[Algarete]

Good morning, I have a quick question for people in Texas or any one that might know the answer. Is Texas a draw state? Or can I just go to Walmart and buy deer tags to hunt in public land? Preferably Hill country. There is a chance that we may end up in San Antonio for at least a while and I was wonderiring this.

 

[JK622]

over the counter- lots of counties you can take 4 whitetail(no more than 2 bucks) and 1 mule deer buck in counties that have them- not much public land tho

 

[pisgah]

https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/hunt/public/

Although total acreage open to public hunting in Texas is large, for a state so large it is really quite small. The reason for this is historical. As an independent nation, Texas insisted on maintaining control of most of its land as a part of the deal for statehood. Consequently, public land in Texas is scarce. Here in SC, which is a small fraction of the size of Texas, we have nearly 2/3 as much public land as Texas.

 

[MudMan]

Private land is just that, private. It does not have to be posted. Trespassing is highly frowned upon. There was a program that made some land (public and private) open to those that paid an additional fee. I don't know if they still have that or if it is open to nonresidents. I would start with the Texas Dept. of Parks and Wildlife to find out.

Looks like Pisgah answered the question while I was typing.

Good info, Thanks.

 

[navajo]

You have to have your hunter education or they won't sell you a license.
Non-resident is $48.00, Hunter ed is $15.00
If you intend to bow hunt you need an endorsement.
I would strongly advise you download or look up our "outdoor annual"
and read it carefully. Especially the special antler restrictions and
bag limits.
I can almost guarantee you you will be checked on State land if you
hunt there. If your vehicle has out of state tags, even more so.
So, as we say down here, you better have your wood screwed.
You can buy a "public hunting land permit" but things have changed since I
used to bother with it and I am not familiar with how they do it now.
I believe there is some state land in Bexar County, south of San-Antone.
There is a chance you might find a "day lease" down there but you'd have to
arrange that ahead of time. So if you want to try to go that route, you'd
need to start looking online now.
https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/licenses/hunting-licenses-and-permits#section-11
https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/hunt/public/annual_public_hunting/
https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_bk_w7000_0112a.pdf

 

[pjbishop67]

You have to have your hunter education or they won't sell you a license.
Non-resident is $48.00, Hunter ed is $15.00
If you intend to bow hunt you need an endorsement.

Only if you were born after 1973 as I have hunted dove,quail, and turkey many years. Never have I attended an hunter education course for a license.

Same applies for boaters education courses.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Algarete]

These are all great answers. Thanks for the help. I will do more research about private vs public. The move won’t happen for another 2 to 3 years from now, if plans don’t change, since Louisiana is also a possible choice.

 

[pjbishop67]

These are all great answers. Thanks for the help. I will do more research about private vs public. The move won’t happen for another 2 to 3 years from now, if plans don’t change, since Louisiana is also a possible choice.

In Texas more than likely to go hunting you’ll be looking at an annual hunting lease.

They can be quite expensive to buy yourself, but usual group leases can be easily found and joined. Just be sure to have and carry a copy of the hunting lease with you and don’t knowingly or unknowingly shoot or follow game across property lines without permission in writing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[navajo]

Only if you were born after 1973 as I have hunted dove,quail, and turkey many years. Never have I attended an hunter education course for a license.

Same applies for boaters education courses.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It's after Sept 2 1971...but you're right.
I forget because I had to get mine years ago.

 

[navajo]

In Texas more than likely to go hunting you’ll be looking at an annual hunting lease.

They can be quite expensive to buy yourself, but usual group leases can be easily found and joined. Just be sure to have and carry a copy of the hunting lease with you and don’t knowingly or unknowingly shoot or follow game across property lines without permission in writing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

LOL...I don't know about the easy part.
I suppose everywhere is different.
As far as crossing a fence onto someone else's property,
The best advise I can give you is work that out ahead of time,
With the landowner or whoever hunts it.
People down here will get irate in a hurry over someone being
on their land without them knowing it.
And when you tell them you're tracking a wounded animal
they aren't going to care.

