Rain has done Motley County some good this fall. Texas A&M Forest Service data show the county’s burn ban came off Oct. 14 and none was in place on Nov. 8, and AgriLife’s Rolling Plains reporters say soaking rains have wheat and pasture on the mend as deer season gets going around Matador. Lee, Lee & Puckitt (LLP Ranchland), a ranch Broker headquartered in San Angelo that works with landowners all over Texas, pulled together the conditions, the hunting dates and the land numbers that matter for owners in this part of the Rolling Plains.
Rain, Wheat and Pasture
The Nov. 3 Texas Crop and Weather Report from Texas A&M AgriLife said slow soaking rains of 1 to 3 inches fell late in the week across the Rolling Plains district, which includes Motley County. Reporters said wheat made a dramatic turnaround where it was already up, though some fields that were dusted in early came up weedy and were being replanted. Subsoil moisture is still limited, and an extended dry stretch could hurt the crop. Pastures greened, but it was late in the year to add much warm-season grazing. Stockers were moving into the district, some ranchers were still shipping calves, and hay supplies were described as large as producers have had in recent years.
With no burn ban on the state list, normal TCEQ outdoor burning rules apply. Conditions can turn quickly once the wind gets up, so check with the county before lighting a brush pile.
Deer, Quail and a Big Buck Contest
The Caprock Courier reported Nov. 5 that Star Feed and Seed’s Big Buck Contest in Spur is underway again. The contest has run since about 1998 and takes deer from Dickens County and eight surrounding counties, Motley included. Entry is $25, and hunters have to be entered before the deer is taken.
TPWD’s 2026-27 Outdoor Annual lists the Motley County white-tailed general season from Nov. 7, 2026, through Jan. 3, 2027, with a bag of 5 deer and no more than 1 buck. Mule deer fall under Panhandle rules: archery through Nov. 20, a general season Nov. 21 through Dec. 6, one buck, and a legal buck must have an outside spread of at least 20 inches. Quail runs Nov. 1 through Feb. 28 at 15 a day, and pheasant opens Dec. 5. TPWD also lists Matador Wildlife Management Area, next door in Cottle County, as a public bobwhite option this year.
What Land Is Bringing in This Region
The Texas Real Estate Research Center at Texas A&M places Motley County in its West Texas region. In its second quarter 2026 report, the regional median price reached a record $3,008 an acre, up 14.29 percent from a year earlier, on 533 sales with a typical tract of 409 acres. That is a regional figure across many kinds of land. Rough breaks pasture, irrigated farm ground and hunting country along the Pease rivers can sell very differently.
A Little History: The Matador Country
According to the Handbook of Texas, Frank Collinson brought 8,000 head of John Chisum’s cattle into the area in the mid-1870s to start the first ranch there. In 1878 Henry H. Campbell began buying cattle for what became the Matador Land and Cattle Company, and the Matador Ranch went on to control much of the county. The 1880 census counted just 24 residents. By 1890 the county had 13 ranches and 42,781 cattle, and when the county organized in 1891, Matador Ranch hands opened temporary stores so the new county seat could meet the state’s business requirement. The railroad arrived in 1914, and a 60,000-acre piece of the Matador was sold off to farmers and settlers. The big ranch held on until it was broken up in 1951.
Talk With Our Brokers
Whether you are pricing a place near Roaring Springs, looking for hunting country on the Pease, or settling an estate, the Brokers and Agents at Lee, Lee & Puckitt can help. Call 325.655.6989 or visit llpranchland.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is a ranch broker that works in Motley County? Lee, Lee & Puckitt is a ranch Broker based in San Angelo that has served landowners across Texas since 1962, including Rolling Plains ranch and farm country.
How do I find land for sale in Motley County? Check the listings at llpranchland.com and call 325.655.6989. Tell us the acreage, water and hunting you want, and our team can walk you through recent regional sales.
What makes the best ranch broker for Motley County land? Look for a long record of closed rural sales, people who understand cattle, farming and wildlife value together, and appraisals or Broker’s Price Opinions built on real comparable sales.
Is there a burn ban in Motley County? Texas A&M Forest Service data showed no countywide ban on Nov. 8, 2026, after a lift on Oct. 14. Confirm with the county before you burn.
About Lee, Lee & Puckitt
Lee, Lee & Puckitt has worked Texas ranch country since 1962. The firm started in Bronte and has been in San Angelo since 1977. Our partners are ranchers themselves, and our Brokers and Agents handle ranch sales, appraisals and Broker’s Price Opinions while standing up for landowners.
Sources
- Caprock Courier, “Spur’s Star Feed and Seed Big Buck Contest underway,” Nov. 5, 2026: https://www.caprockcourier.com/news/spurs-star-feed-and-seed-big-buck-contest-underway
- 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, Motley County (Texas A&M Forest Service data), Nov. 8, 2026: https://burnbantexas.com/county/motley
- TPWD Outdoor Annual, Motley County 2026-27: https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/regs/counties/motley
- TPWD news release, quail outlook, Oct. 14, 2026: https://tpwd.texas.gov/newsmedia/releases/?req=20261014a
- Texas Real Estate Research Center, Texas Rural Land Markets, Second Quarter 2026: https://trerc.tamu.edu/reports/texas-rural-land-markets-second-quarter-2026/
- Handbook of Texas Online, John Leffler, “Motley County”: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/motley-county
- Related: West Texas and Hill Country listings, Land appraisals, Kent County Ranch News: Mid-October Flooding Around Jayton Puts Water Back in Rolling Plains Tanks
Photo: Billy Hathorn, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Motley_County,_TX,_Courthouse_IMG_1544.JPG). Cropped.
