Buying Hunting Land in Texas

[skeettx]

Couple of deer that I got not too far from Amarillo

First picture, deer is on the left, old man (me) is on the right





Yes, they were tough to get out, but horses do come in handy

[geargnasher]

Like all big cities, the libs have taken over. It's all spending tax money and welfare. If you want to fish here, you'll need a boat, most lakes and riverfronts are private property. City politics are as bad as Ca. I agree with Jaybird62, Nashville suburbs aren't bad, close to the country and they have good fishing and hunting. Half the city folk in Texas are from someplace else.

You only need a boat to fish the north half of the state. When I lived nw of fort worth I had to buy one so I could fish. Moved back here and sold it, the boats on the lakes here are full of morons on joyrides, not fishermen. Fishing the creeks and rivers is the way to go, but you're right about not having much access around where you are.

We don't have a state income tax, either, but it gets talked about a lot, we're starting to get more sorry worthless pork-barrel liberals in the senate, we're overdue for a good house cleaning in austin.

Gear

[smokeywolf]

Skeettx,
That’s a great looking buck.

I’ve done very little hunting over the last 25 years. Used to have access to a few thousand acres in the Tehachapi area of Southern California. Partner and I would load up the horses and take a 4 day weekend.

When I was a kid, my father had access to one or two ranches in the Santa Monica Mountains owned by actors that he had done leather or gun work for.
Venison sausage, eggs, and grits was a fairly typical Sunday breakfast.

Used to have a buddy that made a venison chili that was so good you had to sample at least 3 bowls of it to convince yourself that it really was that good.

I think you should consider moving your fuel can away from your ammo storage.

Thanks for the great pics. They make the wind problem in the Panhandle not look like such a problem after all.

smokeywolf

[skeettx]

If I moved the fuel can, it would take it further away from the water heater
that you can barely make out at the right edge of the picture

Mike

[Fishman]

Hey Skeet, if'n I'm not mistaken I see some fine looking Texan bushings in that gun room. Now where would those have come from?

In re-reading my earlier post I realize I might have come off a little strong. Not my intent, I love Texas. Like anywhere, it does have it's limitations. But anybody wanting to know anything about public hunting and in particular FISHING in central Texas, is welcome to PM me.

[skeettx]

YES, I love the Texan bushings, THANKS

Texans can speak their minds

[hpdrifter]

bearcove,

My intention is to retire in Texas. Not to conduct any type of hunting business.

I would have worked at least 5 more years but, thanks to Ronald Reagan, George Bush, and particularly Bill (is that a cigar in your pocket or are you just happy to see me) Clinton who signed the NAFTA agreement, my job was sent to Canada.
So, with a somewhat more modest budget than I'd like, I've started looking for my retirement spot.
Wife kinda likes the San Antonio area. When I say area, I mean an hour or so, give or take, away from the city. I'm leaning toward an unincorporated area. The Mrs. is the outdoorsy type; loves camping, fishing, and shooting.

smokeywolf

there is some fabulous land/hunting about 45-50 miles NW of San Antonio

[smokeywolf]

hpdrifter,
Kerrville, Center Point area?

[parrott1969]

Austin, WHAT A LIBERAL BUNG HOLE! I grew up in La Grange/Flatonia area, right in the middle of no where. Land was $5k an acre 22 years ago. My aunt says little has changed. Well other than the fact that Perry instituted some kind of water tax on private wells. And he is supposed to be a conservative, yeah right. I have been in Mississippi for 21 years and believe that its a better place to live. Still love Texas but it was too difficult to find work because of the vatos, wages stunk and land was too high. I paid $17,000 for 70 acres in 1995. Currently you can still find land for $700 an acre.

[tonyjones]

smokeywolf,

You might look into buying a small parcel (a few acres) of land adjacent to a National Forest in East Texas.

