Unused Public

[Beargrasstx]

I was watching The Hunting Public channel on youtube and the guys had gone to oklahoma. One of them ended up killing a great buck on a track that was like 50-100 acres that most folks were overlooking because it was so small.
lots of those tracks in Tx if On X is accurate

With access and ability to hunt deer now? Everytime I see those small places it is like for dove and rabbits. Are you saying a lot of small acres currently not permissible to hunt?

[donpablo]

With access and ability to hunt deer now? Everytime I see those small places it is like for dove and rabbits. Are you saying a lot of small acres currently not permissible to hunt?

A lot of small plots and some huge ones too. Use Base Map or OnX and look out west. It'll blow your mind when you see how much land the state owns that Texans aren't allowed to hunt.

[diamond10x]

I don’t know why it couldn’t be APH? Run like Meredith.

Deer densities in a lot of those areas are very low. I share your frustration I wish it was just like Meredith with just an APH needed but then I think about what it would do to the already low game numbers and I don’t see it being a good thing. I honestly wish they’d just open them all up to small game, bird, and exotic sheep hunting, then mule deer by draw. To me that would be the most realistic and conservation minded approach. This is just my opinion though.

[donpablo]

Deer densities in a lot of those areas are very low. I share your frustration I wish it was just like Meredith with just an APH needed but then I think about what it would do to the already low game numbers and I don’t see it being a good thing. I honestly wish they’d just open them all up to small game, bird, and exotic sheep hunting, then mule deer by draw. To me that would be the most realistic and conservation minded approach. This is just my opinion though.

True. There are a lot of aoudad out there damaging mule deer habitat.

[camoclad]

A lot of small plots and some huge ones too. Use Base Map or OnX and look out west. It'll blow your mind when you see how much land the state owns that Texans aren't allowed to hunt.

Can you do a screenshot for those of us without that app?

[donpablo]

Can you do a screenshot for those of us without that app?

Idk why but it won’t let me upload the screenshot. You can get the app for free and the upgrade to Pro is pretty cheap compared to onX.

Learn more about how GearDrop works here: http://www.basemap.com/geardrop/

Download the app here: https://basemap.onelink.me/Hi3Y/d59c3d14

[Beargrasstx]

As many hunters in this state it seems we should be able to get a coalition together and get hunting access. I feel like we have been failed by hunting organizations in the state that aren't doing anything for hunting but all their focus and advertising is on high fence deer and high end feeders/blinds.

I would join up and help if there was a charge to get most of the state land opened for hunting

[camoclad]

Idk why but it won’t let me upload the screenshot. You can get the app for free and the upgrade to Pro is pretty cheap compared to onX.

Learn more about how GearDrop works here: http://www.basemap.com/geardrop/

Download the app here: https://basemap.onelink.me/Hi3Y/d59c3d14

Thank ya

[rattler03]

Getting them to open up some of the government-owned land would be great, but there are other ways to add to our public hunting lands. Many states have a system that allows private lands to be available for public hunting. They don't all call the program the same thing but "block managment" seems to a common term for this program. I assume the landowner leases their property to the state or gets some type of tax break. Each landowner can pick how to run the hunting operations, "walk-in," "by written permission only," "no pheasant hunting," "bow-only," etc. I've seen it in Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska and the Dakotas - just some signs on the fence and maybe a designated parking area. This isn't just small game, either, most of them seem to allow deer hunting, too.

Add a few bucks to our license or APH and get some landowners signed up, I'd be more than willing to pay more for that. The state game and fish dept runs the program and has maps, etc online, but I don't think there's really that much for them to do other than secure the lease, provide signs and maps. Would probably add a little more work for the game warden compared to if the place was a private lease, but the state doesn't seem to take on that much more work/responsibility from what I can tell. I've hunted on these in Wyoming and Montana, and during bowseason I saw a lot more game than other hunters.

Other states are doing it, why can't Texas?

In many parts of Texas, there is practically no public big-game hunting land. Adding one 2000 acre tract to the block management would be a huge improvement. Make it bow-only to help lower the harvest and preserve the resources, if necessary.

