Hello everyone. New member here and soon to be new resident of Tx. Just got a question about side by sides - is there place with lots of open land that these SxS would be useful? Coming from Az I would use it to get me back on forest roads into the hills for deer and elk. Squirrel season was fun too. Looking at Tx and places to ride I’m only seeing parks that you pay to play on their trails, not my thing. Just seeing if others find these machines useful? Seems like most hunting is from blinds from what I’ve seen. 🤷🏽‍♂️

No where that I’m aware of other than the pay to play places, Texas is mostly private land so your pretty much SOL. SE Oklahoma and SW Arkansas have a lot of trails you can ride on but not so much in Texas. Where are you moving to?

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but no, there are no areas in Texas like you are used to in Arizona. Arizona is approximately 55% public land, while Texas is somewhere around 2-3%, with the majority of that being state and national parks. There is no BLM or similar land. For hunting access, Texas is very much a pay to play state, with most guys paying for a lease for the season. There are some public hunting lands available, but you will need to adjust your expectations from what you had available in Arizona.

As for SxS, a lot of guys use them as ranch vehicles, but I am not aware of anywhere you can use them on public.

Texas is 95% privately owned good luck.

Thanks for the replies Sherpa and Angus. That’s what I’ve been seeing online, just wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing something.

Thanks Thumper. I’m moving to Pflugerville just outside Austin. I’ll look into those states for hunting now that I’m closer to them. Looking at the map and just picking a spot, it’s about 5hrs, not bad for a camping trip.

Check out the Canadian River north of Amarillo. Lots of river bed off road (stay in the boundaries of the river) and you will need a Texas Off Road sticker issued by the state. Good luck and welcome

Many folks that are on deer leases have either 4 wheelers or SXS to get around on a lease. I have three leases and most of the roads I wouldn't take my truck down, at least all the way to where I have my stands or feeders. I had a four wheeler but have had a SXS for several years now- much better for hauling corn and staying drier and cleaner in rainy weather and on muddy roads. If you are talking about finding a place just to drive around for recreation there isn't a great deal of places for that.

I am still looking into these leases for hunting. Seen plenty of them on a Texas parks and wildlife website and still trying to wrap my head around how they work and locations.

Don’t hesitate to ask questions, I’ll gladly help out with some insight. SW Arkansas has some really nice places to ride.

Being from out of state Texas hunting and leases in general will probably take some getting use to but it’s the only way to go In my oppinion being you don’t have to fight any crowds and mess with hunting around idiots

If your main concern is if a SXS would be useful if you get on a lease the answer is yes. If you are also questioning how to find/get on a lease there are lots of parameters to consider and because of that the price is wide ranging. The cheapest way to hunt in Texas is thru the public hunting that is "managed" by Texas Parks and Wildlife. Buying a permit gets you access to thousands of acres to hunt across the state but most will limit you, unless you are handicapped, to walking in and out. Different parts of the state offer different hunting experiences for a wide ranging lease membership fee, depending on what interests you and how deep your pockets are. South Texas is well known for having larger antlered bucks but that comes with a significant price. The hill country offers opportunities to take exotics along with white tails, but that also can come with a pretty significant price. Many in Texas will actually hunt Oklahoma and Mexico depending on which end of the state you live. I have seen openings on leases in Mexico that were actually reasonably priced but I believe the hunting season is shorter than in Texas. I hunt east Texas for two reasons- i live in east Texas so travel time to leases are shorter and timber company leases are pretty cost efficient, but it can be harder hunting with fewer deer sightings because of the dense foliage. Finding a lease to get on will be one of the biggest challenges- keep your eyes and ears open and something that meets what you are looking for could come your way.

Come to think of it checkout Booneville, AR. As Thumper said lots of trails in Arkansas to ride.