How do I find a good lease?

[PHfactor]

New to TX and never been part of a lease and looking for some help. So far, from what little research i've done i've found the following (typically just through reading things on here):

South TX - expensive but consistently produces large bucks (dependent upon the area)

East TX - cheap but has the reputation of having nocturnal bucks and round the clock poachers/thieves

West TX - more affordable and you have the advantage of possibly having exotics

North TX - little expensive but the possibility of getting on property with mule deer is there


My questions:

Are these findings anywhere close to legit?

I have a buddy that is also looking to get on a lease so there are two of us - is it possible to find a decent one for under $1500 that would provide year round hunting of some sort? I'm fresh out of school and don't have a whole lot of money to throw at a lease right now.

I live in Dallas and am relatively centrally located between all of these areas and really don't know where to go, any recommendations? Would prefer to keep it within 4 hours of Dallas.

[Bonesplitter]

Youve got a pretty good grasp on it, word of mouth is by far the best way to get reliable info. Look at some of the counties chambers of commerce online.

[Sparkles]

If you go to Clay county chamber website you canput your name on a list for landowners to look at. Coleman county has lease listings on their chamber sight.

[kcmarullo]

I believe you are correct in your finding's , about all you can do is look around on hunting leases.com or hopefully meet someone who know's about something about a lease for they are very hard to find. Sorry I don't have any leads I hunt in South Texas and Oklahoma.

[quarterback]

The reputation of East Texas precedes itself! Sure there are good and bad areas but the same can be said for other parts of Texas too. If you are in Big D and have $1500 or less to spend I'd consider looking east. Yeah you can find good stuff for that price in the hill country but it depends on what you're looking for. Do some driving around, don't be afraid to stop and ask the guy on the tractor or the gentlemen in the coffee shop. You're not gonna have much luck putting flyers together and posting them up, too many people do that.

Do some homework, concentrate on specific areas. Google Earth is your friend. In many cases, cover = deer.

Here's a source to consider: http://www.deerhunting.ws/densitymap.htm

[PHfactor]

i figured getting out there would do me some good so i intend to do it. my buddy and i will be very management minded as we both have taken deer but finally want to get something big (rack, not body - deer in MN make the ones down here look like coyotes!) however, i'm about experiencing different hunts as well so i'd love to find something with exotics on it where i could hunt them as well as predators - just looking to expand my hunting as much as possible here!

Thanks for the information, keep it coming if you have any more!

[Sparkles]

You probably be hard pressed to find a place with exotics for $1500 a gun. Also you'll be more apt to see mule deer in the panhandle and in west Texas.

[whitetailfanatic]

Pm sent

[firexd]

you forgot to list central texas the hill country produces awsome bucks there are good deer herds in those areas, check San antonio and austin areas , Llano Co , bertram, burrnet , marbel falls etc...

[30-30]

East TX - cheap but has the reputation of having nocturnal bucks and round the clock poachers/thieves

Cheap(er) is correct but the rest is a stereotype, there are poachers everywhere. There are some good places to hunt east of Dallas with reasonable going rates for leases. We don't have huge deer but there is great hog and duck hunting to be had. Keep in mind, most of the counties out this way don't allow you to take does during the general season, so if you want to take multiple deer each year you should probably look north or west.

Good luck!

[PHfactor]

My idea of big is not huge - see the picture of my biggest (taken over Thanksgiving shotgun season in MN this year)

[DocHolliday]

I agree, but I think what you are calling North Texas is the Panhandle (Lubbock and Amarillo) which is usually part of West Texas. North Texas includes DFW up to Oklahoma.
What you are referring to West Texas is probably Hill Country, out to about San Angelo, then you are in West Texas again.

Good Luck!

[PHfactor]

so west texas is actually a very large portion of the state as it runs from the panhandle down to the area west of san antonio?

[quarterback]

Yes. Typically more arid, more brushy and generally fewer "big" trees. And generally fewer deer per square mile BUT they can get big there. Arguably not as conducive for bow hunting as, say the hill country with large oak motts and hardwood bottoms. Take a drive down hwy 281 and poke around Hamilton and move south from there. Good deer country and getting better with modern conservation.

[PHfactor]

it sounds like a lot of people around the state are really starting to see the positive effects of proper management. everyone wins when everyone works together on this.