Men,

I'd like to know where the BEST public hunting land is in your very fine

State. I am strongly considering moving my family there in just about 2

years. But, I ain't goin' where I can't hunt OFTEN, and, with reasonable

odds of seeing hogs, deer and "what ever" game. I am grateful for your

comments! {Same question posted in Double Rifles}

Well, Jack-- little to none. Most people own or lease land to hunt on.

Texas is a great place to live. I grew up around San Angelo on a ranch and got to hunt everyday. Now I live between Austin and San Antonio in the urban jungle (urban jungle for Texas), and miss my childhood.

Great place, but if you want to hunt your going have to pay for it.

Regards,

Ed

SHHHHH!!!! Keep it a secret!!!

I did not know this about TEXAS.

So can a new comer realistically get into a hunt-

ing club that has leases or land ownership?

There are is alot of public hunting land in Texas especialy for non-game animals (hogs) There is a place at amistad lake that is bow hunting only and alot of land near along the coast that is open to duck,geese, hogs, alligator and some exotics (Nilgia) go to texas parks and wild life and request maps on line also there is alot of land available that is run by the core of engineers ( Amistad Lake area, I believe) that wont be listed under TPWD but is avaiable if you do some homework.

James

There's lots of public lands to hunt, with lots of extra rules.. however, finding a 1K per year family lease aint hard .. move to Houston, if you want a working job, dallas if you want an accounting job, austin if you have millions to buy a house. San antonio if you can do your job "anywhere" as the best hunting is usually within 2 hours of there

Compared to its size, Texas has very little public land for hunting. But just about every square inch is available for lease for a price. Find the type and quality of game you are after and then hit the papers and internet for lease openings.

Texas Parks & Wildlife Public hunting page. Most success stories I see are from bow hunters, those who hunt during the week, those who travel farther off the beaten path, and those who do their homework.

Personally, I have always hunted private land but there are those who are successful on the public land.

Thanks men. I am learning and will dig further.

The Sam Houston National Forest near Houston/Huntsville has excellent deer hunting. You have to do your homework and plan on going in deeper than most of the "roadside" hunters to find decent bucks. The are several game management areas south of Houston that have cheap permitted hunts for hogs and waterfowl. Look up "Peach Point", for one. Ft. Hood in Kileen (reachable from many cities) has one of the better public hunting programs in the state, too. That is a paid hunt on federal land but the fees are minor. IIRC there is another national forest in east Texas and something on the LA side too. I'm basing that on my memory of a trip one of my employees made coming from Lafayette, LA to Houston. In one day he stopped in three areas of public hunting and drove to the shop with two deer. The only one I recall for sure is Sam Houston NF, another in east Texas and one in LA.

After a year or two of making friends, you'll find a lot of opportunities to join a good private lease. The problem with most reasonable leases is that they are relatively far from any urban area. Close in, you'll need more money or a really good buddy to get on decent leased hunting grounds.

OTOH, all the commercial game farms have exotic culls from time to time and if you do some homework, you can fill your freezer with doe meet from a dozen or more species. It's really harvesting, not hunting. But anyone that complains about cull hunts needs to man-up and slaughter their opwn cattle for burgers; or let it lay.

Last time I saw it published, 98% of the state is privately owned. Most public land, you do not want to be on in gun season.

Lived in Texas for five years, it's a great State with fine people.

You can find some public land and with a bit of networking you will meet folks who can put you onto good opportunities at a lease or private property. People down there just seem to want you to enjoy yourself and they'll go out of their way to help you do so.

BFJ,

Sending you a PM.

quote:

Originally posted by lee440:
Last time I saw it published, 98% of the state is privately owned. Most public land, you do not want to be on in gun season.

Boy howdy! That's why I said go deep past the lazier day hunters. We had to do a little pipeline job on a reservoir in Waynesville, OH during the week of shotgun season. No one in the Corps of Engineers warned us about the upcoming event and at 0700 that first morning, you would have thought the Tet Offensive had started again!

I'd have rather been in a deer suit in the Sam Houston opening day than in all the blaze orange in Ohio that morning.


But if the 98% number is right, that still leaves 3,439,444 acres of public hunting land.

