HOUSTON COUNTY PUBLIC HUNT UNITS 116 AND 117
Lying along the San Pedro and Gin Creek drainages, these two units near Crockett are very lightly pressured during the archery-only season. They'd be my picks as ranking among the best spots for bagging a nice buck.

The reason behind their excellence: They're right along the Davy Crockett National Forest's boundary and in a popular part of the forest. When those forest areas start feeling pressure, the bucks are likely to move into these PHU spots, and hunters situated along trails on the edge of thick cover should have a fair shot at bagging one.

For more information, call 1-800-792-1112.

BANNISTER WMA
This is another section of national forest (here, Angelina NF) operated by the U.S. Forest Service and the TPWD. That the 25,695-acre San Augustine County hotspot has a reputation for fostering bucks of considerable quality has a lot to do with the WMA's situation on a peninsula extending into Sam Rayburn Reservoir; further, it lies between highland pine forests and dense creek bottoms.

Target the oaks here during the bow season, keying in on whatever species, red or white, is dropping the most mast. Note that lots of hogs frequent the area, and unless the mast crop is massive, it doesn't take the pigs long to deplete the supply.

For more information, call Bob Baker at (409) 384-6894.

BIG LAKE BOTTOM WMA
Open only to bowhunters who apply for a special permit drawing, this area in Anderson County, like most that hold draw hunts, boasts a robust deer population.

Although not known for large numbers of head-turners, Big Lake Bottom does give up a number of high-quality bucks each year.

For information on the special draw-only hunt, call Corey Mason at (903) 389-7080.

NEWTON/JASPER COUNTY UNIT 144
For the entirety of deer season, this 1,250-acre tract is open only for bowhunting. A few years ago, the TPWD was having problems with poaching in this area, and so decided to change the regulations to make it easier to bust poachers -- and ended up creating a locale in which archers can find sanctuary for three months.

The hunting really gets good here when gun season starts and surrounding hunting clubs fill with hunters firing rifles, and deer there flee here. Any hunter savvy enough to scout the border areas of this public hunting spot and find the trails deer are using to trade between there and the nearby private clubs has a better-than-average chance of succeeding.

For more information, call Gary Calkins at (409) 384-6894.

NEWTON/JASPER COUNTY UNIT 125
Another bow-only spot for the entire season, this 7,406-acre venue offers plenty of options to bowhunters.

Like the previously discussed unit, it's great to hunt during the gun season, particular when the rut peaks during the first couple of weeks of November. Because gun hunting has been shut out of the area, and poaching curtailed, the doe population has picked up considerably.

Archers should concentrate rut-time efforts on areas in which does congregate, as they're key to bagging bucks at this crucial time of year.

For more information, call Gary Calkins at (409) 384-6894.