Ground Zero: Texas' Record Bucks

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Check out this video to learn how to manage your small track of land to bag your trophy buck.

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How about hunting for big bucks in South Texas for a more budget-conscious hunter like yours truly? Well, believe it or not, such possibilities exist thanks to several Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) conducting special draw hunts through the public land hunting program of TPWD, along with some hunts offered on federal land in the region.

Such TPWD public hunting ground in South Texas includes gun hunting and archery hunting draws for various deer hunts at the 787-acre Las Palomas WMA – Arroyo Colorado Unit in Cameron County; the 1,700-acre Choke Canyon State Park North Shore Unit and its sibling South Shore Unit in Live Oak County; the 34,000-acre James E. Daughtrey WMA in Live Oak and McMullen counties (which also offers some E-Postcard Archery Hunt opportunities); and the much coveted 15,200-acre high-fenced Chaparral WMA in Dimmit and LaSalle counties.

Remember application deadlines are in August and early September each year on the TPWD website. Demand is high, permit numbers are low, and standby hunting options are limited for these November-January draw hunts. But because there are some legitimate monster bucks in some of these units, applying isn’t a choice if you dream of a huge public land buck from South Texas.

In addition to the TPWD-admin-istered hunts above, draw hunts (for archery, rifle, shotgun or muzzleloader) are also offered at several National Wildlife Refuges in the South Texas region, including the Lower Rio Grande Valley NWR – East Lake unit, the Lower Rio Grande Valley NWR – Teniente unit and the Laguna Atascosa NWR. Deer hunting options can also be found near Del Rio’s Lake Amistad at the National Park Service’s Amistad National Recreation Area. See the refuge or recreation area’s website for specific draw information and deadlines, hunt costs and pertinent hunting regulations.

While permit numbers are low in nearly all public land options across South Texas, someone draws these permits each year. It might as well be you. Add in the fact that sometimes preference points are awarded to unsuccessful applicants (which increases your drawing odds in subsequent years) and that occasional standby hunting opportunities exist when currently drawn hunters don’t show, and there is a legitimate chance to take a big deer on public ground in this fabled part of the state.

So, get in line, draw one of the available South Texas public hunting permits, put in some ample scouting time, and hunt hard when your hunt segment arrives, and maybe, just maybe, the big buck of your dreams will show up in front of your stand.

And who knows? If a Muy Grande buck does just that, maybe you and your big whitetail will be featured in a future issue of Texas Sportsman, proving once again that whether it’s on public or private ground, South Texas is truly the Land of Giants!

Top Texas B&C Bucks

Typical

Official Score: 192 5/8

County: Maverick

Hunter: Tom McCulloch

Owner: Thomas D. Friedkin

Year: 1963

All-Time Category Rank: 46

Non-Typical

Official Score: 284 3/8

County: McCulloch

Hunter: Unknown

Owner: Buckhorn Museum and Saloon, Ltd.

Year: 1892

All-Time Category Rank: 13

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