Yep, I hunted Davy Crocket Nat'l Forest for many many years and although we often didn't even see deer on a hunt, much less a shooter, I have great memories from hunting it that I wouldn't trade for anything! And yes, I did finally get a real nice eight point one year that is still on the wall from there and to me it's every bit the trophy that any of my other wall hangers are...

I understand what you mean in your post. I was the same way several years ago. I've hunted Sam Houston Forest and Davy Crockett. Also all of the public land up near Wolfe City area. All are tough hunts. You can do more walking and scouting there than you might plan too but, I always enjoyed the time spent in there. You won't stumble across tons of game but you can find a spot now and then that shows fresh signs of hogs or deer traveling the path, then get in there one morning, set up in a tree for a few hours and see how it pans out. I've never seen a monster buck in there. Seen a few does, hogs and coyotes but they were few and far between. However, I was hunting and that's what I was after. You can put meat in the freezer from the public land but you probably wont be getting so much that you have to give it away to friends and family.

Take your rifle and binoculars, pick a spot with a dart and a map and get started. It's peaceful, relaxing and worth it over all. Make a few notes as you walk around on what you see or don't see in the different areas and narrow it down from there.

On the other hand.... I finally ran across a lease that I could afford or rather that I was willing to spend that much for and YES, it was better than the public land being able to put up a permanent blind(s), feeders, run around on the 4 wheeler, etc.... Not having to worry about someone on public land being in my favorite spot on the public land, hearing gun shots that were much closer to me than I'd normally like, people leaving trash in so many places.

It's just personal choice. Research leases and cough up the cash or hit the forests. Forests is not the worst place in the world to start though. Either way, good luck at which ever you choose and above all else, be safe out there.

You might find a lease on one of the paper tracts for $1000-$1500, and believe it or not, some of them are great. Have a buddy that's on one and they have pics of absolute monsters. Now, they're a bit tricky to peg during the day time, but they took a couple this year that were over 145.

Good luck finding something. Going to be really tough if you don't want to spend money, but I'd recommend just trying to become friends with someone that has land if that's your approach. That's what got me into hunting back in college.

I've also heard that if you're willing to hunt the national forest during the week when there aren't as many people out, or you go deeper in than most people would, you'll have a much better experience.

Y'all are so rough on the new guy!



I can feel your pain. The alternative to not hunting your own land/lease/public land is to go on paid hunts. That is expensive too, as is everything when it comes to hunting, but you can get decent meat and hog hunts within a few hours of Houston. I dunno who's charging $350 for a pig hunt but take a look at Outfitters and Guides and you will see a bunch under $200. Dove hunts around the Houston area run $50-$100 a day, I've gotten season leases for $200-350. Check DB Hunting Ranch's specials in the Exotics and Outfitters/Guides sections; it's about a 3 hour drive from where I am in Western Houston and it gets you the thrill of hunting and great meat.

Most of our hunting is done around Kerrville and Rocksprings. I've done hunts leaving Houston on Friday night, getting to a motel in Kerrville around midnight, and meeting guide in the morning at 7 AM, hunting as long as needed, and getting back home by midnight. Stretched that to Junction last year, minus the sleep part, but usually do weekend hunts in the area. It's doable, and a lot of fun.

If you want "trophies," forget paid hunts for under $1500; most start at that price point, and include lodging and guides for the weekend.

You can find a decent season lease (even year leases) for around $2000 from what I have seen. The bigger chunk of costs would be equipment: feeder, stand/blind/pop-up, trail camera, etc. I mean that depends on how all out you go, and can be minimized. With this equipment, you can also hunt public land for $48 a year.

If you already knew that, sorry for making you read it. If not, I hope I helped!

Absolutely correct,don k..

When I was poor I hunted public land. I remember thinking gas money for scouting was expensive. Any animal was a trophy. Now I enjoy the luxuries of my own land. It's like earning your stripes.

