Hey guys! New to the Houston area, and this will be my first deer season!!! WOOT WOOT!!!

Anyway, I am not big on paying for leases yet, still working on warming up the wife to the idea haha.

I have heard good things about the SHNF for deer hunting.

Any thoughts? Comments? Tips? Warnings?

Thanks!

Also on a side note, any hunters willing to team up with me this year to help out a new comer to the area?

BIG FOOT!!!!

A buddy of mine shot a 150" 10 point in 2010 at Sam Houston. Do some scouting, go in deep, and try to go during the week if you can. I would avoid opening weekend.

Dont worry I wont hurt you!!! LOL

If you're wiling to hoof it, there are good deer to be taken. Google Earth and contour maps are your friend.

Montgomery to fm 149 hike in with tent weekday stay more than one day. The deer are there.

I've seen a bunch of deer there, but they are always too far away for whatever I'm hunting with (archery or black powder) or they are walking on the road, and I'm not going to take that shot. Remember that if you want to hunt in the National Forest, you need to have a Public Lands license ($48 in addition to your regular license). They have a lot of rules to follow (wear orange, no baiting, etc). I also agree that it's risky to go on opening weekend. I was out there once on opening day, and it sounded like a war zone.
A few years ago, I was hiking around the Forest the day before archery season started, scoping things out, and when it started getting dark, I was heading out and a truck up ahead of me hit a deer crossing the road. I got out to see if I could help, and there was a beautiful 10 point buck with a tire track right through his body. I saw about 3 or 4 other guys like me looking and I'm sure thinking the same thing - "Just one more day and I might have gotten him". If the ranger hadn't shown up when he did, somebody might have had a trophy mount for the wall.

Its tough hunting, no way around it.