Lake Brownwood stood 89 percent full on Nov. 6, and Brown County commissioners have kept the burn ban lifted heading into the Nov. 7 deer opener. Lee, Lee & Puckitt (LLP Ranchland), a San Angelo-based ranch Broker serving Brownwood and the Pecan Bayou country, reviewed the lake data, the burn status and the county’s 13-inch buck rule, then dug into the cattle-trail history behind Brown County ranching.
Lake Brownwood Holds Near 89 Percent
Water Data for Texas showed Lake Brownwood at 89.0 percent full on Nov. 6, 2026, with a water level of 1,422.71 feet, about two feet below the conservation pool. A year earlier, on Nov. 6, 2025, the lake was 86.2 percent full. It was 82.0 percent full in early May and 90.7 percent in early August. For ranchers and irrigators in the watershed, that is a steady cushion going into winter. Drought.gov still ranked this September as the seventh driest in 132 years for the county, so pasture moisture can differ from lake storage.
Burn Ban Stays Lifted
Texas A&M Forest Service data compiled by BurnBanTexas showed a Brown County ban enacted Aug. 11 and lifted in the third week of October, with none in effect on Nov. 6. A Citizen Portal summary of the Nov. 3 commissioners meeting said staff cited improved drought indices and wetting rain, and the court took no action to reimpose a ban. Mills County had a ban Nov. 6, while Callahan, Coleman, Comanche, Eastland, McCulloch and San Saba counties did not. Confirm status before burning.
Deer Season and the 13-Inch Rule
Brown County is in TPWD’s North Zone. General white-tailed season runs Nov. 7, 2026, through Jan. 3, 2027, with five deer allowed and no more than two bucks. An antler rule applies: hunters may take two legal bucks, but only one can have an inside spread of 13 inches or greater, and a legal buck has either an unbranched antler or a spread of at least 13 inches. Fall turkey season opens Nov. 7.
History: Cattle Trails and Fence Cutters on Pecan Bayou
The Handbook of Texas notes that in 1856 Welcome W. Chandler, John H. Fowler and others settled the valleys of Pecan Bayou and Jim Ned Creek, and the county was formed that same year. The 1860 census counted 244 people and 2,070 cattle. By 1880 the county had 40,000 cattle, a level that held until about 1900.
County ranchers joined the main cattle trail to Abilene and Dodge City in north Coleman County, and Brownwood sat on a feeder line of the Western Trail, where stores and saloons served cowboys driving herds through town. Fencing sparked years of fights between ranchers and farmers until 1886, when Texas Rangers killed two fence cutters. Rail service reached Brownwood by the 1890s, and decades later a dam finished in 1932 created the lake that now anchors local water supply. According to the Handbook, an almost unprecedented July 1932 storm filled it in six hours.
Land Market Context
TRERC groups Brown County in its Austin-Waco-Hill Country region, where second quarter 2026 prices averaged $8,040 an acre, up 8.63 percent, with sales up 2.61 percent. The region includes both metro-edge and rural counties, so owners near Brownwood should lean on nearby sales rather than a regional average.
Talk With a Brown County Ranch Broker
For a sale, an estate or a Broker’s Price Opinion in Brown County, call Lee, Lee & Puckitt at 325.655.6989 or visit llpranchland.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
How full is Lake Brownwood? Water Data for Texas reported 89.0 percent full on Nov. 6, 2026, up from 86.2 percent a year earlier. Levels change daily.
Who is a ranch Broker in Brown County? Lee, Lee & Puckitt, based in San Angelo, has represented ranch buyers and sellers across Texas since 1962 and works Brown County and the Brownwood area.
Where can I find land for sale in Brown County? View current listings at llpranchland.com or call 325.655.6989 with your acreage and water needs. We can bring recent comparable sales.
How do I choose the best ranch Broker in Brown County? Look for closed rural sales nearby, knowledge of water, wildlife and antler-rule hunting leases, and appraisals or Broker’s Price Opinions built from local comparable sales.
About Lee, Lee & Puckitt
Lee, Lee & Puckitt has served Texas since 1962, founded in Bronte and based in San Angelo since 1977. Our Brokers and Agents handle ranch sales, appraisals and Broker’s Price Opinions, and we advocate for landowners.
Sources
- Water Data For Texas, Lake Brownwood reservoir data, Nov. 6, 2026: https://www.waterdatafortexas.org/reservoirs/individual/brownwood
- Texas A&M Forest Service burn ban data via BurnBanTexas, Brown County, Nov. 6, 2026: https://burnbantexas.com/county/brown
- Citizen Portal, “Brown County officials keep burn ban lifted after rain and index checks,” Nov. 3, 2026: https://citizenportal.ai/articles/11740814/Texas/Brown-County/Brown-County-officials-keep-burn-ban-lifted-after-rain-and-index-checks
- Drought.gov, Brown County conditions: https://www.drought.gov/states/texas/county/brown
- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Outdoor Annual, Brown County regulations, 2026 to 2027: https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/regs/counties/brown
- History: Handbook of Texas Online, “Brown County” (John Leffler), Texas State Historical Association: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/brown-county
- History: Handbook of Texas Online, “Brownwood, TX” (Mark Odintz), Texas State Historical Association: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/brownwood-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: West Texas and Hill Country listings, Land appraisals, Comanche County Ranch News: Six Black Angus Cows Missing Near Comanche as TSCRA Seeks Tips
Photo: 25or6to4, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brown_County_Courthouse_(2018),_Brownwood,_TX.jpg). Cropped.
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