Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire San Benito, TX

I have been teaching NJROTC in Amarillo TX and have a line on an opening to teach the same thing in San Benito, TX. I know nothing about the area other than it is way down south and hot/humid. Anybody got any personal experience down that way? How is the hunting and fishing? Good place to be? Does it suck? Should I run away from it? I know it will be vastly different than the panhandle so I am looking for info from any outdoorsman that knows about it.

Chief

Hunting and fishing is great! If you are willing to afford it.

Wetback Central. Lock everything you have, and still prepare to have it stolen.

Rio7 may have further insight.

Why would anybody leave the high plains to go to little Mexico, getting bad around Amarillo now, Hereford been gone for years, up high is safer.

That sounds like a move I would consider. That being so, I would strongly advise against it

A small town South Texas school district. Expect a lot of nepotism and a lot of resistance to change and to outsiders in no particular order.

Not too far from the Gulf of Mexico, but a looong way from the mountains of New Mexico/Colorado.

Tho I do know an exceptional retired Navy Veteran that lives in the San Benito area, through historical re-enacting. It may be that you know this gentleman too.

MAC, San Benito, is on old Hwy 83 about 2-3 miles north of the River, it's not a very desirable place to live if you are not a Mexican, lots of dope and cross river smuggling, of people and about anything else you can think of, truthfully it's a slum, if you are interested I would advise a trip down here to check it out. let me know if your coming this way perhaps i can help. Rio 7

Stay in the panhandle Mac!

If you go I hope you’re bilingual.

Got family there, but I never visit...

A bit off topic, but how did you feel about Ronnie Jackson giving an Annapolis appointment to the former Amarillo mayor’s kid, over a bunch of your NJROTC kids?? Irritated the hell outta me….

https://www.myhighplains.com/news/l...-graduate-to-join-u-s-naval-academy/amp/

Kid appeared to have no interest in the military (unlike most of your kids who had probably been ROTC since freshman year).

I didn't have any of my graduating NJROTC kids put in for the Navy Academy. I did have one put in for USAF Academy and he got the appointment. The kid from Amarillo high did his interview with my co-teacher. He was a sharp kid. Amarillo HS does not have a JROTC so he couldn't be in the program regardless who his parents were. Amarillo has a number of high schools and only 3 of them have JROTC, Tascosa (my school) has Navy, Caprock has USMC and Palo Duro has USAF. Amarillo HS used to have an Army unit years ago but it was shut down due to low numbers.

Not every kid in JROTC puts in for or even wants an appointment to one of the academies and most don't go into the service at all right out of HS. Most either continue on to college or go to work. I'd guess about 20% enter the military.

I live down here. You love it or hate it - no in between. Nice and warm though pretty much year around. I hunted in Shamrock for a reason!

^^^THIS^^^

Can’t imagine wanting to move S. TX from N. TX / Panhandle region.

Although there’s plenty of Wets in N TX, it’s still MUCH MUCH better than the Border Country with all of its Smuggler / Cartel Bullschitt / SchittShow.

And as you already know, the Panhandle Region has some monster Muley and Whitetail populations.
And some outstanding Antelope hunting too.

Not to mention easy access to good hunting opportunities in CO & NM.

Of course, there are a few good folks in S TX like Barry / Rockinbbar and Rio7. But they are few and far between.

Lived in Harlingen TX several years. Had in-laws in Arroyo City on the Arroyo Colorado River. Bay fishing was probably the most fun fishing I've ever had. Drifting and sight-casting to Redfish and Black Drum. Speckled Trout filled the channels. BUT... you'll need a skinny water boat. Going north to Port Mansfield provided ocean access and in a small boat you could stay close to shore for Bonita and Tarpon. Going west (starting about Mercedes TX), about an hour drive, provides some of the best Dove hunting this side of the Rio Grande. Another hour west from about Roma, TX, to Amistad Reservoir will put you into some of the best "Big Whitetail Deer" in the State.

Here's the catch. I haven't been there since well before "The invasion". I suspect it's all changed dramatically.

The last time my brothers and I spent any meaningful time down there was back in the 70s. Only been back for the grandparent's funerals.

One of the best inexpensive bay boats ever made. Will run in 3" of water. Only 12' long. Tunnel hull & 25hp outboard. 18' graphite push pole.

Texas Tarpon caught near Port Isabell.



Story behind the picture. After moving back to Ft. Worth from Harlingen, a friend of mine and I joined the Fort Worth Flyfishers. The club had a newsletter and as a joke Howard and I staged a picture at Squaw Creek Reservoir near Granbury TX. We wrote an article of how there were Tarpon in the Comanche Peak Nuclear Generating Station. We didn't realize that the 200 member fly fishing club had a readership of many more than we'd ever assumed. After the article was posted, suddenly the Fort Worth Star Telegram re-wrote the article and posted it in the daily newspaper. In the next few days, Outdoor Life magazine AND ESPN contacted us.

Oops, they were quite disappointed it was all a joke....

Thanks. I would’ve thought that kids who had done JROTC would have had much higher than 20% military participation, or much more interest in the service academies. Appreciate your answer.

Is the San Benito teacher pay scale/compensation plan/ROTC stipend comparable to Amarillo’s? That to me would be a huge determinant. I wouldn’t think San Benito would pay much over the basic Texas teacher base pay scale, but I believe Amarillo used to pay teachers several thousand dollars over the basic state base.

Cost of living will probably be less than Amarillo’s, but factor in San Benito’s safety factor, Hispanic/Mexican culture factor, heat, etc…an in-person look-about should definitely be in order before making a major life-changing decision. Just my two cents.

Hahaha,TFF. WINNER, WINNER....