Nice buck, FOsteology. I know what you mean about expensive leases. I know of some decent land that might be available for not too steep (less than $1000/gun) for all species, year-round lease, small enough parcells for one or two guns. It's in Gonzales County close to you, and the deer quality around here is in the neighborhood of the buck shown above or even better.
No public land means you must either pay for a lease or own land, which is the downside. The upside is that you get what you pay for, in that you have the land all to yourself and within owner limits can exercise a great degree of control over harvest criteria, food plots, feeding, etc. I wouldn't go back to public hunting on a bet, it just doesn't come close to private land in terms of overall hunt quality.
PM me if you want to know more about the land.
Marylandeer,
Only in the brush country of deep South Texas are rattlesnakes a factor in deer hunting. I've hunted for thirty years in S central TX and have never seen a rattlesnake during hunting season. They live here, but are not overly common and are seldom seen. Cooler weather puts a big crimp on their activity.
