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Hunting on NAS Kingsville

Ozarky

Well-Known Member
pilot
Hello all,

I’m currently in the flight portion of IFS here in Pensacola, and should be starting API in 3-4 weeks. Being a single male, there’s a good chance I’ll be sent to Corpus for Primary, which will happen to put me there just before deer season starts. Currently there looks to be a 6-8 week wait before primary, allowing me some free time to get some hunting in before I class up.

Due to the fact that there is very little public hunting land in Texas, I started doing some research to check out my options. I saw picklesuit’s post on here from about a decade ago about Escondido Ranch, but I’m intrigued by the hunting opportunity at NAS Kingsville, as I can find almost zero information regarding deer population density, size, etc. All I can find is that they do a Saturday and Sunday only hunt, with some pretty rigorous stipulations.

I’ll most likely end up getting in a lease as well, but it’s nice to have options.


Thanks in advance!
 

Griz882

Frightening children with the Griz-O-Copter!
pilot
Contributor
The big, loud orange and white birds that fly around there are pretty easy to hit...when they fly.
 

Scimitarze

Automated Member
There's quite a few hunting/fishing weekend combos from guides down around the bays near Corpus.

Might just be for birds on the hunting portion though.
 

xmid

Registered User
pilot
Contributor
Escondido Ranch does a draw now. If you want in on that you should call the MWR at Kingsville early and find out when it is.

There are also three deer hunting "seasons" you can buy in the Aransas wildlife refuge. There's also a bow season and a guy comes out and teaches a class on bowhunting the refuge the day before the season. This is invaluable. Some friends and I hunted there and a couple guys managed to get a deer and a pig. The funny thing is that the deer know where you are allowed to hunt. You'll see dozens of them before you go through the gate to the hunting area. If you want to hunt there you will need a tripod stand, as it's mostly very tall grass and scrub brush. Ideally you can buy a lightweight and short(ish) one, as you have to carry it in and carry it out every day. Also, be aware that there are alligators in some of the small ponds there. The place is also crawling with snakes and mosquitos, so be prepared for that.

The best kept secret is the little known public land areas that have Nilgai on them. You'll need a boat, and you will have to get in tight with either a local or an avid hunting IP to find out where to go. Be prepared to pack out an elk sized animal, but the success rates for guys that know where to go and have the means to get there is high.
 

Ozarky

Well-Known Member
pilot
Escondido Ranch does a draw now. If you want in on that you should call the MWR at Kingsville early and find out when it is.

There are also three deer hunting "seasons" you can buy in the Aransas wildlife refuge. There's also a bow season and a guy comes out and teaches a class on bowhunting the refuge the day before the season. This is invaluable. Some friends and I hunted there and a couple guys managed to get a deer and a pig. The funny thing is that the deer know where you are allowed to hunt. You'll see dozens of them before you go through the gate to the hunting area. If you want to hunt there you will need a tripod stand, as it's mostly very tall grass and scrub brush. Ideally you can buy a lightweight and short(ish) one, as you have to carry it in and carry it out every day. Also, be aware that there are alligators in some of the small ponds there. The place is also crawling with snakes and mosquitos, so be prepared for that.

The best kept secret is the little known public land areas that have Nilgai on them. You'll need a boat, and you will have to get in tight with either a local or an avid hunting IP to find out where to go. Be prepared to pack out an elk sized animal, but the success rates for guys that know where to go and have the means to get there is high.

Thanks so much for the info! I’ll definitely give MWR a call and see when the drawing for Escondido is. I had looked into Arkansas a bit and from what I understood it was a lottery hunt. Is the archery hunting an exception to this? That would be great if so because I mostly bowhunt.

Most folks online seemed to say that Aransas is a very difficult hunt in general, but I’m always up for the challenge.

As for the Nilgai, I’ll definitely be asking around once I get down to Corpus. As indicated by the elk in my profile pic, the meat from big game is always worth the pack out.

Thanks again!
 

xmid

Registered User
pilot
Contributor
If I remember correctly Aransas was a lottery, but bow season generally goes unfilled and its like 80-90% you'll get a gun season if you put in for it. The year I bow hunted it they only had about 50% of their hunter quota.
 
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Ozarky

Well-Known Member
pilot
You’re the man! I owe you some backstrap haha.

I’d be lying if I said my preference between Milton and Corpus wasn’t dictated almost entirely by opportunity to kill bigger deer as well as ability to swing a mule deer or pronghorn hunt elsewhere in Texas (liberty radius permitting). I’ve enjoyed the fishing in Pensacola but once September comes I know where I’ll want to be ?
 

xmid

Registered User
pilot
Contributor
One other thing, if you're in to bow hunting take a backseat ride out to Goliad (the T-6 OLF) before the season. You hang out in the fire house all day with the fire fighters and then fly back at 1700. You might get a little goof around time in the T-6 if the IP is cool, and a couple of the fire fighters live to bow hunt. They can answer a lot of your questions and will give you tons of invaluable information that may put you on a deer. A couple of the guys always have their bows in their trucks and can be easily persuaded to fling some arrows next to the firehouse.

If you get orders to Corpus, shoot me a PM and I'll send you some ONX screenshots/LAT/LONG of hotspots in Aransas. I did see a huge buck there, but never got a shot at him.

And yes, I do take backstrap tips...
 

xmid

Registered User
pilot
Contributor
One other thing... Sign up for the Corpus Christi pistol and rifle club. It's a pretty amazing deal. I think it's 120 for the year and the range is great. You'll get a pass card for the gate so you can go anytime you want. They have trap and skeet machines that take coins you buy at the main building if you want to bust clays, and they have so many ranges that you will generally have one to yourself. If I wanted to shoot my bow I generally just found an empty range and threw my block out there and had at it. They also did some competitions and its generally a good place to meet locals with solid gouge that can help you during the hunting season. Or even to get put on a lease or be allowed to hunt someone else property.
 

Ozarky

Well-Known Member
pilot
Dude, you’re my hero haha. I wish I had more to offer in return. If you ever want to deer/bear/turkey hunt in Arkansas I’ve got your back ?
 

jmcquate

Well-Known Member
Contributor
I haven't been in that part of the country since the mid 90s, but then, there used to be be hunting leases you could buy on the King Ranch. Not sure about now.
 
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