Will be getting a lease down the road, but only able to hunt public for the upcoming season. Not looking for spots or cyber scouting, just wondering how fruitful public land hunting can be? It looks like you can’t bait, so scouting seems to be key. I will be mainly bow hunting. Just curious how likely it is to harvest a deer on public land? Also, is it better to go national forest over WMA? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Probably depends on what area of the state you will be hunting.

Live in Tyler, so pretty much East Texas.

I've had a lot of good luck and hunts in Bannister WMA. Pretty good hump from Tyler, though.

I assume you have a driving radius from home your willing or able to do. I would pick one or two public hunting areas within that driving radius and learn them well. You can do pretty well in a public hunting area if you learn the game and hunter movements, but it takes time in the woods. Other than that, be sure to take advantage of the TPWD drawn hunts. I know there is one new NWR near you with a drawn deer hunt that I put in for. Living near it, you would have the advantage of being able to scout the heck out of it, if ever drawn.

Many state parks have draw hunts…I would put in for as many as I could if it were me hunting public land….

I have taken deer each of the last 3 seasons off public land. Is it viable? Yes if you are willing to work for your game. You're not going to just show up and fill a tag, it takes effort but it can be done.

I plan on trying the National Forest with a WMA, about 14,000+ acres. Any good resources on how to get started? I have been doing YouTube. Will be trying to put a scouting trip together before it warms up. Just go out hiking for the day. Trying to figure out what to look for E scouting (not trying to cyber scout) on an app that points to a good place to look or start looking? Any key features you look for on a map?

Actually hunting versus watching a feeder is always more fun, maybe not as productive.

Hope that helps your self esteem.

dont forget COE properties. Most have facebook pages with hunt info

Take your bow with ya when you go scouting the wma's. Might get a shot on some pigs

I love hunting public land. It's really challenging, but that's what makes it fun in my opinion. I got a nice buck (relatively - around 118") this year off of public.

Someone mentioned it above.....put in for as many drawn hunts as you can. If you're lucky, you might get a couple. Other than that, pick an area and walk farther than the others are generally wanting to.

Sending you a PM with my favorite spot out east.

1- Forgive my ignorance, but what are “COE properties?”

2- When do the draws usually open for application?

COE is Corps of Engineers

as mention corp of engineers. Alot of the lakes are under COE authority. most hunting is in the headwaters regions where flood plane protects from development

It can be done. Just keep in mind the harder it is to get to and the furthest away from access points is best. Look for trails leading to bedding areas. Get there early but don't be surprised when another hunter comes stolling by five minutes after sunrise.

In general, I would agree with you. But I have seen certain pieces of public land where EVERY hunter went deep and consequently, deer tended to hang out on the periphery of the public area. Definitely something to think about.

I don't know the opening date to submit applications - I don't pay attention to it since they email to notify when it's available.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/hunt/public/public_hunt_drawing/deadlines.phtml

The TPWD State drawn hunts usually become available to apply for drawn hunts in July.

Everyone likes to say they go "miles off the road/trails into the Sam Houston", but if you look at a trail map of the Sam - there's literally no place I've seen where you're not within .5 mile of a trail. I don't know where these mythical "miles away from roads" are, but if they exist they're pretty crowded with hunters because they all seem to congregate there lol

I personally feel if you you're just after meat, public land is easier than a lease. On a lease you've got to work the hunt area, keep feed going sometimes year round, maintain and buy stands/blinds, clear brush etc. On public land, after you do a little scouting you just roll in and hunt. Obviously less deer and more competition, but if you can avoid weekends & opening week it's really not that bad. I only hunt with a rifle though, so a bow would add a lot to the challenge.

About 15 years ago I lived near Houston and hunted the national forest north of the city. Never harvested a large buck but for 3 consecutive years harvested spikes and does.

Scout before you go and get the appropriate doe tags and you'll be successful

I killed good bucks rifle hunting on public land. Do your research, read the laws, look up definitions, and talk to those that really know. I can't over emphasize reading the law yourself as it relates to your situation. The game warden in the area I hunted public was great. He refuted so many "laws" that I had always heard about but never saw in any record. I spent a lot of time on the right resources learning what the real definitions were, ie. gradient boundary, hunting, firearm, etc. I was able to legally access areas that others had told me that for one reason or another I couldn't. The long and short of it, learn to throw out the BS and keep the accurate information. There is a lot more land out there that you can hunt outside of designated hunting areas and State areas that you have to draw for.

Nope, no public land opportunities

I suggest the OnX app when hunting public areas for the first time. It provides maps and satellite images with an overlay of property lines so that you're less likely to wander onto private land. And while it's not a free app, it's very reasonable at less than $30 a year for access to data for the entire state of Texas. I've also used it to identify neighboring property owners for my private lease and for other reasons. Yes, you can research the same information for free using other online resources but the app pinpoints your location while in the field relative to existing property lines.