[Etxnoodler]

Getting them to open up some of the government-owned land would be great, but there are other ways to add to our public hunting lands. Many states have a system that allows private lands to be available for public hunting. They don't all call the program the same thing but "block managment" seems to a common term for this program. I assume the landowner leases their property to the state or gets some type of tax break. Each landowner can pick how to run the hunting operations, "walk-in," "by written permission only," "no pheasant hunting," "bow-only," etc. I've seen it in Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska and the Dakotas - just some signs on the fence and maybe a designated parking area. This isn't just small game, either, most of them seem to allow deer hunting, too.

Add a few bucks to our license or APH and get some landowners signed up, I'd be more than willing to pay more for that. The state game and fish dept runs the program and has maps, etc online, but I don't think there's really that much for them to do other than secure the lease, provide signs and maps. Would probably add a little more work for the game warden compared to if the place was a private lease, but the state doesn't seem to take on that much more work/responsibility from what I can tell. I've hunted on these in Wyoming and Montana, and during bowseason I saw a lot more game than other hunters.

Other states are doing it, why can't Texas?

In many parts of Texas, there is practically no public big-game hunting land. Adding one 2000 acre tract to the block management would be a huge improvement. Make it bow-only to help lower the harvest and preserve the resources, if necessary.

Texas does do this with the APH program. Problem is people can get way more leasing to individuals than the state. There used to be a ton. Of leased land in east Texas. It gets smaller and smaller each year as they lease to clubs instead.

[rattler03]

Texas does do this with the APH program. Problem is people can get way more leasing to individuals than the state. There used to be a ton. Of leased land in east Texas. It gets smaller and smaller each year as they lease to clubs instead.

Right, that's why they need to start paying a competitive rate. There are private leases in these other states, but they still manage to enroll properties in their programs.

If TPWD could add a few properties I believe most public land hunters would gladly pay more. They could also increase the cost of out-of-state tags which are a lot less than most western states. I honestly don't think there's much of an appetite for this at TPWD, which is sad.

[Djr715]

I did some research about this land a few weeks back, but haven't had time to post this until now.

The majority of the state owned land (approx 2.1 million acres) in West Texas part of the Permanent University Fund (PUF). This land was set aside in by the Texas constitution in 1876 U.T./T.A.M.U. systems.

This land is managed by the U.T. Investment Management Company (UTIMCO) with the goal of maximizing revenue from both subsurface (oil, gas, minerals) and surface activities (grazing, wind, solar, etc).

Not 100% sure on this, but from what I've read, it appears that whoever has the grazing rights also retains the hunting rights.

The largest contiguous chunk of land is 490,226 acres in Hudspeth County along the NM border. There are only 4 different families/companies leasing the grazing rights on this piece of land.

The path to opening up this chunk of land seems relatively simple:

1. TPWD liaise with UTIMCO
2. UTIMCO re-negotiates a lower price with grazing lease holders to give up hunting rights while continuing to maintain roads.
3. TPWD Biologists conduct surveys to come up with harvest quoatas
4. TPWD sells permits and pays UTIMCO the deficit between old grazing rights fee and new (lower) grazing rights fee.
   1. TPWD would likely have to create a new hunt category and charge higher than $3 to cover the deficit.
5. Hunt

It honestly seems like a very straightforward process and something that could get done by next season (maybe even this season) if both TPWD and UTIMCO were motivated.

But... I am fully aware this is a pipe dream. I cannot begin to fathom the mountains of red tape and bureaucratic BS that would impede such an undertaking.

[Djr715]

The Texas General Land Office manages a lot of the state owned land in West Texas. I know it's less acreage than the PUF/UTIMCO, but it's still a lot.

Most of the land they manage is part of the Permanent School Fund (same thing as the Permanent University Fund, but for public K-12 schools).

From BaseMap, it appears that they manage mostly smaller tracts of 1k-2k. The biggest I could find is a little over 12k acres.

[Djr715]

They could also increase the cost of out-of-state tags which are a lot less than most western states. I honestly don't think there's much of an appetite for this at TPWD, which is sad.

Not charging NR's more to apply for drawn hunts is ridiculous.

The most glaring example of this the Desert Bighorn draw. Letting NR's enter for $10 is one of the most asinine things I've ever seen.