What TPWD Draw Hunts have you been on?

My kids and I have had the pleasure of getting drawn for several TPWD draw hunts through the years. Here is where we have been:

1. James Daughtrey-Either sex
2. Lake Mineral Wells-Either sex
3. Muse-youth Doe/Spike
4. Chaparral-youth Javelina
5. Young County-Dove
6. Big Lake Bottom-youth management
7. South Llano-Youth either sex

Where all have you been?

Too many to list but my some of my favorite hunts were

Chaparral Archery, javelina and management rifle

Rita Blanca Pronghorn

TW do you have any info on the youth hunt at Muse? We're taking the grand kids this Saturday the 18th on the Doe/Spike hunt.

I started to put in for TPWD Public hunts when I moved to Texas in 1991, and continued to apply every year after I moved back to Idaho.. I had an awful lot of points in every category, in order to draw some of these more desirable hunts.

2005-Choke Canyon Muzzle loader Either-Sex deer, returned tag, best friend died of cancer during hunt period.
2010-Chaparral Either-Sex deer, killed 172" and 145" trophy deer and two 7 year old management bucks
2012-Chaparral Crossbow deer, killed a doe and javelina
2013-Palo Duro Exotic, two of us killed 3 aoudad and missed a huge ram
2014-Chaparral Youth Either-sex deer, two grandkids killed two trophy deer and a javelina
2015-Caprock Canyon Mule deer, killed 0ne 20" 4x3 mule deer
2017-Mason Mt. Guided Scimitar Oryx, killed 40" bull
2018-Choke Canyon North Shore Archery deer, fingers crossed for successful hunt.

Hey PKHunter. I’d be happy to answer any questions you have about Muse. Feel free to PM me. It was a great hunt!!

I'm kinda new to public land hunting, but was picked for laguna Atascosa deer archery the last two years. Nothing else except for the SHNF doe permit this year.

mostly been with the kids, Daughtrey Youth Turkey did see anything but deer. Garner Youth Exotic didn't see anything except WT in the camp grounds. Chaparral Youth antlerless daughter shot a javelina, Chaparral Youth Either sex both kids took good bucks, 6.5 and 7.5 year olds. South Llano Gun Deer antlerless saw lots of whitetail some axis and killed my 3WT. Youth Mason Mtn anterless one son killed a spike. Just got back from Youth hunt and Balcones daughter killed a little 8. fun stuff!

Ummm can't recall all the years involved except the 1st one...
Walter Buck WMA - GDA in '99, located behind and accessed from South Llano River SP & killed my 1st Axis. No longer available in the Lottery System.
Guadalupe River SP GDA - 2 times.
Lake Mineral Wells GDA
Choke Canyon- South Shore - Javalina
Garner - GDA - from a stand by drawing & won't ever go to Garner again to hunt from the way the Hunt is managed.
Inks/Longhorn Cavern GDA - got sick and no showed
Keechi Creek WMA - Feral Hog

I don't keep records of my Lottery Draws. If I can think of any more
I'll update this again.
Ron

Didn't discover the draw hunts until 2008 or so. Used to have pretty good success before the new system was implemented and draw odds went to hell. Oh well, more revenue is good for TPWD assuming they get to keep it.

1: 2009: Pedernales Falls Either sex: Killed a doe
2: 2010: Devil's Sinkhole Arhery: Both my buddy and I struck out. Only 2 animals killed by whole hunt group.
3. 2011: Mason Mountain Exotic: Killed a nice Scimitar bull. Amazing place and hunt.
4. 2012: Guad Delta Gator: Our crew went 2 for 3 on nice 9.5' gators

Haven't been drawn since.

Blank - My 15 y/o daughter was drawn for Caprock Canyons this year. Would love any tips you could pass along as far as the hunt, lodging, etc. We have never hunted in anything close to those conditions!

My son got a doe at Fairfield and Cooper Lake the last 2 years.

Curbow: Hope you have a great hunt with the daughter. Caprock Canyon was a fun hunt, but not as successful as I would have thought, given the terrible odds of drawing. 8 permits and only killed one spike and one small buck for all of us. Lots of deer seen on the NE corner out in the private winter wheat fields, and they did move back and forth into the park across the boundary road. The top of the park had deer moving up off the canyon above and into the park, but were usually gone by daylight. Hunting was by assigned compartment, and we drew straws to get them. 1 and 2 on the east and NE were best. Those had WT's also. #3, 4, 5 in the center and west side had the roughest country and longest walks into them. Saw lots of big hogs at dark each night. The park employees were great to work with, and basically said if you can get your game close to a road or trail we will come get it with the UTV. We had to come down by car from Idaho, and were limited for how much gear to bring. We elected to stay in Childress and drive each day. If it snows or gets an ice storm, there is a big canyon you have to go down into to get to the back units and you will not make it back up the road to get out. They will tell you this at orientation. Good luck

Pat Mayse
White Oak Creek
Old Sabine
Gus Engeling
Matador
Caddo Grasslands(for spring turkey)

Moore Plantation in the early days 2-3 times
Black Gap Youth Gun MD with my son. Lots of fun, but no MD.
Elephant Mtn Archery MD
Kerr Exotic Archery
Mason Mtn Archery Deer
Elephant Mtn Javelina
Private lands MD

Drawn for Honey Creek SNA for this Dec. Fingers crossed.