Tony
Houston

[gbrown]

Down here in S.E. Tx land prices are pretty high. Supply and Demand. $5,000 an acre in most places. IH 10 corridor is booming. San Antonio is pushing east. I know of many who work in Houston and commute an hour or 2 from Columbus, Brenham or Beaumont. There is a lot of land open for hunting, it's just not the prime stuff and it's sometimes hard to get in and out of. If it's close to metropolitan areas, it will be crowded. Here is a link you can use. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/hunt/public/ I pay $800.00 annually for a lease. Fishing in E. Tx is great, especially near the coast. A boat is a plus. Draw a line from Laredo to Sherman on IH35. East of that line, 70% of the population. I guess it depends on what you want. The area near the NM border (South of Amarillo, North of Permian/Odessa area has been losing population for years. To the extent that it is difficult to staff prisons built there. Lamesa, Snyder, Sweetwater areas. Of course, fewer people equates to fewer services available. Again, the trade-offs--kinda like moving to Alaska or Montana--just depends on what you expect and want.

And, I will add, I'm a native born Texican, and cannot even begin to imagine living anywhere else. Texas is the greatest State in the the greatest Nation on Earth. We are proud and independent and value our history and many times are not politically correct in our attitudes. We don't necessarily believe in moseying along with the herd. Just watch the national news and you will see that the current administration in DC is always at odds with ours.

[smokeywolf]

Parrot1969,
We won't be looking around Austin

Thanks tonyjones,
Started looking more closely at that.

gbrown,
We're still in the early stages of looking and studying. Looked at the area south of NM, Amarillo, Abilene, Wichita Falls, Uvalde/Concan,Hill Country. Looking more closely now at the area between Corpus Christi and Houston.

There is a lot to learn. But, I've never been adverse to working and studying to attain a goal.

[Char-Gar]

Amarillo and those parts;

The Northern Panhandle is sparsely populated, windy most of the year and subject to bitter cold and the occasional blizard. Both of my kids were born in Pampa. When I moved there, my Grandmother said.."Lord son, there is nothing between there and the North Pole, but a barbwire fence and the barbs are frozen off of it.". Nice people, but terrible weather, at least in my opinion and I lived there for ten years. I can think of no reason to move there unless you have family or roots in the area. When I left, I dug up my roots and took them with me. Good hunting in the Eastern Panhandle though.

Abilene and those parts:

Abilene is a great town with three Universities located there. It is the regional trade center so it has good stores, hospitals and restraunts there. South of Abilene toward San Angelo is good country and land prices are not sky high yet. North of Abilene in Shackleford Country (Albany) is good ranch country. Haskell county is mostly farm land and I lived there for four years. Again good people anywhere you go. Figure out how far you are willing to drive for good and services, draw a ring about abilene with that distance and you can probably find someplace to lite.

Uvalde/Concan is in the western Hill Country, pretty, good folks, but the land is several times that of the land around Abilene.

Corpus Christi to Houston:

I lived in Corpus for a number of years and like that country as well. Lots of good places north of Corpus (Live Oak, Atascosa and Wilson counties. Victoria, Beeville, Goliad, Gonzales and the like are all nice places, but land prices are a higher than west. Population density is also higher Corpus itself is a great town, except for the occasional hurricane. Any where you go on the Texas Gulf Coast that will be a concern.

If God every gives the world an enema, Houston will be the point of insertion, but my Son lives there.

South of New Mexico:

Very arid, dry and desert like. Very few people live there and no towns worth mentioning until you get to Alpine. If you hanker for the life of isolation and cheap land, there it is. No place to have a heart attack or stroke. By the time the rescue chopper get to you, most likely you will be dead or really screwed up.

[skeettx]

You looking for this much??

http://www.landandfarm.com/property/..._Texas-301710/

[Char-Gar]

That is a pretty place, but I will bet it isn't that green today.

[smokeywolf]

Char-Gar,
I think I'll stay out of the Panhandle. When I was a kid and young adult I wasn't too good to my body; motorcycles, weight lifting, thrown off & stepped on by horses. Old broken bones, ruptured discs, and torn cartilage make for lots of soreness come old age and cold weather.