Over the yaers I have seen lease rates that ranged from $3 or 4$ per acre up to beyond $12 per acre.
You will find it difficult to lease property that is less than a couple hundred acres. In South and South-East Texas, many places that lease exceed 1000 acres.
Be careful when you talk leasing. SOME FOLKS QUOTE COST FOR A LEASE AND SOME TALK COST PER HUNTER!
As was mentioned, there are several National Forests in Ease Texas. Many of those are broken up into small parcels interspersed with private property, but there are some areas that back up to the Cado area and you would be able to walk in a mile or so.
Also realize that if you join a hunting club in Texas, it is common that each member put in work time as part of the effort to keep the place up. SOME ALSO REQUIRE THAT ITS MEMBERS KICK IN TO PAY FOR FEED TO ENTICE DEER AND PIGS.
Bob Nisbet

I don't understand how anyone who loves to hunt could enjoy living in Texas.
State has it's pluses for sure, but to many states have plently of public land.

quote:

Originally posted by Snowwolfe:
I don't understand how anyone who loves to hunt could enjoy living in Texas.
State has it's pluses for sure, but to many states have plently of public land.

That little thing called "making a living" always seems the priority. I'd think being from Alaska, you'd be glad another 20-30 million of us can't find jobs up there.

A job where you work remotely or being a fisherman are good options. The fishermen seem to work hard for 4 months then drink and relax the other 8 The Kenai peninsula is gorgeous and great hunting and fishing. Say hello to the Salty Dog Saloon for me!

quote:

Originally posted by tiggertate:

quote:

Originally posted by Snowwolfe:
I don't understand how anyone who loves to hunt could enjoy living in Texas.
State has it's pluses for sure, but to many states have plently of public land.

That little thing called "making a living" always seems the priority. I'd think being from Alaska, you'd be glad another 20-30 million of us can't find jobs up there.

Sure, making a living is very important. But I always believed its a big world out there and life is to short not to live where you want to. That is why I moved to Alaska. But after living here for almost 35 years the itch to move somewhere else is starting to grow.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed all my trips to Texas. But without the opportunity to do a lot of hunting for free it lost it's appeal of places I would move to.

If wifey is offered a job in Arkansas, Georgia, or NC or SC we may move next year. Time to go out and bust a bunch of pigs!

BigFiveJack: If you want public land to hunt and a lot of it, then Nevada and Utah are the two states with good percentages of it(i.e. Nevada-84.5% and Utah-57.4%) The only state that beats Utah is Alaska at 69.1%. Idaho has 50.2% and Arizona has 48.1%, followed by California with 45.3% and Wyoming with 42.3%, New Mexico with 41.8% and Colorado with 36.6%. Don't know where Texas fits into the picture. It isn't in the bottom "10" for sure.

quote:

Originally posted by Snowwolfe:
Sure, making a living is very important. But I always believed its a big world out there and life is to short not to live where you want to. That is why I moved to Alaska. But after living here for almost 35 years the itch to move somewhere else is starting to grow.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed all my trips to Texas. But without the opportunity to do a lot of hunting for free it lost it's appeal of places I would move to.

If wifey is offered a job in Arkansas, Georgia, or NC or SC we may move next year. Time to go out and bust a bunch of pigs!

Wish you the best of luck wherever you end up. I like my job like you like free hunting, so I guess we both have it made!

I'll be 52 years old and RETIRED when moving. IF I were to

work it would be as I felt like it. I'll have two kids, one in

middle school and one in grade school at that juncture. So,

that is an aspect. I am meeting a guy next Thursday who has

family in the Austin area and in the state of Lousiana too.

He's going to give me some serious guidance. I am hopeful...

unless you are rich, avoid austin .. and LIBERAL

quote:

Originally posted by tiggertate:

quote:

Originally posted by Snowwolfe:
Sure, making a living is very important. But I always believed its a big world out there and life is to short not to live where you want to. That is why I moved to Alaska. But after living here for almost 35 years the itch to move somewhere else is starting to grow.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed all my trips to Texas. But without the opportunity to do a lot of hunting for free it lost it's appeal of places I would move to.

If wifey is offered a job in Arkansas, Georgia, or NC or SC we may move next year. Time to go out and bust a bunch of pigs!

Wish you the best of luck wherever you end up. I like my job like you like free hunting, so I guess we both have it made!

Yea, but watching it snow all day today is really getting on my nerves!, lol

Stay away from Austin

Austin is not Texas and needs to have a tall fence built around it.
Even the stray cats have civil rights here.

Cant wait to leave my self.

John

Austin warnings are officially acknowledged!

Maybe we can do a prisoner swap...
California will release some of it's conservatives for some of Texas's Austinites

quote:

Originally posted by BigFiveJack:
Austin warnings are officially acknowledged!

I have not lived in Austin in many years, but it is in a pretty setting, with more topography than most other cities in Texas, lots of live music, plenty of college sports. It does have a lot of students and folks with a liberal bent.

quote:

Originally posted by Charles_Helm:

quote:

Originally posted by BigFiveJack:
Austin warnings are officially acknowledged!