 

[punch]

Hunting lease in TX areexpensive. 1000 bucks per gun or hunter probably Startin point. Large amount of day hunts which is so much per day. Those are crap shoot. Some good ,whole lot bad ones. Lease is best way if you can a ford it but can be hard to find, especially when economy is good. Need to start early like right now to come up with lease. Same hunters having same lease for years is common. Little bit of advice. If you lease remember you are still a guest, just a paying guest. Don't act like you own the place. Whole lot boys been shown the gate for that. Use it to hunt not place for recreation as that can cause problems very quick. Don't bring friends and relatives to hang out, etc. It's for the people to hunt that paid their money. Having said all that some hunters and land owners been together for years.

 

[pjbishop67]

LOL...I don't know about the easy part.
I suppose everywhere is different.
As far as crossing a fence onto someone else's property,
The best advise I can give you is work that out ahead of time,
With the landowner or whoever hunts it.
People down here will get irate in a hurry over someone being
on their land without them knowing it.
And when you tell them you're tracking a wounded animal
they aren't going to care.

Whatch the green sheets and thrifty nickel publications and also the Sunday classifieds in July, August , and September. Your lease will in a group may still be $500-1000 per person or x number of dollars for a tract of land.

My dad did this with a group leases to get the individual cost down to a few hundred per person per year. He leased a two to five sections of land at a time. Sometimes the lease may be a five year lease instead of a one year or person per season lease.

Different owners equal different deals.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[L Pete]

You have to have your hunter education or they won't sell you a license.
Non-resident is $48.00, Hunter ed is $15.00
If you intend to bow hunt you need an endorsement.
I would strongly advise you download or look up our "outdoor annual"
and read it carefully. Especially the special antler restrictions and
bag limits.
I can almost guarantee you you will be checked on State land if you
hunt there. If your vehicle has out of state tags, even more so.
So, as we say down here, you better have your wood screwed.
You can buy a "public hunting land permit" but things have changed since I
used to bother with it and I am not familiar with how they do it now.
I believe there is some state land in Bexar County, south of San-Antone.
There is a chance you might find a "day lease" down there but you'd have to
arrange that ahead of time. So if you want to try to go that route, you'd
need to start looking online now.
https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/licenses/hunting-licenses-and-permits#section-11
https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/hunt/public/annual_public_hunting/
https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_bk_w7000_0112a.pdf

A Texas Non-resident General Hunting License is $315. I think you looked at the five day permit, and if he's gonna' be here a while, he'll probably need the General Hunting License......

 

[Algarete]

Oh wow. I may have to start saving up from now if we end up in Texas. It certainly won’t be cheap unless I find a honey hole at some piece of public land even if it’s all antlerless. I’ll take that any day. Are does plentiful on public lands. If just want to hunt meat would I have a high rate of success even if it doesn’t have any head gear?

 

[navajo]

I hunted some of that public land 20 or so years ago when they first
started that program. It was called "Type 2" land back then.
There is a big section of it not far from where I live.
I went opening weekend of bow season, walked in a mile or soand th
ought I'd be away from other hunters, and I sat down and got to
looking and there was 3 more hunters right close by.
There is a lot of deer on that place but they leave when the hunters
come in.
I gave it up after awhile. Too many kids in the tub.
May not be that way everywhere...
For what you're talking about you may just look into a day lease
around the LLano area.
They're covered up with deer out there, but if there is a dry year
the hunting is bad.

 

[MidBigWest]

I aint from Texas but look up the Conservation office in Texas for CRP holders.
They will generally have a list of who will and wont allow hunting.
Plus contact info in most cases.
CRP land is an ok program. Helps increase wildlife and restore natural habitats.

 

[einhorn]

Here’s a link to some federal land at Lake Amistad, Del Rio, Texas. It’s bow hunting only for deer and exotics. Shotguns for some other game species. The price is right, but it’s 3 hours from San Antonio. The link has 5 maps that give more details. Some of these areas are rather large. Ease of access may vary.

https://www.nps.gov/amis/planyourvisit/hunting.htm

I’ve seen a couple of 130 class white tail bucks from there. Nice deer.