SABINE NATIONAL FOREST
This chunk of national forest land along the Highway 87 corridor harbors a solid deer population and offers easy access to hunters. The forest features a nice mix of rolling, pine-covered hills and hardwood bottoms with pine plantations along their borders.

A note of interest for hunters choosing this area: You have a definite chance of seeing eastern turkeys there, but remember: They're only huntable legally during the spring season -- there's no fall season (yet).

For more information, call (409) 787-3870.

DAVY CROCKETT NF
Sited adjacent to Sam Houston NF, this area probably feels the most hunting pressure, as a fair-sized cohort of Houston/Conroe area and Lufkin hunters will be targeting it.

The key areas to address here are the remote creek bottoms and likely spots along the edges of pine thickets at the points at which they meet the more-open pine forests.

For more information, call (936) 655-2299.

ANGELINA NF
Of all the national forests in Texas, this is probably the most beautiful --and probably the least pressured of all the areas, simply because it's so distant from the larger cities.

Many squirrel hunters in the area typically focus on the main trails in and out of the forest. Other than that, this area is as good as any in the region for hunting whitetails during the archery-only season.

For more information, call (936) 897-1068.

LEGAL REQUIREMENTS
"Hunting is a very popular outdoor sport in East Texas," said U.S. Forest Service supervisor Fred Salinas, "and we have many hunters who love to hunt the national forests and grasslands in Texas. Our primary concern is the safety of hunters and other visitors, so we encourage hunters to be familiar with and follow all hunting guidelines."

One of the main requirements at any of the public lands in East Texas is the use of hunter or blaze orange clothing, even during bow season. U.S. Forest Service regulations are that hunters must wear a minimum of 400 square inches of hunter orange -- 144 square inches visible on both the chest and back, and a fluorescent orange cap or hat.

"Hunt either way back away from all of the traffic, or right off the main farm roads along the boundary where no one thinks the deer would be. You would be surprised to see how many deer live right off the road because no one messes with them there."-- Clint Sterling

Hunters using the wildlife management areas must also have the $48 annual hunting permit, including those hunters using WMAs within national forest boundaries. Those would be: Alabama Creek WMA in Davy Crockett NF; Bannister WMA in Angelina NF; and Moore Plantation WMA in the Sabine NF. As noted earlier, the entire Sam Houston NF is now entirely a WMA.

In most cases, hunting on national forest land is free of charge, but with changes to a TPWD-managed status for many properties, hunters should be mindful of their specific location.

"It's the hunter's responsibility to know the regulations and game limits while hunting in national forests and grasslands," noted David Norsworthy, U.S. Forest Service captain in a statement sent out before hunting season last year. "Hunters should check bag limits for the county where they are hunting and refer to this year's hunting booklets for information to avoid citations. No baiting for wildlife or hunting over baited areas is allowed on the national forests or grasslands in Texas."