I can tell you that deer are plentiful in the Lone Star state. Texas is a very big state with a lot of natural habitats that these four legged critters love. Texans also put out plenty of corn and feed each year so the deer in their counties grow bigger, and stay healthier.
If a doe is healthy and has a plentiful supply of food she will be more likely to give birth to twins instead of single births. This means that the population of deer grows twice as fast in counties where the deer are getting plenty of good nutrients.
I know reading that likely surprised you because most people think of Texans as gun toting bloodthirsty folks who will shoot at anything that moves. The truth is the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department does an excellent job of educating Texans on what the wildlife needs are, and they do a great job of regulating how many deer can be harvested in a particular area.
These harvesting rules are established so that the population of deer is controlled but not diminished to the point that deer become scarce in the state.
Best Deer Hunting Counties in Texas
FixinTexas team compiled the map of Texas indicating the Deer heavy counties for you:
You wanted to know about the best deer hinging counties in Texas. In order for me to tell you which county to hunt in, I have to explain a couple of things to you. You should know the hunting seasons which are also important.
- Each county has a different limit on how many deer, buck or doe, that you are allowed to harvest per year
- Some counties have strict guidelines on the antler size and spread of the bucks that you can harvest
- Some counties have better bow hunting areas than other counties, while some counties are better for hunters who use rifles
I am going to give you a list of some of the great deer hunting counties in Texas, but you will have to familiarize yourself with ALL of the hunting regulations of the county prior to deciding if you want to go there and try to bag yourself a trophy buck.
Our another hunting article you like to read: Duck hunting in Texas.
Counties where Notable trophy bucks have been taken
- Zapata County home of the Phillip Stringer Trophy Buck that had a gross measurement of 199 6/8” and a net measurement of 187 and was taken in 1992.
- Donley County home of the Larry Pancake Trophy Buck that had a gross measurement of 198 and a net measurement of 187 4/8” and was taken in 1994. This buck was the largest buck to be taken in all of Texas in 1994.
- Shackleford County home of the Steven Carrol Trophy buck that has a net measurement of 190 5/8” and was taken in 1991.
- Kinney County home of the Dustin Nichols Trophy buck with a gross measurement of 208 5/8” and a net measurement of 190 7/8” that was taken in 2012 in an undisclosed hunting location.
- Grayson County home of the Robert Taylor Trophy Buck that had a gross measurement of 260 4/8” and a net measurement of 254 4/8” and was taken in 2012 on Taylor’s private property.
- San Jacinto, County home of the AJ Downs Texas Archery Record winning buck that had a gross measurement of 268 5/8” and a net measurement of 256 4/8” taken in 2012 at the Lazy M. Ranch.
- Coryell County home of the Matthew Romero Trophy buck that had a gross score of 267 5/8” and a net score of 264 5/8” taken on the Deep Water Creek Ranch.
- Houston County home of the Mark Lee Trophy buck that had a gross score of 278 5/8” and a net score of 268 4/8” taken in 2013. This buck had 31 points. This buck holds the Texas record for being the largest free range buck ever bagged in the state.
- Webb County home of the Mark Barrett Trophy Buck that had a gross score of 307 1/8” and a net score measuring 292 1/8” taken in 2010 on his privately owned land.
Counties with dense deer populations
- Concho County, Tom Green County, Irion County, Glasscock County, Reagan County, Lampasas County, Coke County, Taylor County and Nolan County make up a section known as the Edwards Plateau Ecological Region and in this area, there are approximately 100 deer for every 1000 acres.
Hunting deer in Texas offers you a wide variety of deer sizes, hunting styles, and deer densities. There are also a large number of game ranches locate in the state that allow hunters to come hunt on their protected properties. Many of these large game ranches have exotic animals as well as the traditional deer and hogs you might expect to see in Texas.
Final Thoughts
If you like to hunt in dense forest areas then you want to head to the southeast portion of Texas that closely borders Louisiana.
Good luck and ya’ll remember that if it’s got spots you need to let it grow.
