i agree with the previous response and would add that you would be a lot more successful hunting anywhere besides Sam Houston NF.  I have been there a lot and there are very few birds.   How's the quail hunting in Arizona? I hear it's phenominal.

I grew up just outsode of Corpus in odem and there are some real nice areas around there for country living, then there is Callalen with great schools on hwy 624, but if that was me moving to the area I would recomend the Orange Grove, Sandia area near the lake, there is the best whitewing dove hunting, plentyfull wildlife, deer hogs and better get your fishing gear ready because Corpus has some of the best fishing in Texas, i recomend investing in a boat, i dont mind showing you all the fishing spots also.  The area off hwy 359 outside of Alice TX or Kingsville area is another small country living area with nice ranch property.  i think once you move to the area if your a big sportsmen, take advantage of all the hunting from Dove, Duck, Quail, Turkey, Deer, Hogs, geese, Crane, exotics, it's a sportsmen paradise down here!!!

First off I am a Texas resident and hunter, I buy the hunting liscense and the public hunting permit like everyone else and I read the rule book about what the seasons are and what you can do.  "There was a legal season for it. Not during dear season. Any one who runs dogs during the dear season is an idiot and is inconsiderate of other fellow outdoorsmen. So I guess instead of dealing with the law breakers."In San Jacinto County the dates for Squirrel Hunting are "Open Season: October 1, 2010-February 6, 2011 and May 1-31. Daily Bag Limit: 10."Thats copyied straight from TPWD.

Also for Sam Houston Forrest Unit # 905 ther are no restrictions for using a dog for squirrel only for hog or deer.http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/hunt/public/lands/table_contents/media/pwd_bk_w7000_0112a_132.pdf this is the link for the page.

We asked the GW about shootings dogs running deer. He said he could not say it was OK to do. He did qualify that with there would be nothing he could do about if we did.

There was a squirrel dog shot by a deer hunter 3 years ago in the Sam Houston National Forrest and the man was taken to jail and recieved a large fine and then had a cival case also.

I have alot of money invested in my dogs and work very hard training and caring for them, I try and not turn out were anyone is around but at times it does happen that we end up by other hunters and I try and leave as soon as I find this out, but I have as much right to hunt public land as the deer hunters.

I have hunted public lands for dove, ducks, deer, quail, hogs, javelina and it's been great!!! I would say it's very worth the effort and it takes effort in deed by way of researching and gaining as much inside info about the areas and units you plan to hunt.  You can definitely hunt on the weekend, in fact the is a book that shows all the dates available to hunt for the different areas and most are on the weekend. Some locations have great camping facilities and area for RV's and such, but i recomend checking out local motels, most are cheap.  There is a fee for hunting, usually not more then $100 deopending on what your hunting and usually the camp fee is waived for the hunt weekend.  Some locations work on assigend compartment area, where others like Aransas Wildlife Refuge allow you to scout and mark a location to hunt.  Some allow ATV's I would say that alot dont, once again you can get a book that shows all the units and restrictions such as ATV units allowed or not allowed, hope this info helps.  I will tell you to at least give it a try for more then one species and get your moneys worth that way!!!

Howdy! You can get an APH permit anytime. To hunt deer you need to get one pretty soon before the seasons are over. There is lots of public land that offer deer hunting although much of it is archery only. Waterfowl, pheasant, quail, predators, rabbit, squirrel, etc. are offered at many WMAs in Texas. You can order a permit online and have the permit and booklet in a few days or you can go to a TPWD office and get it the same day. The TPWD website has more info on public hunting in Texas. Best of Luck!  Always, Gene