Texas Public Land Hunting Permit?

[dracphelan]

Has anyone here purchased and used the public hunting land permit from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department?

I am considering getting it ($60) for the access to the dove and squirrel hunting (possibly deer and feral hogs too, if I can build up my bow skills enough). Anyone have much luck with parks they allow you to go hunting on?

[Ken325]

A friend of mine buys one every year and he keeps tying to talk me into it.  It sounds like public land is  limited in Texas but you can hunt deer and hogs.  If you buy this permit then you are elligable to apply for the drawn hunts on state parks and other public land.  These sound very cool but you don't get drawn every year.  Probably worth $60 for the chance of getting drawn for one of these hunts.

[tx_floods]

It's been several years since I got the public permit (Maybe 5 years r so) but, I think the primary focus of the public permit is for dove hunting. The state leases land from ranchers all over the state for dove hunting. When I last got the permit, there were many, many acres for lease in central and north Texas. There were less land in South Texas and West Texas (The two locations I've lived.)

I think it's worth looking into further, if just to investigate the various options that are available to you.

[cliffyp]

I haven't done it yet but I'm interested.  If you google Texas Parks and Wildlife then follow the link to hunting you look at all the maps for each region of Texas to see where the public lands are and what you can hunt on each.  Most are dove and small game (rabbit, squirrel).  There where way more in my area than I would have guessed.  http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/  That's the link to the main hunting sections, the maps are in there somewhere.

[scrappy]

I used to get one every year, but don't now.  If you don't have a place to dove hunt, it's a good way to get access.  Almost all of the properties (at least in the central Texas area) are limited to dove only.  But there are some very good properties for dove hunting available, so it is worth it if you don't have anywhere else to go.  That is, of course, assuming you are hunting for fun, not to save money.  It's going to be hard to get $60 (not to mention the other costs) worth of meat out of dove hunting.