As the days get shorter, the sun doesn’t set on Texas hunting. Here at Nine Bar Ranch, winter is one of our favorite seasons to explore our 12,000 acres in search of seasonal game. Read on to decide if this is the year you’ll enjoy the magic of Texas hunting in December.

Hunting for Winter Season Game

Novice hunters tend to think of fall and spring as the biggest hunting seasons in the state of Texas. However, the game available to hunt in fall is often still on the roster through late December and early January. This includes white-tailed deer and wild turkey. You can hunt doves in late December and while hogs are fair game year-round, you’ll find that they’re often more active and easier to find in the winter. Winter is also a great time to pursue game like sika deer if you’re hoping to bag one with hard antlers.

Enjoying the Quiet of Winter

In North Texas, we enjoy mild temperatures through most of December, with daytime highs of around 40 or 50 degrees. It’s also a remarkably peaceful season, particularly in wooded areas, where the leaves have fallen and the birds have gotten quieter. You may even see a bit of snowfall! After spending hours in a hunting blind, nothing is more comforting than returning to your Nine Bar Ranch cabin and enjoying a warm drink or a hot meal.

Bringing Home Christmas Dinner

Thanksgiving isn’t the only holiday meant for feasting. By scheduling a hunting trip for early or mid-December, you can bring home freshly caught meat for your Christmas dinner. There’s no better way to celebrate with family than over turkey or venison that you bagged yourself. Plus, things like homemade deer jerky can make the perfect stocking stuffer!

Hunting Alongside Serious Hunters

When you schedule hunting trips in the fall and spring, you’re hunting alongside just about every hunter, including new hunters and hobbyists, in the state of Texas. On the other hand, hunting in the winter presents unique challenges. For example, the weather can become harsher and more unpredictable. By this time of year, white-tailed deer are usually more suspicious and harder to bag. As a result, you’re bound to hunt alongside serious, experienced hunters when you schedule your trip to Nine Bar Ranch in December.