Has anybody been drawn in the unit before? Completely unfamiliar with the area but my brother put us in, and we were selected for an Archery Whitetail Hunt 12/11-12/15.

Any advice? Can anybody point me in the right direction to do a little research?

TIA

It's a nice place. Never seen any deer. Definitely great dove hunting.


I would carry a gun on your side just in case you run into a coyote.

Of either kind.

Interesting place to hunt. Both of my boys shot their first deer there on the youth rifle hunt. For the rifle hunts they assign you a blind with a feeder. It is my understanding that for the archery hunts they assign you an area that each hunter must stay in. You will probably have to set up on a trail to a feeder to have the best chance. Lots of rattlesnakes, skeeters(if it rains), ticks, and chiggers-but there are some decent deer there..and lots of javelina.

Quailguts said:

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Interesting place to hunt. Both of my boys shot their first deer there on the youth rifle hunt. For the rifle hunts they assign you a blind with a feeder. It is my understanding that for the archery hunts they assign you an area that each hunter must stay in. You will probably have to set up on a trail to a feeder to have the best chance. Lots of rattlesnakes, skeeters(if it rains), ticks, and chiggers-but there are some decent deer there..and lots of javelina.

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The rare Quailguts post.

I've seen more chupacabras.

Quailguts said:

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Interesting place to hunt. Both of my boys shot their first deer there on the youth rifle hunt. For the rifle hunts they assign you a blind with a feeder. It is my understanding that for the archery hunts they assign you an area that each hunter must stay in. You will probably have to set up on a trail to a feeder to have the best chance. Lots of rattlesnakes, skeeters(if it rains), ticks, and chiggers-but there are some decent deer there..and lots of javelina.

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+1 for the bloodsuckers. I went on a rifle hunt and the creepy crawlers were out in full force. The blinds were nice but I didn't see anything other than a wide assortment of birds. I got stationed in the middle of the unit. The feeders went off and nada. On the other hand Ive been bird banding in the back section and there are definitely some nice deer and javelina.

Edit: I would honestly call and ask what the archery setup will be. 956/532-3009. Oh and keep in mind that if you stay in Harlingen the Rio Hondo bridge may still be out at that time. The detour around San Benito probably adds 15 miles. I think it's supposed to be done this fall though.

My son got drawn to hunt deer there between Christmas and New Years. Looking forward to it except for the possibility of not seeing anything. That being said, it's all about the hunt, right?

Surprised there aren't significant numbers of hogs down that way. And heard that gators relish guts dumped at the cleaning station.

It seems the area is in the eastern fringe of the big buck Wild Horse Desert factory. And that it likely has smaller coastal bucks as opposed to King Ranch brutes.

Input welcome...

My dates are Dec. 11th-15th.

Do you guys think a pop up blind or a climbing tree stand would work better?

Isn't that down in the RGV? Hard to use a climbing stand in a mesquite tree.

Yea, my family has been going to arroyo city since my great grandparents built a place down there. You won't find many trees down there. And the ones that are there either want to kill you or have things living in and around them that want to kill you.

Did my tracking certification there, but oddly enough I was basically blind for 2 days during my testing. So doubt I am of much help. Lots of neat birds.