October was generous in Knox County, yet the burn picture has not caught up. Drought.gov ranks the month as the county’s 10th wettest October in 132 years, 3.92 inches above normal, and the share of land in severe drought eased on the Nov. 10 map. Even so, all of the county remains in at least moderate drought, and a burn ban is still listed in Texas A&M Forest Service data. Lee, Lee & Puckitt (LLP Ranchland) works this Rolling Plains ranch country from San Angelo, and below is the latest on grass, wheat, hunting and land values around Benjamin and Knox City.
A Wet Month on a Dry Year
The U.S. Drought Monitor valid Nov. 10 shows 100 percent of Knox County still in drought, with 30.28 percent remaining in severe drought. That is an improvement from the Nov. 3 map, when 37.41 percent was in severe drought and the rest was moderate, but it is not a clean bill of health. January through October still ranks as the 41st driest such stretch in 132 years. The October surplus helped, it did not rewrite the year.
Wheat, Cotton and Hay
Knox County sits in AgriLife’s Rolling Plains district. The Nov. 13 report said recent rains gave winter wheat and pastures a timely boost, and soil moisture continued to improve, though subsoil remains the larger concern. Winter wheat was 89 percent planted and 77 percent emerged, ranging from very poor to excellent. Cotton bolls were largely open and about 36 percent harvested, with wet weather holding up progress and defoliation just beginning on some acres. Many dryland cotton acres were zeroed out after a dry growing season. Native pastures improved but were not growing much, and most producers were still feeding hay. Livestock conditions were very poor to good. Reporters said good wheat prospects could bring grazing cattle after the first of the year. Wildlife food plots were thick and full.
The Burn Ban
Burn Ban Texas, reading Texas A&M Forest Service data on Nov. 13, listed a Knox County burn ban as in effect. Confirm the order with the Knox County judge or fire marshal before any outdoor burning. A wet October does not, by itself, lift a commissioners court order.
Hunting Dates
White-tailed deer general season runs Nov. 7, 2026, through Jan. 3, 2027. The North Zone bag in Knox County is 5 deer, no more than 2 bucks, all seasons combined. The county is also in the Panhandle mule deer unit, with general season Nov. 21 through Dec. 6 and a bag of one buck for all seasons combined. The quail season runs through Feb. 28, with a daily bag of 15. Sandhill crane Zone B opens Nov. 27 and runs through Jan. 31, 2027, daily bag 3, with a federal crane permit required.
Open Range to a County Seat
Until the late 1800s this was buffalo and open-range country, drained by the North and South Wichita and the upper Brazos. Capt. Randolph B. Marcy traveled the Brazos and Wichita valleys in 1854 while scouting a reservation site. The Texas Legislature first formed Knox County in 1858, named for Henry Knox, and the county was organized in 1886. Benjamin, founded in 1884 by Hillary Bedford and named for his oldest son, became the county seat. Cattlemen ran ranges here before settlers broke out wheat and cotton, and that mix of grass and farmland is still what defines the county.
West Texas Land Market Snapshot
The Texas Real Estate Research Center at Texas A&M places Knox County in its West Texas region, the same region as neighboring Jones County. The second quarter 2026 report put that regional median at $3,008 an acre, a record, up 14.29 percent from a year earlier, on 533 sales and a typical 409-acre tract. Grass, wheat, water wells and hunting quality will move a Benjamin- or Knox City-area ranch off that average, so comparable sales remain the way to price a place.
Call Our Brokers and Agents
Lee, Lee & Puckitt has sold ranch and farm land in Knox County. Call 325.655.6989 or visit llpranchland.com to talk through a sale, a purchase or a Broker’s Price Opinion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is a ranch Broker for Knox County property? Lee, Lee & Puckitt, based in San Angelo, handles ranch and farm sales, appraisals and Broker’s Price Opinions in Knox County and the surrounding Rolling Plains.
How can I find land for sale in Knox County? Check llpranchland.com and call 325.655.6989 with the acreage, water and use you have in mind.
What should the best ranch Broker for Knox County offer? Closed sales in similar Rolling Plains country, a feel for wheat, grass and hunting value, and pricing from comparable sales.
Did the wet October end Knox County’s drought? No. October ranked as the 10th wettest in 132 years, and severe drought eased, but the Nov. 10 map still shows the entire county in at least moderate drought.
About Lee, Lee & Puckitt
Lee, Lee & Puckitt is owned by ranchers and headquartered in San Angelo, with a start in Bronte in 1962. The firm’s Brokers and Agents handle ranch and farm sales, appraisals and Broker’s Price Opinions across western Texas.
Sources
- Drought.gov, Knox County, Texas, conditions, checked Nov. 13, 2026: https://www.drought.gov/states/texas/county/knox
- U.S. Drought Monitor, maps valid Nov. 3 and Nov. 10, 2026: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/
- 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
- Burn Ban Texas, Knox County (Texas A&M Forest Service data), checked Nov. 13, 2026: https://burnbantexas.com/county/knox
- News Channel 6, “Drought status low across North Texas and Southern Oklahoma areas,” Nov. 12, 2026: https://www.newschannel6now.com/2026/11/12/drought-status-low-across-north-texas-southern-oklahoma-areas/
- TPWD Outdoor Annual, Knox County 2026-27: https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/regs/counties/knox
- Handbook of Texas, “Knox County”: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/knox-county
- 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, Jones County Ranch News: Burn Ban Lifted but Severe Drought Still Hangs Over Anson
Photo: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Knox_County_Texas_Courthouse_2015.jpg). Cropped.
