New to Texas bird hunting

[MNgoesSouth]

Hey all,

I am new from Minnesota, where public hunting is plentiful and the winters are COLD!!! I've been told that there isn't much for public hunting land in Texas, but I've seen a few spots for public bird hunting (I'm in San Marcos). If bird hunting is anything like walleye fishing in Minnesota, none of you will fess up to where the good spots are, which I understand. What are some of the better public hunting lands within two hours of San Marcos?

I apologize if this is a dupe, but I've looked and haven't seen much for locations.

 

[robertc1024]

Hey MN - I'm in San Marcos too. There are a few public places between San Marcos and just south of New Braunfels. I've never hunted them though. There are tons of whitewings that fly up 123 in the afternoons to roost in San Marcos. They feed on corn fields several miles down 123 towards Seguin. Good luck on finding a place to hunt. The closest public quail hunting is at the Chaparral Wildlife Management Area south of San Antonio. I haven't been down there in years so I can't say anything about the bird population there. I walked it most of one day with my dog and flushed all of one bird when I did.

 

[leVieux]

One of the great pleasures of life is Texas dove hunting; especially hunting over a "stock tank" in a dry area the last 90 minutes of the day. A "stock tank" is Texan for what you might call a pond for livestock drinking water. Doves will always go for water before roosting for the night. Try your local gun shop or shooting range for pointers. Almost all land in Texas is privately owned; but much of it can be leased or "day hunted" (daily lease or trespass permit). You may find a group with a lease who need new members. Unfortunately, "Yankees" are much distrusted by most Southerners, Texans included, so you may have to prove yourself trustworthy and honorable, which could take a while. Others have done this very successfully, so don't despair. The San Antonio Light newspaper usually runs "classified ads" for day hunting and some can be very good. One surefire way to "get-in" would be for you to volunteer for the San Marcos "Friends of NRA" committee or the Ducks Unlimited Committee. Both will be full of folks with hunting interests and experience. Also, drop by your local TP&W offices and meet one or more of the Game Wardens; they can be a wonderful source of info and directions. Please be extremely careful with other folks' properties and livestock. Although I live in New Orleans, I recently (earlier this month) had four great dove hunts in Round Rock, Texas, just North of Austin. Good Luck !