Ranchers in Brooks County are working under a new set of animal movement rules this weekend. On Nov. 13, the Texas Animal Health Commission signed an order creating New World Screwworm Infested Zone 34, covering parts of Brooks, Jim Hogg and Starr counties, after screwworm was detected in a bovine in Jim Hogg County on Nov. 12. Working South Texas brush country from its San Angelo headquarters, ranch Broker Lee, Lee & Puckitt (LLP Ranchland) breaks down what the order requires around Falfurrias and Encino and what else is moving in local ranch news.
What the Order Says
Under the TAHC order, warm-blooded animals inside Zone 34 may not leave the zone without prior authorization from the Commission. To move animals out, they must be inspected and treated as the Commission requires and travel with a permit or certificate issued by a Commission representative. Unauthorized movement can bring penalties, and the order stays until the Commission releases it. Check the TAHC zone map to see whether your pasture is inside the lines.
A Rule Hunters Should Know
The order also covers hides, carcasses and parts of any animal that can host screwworm. Those must be inspected and given any treatment a Commission representative requires before leaving the zone. With deer season under way, landowners and lease hunters should agree before the next hunt on how harvested deer will be handled and who calls TAHC for an inspection. Texas Farm Bureau, passing along TPWD guidance, is asking hunters to watch wildlife for signs of screwworm and to inspect harvested animals carefully.
Day-to-Day Herd Checks
TAHC’s guidance: check animals closely and often, keep wounds clean and covered, and work with a veterinarian. The agency notes that screwworm is highly preventable and treatable with approved products, but an untreated animal can die within a week. AgriLife’s Nov. 13 report for the South district said producers were watching for screwworm and that cooler weather was helping cut fly numbers.
Rain Came, Drought Lingers
Drought.gov ranks October as Brooks County’s 18th wettest in 132 years. Even so, the Nov. 10 U.S. Drought Monitor still had most of the county in moderate drought, with about 19 percent in severe drought. Texas A&M Forest Service data list a Brooks County burn ban with an effective date of Jan. 24, 2022, which looks out of date, so confirm current status with the county.
Deer and Quail
South Zone white-tailed deer general season runs Nov. 7 through Jan. 17, 2027, with a special late season Jan. 18 through 31 for antlerless and unbranched-antlered bucks. The bag is 5 deer, no more than 3 bucks. AgriLife said rain slowed the opener, but deer were in good condition, quail and deer numbers looked strong, and wildlife managers were seeing more twin fawns this fall. Quail runs through Feb. 28 with a 15-bird daily bag.
How Falfurrias Was Built
The Handbook of Texas credits Edward C. Lasater with building much of what became Brooks County. In 1895 he bought 7,000 cows from the Kenedy Pasture Company and set up headquarters a few miles south of present Falfurrias, eventually holding some 350,000 acres. When the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway reached his ranch in 1904, he founded the town and subdivided ranchland for sale to farmers. In 1911, after several years of effort, Brooks County was created from Starr County with Falfurrias as the seat. His Falfurrias Creamery made the town’s butter known statewide, and his son Tom went on to originate Beefmaster cattle.
South Texas Land Market
The Texas Real Estate Research Center puts Brooks County in its South Texas region, where second quarter 2026 sales rose 26.18 percent from a year earlier to 400 transactions, the strongest growth of any Texas region. The median price edged up 0.99 percent to $6,225 an acre on a typical 308-acre tract.
Visit With LLP
Questions about selling, buying or valuing a ranch near Falfurrias? Call Lee, Lee & Puckitt at 325.655.6989 or go to llpranchland.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a ranch Broker who works Brooks County? Yes. Lee, Lee & Puckitt, headquartered in San Angelo, provides ranch sales, appraisals and Broker’s Price Opinions in Brooks County and across South Texas.
How do I find land for sale in Brooks County? Check llpranchland.com, then call 325.655.6989 with the acreage, wildlife and water you are after.
What should the best ranch Broker for Brooks County bring to a sale? South Texas hunting ranch experience, water and brush knowledge, and comparable sales.
Can I haul cattle out of the Brooks County screwworm zone? Only with TAHC authorization. Animals leaving Infested Zone 34 must be inspected, treated as required and moved with a Commission permit or certificate.
About Lee, Lee & Puckitt
Selling ranch land since 1962, Lee, Lee & Puckitt is rancher-owned and works out of San Angelo. Its Brokers and Agents handle sales, appraisals and Broker’s Price Opinions.
Sources
- Texas Animal Health Commission, Executive Director Order, Brooks, Jim Hogg and Starr Counties, signed Nov. 13, 2026: https://www.tahc.texas.gov/regs/pdf/2026-11-13_NWS_EDO_BrooksJimHoggStarr.pdf
- Texas Animal Health Commission, New World Screwworm page, checked Nov. 14, 2026: https://www.tahc.texas.gov/emergency/nws.html
- Texas Farm Bureau, Texas Agriculture Daily, “Hunters urged to watch for New World screwworm,” by Julie Tomascik: https://texasfarmbureau.org/hunters-urged-to-watch-for-new-world-screwworm/
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Texas Crop and Weather Report, Nov. 13, 2026, by Adam Russell, as published in North Texas e-News: https://www.ntxe-news.com/artman/publish/article_147455.shtml
- Drought.gov, Brooks County conditions, checked Nov. 14, 2026: https://www.drought.gov/states/texas/county/brooks
- Cownty, Brooks County page (U.S. Drought Monitor Nov. 10 map), checked Nov. 14, 2026: https://cownty.com/county/brooks-tx
- Burn Ban Texas, Brooks County (Texas A&M Forest Service data), checked Nov. 14, 2026: https://burnbantexas.com/county/brooks
- TPWD Outdoor Annual, Brooks County 2026-27: https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/regs/counties/brooks
- Handbook of Texas, “Lasater, Edward Cunningham”: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/lasater-edward-cunningham
- Handbook of Texas, “Falfurrias, TX”: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/falfurrias-tx
- Texas Real Estate Research Center, Texas Rural Land Markets, Second Quarter 2026: https://trerc.tamu.edu/reports/texas-rural-land-markets-second-quarter-2026/
- Related: Land appraisals, Contact LLP Ranchland, Starr County Ranch News: Screwworm Turns Up in a Dog and a Cow Near Rio Grande City as the Quarantine Returns
Photo: 25or6to4, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brooks_County_Courthouse,_Falfurrias,_Texas.JPG). Cropped.