Hill Country is pretty but pricey, Victoria and Gonzales also. Just learning today about the AG exemption and what it takes to qualify for it and maintain it. With the property tax rates I can see now why the use of manufactured homes is so very common.

Before I got into bodyguard work I headed up security for a hospital. Used to take a lot of the med classes offered to the hospital staff. I plan on having a defibrillator and O2 in the house, but I still don't want to have to rely on a medevac chopper to get me to a hospital. I also don't want to have to do my own border patrol or DEA work. That probably leaves out much of the area south of NM.

skeettx,
We're trying to keep our price range down nearer to $200K than $300K. But, for something that really speaks to us we might push it over $300K. We've got brick house and 30+ acre dreams on a manufactured home and 10 acre budget.

[texassako]

I have nothing to do with the listings, but just to show that your budget will buy a little more than you think: http://www.landsoftexas.com/land-for...exas/id/545050 or just to show you that there is some interesting topography northwest of DFW: http://www.landsoftexas.com/land-for...exas/id/431145 . I sure wish I had the budget for something like that. Both are about an hour from Fort Worth.

[Char-Gar]

Gray Wolf.. The Ag exemption (tax) on property really cuts the taxes way down, but you must farm or raise some critters to qualify.

There is also a Wildlife exemption with the same rates. The Wildlife Exemption can be for any purpose related to wildlife, such as hunting, conservation or just plain enjoying the critters. IIRC there are a couple of qualifiers;

1. The property must have an Ag Exemption in place to move it to Wildlife Examption.
2. A 3 year plan must be filed on how you intent to improve the place for wildlife and a Wildlife Biologist must sign off on it.

The more I learn of your wants and needs, I think south of Abilene at whatever distance you like is worth a look. You just want to find a place far enough away that a daily commute for people who work in Abilene is too far. Property values go down, when it is to far to drive back and forth to work. Southern Taylor, Coleman, Brown, Callahan and Runnels counties would be good. Nice country, but not close enough to the Hill Country for the prices to climb. Land prices in these counties have gone down in the past few years. They have good roads all through that country, that will let you get to Abilene pretty quick if you need to go.

They can have some winter there, but very little snow and ice and it will warm up when the cold front passes. This is in the "tree zone" so it is not airid. No border security or smuggling (people and drugs) concerns. The people there are salt of the earth, conservative in all regards folks. I spent the summers of my growing up years on a ranch in Coleman county, learning the Cowboy trade, so that area is well known to me and sorta home turf.

Best of luck wherever you lite in Texas..It is all good!

[Beekeeper]

I grew up in and around Pampa/Borger/Lefors.
The weather can and often is the pits.
Enough said about that as It can and is the pits everywhere at sometime.
If you think you might like the sandhill country check out a little town called ( not sure it is little anymore, haven't been there in 40 years) Lefors.
It is down in the sandhill part of west texas near Pampa and Amarillo.
If you do not mind a town mostly built on the oil industry try Borger or Pampa.
Land in and around Pampa is pretty cheap now but the iol boom is on again so who knows.

I left Texas for personal reasons 50 years ago and have only returned for a couple of funerals so a lot may have changed but for me I doubt it.


Hey Char-Gar when did you live in Pampa? What years?
Used to have Family there ( may still be there fort all I know)

Smokewolf,
Where in SoCal do you shoot?
I shoot at the Pala range when I can. maybe we can get together and I will tell you all I know about Texas.
Ain't much anymore but it is still valid in most cases.


beekeeper

[smokeywolf]

texassako,
That second one on Wizard Rd. is interesting.

Char-Gar,
We're checking out those areas. Also researching the cost and practicality of utilizing a prefabbed steel building for a home.

Beekeeper,
I'm about 80 miles north and west of you. I would like to find a cast boolits member to shoot with, in the northwest LA county/east Ventura County area.

smokeywolf