As summer winds down the start of the 2022 Texas Hunting Season kick off in September 1, as it does every year. The weather this year has been HOT all over Texas, but as I start my multi-week preparation for public land hunts in Texas throughout the year, a hard rain has brought cooler temperatures, and water to some very thirsty game. Unlike last year, there are already birds in the skies. I’m ending 2021 with some Hog and Rabbit hunting mixed with a little scouting for dove and the early teal season.
Dove Hunting
Dove hunting kicks off the season on September 1 of every year. I’m going to head to the nearest large lake and hunting grounds near my house, and that would be Lake Granger just East of Georgetown. It was one of my favorite spots I visited last year, and it’s where I shot my rabbit. It’s also a possible location for teal, duck, and goose later in the season.
Early Teal Season
Last year I made it out for one day of duck hunting, the early teal season. Destination was a hard to reach pond off a canal in Lake Somerville. I rigged out my canoe with an electric motor, got a little bit of camo, some decoys, a duck call, and made it to the pond way past shooting time. It’s a tough hall to this place, but a quality place for public hunting land now that I know how to make the trip. It could also be a great spot for the actual duck season.
Option 2 is Lake Granger, where you can also hunt goose. There is the possibility I could build a nice blind and shoot out of the big fishing boat and not deal with the canoe, waders, and a long portage of gear at Lake Somerville. Hopefully I can up the game this year and make both hunts.
Applying for Tags
2011 was the first year I tried to draw tags, each year you don’t draw a tag you get points and a better chance next year. Almost all the tags we are going for are for gun deer or exotics. Most hunts have a $3 draw with about a 1 in 100 chance of winning. Some have chances as low as 1 in 15, some of the exotics with only a few spots are 1 in 1000. When browsing the catalog I picked about ⅓ of the total hunts available.
I filter on the criteria of chances of winning a hunt, how cool the location\hunt is, and the success rate of those that hunted. A few of the hunts had 1 in about 20 chances of drawing a tag, with a decent 50% rate of success for those that hunted. I decided to apply for a few exotics even though the chances are slim, with one cool exotic bow hunt that has 50 permits for 2600 applicants. So in theory about a 1 in 50 chance. In total there are about 30 draws hunts in Texas we are going after this year. $100 for 33 hunting raffle tickets for the coolest public hunting in Texas. I think the average percentage of applicants to permits is around 1 in 30. We have a decent chance at drawing a hunt if the points aren’t still cubed.
Draw Hunt Deadlines for Texas Hunting Season 2022
- Nation Forrest Deer Sept 1
- Most other Deer Sept 15
- Most Exotic Hunts October 15
E-post card hunts for Texas Hunting Season 2022
There are about 20 free draw hunts in Texas; that is you don’t have to pay the $3 for your raffle ticket. One of them is a cool place for bow deer right near my house, which is a yearly no brainer.
Form more information about draw hunts, visit the Texas Wildlife’s website:
https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/hunt/public/public_hunt_drawing/
Archer Deer
Last year I made it out to a few new places and now have a decent section of locations that I know well and have seen deer before. Some of the spots I’ve seen big game:
- Caddo National Grass lands
- San Angelo
- Marlin Lake
- Sam Houston National Forest
- Waco Pipeline
- Granger Lake
Deer Hunting with Guns
There are far less options for hunting deer with the old boom sticks on public land in Texas that with a bow. Caddo Grasslands and Sam Houston are general season walk in with your Public Land Permit, you have to apply for the draw for the doe tag on both units. You can hunt deer with slugs in a few more spots, Twin Buttes in San Angelo being the more popular and biggest hunting land available to the public in Texas. They also have some exotics there that are open for the spring hunting season
Hog Hunting
I am trying to hold out hunting big game on small ranches until I get my first big game animal on public land, but patience is starting to fade. I have seen a few more hogs than deer, and have been very close to a shot. Hopefully a few more days out in the spring after deer hunters have left the area might make it easier this year. If I don’t get a hog early before the deer gun season. I have started to go out baiting for them, and plan on getting some trail cameras.
Hunting Ducks, Geese, and Cranes for Texas Hunting Season 2022
It would be nice to get some public land ducks, a goose, or a crane. But, I think this year a paid trip for some snow geese might be a nice break from the not shooting anything hiking trips that are public land hunting. Most of the outfitters are in West Texas and showcase frequent limits on a variety of Geese, Ducks, and Cranes, Some hunting ranches offer two hunts in one days. Most are around $400 per gun plus tip for the guides.
To read about our Early Season Teal Trip from last year, Click Here
Hunting Gear Upgrade for 2022
- Canoe Cart
- Trail Cameras
- Thermal spotter
- Muzzleloader
- Blinds and Decoys