1/2 years. Wife hated it. People rave about San Antonio and I spent a lot of time there for work but it isn't my kind of place. Hot and no change of seasons. People from small towns in Texas don't like people who aren't from Texas. If you take the job, get Texas plates as soon as possible. Like any other city it has some pretty rough areas. Like anything else, it is what you make of it.

Deer hunting was ok. Some places have more hogs than deer. The problem with leases is finding a good one and getting on it unless you spend a small fortune. The ones that advertise aren't always the best. The better ones are the ones you get invited to join after they get to know you. You will be in camp with people you don't really know and may not like. The lease I was on had a number of rules and evidently I was the only one expected to follow them. I like hunting large whitetail and they weren't on my lease so I quit and started hunting in Canada. For the sake of my marriage I took another job and we left. We never missed it.

The part about people in small towns not liking people from out of state isnt true. You may have had a bad experience.

 

[Button]

I’m from Texas and I like anyone that I can relate too.
You wanna catch some fish? Big ones? Come on, I’ll provide it all. Food, water, shelter, tackle. Might even have some fun.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

I’m from Texas and I like anyone that I can relate too.
You wanna catch some fish? Big ones? Come on, I’ll provide it all. Food, water, shelter, tackle. Might even have some fun.

Damn decent of you but it's not in the cards for me at his point. I'll just bet it would be fun.

 

[D_Dubya]

I’ve worked and lived on the north side of San Antonio pretty much my whole life. As many have said, the fishing at the coast is great, some fishing in the few area lakes we have. Hunting - minimal public, if you want to hunt you’re going to need to spend some $ on a lease.

Dove hunting is huge social event around town the 1st of September, often right next door to new subdivisions. 200 drunks blazing away around a sunflower field - blaring radios and bbq cooking. It can be equal parts fun and terrifying.

Deer leases are hit or miss, and start around $2500/year; but if you make enough to swing $10k/year for a lease you can get on a good one where you should be able to kill 3 or 4 bucks/year (one trophy 160+ kind of deer and a couple “management”, unlimited pigs, doves quail, probably turkey, maybe exotics like axis, fallow or auodad). These kinds of places will be intensely managed, some high fenced but many are not - though almost all will have at least some high fence be it theirs or a neighbors. Most bigger leases will be managed through MLD permits so rifle deer hunting is from Oct-Feb. Deer hunting is almost entirely over feeders Or corn scattered on the road. There will be drama between the lease members.

it is hot May - Oct, but very nice mid October - April. Maybe A dozen days a year it doesn’t get to 50 degrees (most years). South of San Antonio where the good deer hunting is, highs in December are often in the 80’s and 90’s are not unheard of, lows in the mid 70’s then a norther blows through and drops temps 30 or 40 degrees for three or four days, then hot again.

food is great if you like Mexican food. Traffic is terrible, land prices are through the roof and Californians are coming in waves. Some areas totally safe, some crime ridden areas that are terrible.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

Not sure what kind of fish you are targeting on the coast but here in So. Cal. the blue fin tuna are going real good right now. size is from 20-250lbs. Most are in the 40-80 lbs. range, nice capable fish. I have decked three so far, two at 60# and one just over 80. My personal best is 137# and at my age I don't want to even think about anything bigger. But you can't pick and choose what takes your line so if I do tie into a big one, I'll be looking to friends to switch off with. Fish are as close as 5 miles out, crazy.

 

[HNTR918]

I moved from Colorado to Texas 2.5 years ago.
It was new and different for the first 9 months. (Boat & Pool days all summer long.)

However, I'm clawing at the chance to move back. (Might even take a 20-30% pay cut to do so.)
My entire outdoor hiking, camping, hunting, and fishing life style is impossible down here with all the private land.

If you just want to sit tree stands, shoot over feeders, and pay cash just to be outside, then come on down.

 

[Mosby]

The part about people in small towns not liking people from out of state isnt true. You may have had a bad experience.

I know there are some great people in some of those small towns. People are people and there is good and bad everywhere. I worked with some really nice people. I also worked and hunted with guys down there that talked a lot about Yankees. Didn't seem to care as much if people were from other states but if you were from NY, NJ or PA, there where a lot of negative assumptions made. They also liked talking about how beautiful and great Texas was. I never saw the beautiful part of Texas when I lived there but to each their own. It was a paycheck for me.

 

[Newtosavage]

I transferred to Texas last year having grown up and lived in the mountains most of my life. If you like Texas, love living there, please don’t take offense…..I absolutely hated it. I was miserable for 13 months, now I’m back in Montana and happy as a lark.

It’s a completely different culture there than out west, and I just couldn’t live that way. I just flat refused to pay the cost of hunting there, $2500 for a buck I’d pass on any public land any day is nuts. Montana buck tag +/-$500, Montana antelope $225, WY buck $325. 3 tags, places to hunt, $1050 leaving $1450 for gas and a few supplies.

If you are used to “civilization” I guess you’d be fine, but if you are used to being able to hunt when/where you want, it rough.

My apologies to Texans, I know there’s lots of pride for the state, but it’s not for everyone, or we’d be 49 short.

No apology necessary. I grew up here and the lack of public land is the #1 reason I'll be retiring somewhere else. As long as my wife and I were busy working and raising kids, it wasn't that big of a deal. Now that all the kids are grown, it's really starting to get to me.

Most Texan's idea of "hunting" is a very manufactured, artificial experience. And many of them like it that way.

As for the North side of San Antonio, you can do far worse in our state. San Antonio is the only major city in Texas that I actually don't hate. It's culturally rich and interesting and the traffic isn't awful. North and West of SA are some interesting places to visit and some "reasonable" pieces of public land - although to hunt you will either have to draw a permit from TPWD or you'll have to pay for a lease that you'll be stuck on for the entire season.

I'm getting off the deer lease I've had the last 6 years and going back to hunting the very limited pieces of public land within 2 hrs. drive of my home. I can't stand being stuck on the same piece of property all season.

Also, the NW side of SA is growing like hell. Good if you get in and want to see your property values increase (above what they already have) but not so good if you like a bit of peace and quiet.

Years ago my wife and I had talked about retiring around Comfort or Kerrville or Fredericksburg or on the Llano river (which we both love). Not anymore though. Just not enough public land to roam on for me.

 

[Newtosavage]

I know there are some great people in some of those small towns. People are people and there is good and bad everywhere. I worked with some really nice people. I also worked and hunted with guys down there that talked a lot about Yankees. Didn't seem to care as much if people were from other states but if you were from NY, NJ or PA, there where a lot of negative assumptions made. They also liked talking about how beautiful and great Texas was. I never saw the beautiful part of Texas when I lived there but to each their own. It was a paycheck for me.

Small town people anywhere you go don't like outsiders who come in and tell them how much better things were where they came from. That's really what it comes down to. Small town folk are okay so long as you don't put down their town. They already know it sucks. They don't need anyone coming in to remind them. LOL