Pine trees is my definition.

east texas is anything Tyler and eastward IMO. and West texas is anything west of San Angelo or Abilene IMO. However, keep in mind El Paso is also west Texas... I hunt near Talpa and Ballinger and Consider that the extreme Eastern edge of West Texas. Or it could be considered central Texas too.

If they don't have venison in the freezer from hunting East Texas, then they aren't much of a hunter. I have hunted Gregg County (that's about as East Texas as it gets) and I have plenty of meat in the freezer (just enjoyed some last night).

Like has been said before - if you have the time to HUNT and don't mind putting in the effort and time, East Texas is full of dear and nice bucks.

If you live in Dallas and only have a weekend, and think it is good times sitting in a blind and waiting for deer to come out of the brush when the feeder goes off, then by all means hunt West Texas.

wouldn't go that far in terms of "hunting"... even the ones in east tx are dumb.

Hate to break it to you but sometimes there are places and people who hunt new land and don't have feeders and have to ambush off bluffs or spot at long range out here!Saying people hunting in west Texas only hunt off feeders is about as fair is saying people in east texas are meth running/poaching hillbillies.See not very fair opinions!

RLoving - not making judgements, just stating that ALOT of hunting in West Texas is out of 5 foot elevated box blinds hunting off corn feeders. I have a 3,600 acre lease in Sterling County that I use for my customers. I have hunted West Texas for years. My customers would be totally unhappy hunting my land in East Texas. They expect to come out, sit in a blind, and shoot something within 24 hours of arrival on the lease. Then of course they expect me to clean and pack the deer on ice for them.

I don't think that type of hunting should be outlawed, I am just saying that for alot of hunters, that is the type of hunting they prefer.

I was just stating in broad terms the difference between East Texas and West Texas hunting.

east texan meth running poaching hillbillies are still better hunters than west texan goat farming sister marrying cattle shooters.

Feeders dont work for deer where I hunt in west Texas
we have to glass for hours then put a spot and stalk on with dang near no cover.

We hunt in Sierra Blanca/Van Horn area , thats what I consider "west Texas"

I did a lot of watching in east texas....watched alot of squirells, pine trees, wood ducks, and on occasion, a deer or two.

when i finally found one to shoot, the first thing that crossed my mind, was "man thats alot of effort for this little deer", not "man, I'm a super deer slayer cause i got one in the piney woods"

if your sitting over a feeder, whether in val verde county or crockett county, your doing the same thing. it takes no more "hunting" skill to kill one in east texas than it does out west. odds are you'll do it faster in val verde, but that depends on the particular place.


It gets really old hearing about how east texas deer hunters are "real hunters cause its harder to kill a deer there than in the hill country". It dosen't make you a real hunter. all it means is that you hunt in a place that has fewer deer.

Thats it and thats all.

West Texas has some of the finest hunting anywhere. It is the variety of terrain that determines your experience. Any deer allowed to live 5 years is going to be nice. Another indicator IMO is land parcel size. How many land owners or outfitters / lessors per section is critical to an effective management plan.

That being said we also have the genetics. This three year old 12 point will be comparable with anything from anywhere in the state this year. The second buck is the same age but taken last year. Dominant bucks are not always trophy bucks.

I'm new here so is this first hand knowledge on either side or both sides?

So with all this being said I guess us guys that hunt an hour or 2 around the DFW area have the best hunting of all!

We're #1

Either are good its about the property... there are some huge deer coming out of east tx. Again its all about the property and how well its managed

Yep and what's bad is, when you lease from a paper mill mogul like we do, he has the right to come in and clear cut as he sees fit....leaving you at the mercy of his cutting plans. Although he usually works around deer season and tells his crews to leave the area around our stands and feeders alone, we have been hit hard as far as the tree cutting that's happened on our lease the past few years and the amount of woods vs clearing. Our deer are seeing less and less cover these days and yet the price of our lease still goes up year after year.

First cpl years the clearcuts are a pain to hunt... but it is also a good opportunity to get with the company biologist to flag off turkey track or long foodplots along SMZ(s).

Tough subject here for 15 yrs I manage and guided on 10,000 acres at Aspermont hunted childress just north of the bourder, East and west Live in Tyler hunt the sabine river bottoms and cass county.Is it easier in West texas?Depends on what Your goals are. yes the deer more readly come to feeders lack of forage.I spent many a hour on hills and bluffs glassing learning the deer of the area.In east Texas You just can't see as far !like very little,so I have to put in 3-4 times the scouting and use 4 cameras to help Do I have the same success Yes I normally tag out every year except last year shot a 140 class 10 point and spike the same morning.Started crappie fishing for 10 years I hunted with nothing but a bow shot 3-4 deer every year.You only achieve out of something what You put into it!

I hunted east tx for 4yrs and I hunted it hard, had some good times and shot 1 nice deer, Started hunting the hill country 1 yr ago and I freaking love it! There's WT,AXIS,MOUFLON,TURKEY,RED DEER,FALLOW,HOGS,......Ya'll can have east tx, I should mention the only east tx hunting I did was on a lease between cleveland and dayton, and on up 59 on a lease in timpson, the one in timpson I NEVER even seen a deer on that place

Huh? What part of east and west texas are you hunting. Those little guys out west cant hold a candle the east texas deer. Our average buck dresses over 140 lbs and we dont protein feed.

I have hunted both east and west texas and its true you see alot more deer out west. I would much rather see a few decent deer a day then sit and look at 5 little four points and eight spikes eat at the feeder for an hour in the morning and evening. I consider myself a trophy hunter and im not saying there arent trophy deer in west texas but for the money east texas is where its at. But its all just a matter of personal preference.

What about the King Ranch? That's east texas. Is it real hunting?

I believe that the King Ranch is considered to be in SOUTH Texas, neither east nor west.

it goes both ways.. i been on East TX Ranches where their mature bucks live wieght average over 190lbs.. and I seen several 200lb deer come out of west texas. Again its about the ranch and how its managed LF, HF doesn't matter.

LMAO