possibly relocating to Victoria

Have been thinking of moving from Harlingen. Being from PA, I really miss forest type of habitat, four seasons, and freshwater. But my wife hates cool weather so PA is out of the question. I do have a few bird hunting spots around here but nothing as far as big game goes. Got on a lease 2 years ago, but only saw a few does. And thats including the trail cam. Had some good late season quail hunting though. I think Victoria would have great fresh and saltwater fishing close by. Not sure about hunting though. Can one find reasonable big game and bird hunting around there?

Yes with lots of deer and hogs. Deer can range in body size depending on the direction and all the counties being under AR's. Antler wise you will see large ranges of size with deer on the larger ranches occasionally scoring into the 170-180 class. A deer that is 110-150" are more common depending on the area and management of the ranch. Still some good quail hunting with better areas bit west or southwest in Goliad County. Lots of good migratory hunting also. Some fresh water lakes in the area like Texana or Coleto Creek. Brauning, Calveras, Fayette County, Choke Canyon and Lake Corpus Christi are within 2 hours or less. There is some river fishing also and a lot of private farm tanks/ponds if you can get a lease.

what kinda job opertunities around their

C'mon down. Stx ranchman pretty much nailed it. The further u head south the bigger deer u will see.
I Hunt north of town. Tons of deer but they are pretty small.

Great choice! I winter nearby in Seadrift & really enjoy the hunting & fishing in the area. Ranchman nailed the hunting, and along the coast the waterfowl and saltwater fishing are great. Victoria is a growing and thriving city with all the perks.

Medical field. She is finishing up RN degree and I am a PT. I like the RGV but i just cant get used to the lack of trees and water that I was used to growing up. So it wont be too difficult to find a hunting lease up that way?

Bunch of hospitals & cinics in & around Victoria. Don't know about getting leases in the area much, as I own a smaller acreage for hogs along the coast. Waterfowl hunting is wide open though, where-ever 'ur boat can get ya'. Nice launches on this whole bay system.

Leases are difficult to find anywhere in Texas. Have been like that for many years and will continue. Victoria has a large amount of Oil & Gas companies so those workers will also be looking for leases.

Had a buddy that grew up in Refugio and hunted Refugio/Bee/Goliad counties exclusively. He said nicer deer tended to range 120-130" with occassional 140". Primarily the larger ranches producing those bucks.

I just like to enjoy the outdoors and hunt a variety of game. Average size bucks are fine with me, if thats what the area is producing. I like to harvest an archery deer then focus on other seasons, like quail, duck, etc.

I've hunted at Aransas NWR a few times. Saw some really nice deer there. I do remember seeing ducks everywhere. I think Victoria will be a great area for you to hunt. Good Luck. I use to hunt in W.Va and know what you mean by trees and 4 seasons.

As an archery hunter and if you could learn to live with skeeters, you could archery hunt the Aransas NWR each year. It is about 30 minutes SE of VCT. Don't know if you take advantage of the Laguna Atascosa east of you now. Funny, but myself and others in this area apply for the LA and LRG NWR hunts each year. We have been very successful at being drawn and have been successful on those hunts. They are within 30 minutes of you.

I live on a ranch outside of Cuero just to the NE of VCT. Hunting leases in the area are held tight just like anywhere in Texas. Antler restrictions and antlerless harvests plus the emphasis on killing hogs for a decade now has made a improvement in the quality of deer and deer hunting in this area.

The Eagle Ford discovery (Northwest and west of VCT) has brought an economic boom to the area. There are a lot of people coming to the area to find work and VCT is the closest large city. Housing can be tough to find, more so if you are not really interested in staying. This discovery has also put pressure on the land available to hunt. Many places have faced a considerable alteration of the habitat and many landowners that once leased to supplement their income no longer feel the need to do so. I know of one landowner with a couple of 1,000 to 2,500 acre places that decided not to lease anymore. Some of it was that he was just tired of putting up with the individual hunters but the economics of it was that he simply did not need the money anymore so about 5,000 acres is off the map now in this single instance. I also think that many of the fellows that have come to this area for work, also have an interest in the outdoors which is further increasing the pressure on the available resource.

Don't want to discourage you but don't want to sugar coat it either. I honestly think that you will have a tough time finding big game hunting opportunities in the area.

Thanks Ranch Dog, i appreciate the info. I have heard it was growing (with hunters/fisherman), which is what i am trying to avoid, to an extent. Yes I got a permit for LANWR 3rd bow hunt and am pumped for that. This will be my first hunt on there. Didnt bother applying for the LRGV refuge cause im working two jobs while she is full-time student. I worry that once they switch the LA refuge bow hunts to online application (or even lottery like the rifle and LRGV), it wont be a guaranteed deal for us locals that can just drive to the park office. We have some time while she is finishing the RN program and have a house we would have to sell here. Victoria seems like the best compromise. She would still be in a tropical type climate and close to the coast, and i would be near fresh water (although i am hooked on reds and specks now) and closer to the National Forests of TX that I really want to explore. But a lease near home would be awesome.

Good! Are you aware of the hunts on the Lower Rio Grande NWR system as well? I always seem to be the outsider on these hunts as most of the fellows are local guys and I've found them very ready to share information about their hunting experiences on either refuge. Of course, I would say the same about Aransas. I know fellows that have hunted there since the first hunt back in the 60's (I hunted that hunt myself).

Now, if you come up to VCT, the Aransas refuge is easier to get a permit, Archery or Rifle, as it is first come, first serve and it is done online. Several times, I've ended up with permit #0001. The Aransas hunt is a harder hunt than the RGV hunts, just a lot tougher country, but it is what it is. Being in VCT puts you closer to several of the TPWD draw hunts like those around Choke Canyon.

I'm mentioning the public hunting as you need something to keep you going while you look for a lease in the area. I hunt the refuges, along with some other ranchers, just because it is not a shoe in, it is big country, and it gives us a chance to just get away. The RGV land has the nilgai which is a nice bonus.

Having lived in Harlingen, I think I would rather live up here but that would be an individual decision. I could go on about the hunting and land here in DeWitt and the boarding counties, as I'm quite involved with both, but a fellow delivering farm diesel this morning said it best, he said "a family man making $15 to $25 an hour can no longer afford to hunt in this county." Unfortunately, he is right based on all the factors and pressures being placed on the land.

Good luck I work in Seadrift and since February I've been looking for a lease all this area is private owned and don't like to lease due to the oil and gas companies

Traditionally, the locals have only had to compete with those from Houston, San Antonio, or Corpus but the influx of companies and their workers have really shaken things up. I personally believe that in this area that we have are discussing, the population probably has double in the last five years. Granted there are a lot of people here for the short term but it has been a real impact on the area.

The land itself has seen a lot more interest from the family who owns it. Typically ma and pa has been leasing the hunting on the land because the kids had no interest in it. With the value of the land dramatically increasing, especially with what is under it, all of a sudden there is all kinds of interest in mom and dad's place. Part of that interest is expressed by the family now hunting it.

I personally saw this change take place in a wildlife management association I managed for a number of years. I saw the hunting change from a majority being held by lease hunters to family hunters in the blink of an eye. This was on a huge amount of properties totaling approximately 150,000 acres.

yes im aware of the Lower Rio Grande Valley Refuge. I didnt apply this year cause limited time working two jobs while wife is full-time student. Just gonna focus on LA this year. In the future i would like to try Sam Houston or Davy Crockett.thanks again Ranch Dog

Like the others have indicated, its not gonna be easy, but finding a lease in this area can be done. What it takes is "networking".
Wish you the best in what you decide.