Hello Everyone, New to Austin Area, Looking to harvest my first Deer

Hello everyone, just moved to Texas and finally have a opportunity to get in a hunt or two this season, and excited as hell. I'm a novice hunter, only been out about 4-5 times in life.NRA Instructor, so I'm a very safe and responsible/ethical hunter. I'm looking to get more exposure/opportunity to do some hunting here. Thinking within hour or two drive from north Austin, working class joe, so I cant spend 2K to hunt plus wife would kill me. Any good suggestions for the area, public land, Hunting ranches etc. Thanks for all your help , plus not above a basic meat/doe hunt either

Check out the Guide & Outfitters section and the Exotic sections on the forum here for listing of hunts available. Do you have your hunter safety card? Also next year you can apply for State WMA hunting via a draw system. Lots of oppurtunities there at a very reasonable cost. Still some exotic hunts available also to put in for. Check out the TPWD website for info on these hunts at this location and then go to the home page on their whole site to view it..
https://www2.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/hunt/public/public_hunt_drawing/

Thanks stxranchman, yes I have hunters safety card , How is public hunting in Texas? Is it as bad as I hear it is, but don't really have anything to base it off of.

I am no help on it since I hunt private land. Only public land would be a drawn hunt on a rifle hunt on Aransas Wildlife Refuge for whitetail and on two archery hunts there many years ago. I have been drawn on several State WMA hunts though. Saw a lot of deer and did kill an axis on one hunt, just did kill a whitetail by choice on a couple of hunts. Been on archery hunts and rifle hunts both on WMA's.