I have not lived in Austin in many years, but it is in a pretty setting, with more topography than most other cities in Texas, lots of live music, plenty of college sports. It does have a lot of students and folks with a liberal bent.

Liberals noted the beauty of the Hill County a few decades ago and at the time, Austin's low cost of living. A couple with $600,000 invested in a 1100 ft sq cracker-box in LA or San Francisco could move to Austin and buy a 7,000 ft sq home on the lake. Such a shame.

quote:

A couple with $600,000 invested in a 1100 ft sq cracker-box in LA or San Francisco could move to Austin and buy a 7,000 ft sq home on the lake.

Then they found out what it costs to run the AC all summer!

There was indeed a big influx from California and as you say the housing dollar went a lot further in Austin.

quote:

Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
BigFiveJack: If you want public land to hunt and a lot of it, then Nevada and Utah are the two states with good percentages of it(i.e. Nevada-84.5% and Utah-57.4%) The only state that beats Utah is Alaska at 69.1%. Idaho has 50.2% and Arizona has 48.1%, followed by California with 45.3% and Wyoming with 42.3%, New Mexico with 41.8% and Colorado with 36.6%. Don't know where Texas fits into the picture. It isn't in the bottom "10" for sure.

Not sure what stats you're using, but the one for AZ is WAY off. About 85% of the state is public land. That consists of federal, ie. NFs, USFW, DOD and BLM, and state trust land. With the latter, only those with hunting/fishing licenses have access without paying extra fees.

In addition to the public land, many of the large private ranches allow hunting with no trespass or lease fees.

The blue is state trust land. Even SOME of the reservation land is open to hunting without any indian permits. The white color represents private land.

quote:

Originally posted by Charles_Helm:

quote:

A couple with $600,000 invested in a 1100 ft sq cracker-box in LA or San Francisco could move to Austin and buy a 7,000 ft sq home on the lake.

Then they found out what it costs to run the AC all summer!

There was indeed a big influx from California and as you say the housing dollar went a lot further in Austin.

Maybe 15 years ago. There aren't any 7K square Lake Houses in Austin anymore. Add a "zero" to that number.

Now, you still get really nice houses near the lakes for less than that - with good views - and drive to a nearby private marina or boat club to get into the water.

505ED and I grew up as "neighbors".. He grew up playing with my wife's cousins and family.

In TX, you either pay or know someone. I do not miss that in the least. I moved here to AZ 7 years back and I love it more each day. I miss some parts of TX (water and food!) and I dearly miss the Texan people, but I don't miss the pay to go somewhere part in the least. Here in AZ, I go where ever I please. And I love it enough that I may never go back.
Besides, its a good buffer distance from Tucson to back to our hometown. Keeps the inlaws at bay.

quote:

Originally posted by tiggertate:

Liberals noted the beauty of the Hill Country a few decades ago and at the time, Austin's low cost of living.

...and the plethora of drugs on Guadalupe Street.

Don't forget Leslie as well.

What happened to Hippies like this? I'll take 1,000 Leslies over the current liberals running this country (into the ground).

He even has his own iPhone App and can be found on Yelp!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Cochran

Big Five Jack

While our Southern border is fairly "open"..

We do have pretty good border controls on our northern border to keep out New York Yankeys.


Actually just kidding.

Two of the best areas in Texas for a retired person/family to think about moving to are east Texas, say between Terrell and Tyler, Sulfer Springs and Lufkin...

And the "Hill Country", say between San Angelo and Austin, Brownwood and San Antonio...

Give or take a few miles each way.

The key is to pick a small town or some land outside a small town, in those areas.

If you like to Ocean Fish, the Texas coast is also a great place.

To Explain the Leslie remark, here's a photo of one of Austin's notable residents - Leslie the Transvestite. Leslie is a popular fixture in Austin who makes public appearances at Austin events.

And I thought I'd be getting away from the "West Village"...
{that's Greenwich Village NY, NY for those who did not know,
a haven for such freaks since the 1950's believe it or not...}

N E 450 No2, Thanks for the good info!

You can always "supplement" your hunting endeavors with the drawing hunts, which can be pretty decent if you put some effort into it.

The top picture shows two bucks taken by locals who were drawn on the Daughtrey Wildlife Management Area. These were honest 150 and 140 class deer and were taken in 2007.

The buck in the bottom photo, while not a bruiser by any standard, was nonetheless a nice deer for the area. I took it in San Angelo on the WMA there in early December of 2007.