By Mike Reeder
Contributing Writer

With oil soaring nearing the $150-a-barrel mark and the price of fuel and everything else that’s transported or processed rising as a result, many hunters this fall may be forced to look for cheaper alternatives to pricey, private leases.

But there are other options short of blowing the family budget or giving up hunting altogether.

Texas Parks and Wildlife is once again conducting special drawings for public hunts this year at a cost far below those charged by most private landowners. Sportsmen who entered the drawings last season have already received application booklets through the mail. Others can pick up the booklets at TPWD law enforcement offices or request a copy over the phone.

More than 5,700 hunters will be selected through random computer drawings, with winners allowed access to some of the state’s highest quality, managed wildlife habitat.

With certain exceptions, applicants pay a $3 processing fee for each adult applicant, with most hunts allowing up to four names per card. Hunters lucky enough to be drawn pay $75 for three-day hunts and $125 for five-day hunts. Those who do not have their names drawn will be given preference points in next year’s lottery and can still show up the morning of designated hunts on a standby basis, in the event drawn hunters fail to appear.

A few drawings, including hunts for pronghorn antelope, guided deer hunts and various exotics require only a $3 to $10 application fee with no charge for the hunt itself in the event you’re drawn. Each hunt has its own application deadline, with archery deer, pronghorn antelope and alligator applications due first by Aug. 14.

Entries for the regular gun deer season are due Sept. 4.

Kendall and Bexar County residents will find several opportunities close to home, with special permit hunts for deer, turkey, feral hogs and various exotics scheduled this year at Guadalupe River State Park and Honey Creek Natural Area between Boerne and Bulverde, the Hill Country State Natural Area near Bandera, the Kerr Wildlife Management Area in Kerr County and Enchanted Rock State Natural Area outside Fredericksburg.