Public land hunting within 90 minutes of Dallas/Fort Worth

Though I have hunted since a very young age, it was not until sometime around 2011 that I made a go of freelancing (unguided on public land). I am in the process of making every mistake one can make afield. Here is list of a few of the places I have made those mistakes within a short drive of the metroplex.

1) Lyndon B. Johnson National Grassland: The LBJ Grasslands is composed of more than 20,000 acres of former abandoned farms, hardwood bottoms, open prairies, fields, and forests. This is where my best good friend Matt Lankford and I learned just enough about duck hunting to be more dangerous to ducks than we were each other. It’s where I killed my first public land dove and duck, and where my first bird dog made his first live water retrieve (I scattered some of his ashes at the same spot this September). Put differently, it’s a very special place to me. The more than 50 units can be hard to get to without a good map (I highly recommend forking over the $12 to the HQ in Decatur for a printed copy), but once you find them, you’re in for a bunch of different treats. Deer and duck hunting are both popular here, but turkey, quail, dove, hogs and good fishing can be found too.

2) Lake Bardwell: Located in Ennis, I regard Lake Bardwell as the only hunting spot I have ever had an advantage over anyone on. This advantage primarily relating to my willingness (and others unwillingness) to stomp through a half mile of quick mud to back up in some moist soil areas that the ducks wanted to be in. No permit has been required since around 2013, but check with the Army Corp of Engineers for specific rules and regulations.

3) Lake Ray Roberts: Full disclosure, I’ve hunted here a half dozen times and have never harvested anything, but I have walked to within 20 yards of pigs, seen dove and deer. There are many access points around the reservoir. Check the TPWD Public Land Hunting Map to find a place to park and walk.

4) Caddo National Grassland

5) Lake Lewisville (permit lake): I have killed dove and wood ducks here. The trinity river reservoirs allow you hunt in Tarrant and Denton counties, though all require permits. These are cool urban hunting spots.