I have family lease now but use to and still do hunt public land. I enjoy it. It's a big adjustment instead of walking to my box blind, but I love the challenge of scouting and changing scenery every once in a while.

I enjoy my place too much to go hunt public land in Texas. If I had to drive 5-7 hours to my place I'd probably hunt public land if it was closer. That's not the case for me.

I hunt public land every year in other states but that's for a true change in scenery and a different animal species.

Guys that say don't hunt the Sam have seen some of the monsters that lurk the national forest.

How steady can you hold a spotlight?

Bama1986, can I correctly assume you just recently moved to Texas from Alabama?

I'm the opposite, lifelong Texan who moved to Alabama three years ago. I'm still trying to wrap my head around all the public hunting opportunities Alabama offers. So I can understand your frustration for the way hunting is done in Texas.

ps, You left too soon. Alabama is about to let us hunt deer and hogs over feeders!

The OP hasn't responded in nearly a week. Maybe he isn't much for correspondence.

IMO he was getting a pretty harsh welcome. I was kind of shocked reading through some of the comments. Can't recall seeing something like this on this forum for a long time. A guy ask about something that was maybe not worded to some folks satisfaction and he got punched in the arm a few times. We all need a little advice now and then even if we don't state it properly maybe.

I'm now stepping off my soap box, adjusting my halo, dusting off my angelic wings and exiting. Please hold your applause.

I'll now wait and see how this went over.

I would just say he has (had) unrealistic expectations for hunting in Texas. Now ,maybe he understands better, & he can re-align his expectations. Some of us that do hunt here, kinda get tired of the complaining heard from the "free hunt" folks, & they kinda run down the way things are in Texas.

Bama 1986, if you moved here from out of state the first thing you need to realize is that about 98% of Texas land is privately owned. There are still thousands of acres of public land to hunt but we are a big state and that public land is scattered all over. Sam Houston National Forest is a great place to hunt but you have to get farther than a couple hundred yards off the road. I have a buddy that grew up hunting it and has a wall full of trophies from there. You probably aren't going to find any leases within a couple of hours of Houston for less than $2000- too many rich hunters in Houston and money talks and BS walks. A lot of folks look down their nose at hunting east Texas for many reasons, some valid and some are just not prevalent anymore. But it can be the most reasonably priced place to hunt. I actively hunt two different leases, one private property and one a timber company lease, and only pay $1560 total for both places. So there are places to hunt that don't cost an arm and a leg. If you want to hunt close to home sometimes you have to pay a premium for the privilege and convenience.

Below is his fifth post on this forum. The OP took it up a few notches on Don for little reason.

You have to be realistic ------ as the population of Tx increases and the huntable land decreases -- the final result is predictable. Hunting is getting VERY expensive, I have never heard of a lease in the last 5 yrs that cost $1,000, $2500 is cheap in this day and time. If you want to hunt be prepared to pay and to drive.

Once upon a time, we would drive to any small town (usually around Abilene) go into the local cafe have a donut and cup of coffee and ask some of the farmers there about quail hunting ------- someone ALWAYS volunteered their land for us to come hunt on. That was then , this is now.

Houston's population is listed as 6.7 million people -------- if only 2% of those hunt, that is 137,000 people looking to hunt ------- how many acres is the national forest?? The numbers dont match up.
Think hunting is expensive ??? Try offshore fishing,,, hunting is free compared to that.

Texas is losing farm and ranch land to urban sprawl at the rate of about 2 million acres a year. At a section rate or 640 acres that equates to 3125 lease size parcels of land every year. I used to hunt southwest of Abilene, that land is now 4 and 5 acre tracts with houses on them. That same type of development has sprawled in every direction from Abilene for about 15 miles.

Take a square that is 30 miles by 30 miles, 50 years ago the majority of that land was hunted, farmed and ranched, it produced food, and other agricultural products. Today most of it is has been developed into small parcels of homesteads. They raise horses, kids and a few might grow a small garden.