Best County in Texas

This may have been ask before (i am sure it has) but I could not find it in the search.

What is your opinion on the best county to hunt in Texas year after year?
1) Top 5 counties for MOST deer?
2) Top 5 counties for Biggest deer?

I am going to say:
Quanity: kimble, kerr, gillespie, comal, real
Quality: Webb, Duval, LaSalle, Dimmit, Zavala

Most counties have good and bad areas.

Too broad a discussion I can be on one ranch in any of those counties and see big deer or a lot of deer and drive 10 min down the road and it be terrible

Way too many factors to go by counties anymore

But you left out Llano, menard, bandera and hays for most deer

That's right don't leave out Bandera County!

And maverick has more Boone & Crockett entries than any other county but it was left out

Well you can list all the major South Texas counties you want. But for most access unattainable or the price is financially out of most hunters price range. But for me give me Gonzales/Dewitt Co and am good.

You also left out the high fence, low fence option!

Yea I was thinking low fence. I did not know maverick lead the state with B&C.

I am a fan of Lampasas county, myself. Plus we see plenty of big deer on our farm in Tyler county, maybe not South Texas or Hill country numbers....but enough.

some bruisers come out of Armstrong, Donley, Briscoe also ...

The one you have the privilege and opportunity to be hunting on!

I have an East Tx bias......So Houston, Trinity, San Jacinto and Walker all hold dear to my heart

Traditionally the Edwards Plateau area counties will have the most deer in numbers, and the counties in what is known as the golden triangle of south Texas will have the larger deer.
There are exceptions to that rule due to management practices, but under the natural environment that usually holds true to this day.

I think Maverick leads the entire US. I heard that somewhere before.

Kinney County

I went back and found some old notes on the subject of B&C deer. Can't recall how old the data is, so may have changed a bit.

Webb County has more B&C entries than any other Texas County.

Best counties for typical B&Cs, in order, were Dimmit, LaSalle, Webb, Frio and Jim Hogg.

Best counties for non-typicals, in order, were Dimmit, Kleberg, Webb, Kenedy and LaSalle.

The Golden Triangle to include Dimmit, Maverick, Kinney, LaSalle, Webb, McMullen and Zapata counties have the second highest number of B&C entries of any region (Western Rio Grande Plains) in the US.

As for total number of deer, Edwards Plateau.

Texas is 5th in the nation for B&C entries. Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois and Iowa being ahead of Texas.

I lived in Huntsville for almost 30 years. Killed a lot of deer in the piney woods!

Kleberg County, no contest.

Are you sure about that?

At my age, I am not into B&C scoring as much as I once was, now more into having fun hunting. In my opinion, the friends and family you are hunting with, camp (I kinda like to rough it) and big, open terrain make for a fun hunt. I admit that I will hunt a mature deer as that is all that I will shoot but don't go into depression if I don't find one.
I don't like to sit in a blind looking at a feeder. I prefer to walk or drive and glass, I guess that is why I now like to hunt more out west than my native South Texas or Hill Country. They say that old age will make one senile....
Adios,
Gary

Mason, Gillespie, Llano, San Saba, Mills

I do not think the above is accurate - I have the Boone and Crockett website where you can search all typical and non typical in Texas by counties. I have done it over the past ten years and the past thirty years. Maverick has the most entries in both categories for both sets of years. And Maverick is nowhere near the size of Webb.

Maybe we are looking at different catargories??

I can't recall how old my data is, tlk. But it came from B&C. I remembered you saying Maverick led all counties last year, that's why I qualified with the "may have changed". I do know the data is more recent than 1987, though. I'll have to go back and research more when I have time.

I just looked up on their site:

Past ten years: Typical - Maverick 27, Webb 26, LaSalle 20, Dimmitt 15, Kleberg 9

Non typical - Maverick 10, LaSalle 8, Cooke 6, Kleberg 6, Dimmitt 5

Past thirty years: Typical - Maverick 56, Webb 47, Dimmitt 36, LaSalle 36, and Klebert 19

Non typical - Maverick 19, LaSalle 12, Dimmitt 11, Kleberg 9 and Webb 8

Just sent you a PM.

That explains the differences - thanks!

