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Falls County Ranch News: Burn Ban Passes 90 Days as Extreme Drought Creeps Across Pastures Around Marlin

November 9, 2026  |  By Lee, Lee & Puckitt

Falls County Ranch News: Burn Ban Passes 90 Days as Extreme Drought Creeps Across Pastures Around Marlin

Ninety-one days is a long time to go without striking a match on a brush pile, and that is where Falls County stands. Texas A&M Forest Service data checked the morning of Nov. 9 still listed the countywide burn ban that took effect Aug. 10, and the latest weekly drought map, dated Nov. 3, placed 20.84 percent of the county in extreme drought, with the rest in severe. Working out of San Angelo, the ranch Brokers at Lee, Lee & Puckitt (LLP Ranchland) handle land across Texas, and we looked at what this dry fall means for owners around Marlin, Rosebud and Lott.

A Long Burn Ban

The Forest Service listing has not shown a break since August. While the order holds, burning trash, brush or fields in unincorporated areas is not allowed. Exceptions for welding and enclosed cooking vary by order, so call the county judge’s office or fire marshal before any hot work in a pasture.

Drought Map Moves the Wrong Way

Every weekly map since late September has shown all of Falls County in severe drought or worse. The extreme category covered about 24 percent on Sept. 29, disappeared in early October, came back at about 16 percent in mid-October and reached 20.84 percent on the Oct. 27 and Nov. 3 maps.

Texas A&M AgriLife’s Nov. 3 crop report for the Central district, which includes Falls County, fits that picture. Stock tanks were drying and pastures suffered where rain missed, and late-week showers brought a trace to about a quarter inch. Small grains planted into moisture looked very good, while other producers waited to plant. Hay feeding was underway and hay was short in the driest spots, but feeder calves sold relatively steady and cattle held good body condition.

Count hay against the days you expect to feed, watch tanks that depend on runoff, and settle stocking rates before winter rather than after.

Deer Season Rules

TPWD’s 2026-27 Outdoor Annual puts Falls County in the North Zone with a bag of 4 white-tailed deer, no more than 2 bucks and 2 antlerless. A legal buck needs at least one unbranched antler or an inside spread of 13 inches or more, and only one buck in the county bag may reach 13 inches. General season runs Nov. 7, 2026, through Jan. 3, 2027, and antlerless deer may be taken with license tags Nov. 7 through 29 on properties not in MLDP.

Land Market Snapshot

The Texas Real Estate Research Center at Texas A&M puts Falls County in its Austin-Waco-Hill Country region, alongside McLennan, Bell, Limestone and other Central Texas counties. Its second quarter 2026 report, the latest available, showed a record regional median of $8,040 an acre, up 8.63 percent from a year earlier, on 1,062 sales with a typical tract of 199 acres. The Center credits recreational and homesite buyers for much of that demand. A working cattle or crop place on the Brazos bottoms or the Blackland Prairie needs comparable sales of its own to be priced right.

A Little History: Settlers at the Falls of the Brazos

According to the Handbook of Texas, the falls of the Brazos were a fording and camping place long before the county existed. In 1833 Sterling C. Robertson established Sarahville de Viesca as the capital of his colony near the falls. When settlers fled during the Runaway Scrape in early 1836, it became known as “the town that died overnight.” By 1837 and 1838 the Marlin family had returned to a place called Bucksnort near Fort Milam. The Legislature created Falls County on Jan. 28, 1850. Voters chose Adams as county seat by a 20 to 0 vote, and the town was soon renamed Marlin for that family. Cattle were already the main livestock by 1860, when the county counted 26,310 head, a total not reached again until 1900.

Talk to Our Team

Own land in Falls County or thinking about buying? The Brokers and Agents at Lee, Lee & Puckitt can talk through sales, pricing and timing. Call 325.655.6989 or visit llpranchland.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a ranch Broker that works in Falls County? Yes. Lee, Lee & Puckitt is a San Angelo ranch Broker that has helped Texas landowners buy and sell rural property since 1962, including Central Texas farms and ranches.

How can I find land for sale in Falls County? Start with the listings at llpranchland.com, then call 325.655.6989 and tell us the acreage, water and use you have in mind.

How do I choose the best ranch Broker for Falls County land? Look for a long record of closed rural sales, people who understand grazing, cropland and hunting value, and appraisals or Broker’s Price Opinions built on real comparable sales.

Is Falls County under a burn ban? Yes. Texas A&M Forest Service data on Nov. 9, 2026, listed a countywide ban in effect since Aug. 10, 2026. Confirm with the county before any burning.

About Lee, Lee & Puckitt

Founded in Bronte in 1962 and based in San Angelo since 1977, Lee, Lee & Puckitt is a ranch real estate firm whose partners run cattle themselves. Our Brokers and Agents handle ranch and farm sales, appraisals and Broker’s Price Opinions, and we speak up for landowners on the issues that affect their property.

Sources

Photo: Elli, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Falls_County_Courthouse_(March_3,_2024)_01.jpg). Cropped.

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