One of my hobbies that has received added interest since covid arrived is hunting. I’ve been on a mission to get my first public land big animal in Texas. Options include whitetails, axis, and black buck antelope. I have a few places in mind for bow, shotgun, and rifle hunting throughout the year. 

For many years, our hunting trips are just an excuse to go camping in the middle of winter, and hike around the woods with some sort of purpose besides enjoying the silence and solitude, and sometimes the excitement of interaction with the wild.

Option 1. Get up at 4:00 am to stake out a deer stand on some crappy lake.

I found a wonderful new place to deer hunt this year. It’s bow only, with some quality hunting terrain that can be hard to find in Sam Houston and other locations in the easter part of Texas. I can make it there out of my SW Austin home for the early morning hunt, have a few hrs to walk around, and make it back home in time to pull off a ½ work day, probably going to get a pass on this options

Option 2 Moon River Ranch on the Brazos

As luck would have it, there is a really nice ranch on the Brazos river right next to my new favorite hunting spot, https://moonriverranch.com. We might need a few more sponsors to pull this one off.

Options 3 – “Semi-Glamping” on the Brazos

What is in the budget thanks to our existing sponsorts, is a prime camping spot located at the falls on the brazos. The place looks decent. Hopefully they will let us pitch a tent or two in the larger RV spots that have power. Bathrooms on site. Pro tip: Before you take your girlfriend on a deer hunting camping trip, you should eyeball the campsite, specifically the bathrooms, before you make the trip with her.

https://www.fallsonthebrazospark.com/

Option 4 A hotel room in downtown San Angelo

Way out in West Texas, a few hundred miles from Austin, the small city of San Angelo has a large set of public hunting grounds within just a few miles of downtown. Most of it surrounds the Twin Buttes Reservoir, and one section seems to be in a park just a hoot and a holler from downtown. There is a downtown river with a few motels on it. The rooms are cheap. $60 for a decent motel. $100-$130 to fancy it up. As of this writing the Red Lion, located downtown on the River, was on sale in Hotels.com for $90 a night

There seems to be a decent amount of tourist attractions to make this a 2 day destination. 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g56609-Activities-San_Angelo_Texas.html

Option 5 – Fancy Hunting Lodge.

It’s been my goal for a while to take my first big animal on public land without a guide. So far I have one rabbit to my name. I’m hoping for a trip to a fancy Texas hunting ranch is in the near future. I’m sure it would be the best place to take your girlfriend deer hunting.

Option 6 – Go Rainbow Trout fishing instead

Hunting is really just an excuse to go camping in the winter time without people thinking you’re a crazy person. The rainbow trout in S. Texas are released in the dead of winter, and I already know of a particularly nice campground on the Guadalupe River. The campsites are right on the river, and the bathrooms are nice and clean and have HOT SHOWERS!

San Angelo is a city on the Concho River in Texas. It’s known for its 1860s U.S. army post, the Fort Concho National Historic Landmark. Its restored buildings display original artifacts and weapons. The Concho River Walk is a long, green corridor with walking trails, gardens and parks, such as The Bosque and Kids’ Kingdom. Downtown, Concho Avenue is lined with restored 19th- and 20th-century period buildings.