I am new to the forum and to hunting as I have only been hunting a couple of years now. I have a few friends who hunt in town but since I do not have access to a lease or land I don't go very often. It depends on their schedule and when they want to invite me. I am always thankful when I can work it out though. I have fallen in love with hunting and I wondered if there was anyone in the Denton area who knows of areas to hunt or has land in the area. I really just need practice even if it is just pest control like shooting hogs. It is hard to get good when you only go once a year. Probably a long shot to ask, but I thought I would try. I read on the Meateater website and in Rinella's book it is worth a shot to ask for hunting permission so I am giving it a go. I am willing to meet face to face for an interview of sorts first as well so you don't think I am a nut.

Additionally, are there groups of people who hunt in the area? I am sure there are. I don't have money for a hunting club but I thought I would see if there is anyone else around Denton.

What’s your budget?

PM sent

Well, like I said I am very new. I have three kids under 7 so a long hunting trip is out of the question sadly as it will leave my wife in the lurch. That is why I was looking for something local to where I live. I do have a deer rifle and a shotgun for turkey as well as camo, but that is about it. I am not sure what you mean about budget. Do you mean for a lease? gear? a club? Sorry, I am not really familiar with this stuff.

State and federal(Corp of Enginner) and WMA’s that are close to you but are draws. Need to enter the draws

Should I just google draw hunt?

This is a link to the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife: https://tpwd.texas.gov/
Click on hunting, on drop screen click on Hunting Home, then Public Hunting, then Draw Hunts.

LBJ National Grasslands near Alvord, it’s free and about 30 minutes from you

There are some big deer there

Google it

The LBJ Grasslands are your best option. A lot of land and not expensive.

Good advice. Thanks guys!

LBJ grasslands is a good place for day trips from Denton. This time of year deer hunters are mostly gone. Use google earth to locate some creeks, take a shotgun and go kill some squirrels. Good place to take kids also, they have some pretty good size tanks stocked with fish. My kids always enjoy squirrel hunting also when they were little, its a good way to get them outdoors.

It was some time ago, but I have hunted duck/squirrel/rabbit at Lake Ray Roberts. An Annual Public Hunting Permit, is required.

Back in the day I subscribed to a lease site and got on a place in Montague for $1,250 for the year. Then moved few miles down the road to buddies place. Been paying $1,700 for 10 years now for 1,100 acres hardly hunted. Yes got lucky but go find a place. They pop up here every year but will be a little more. Before that did what you did and hoped for an invite.

Yea, that is the problem with hunting I have found in Texas is that you either depend on a friend's generosity or draw hunting on public land. If I could afford a lease I would be all over that. My wife would never go for that at this stage though. I do think this next year I will try a draw hunt. I thought about it in the past, but never really did it. Next season I think I will. I just love the outdoors so much. When I was younger I was a backpacking guide in Colorado and for years after I would scratch my outdoors itch by doing backpacking trips. Now that I am older and have little kids I cannot do that anymore. Other physical issues also don't allow me to take week long backpacking trips either. Those days are behind me, but I have found hunting to be a good way to get outside and do something interesting and fun. If I could afford it and had a place to practice I would get into bow hunting, but I cannot afford a bow right now and even if I had one I have no time or location to realistically practice. You really need to be able to consistently practice or it is a disservice to the animal. I don't want to wound anything. I guess for now I will hope that my two friends I know who hunt will keep inviting me and try to get a draw close for next season.

Not trying to cause marital problems, but if I waited on my wife's permission I would be in the same boat with you...lol.
We have an annual "discussion" every year when its time to renew the lease. It would be a great environment to bring those babies up in.

LOL! I am with you. I agree, it is a hard balance. I may push it a little when my boys get just a little older. My oldest is seven and youngest boy is four so I figure one my youngest is slightly older, say six, then I will look at it a lot harder. That way I can take both boys off her hands. Everyone has a different marriage dynamic as well. I try to pick my battles, but it takes a lot of give and take. The sad thing is my family had some great land in Arkansas but they sold it years ago. That would have been a great place to take the boys for free. I wish there was more public land here in Texas. So much is private.

FYI I’ve saw some fair deals on here to hunt cow elk and cull Axis high fence here in Tx

Which is still a hunting experience yet a lot cheaper than getting a lease

There is actually a lot of land around Lake Lewisville that you can hunt. Check the TPW site.

Where did you see that? I am just getting my feet wet on the site.

Bookmark this site, talk to them and understand how it works, it's a great organization to introduce kids to hunting. Truthfully, they introduced me to deer hunting when I took my boys as I had only been a duck hater to that point.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/hunt/youth_hunting/tx_youth_hunt_program/

For Lake Grapevine hunting, I believe it's also shotgun only.

Charlie

I started taking my boy hunting with me when he was 2. No, you will not get much "hunting" done at that age...it will be a lot of checking out the cool rocks and bones that he finds, but that will be just as much fun. By the time he was 4 he would regularly go with me to public land for rabbit and squirrel hunts. As you are constantly moving looking for rabbits and squirrels, that really helped keep his attention. Don't be afraid to take them at the age that they are. I got my boy his first .22 and got him into the game with squirrels and rabbits at age 7.

Where do you live? Just curious. Living in the city for some reason it seems a lot harder. Not sure why. It could be that I just don't know enough people who are into hunting and I did not grow up with family that hunted.

I am in Denton. I have kids also although older. Trust me, the t year old is plenty big enough to go squirrel hunting. If the 7 year old has fun and starts going the 4 year old won't be far behind him. You need to get them outside before they get hooked on screens. LBJ is a 22,000 acres and good place to go with them. If you don't have a shotgun and you're a decent fellow I have an old single shot 16 gauge with some ammo I'd let go of pretty cheap. Take them hunting, pop a couple squirrels, let them help you clean them, fix a pot of critter stew and you now have a couple little men who will be ready to go hunting next time you want to go.