Old Sabine - Gun deer
Stephen F. Austin SP - Archery deer
Matador - Gun MD
Lake Brownwood - deer
Gene Howe - Spring Turkey
Kerr County - Kerrville Schreiner Park - deer

Me
Guadalupe antlerless
Muse either sex
Lake Whitney antlerless

With my daughter
PK antlerless
San Angelo either sex
Dan Hughes exotic
Colorado bend either sex

Sierra Diablo - Gun MD 2008. Nice Texas mulie on the first morning.

1: Chapparral , deer either sex x2
2: Chapparral , deer management
3: Laguna Atascosa bow hunt before it was run by TPWD
4: Laguna Atascosa gun hunt before TPWD
5: El teniente before TPWD
6: Kids Arroyo city
7:Youth hunt South Llano
8: Youth East Lake Tract x3
I haven’t been picked for anything except a archery hunt that I couldn’t get to , since they went to a computerized system. I am thinking about not applying for anything else. I have like 18 points in deer either sex and 21 points in the exotic category. I think once I get picked for two hunts I am only going to apply for the pronghorn hunt and the mule deer hunt. I did get picked a few years ago for mule deer hunt but unfortunately I could not attend due to a life threatening illness. I am still going to apply for the youth hunt for my little girl. Good luck 🍀 in the future.

Lake Somerville - either sex
Colorado Bend - Doe
Kerr - exotic
Mason Mtn. - pistol exotic, management deer
San Angelo 5x - either sex and doe
Inks Lake - doe
Enchanted Rock - doe
Fairfield Lake - doe

Was pretty lucky before the new system went into effect. Draws have slowed down since then.

Since 1992 or 1993 but before the change a few years ago:

Archery at Kerr
Turkey at San Angelo
Postcard at Keechi Creek
Postcard at Gus Engeling
Either Sex at Matador
Turkey at Daughtery X 2
Archery at Black Gap X 2
Archery at Choke Canyon
also did several stand-by turkey hunts

After the change:

Either Sex at Gene Howe
Archery at Gus Engeling
Javelina at Chap
Antlerless at Garner
Turkey at Caddo
also couple of stand-by turkey hunts

Youth Antlerless JAN 2016. Killed a mule deer within a few hours and a pig in the canyon later on in the day. First year applying, last year as a youth. Got very lucky!

I've lived in Texas 22 years and applied most of them.

Chaparral ES Deer
Chaparral Management
Chaparral Javelina
Kerr Management
Mason Mountain Oryx
Balcones
Pedernales Antlerless

Just started applying this year, haven't figured out which ones I want to spend the next 20 years hoping for, but:

2017: Keechi Creek WMA - Squirrel, great fun and lots of good scouting if I ever make it back.

Going on my first one this year... been applying for 7 years or so

None been applying for years never drawn out and it just gets expensive now that you can apply in so many. Kinda tired of seeing all these other people draw out on more than 1 hunt a year. The system is flawed and needs fixed.

dawson,
I kind of agree (but only b/c I haven't been drawn for anything in ten plus years of putting in - but I'm getting close enough to having enough points where I am getting super selective with where I apply). I figure I'll get drawn for multiple hunts one year and burn a ton of vacation time.

None. Applied the last 4 years and nothing yet. I'll keep applying.

First year I applied for about 5 hunts and won Fairfield Spike. Second year I applied for about 15 hunts and won Colorado Bend SP Spike. Had fun on both hunts but no luck on shooting a deer. Best part of the hunt is having the park to oneself. I hiked Colorado Bend and saw the caves and falls - that alone was worth it. Fairfield was assigned blind so not much moving around. Last two years in a row I have applied for seventeen spots and have not been drawn.

None. Was drawn the first time I applied for a public land hunt for the Lake Mineral Wells antlerless hunt in 1999, but ended up having back surgery on the day of the hunt instead. Haven't been drawn for a hunt since.

Haven’t been drawn since it started and I apply for about 15 per year

Applied for gun deer draw hunt at DCNF back around 83 when heard bout the deer leasing.
Didn't get drawn. As you posted, it's about the #'ers game, point system. Then heard bout lease that had some hogs on it, at affordable price, under a buck a day year round. We got a small camper for lease, was using a jungle hammok. Still did the family tent outings.
A WMA opened up down road, leasing was out of budget, had ta switch jobs & take cut in pay, health, going kaput. Hunting got too expensive. Becoming a Rich mans Sport.

Question since I’ve never done a drawing. Do you lose your loyalty points if you are drawn but decide you don’t want or can’t do the hunt?

None - been applying for 12 years for multiple categories for White-tailed and Mule Deer and have never been drawn.

If you get picked you lose your loyalty points even if you don't accept the hunt.

What a list I am very envious!

This was my 2nd year to apply and I drew Inks lake antlerless this year and I tagged out my 2 doe on the first evening hunt.