I am a little embarrassed to say I have never been hunting before. I did server in the Army and deployed several times so I have shot several different types of rifles, but would like to get into hunting. I have a Browning 308 that I acquired and I am taking it out tomorrow to get the scope sighted in and to several rounds through to get the feel of the rifle.

From the looks of it the public land option is over crowded and not really worth it. My options are then private land owners or buying into a lease. Does this sound right or am I total off base?

I am not really looking for anything particular, deer, hog, etc, just looking to get my feet wet. I am near FT. Hood and did see the options at FT. Hood, but unsure on success rates with the guided rifle options.. It also appears the "Guided" Ft. Hood option is them walking you to a blind, not a real "guide" from what I have researched at least..

Any advice?

First, thank you for your service and welcome to the forum.

As for Texas you've got it covered for the most part, Some public lands...not much, if you have any friends or family that have private land that will let you hunt or lease land are the primary options. There is one other option that somewhat a long shot is the draw hunts, believe they are $3 per hunt you apply, if you're drawn some have a fee of about $125. Unfortuantely the deadline to apply this year has passed so you'll have to wait till next year. Great choice on the rifle! Good luck, I hope you find somewhere to hunt we need more first timers if we're going to continue to enjoy our outdoors the way we do now.

Another option is a paid hunt at some nice ranch. Expensive though. I’d suggest the Wilson Ranch near Hondo,Tx, assuming they are still in the business. I had some wonderful hunts there - deer, turkey, pig.

Just googled them up, and I didn’t see mention of deer hunting. Maybe they quit doing that.

I have heard that Ft hood has its own area you are allowed to hunt so that is a good start for sure. That is where I would start if I were you. Learn to hunt on free land then once you get some experience you can pay someone to take you and you will appreciate the experience much more than just getting in a blind right now and popping a doe. I was in the same boat you were 10 to 12 years ago. All of my buddies hunted and it was something I knew I wanted to do. I live here in Houston so I figured out that the Sam Houston national forest was public hunting grounds where I could teach myself to hunt. I spent as much time as I could in those woods and it took a few years but I became a "hunter". It wasn't easy and it didn't happen overnight. There was a lot of luck involved as well as time and patience. What a difference in my skills from day 1 to now. I am a pig hunter and that is what I target in the woods. I have shot a few does but I could care less about deer so I just stick to hogs. More to shoot, unlimited resource, great eating, feed the buzzard society if you don't want to clean em, etc etc. It has been a few years since I have been to the Sam but I am thinking about heading up there one day next week to see if there are any hogs around. I don't expect to kill something every time. I would say 1 out of 3 trips is about my average. Some years better some years worse. the hogs move around. But figuring all of that out will make you a better hunter. Good luck and go get em!!

Thanks for the responses! I think I am going to try and get on FT. Hood and ask a few family friends that have land available to see if I can hunt on their land..

If you want to learn to hunt begin with small game. If you learn to take limits of small game on public land you will pick up most of what you need to know to be successful with deer along the way. The real killers I know all started with small game as kids.

If you just want to have fun killing baited deer then a pay hunt is your best bet. It's a wonderful way to enjoy the outdoors and get some great groceries.

Sent you a PM, another opportunity similar to Ft Hood.

I think SapperTitan a member on THF guides on FT Hood

In defense of public land:

(I came to Tx from PA.. it’s astounding the small amount of public land in a state this dang big!)

Public lands are only crowded on weekends. If you can sneak out after work for an hour before sunset, or just use a sick day to be out on a Wednesday (for instance) you’ll have those woods all to yourself. The trade off is, deer smarten up quick, don’t care for property boundaries and like to wander all over - so you’re gonna hafta.. ya know.. hunt.

My own unsolicited opinion, paying to hunt a ranch and sitting for half an hour in a blind near the feeder is somewhat akin to picking your own blueberries. Though the picking is noisier.

But that’s just the durrs.. small game doesn’t care and hawgs are all over. Lotta good opportunities for public land hunting there

It would help if you can buddy up with someone that hunts to help show you the ropes.
Some counties have antler restrictions some don’t, I’ve seen new hunters get very confused with antler restrictions.
Good luck finding somewhere to hunt and thanks for your service.

If you want to get really good at hunting, buy a bow and hunt public. It’s really tough, but it can be done. I’d suggest getting OnX or something similar and looking at national forest land, state parks, corps land, municipal land, etc. There’s more opportunity out there than you might expect.

Check your expectations though and make sure you enjoy the process. If you feel like you HAVE to successfully kill an animal, you will be disappointed 99% of the time. There are more and higher success likelihood opportunities for pigs.