Hunting North of Leakey

Anyone know how the hunting is North of Leakey and what the deer density is? Also, are there any exotics in the thick hilly areas?

I've hunted that area quite a bit. My father in law has some land there. In my experience the only thing that there are a lot of is pigs. Deer numbers are low from what I've seen. I've also seen aoudad, axis, and turkey.

I was on a lease north of Leakey that bordered the Prade Ranch several years ago. The area is full of exotics, especially axis. I have a huge axis and aoudad from that lease. There are no shortage of white tails, but they are typical hill country white tails competing with all the exotics for food. Don't expect large antlers. 130 is realistic expectation. Lots of turkeys as well. No shortage of game.

I went there quite a while back and we were up in the hills, deer density was low and they were average size deer. There are exotics and pigs especially Axis they seem to like the lower pasture areas around water.

When we were in Leakey heck there were herds of Axis walking and grazing in the middle of town like it was nobody else's business.

Good Luck

I also hunted there years ago but I would think that the hunting there hasn't changed from back then since that area has always been hunted hard and passed down several generations of hunters.
As mentioned don't even think about B&C unless it's on a managed high fenced place. Most will be in the 120 to 130 if you are lucky.
The place I hunted was a fairly large ranch up in the hills and if you saw a fawn in several days of hunting you'd be lucky, but that place was known to be shot out when I hunted there.
So do your scouting because some places have a lot of deer, and some places not so much. Sticking close to river bottoms or a water supply would be huge.

Pigs and few other.

Look at the Garner SP Lottery Hunt stats for some definitive info. Multiple hunts in GDE, GDA & EXO every year, and frequently lots of StandBy slots every year in a couple of them...how I got in on a late GDA Hunt ...that still did not fill out.

As said small critters on the SP as they try and shoot 'em ALL out every year. You might go talk to the guys in Leaky at the gas station who run the cold storage locker too, they can tell you how much and where it came from if you can get them to open up, as it is the only public access locker I could find in 2010, the last time I was out there.
Ron

Why would they shoot all of the deer out of the SP every year?

We are a bit farther north than you're discussing, up off hwy 41, but I doubt it is significantly different. Lots of whitetail. Lots of axis (which need to be shot down to keep the WT healthy). Decent population of blackbuck antelope.

The quality of the WT herd will vary significantly from place to place, based on the landowners and hunters. If you just let bucks get old, you'll get 130s and 140s. Occasionally, you'll get lucky and have a 150 or 160 in a good year on a good day with the right deer, but it's not typical. The free range axis will yield some monsters. HF and protein of course could change all that big-time.

At least that's the impression I got from the Hunt Master.

The TPW biologist's actually are who set the game limits, but the critters I saw harvested were really small even by Hill Country standards...and the Hunt Master got bigtime PO'd at me for not shooting WTails even after I told him up front that I was there strictly to hunt Axis. He just wants to reduce the number of mouths eating the sparse forage....and acts like putting up with Hunters is only because the State Biologist sez so. Some different kinda Rules too I've never seen at any other SP Hunt I've been at... that any infraction of will get you kicked off the property.

IMO Garner is strictly run for the Camping Public... Period.... Paragraph... Page & the 2nd most Visited SP in the System, (behind Guadalupe River SP where I've been 3 times and will go back as often as I can drawn) and Garner's Hunt Staff ran us out couple hours early to allow campers waiting at the gate and complaining about the wait to come in and not have Hunters seen anywhere by anybody. It's 98% & 2% Usage kinda deal...so who are you going to give preference to.

I'd go back to Garner in the off season as a Camper...I have some really old fond memories of it from my childhood in the early '50's, but I'll never hunt there again ...ever.

A former neighbor from my time at Lake Texoma hunts near Camp Wood, as a helping hand with his old Aggie Roomate's severly handicapped and terminal son...and they are always successful...Let me win a big Enough Lottery and I'd never hunt anywhere else...it's that good away from Garner, with numerous road kills of all kinds common.
JMHO & YMMV
Ron

I've never hunted there but have some friends with a place on the frio. If you walk outside and shake a coffee can full of corn you would have a hundred deer headed your way. They also had tons of axis but they were not as friendly. The state park is over run with deer so I'm sure the last thing they want is a hunter out there being selective. They actually pay professional hunters to come in and thin the population.

TPW would not have to pay "Professional Hunters" if they would run Garners Lottery Hunt system like many other WMA's & SP's do.

You really need to go participate to understand what I'm talking about, mebbe it's changed since I was out there, don't know for sure but I doubt it. I've been doing Lottery Hunts since 1999, and Garner was the worst managed Hunt IMO I'd ever been on....and why I said I'll never hunt there again.

FWIW when the Hunt Master sez "don't shoot something that you will not be willing to take home" and "you can't give way anything you killed" then get on my back about not shooting a WTail when I had specifically asked about that before I drove 9 hours to get there....did not exactly fit well with me, especially after being placed in a blind situated in the middle of a concrete parking lot, next to a brick Shower House on the "improved campground", where you have to carefully watch your shots and not hit a swingset, water faucett or electric hookup, where you cannot move out of the blind once the truck left or until it arrives to pick you up, or cover or move the killed critter out of the bright sun in 80+* degree weather for 3-4 hours or take a chance on getting kicked out of the Hunt like one guy I saw geting his arse eaten out at the top of the Hunt Master's voice in the middle of the Hunters designated Parking area, where the Placement/Pickup truck comes around even when you specifically asked not to be disturbed for a ride to lunch, and are only allowed 4 mebbe 5 hours per each of the 4 Hunt Sessions in a 3 day Hunt actually able to sit in the blinds yadda yadda yadda.

Betcha the so called Professional Hunters are not restricted the same way...but then they are NOT running the Lottery Hunt in the business of pleasing Hunters 1st either, since the SP is run primarily for Campers.

BTDT once & never again. Have YOU been there for a Hunt? I'd love to go back if things are more like Lake Mineral Wells, Guadalupe River, Choke Canyon and many others Hunts are.

Nowhere else in the Lottery Hunt System I've ever been has done their Hunts this way...but that's fine if thats the only way they can do their Hunts, but I don't have to participate ever again if I don't want to either...but then I'm not an armchair critic either, only speaking from personal experinces. I don't doubt that there are lots of deer & axis nearby that come to a can of rattled corn. I saw more dead critters on the Hwy shoulders down there than I've ever seen anywhere in my 40 years of working as a travelling Sales Rep in Texas and up to 33 other states.

Garner SP & the surrounding SP's is in a beautiful area, and well worth the drive to experience what the Texas Hill Country is all about.

I have a small place in the hills north of Leakey.Spring country ranch. Lots of hogs, WT are small but numerous. Aoudad are common along with axis. Beautiful place in the hill country. 6 hour drive limits my opportunities more than anything. Wish it was closer.

EK sounds absolutely fabulous ...got any pics ??? I'd be right there around you if'n I could win a GOOD sized Lottery for sure, and'd spend the whole dang thing buying as much ground as I could.
Ron

Yep, this is exactly where my father in law's place is as well. Beautiful country.

Sorry, no pics to share. Haven't been down in a couple of years. That country is pretty rough on an old man.