What is included in the "golden triangle of south texas"

wow thats awesome and some great information

Well, I learned it's outdated. tlk's post has the most recent data on B&C entries by county.

The other factor is that Maverick is a very small county - Webb and a few others are very large - so number of B&C book bucks per acre skews the numbers even more

Not a thing wrong with that either! Beauty of hunting and living where we are free is that we get to make those choices - I keep waiting for the big deer itch to go away as I get older but so far it has not - been at it 55 years!

So many ranches have been fenced down there now and killing giant deer that can never enter but are native deer. I have pics I won't post as I am sure you do too. 10,000 acres fenced seems to be the norm with only a couple hunters total shooting trophy bucks. There is still no better place to hunt in Texas if you can get access than the Golden Triangle IMO.

tlk,
I have been after them a little longer than you but I think what somewhat diminished the burning desire to kill a big deer every year was about 15 years of outfitting. I have been very blessed to have hunted some beautiful country and to have hunted with some great people. Stay after them as long as you can and I pray that the desire to "kill the big one" keeps you young.
Adios,
Gary

Don't forget the counties south west of Childress like Cottle,King,Motley and Dickens. Some big deer in those counties. Google Wyman Meinsers West Texas on vimeo and look at the bucks on that tape. I worked that area for a few years and on ranches like the four sixes and other huge ranches saw some giants.

X2

Studs in those counties but density wise they don’t compare to Webb and Maverick

No doubt. Great montage of west Texas. That last buck in the caprock breaks is the largest free range buck I think I've ever seen. Wyman Meinzer is the best.

I can only imagine that guiding and outfitting would wear someone down. I have been on many guided hunts all over the world and I always ask my guide how their hunters are overall. They always say that 90 percent are great and the other 10 percent are a pain.

It is the 10 percent that wear you down/

I am lease boss on a large LF ranch and people do not believe me but I get just as much satisfaction when one of our hunters takes a trophy as if I shot it myself. I rarely pull the trigger on a trophy

I hope to keep the passion until I literally cannot walk

I believe you because I feel the same way, tlk. I've only been at 'em 49 years but don't think my love for the country and sharing it with others will ever diminish.

All great choices above. But I would say for all around, year round, y'all can't leave out Edwards ad Kerr.

The OP forgot Kendall County dense with whitetail, and plenty of exotics to boot.
jstout

Webb or Maverick hands down.

I-10 NW of SA... ranch-hand bumper..
FM roads are best...

All of that B&C info is great, but I'll take the NE TX Panhandle counties any day, every day.

We have a lot of deer here in Llano County, A LOT. Not big bodied and for the most part not a lot of mass but there are a whole lot of deer in this county.

I think the words “the best” has to be defined. That means different things to different people. As I have gotten older, I’m just as content to see fewer but larger deer, spend time in big open country and share a camp with good friends, family, and hunting companions.

Collin and Grayson

Coke

Maverick

Eagle Pass Texas is full of huge deer.

There are some huge LF Eagle Pass bucks posted on here often

Am I the only one glad that my county hasn't been mentioned?

Anyone else know of some great counties?

For Hunting? Camping? Fishing? Entertainment? I'm a big fan of going west to deer hunt... Archer, Baylor, Foard, and West from there

Depends on the ranch and how it’s managed.

To me it's more of the question "who has the best ranch to hunt" in Texas?

You can have great hunting in just about any county in Texas if you have the land, water, and cover/browse. Add in knowing how to manage the wildlife and letting them grow to their potential. There are great places to hunt in just about every county. The best ones most of us never get a chance to know of or see for ourselves.

[quote=dradkins]This may have been ask before (i am sure it has) but I could not find it in the search.

What is your opinion on the best county to hunt in Texas year after year?
1) Top 5 counties for MOST deer?
2) Top 5 counties for Biggest deer?

One would think the most deer would be in the hill country although most are smaller bodied which makes there antlers/racks look bigger.
Top 5 for biggest? If you are talking about body weight and antler size combination, I would guess the golden triangle. If yo are talking about just body size and weight, then guessing the panhandle?

What county has the best overall year long hunting? Were talking deer white tail & mulies, exotics, dove quail, duck etc....