Hay is on everybody’s mind in Cherokee County this fall. The county’s annual Hay Show and Sale wrapped up Oct. 27, and a week later AgriLife’s East Texas reporters described ponds and creeks dropping, armyworms in the last of the grass and more producers starting to feed hay. From our home base in San Angelo, Lee, Lee & Puckitt (LLP Ranchland) helps ranch and timber owners across Texas, and here is what landowners around Rusk and Jacksonville should know heading into winter.
Hay Show and an Early Start on Feeding
The Jacksonville Progress reported Nov. 3 that hay judging awards were handed out to young people at the Cherokee County Hay Show and Sale on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Earlier in the season, the county’s AgriLife office invited producers to submit samples for free testing as part of the show. Knowing protein and energy in your bales matters more in a short year, because it tells you how much supplement the cows will need.
The Nov. 3 Texas Crop and Weather Report from Texas A&M AgriLife painted a dry picture for the East district. Reporters said drought persisted and worsened, with pond, creek, lake and river levels dropping and some producers worried about livestock water. A major fall armyworm outbreak hit remaining grass, pasture mealybug showed up in more hay meadows, and final cuttings were lower quality. Cows were calving and more operations had started feeding hay. Local markets saw slaughter cow and bull prices slip while pairs held steady.
Burn Status and Water
Cherokee County Judge Chris Davis rescinded the county burn ban on Oct. 2, the Jacksonville Progress reported, and Texas A&M Forest Service data still showed no countywide ban on Nov. 8. Two neighbors, Angelina and Nacogdoches counties, did have bans in place that day, and AgriLife noted one East Texas county had gone back under a ban. Dry, windy days raise the risk, so check before you burn.
Texas Water Development Board data on Water Data for Texas put Lake Palestine at 86.5 percent full on Nov. 8, down from 89.0 percent a month earlier and 97.5 percent a year ago. Lake Jacksonville stood at 95.7 percent. Big reservoirs hold up longer than stock ponds, so walk your tanks and plan backup water now.
Deer Season Rules
TPWD’s 2026-27 Outdoor Annual lists the Cherokee County general season from Nov. 7, 2026, through Jan. 3, 2027. The bag is 4 deer, no more than 2 bucks and 2 antlerless. Antler restrictions apply: a legal buck has at least one unbranched antler or an inside spread of 13 inches or more, and only one of the two bucks may be 13 inches or wider. Antlerless deer may be taken by license tag Nov. 7 through 29, and a muzzleloader season runs Jan. 4 through 17.
Northeast Texas Land Prices
The Texas Real Estate Research Center at Texas A&M places Cherokee County in its Northeast Texas region. Its second quarter 2026 report put the regional median at $8,604 an acre, down 5.96 percent from a year earlier, while sales rose 9.64 percent to 887. The typical tract was 119 acres. In plain terms, more places are trading, but prices have eased off the 2025 peak. Pine timber, improved pasture and lake frontage each carry their own value, so a regional median is only a starting point.
Talk With Our Team
If you are weighing a sale, a purchase or an estate valuation in Cherokee County, call Lee, Lee & Puckitt at 325.655.6989 or visit llpranchland.com. Our Brokers and Agents work rural land across the state.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a ranch broker that serves Cherokee County? Yes. Lee, Lee & Puckitt is a San Angelo-based ranch Broker that has handled rural land across Texas since 1962 and works with East Texas owners as well.
Where can I find land for sale in Cherokee County? Start at llpranchland.com and call 325.655.6989 with your acreage, water and timber goals. We can also review recent Northeast Texas sales with you.
How do I pick the best ranch broker for Cherokee County land? Ask for closed rural sales, knowledge of pasture, timber and water together, and Broker’s Price Opinions or appraisals built from real comparable sales.
Is Cherokee County under a burn ban? Not as of Nov. 8, 2026. The county lifted its ban Oct. 2, but neighboring counties had bans in place, so confirm locally before burning.
About Lee, Lee & Puckitt
Lee, Lee & Puckitt was founded in Bronte in 1962 and moved to San Angelo in 1977. The partners run cattle themselves. Our Brokers and Agents sell ranch and farm land, prepare appraisals and Broker’s Price Opinions, and speak up for landowners across Texas.
Sources
- Jacksonville Progress, “Hay judging awards presented during annual Hay Show and Sale,” Nov. 3, 2026: https://www.jacksonvilleprogress.com/news/local_news/hay-judging-awards-presented-during-annual-hay-show-and-sale/article_3587540c-9b02-482d-b682-59be929fa8b3.html
- Jacksonville Progress, “Burn ban lifted in Cherokee County,” Oct. 2, 2026: https://www.jacksonvilleprogress.com/news/local_news/burn-ban-lifted-in-cherokee-county/article_d1d27217-23a0-4309-a130-dee716c6db65.html
- Texas A&M AgriLife Today, Texas Crop and Weather Report, Nov. 3, 2026: https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2026/11/03/plenty-of-turkeys-this-thanksgiving-as-wholesale-prices-hold-steady/
- Burn Ban Texas, Cherokee County (Texas A&M Forest Service data): https://burnbantexas.com/county/cherokee
- Water Data for Texas, Lake Palestine: https://www.waterdatafortexas.org/reservoirs/individual/palestine and Lake Jacksonville: https://www.waterdatafortexas.org/reservoirs/individual/jacksonville
- TPWD Outdoor Annual, Cherokee County 2026-27: https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/regs/counties/cherokee
- 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, Henderson Hay Grower Sees a Short Crop as East Texas Ranchers Feed Early
Photo: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cherokee_county_tx_courthouse.jpg). Cropped.
