Please Help! Where to hunt in or very near to Killeen, TX?

[Bryan Heimann]

If I don't get out and spend some time in the outdoors I'm going to lose it!  I need to find a nice place where I can go to hunt and plink with my air rifle.  I can't shoot on post, and I can't shoot my air rifle at the range- which doesn't do it for me anyway.  Need to find a place that's within 20 or 30 minute's drive from Ft. Hood so I can sneak out and do these things once in a while.  I have been hoping to maybe find a dairy or something that's overrun with pigeons, or something!  Shoulda got a "dang" house off post!  Anyway,ideas anyone?

[1377x]

try the hunting gate
the classifieds may not help much

[AirHunter4Ever]

try the hunting gate
the classifieds may not help much

This IS the Hunting Gate.

[aack73]

try the hunting gate
the classifieds may not help much

This IS the Hunting Gate.

it got moved lol

[Kowboi]

If you find a good spot send me a PM. I'm in Waco and I feel your pain! Right now I just take squirrels in my back yard and they must have put the word out cuz there ain't too many coming around anymore.

[Mpac]

I wish I would of into air guns like I am now back when I lived in Odessa,Tx we had jack rabbits and ground squirrels like you wouldn't believe ,now in south texas and just hunt Dr. Peppers cans filled with water.Still waiting on the hosp to show up.

[Bryan Heimann]

 I sent a message to TPWD through the website. I can't wait to hear from them.  If thwy have any good news for me, I will share it in this thread. It would be so cool to find a good place to hunt birds.  I was looking at the laws on the TPWD website and man, are there a lot of species of birds you can take with airguns here and it's pretty black and white what you can and can't do.  It gives me hope, brothers.  I have a .22 SG here tgat's never drawn blood just itching to drop some pigeons in a barn somewhere, and the X20s is assembled and scoped for the longer shots.  I really need to zero these girls. 

[Kowboi]

Keep us posted.

[Bryan Heimann]

Been digging around on the TPWD website pretty good and I found some public dove hunting land that is 35.3 miles/46 minutes away from home and you can also take rabbits, feral pigeons, and eurasian collared doves here!  That's three airgun-legal quarry!  I bet you can confirm whether it's legal for several other non-game species as well with just an e-mail.  Here is a link to the spot...

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/hunt/public/lands/table_contents/media/pwd_bk_w7000_0112a_94.pdf

EDIT- I'm copying and pasting the following directly from the hunting regs on the TPWD Website.  It's good to be an airgunner in TX:

"• Nongame Animals (Non-Protected): Any lawful firearm, pellet gun, or other air gun is legal."
"Nongame and O ther Species
NONGAME ANIMALS (Includes, but is not limited to the following):
Armadillos* Flying Squirrels Mountain Lions Rabbits
Bobcats* Frogs Porcupines Turtles
Coyotes* Ground Squirrels Prairie Dogs"
"• Unprotected Birds:
• The only birds not protected by any state or federal law are European starlings, English
sparrows, feral rock doves (common pigeon - Columba livia), and Eurasian collared-doves;
these species may be killed at any time, their nests or eggs destroyed, and their feathers
may be possessed.
• Yellow-headed, red-winged, rusty, or Brewer’s blackbirds and all grackles, cowbirds (does
not include cattle egret), crows, or magpies may be controlled without a federal or state
depredation permit when found committing or about to commit depredations on
ornamental or shade trees, agricultural crops, livestock, or wildlife, or when concentrated
in numbers and in a manner that constitutes a health hazard or other nuisance."

This opens up a whole new world of hunting opportunities to me!

[Kowboi]

Cool! Thanks for the info.

[aack73]

30 minute drive ain't bad. glad you found somewhere.

[TheManFromGeorgetown]

Hey Bryan

Did you every find out if you can hunt on that public land ?
All the reseach and calls I have done and have not yet found a resource for airgun hunting on central Texas public hunting lands.

It's not against the law to hunt non-game with airguns but not on TPWD land!
Only on your land or witten permission from a land owner.

I hope you have found somewhere to relax!