Question: “My friend and I are looking at jumping on a deer lease of about 3,500 acres that is located in Navarro County. It is in the area of FM 55 and FM 744. Do you know what is the whitetail hunting is like in this area? I have recently heard that there are a lot of feral hogs, but other than that I have never heard much about the hunting in Navarro County. It’s been dry across the state, so I imagine that it’s drought like over there too. Any info on deer hunting in Navarro County will be appreciated. Thanks!”
Response: I have a good friend that hunted that area for about eight years, and the deer hunting was solid. His deer lease was about 1,000 acres with a big creek running through the ranch. There are some very nice deer in the parts of Navarro County that have brushy and wooded habitat, but it’s not an area where you will see deer every time you go out. That said, the deer density can range from low to high, but in general the bucks will be bigger in the areas where there are less deer.
Navarro County is a two buck county and buck harvest falls under the state’s antler restriction regulations. There is no turkey season and the dove hunting is pretty good too, with mourning doves making up most of the harvest. And yes, some parts of Navarro County have lots of feral critters that make for good year-round hog hunting. There are good deer scattered out the county, and I think when my buddy hunted there his place was closer to the Hill County line.
The part of Navarro County you are talking about is getting better every year. A few really big bucks are taken from the western part of the county every year, but as I mentioned earlier the bucks are bigger where there are less of them. So, it can be hit and miss depending on the year and the property. I’d recommend scouting the property you are looking at for a deer lease. If it has good woody cover and a creek or two on it, I’d jump on it for at least a year to see what the deer hunting looks like.