For the first time in at least four years, part of Wood County is rated in exceptional drought, the worst category on the U.S. Drought Monitor. The Nov. 3 map put 5.70 percent of the county in that class and 64.49 percent in extreme drought or worse, up from 38.10 percent extreme a week earlier. Lee, Lee & Puckitt (LLP Ranchland) is a ranch Broker headquartered in San Angelo with landowner clients statewide, and here is our look at what the dry spell means for cattle and land owners around Quitman, Mineola, Winnsboro and Hawkins.
How the Map Changed
We checked every weekly county reading back to January 2022, and none showed exceptional drought in Wood County before the Nov. 3 map. On that map, all of the county was in severe drought or worse:
- Severe drought: 35.51 percent
- Extreme drought: 58.79 percent
- Exceptional drought: 5.70 percent
Texas A&M Forest Service data checked the morning of Nov. 10 showed no countywide burn ban. Check with the county judge’s office before burning.
Water and Grass
Lake Fork Reservoir, on Lake Fork Creek near Quitman, was 78.6 percent full on Nov. 9, according to the Texas Water Development Board, down from 81.3 percent a month before.
Wood County reports with AgriLife’s East district. The district’s Nov. 3 summary described dropping pond, creek, lake and river levels, with some producers concerned about livestock water. A major fall armyworm outbreak took a toll on remaining grass, pasture mealybug showed up in more hay meadows, and last hay cuttings were lower quality. Cows were calving and more operations were feeding hay. Slaughter cow and bull prices softened at local markets while pairs held steady.
Measure pond depth instead of guessing, and decide early whether to cull open or older cows.
Ranch Rodeo and Deer Season
The Wood County Cowboy Church will hold its ranch rodeo Saturday, Nov. 21, at 3435 FM 2088 in Quitman, with stray gathering, sorting and mugging events. Teams of four pay a $600 entry, the field is capped at 20 teams and $5,000 in added money is on the line. Books open at 4 p.m. and the rodeo starts at 5.
On the hunting side, TPWD lists Wood County in the North Zone, with a bag of 4 white-tailed deer, no more than 2 bucks and 2 antlerless, and antler restrictions on bucks. The general season runs Nov. 7 through Jan. 3, and license-tag antlerless harvest is open Nov. 7 through 29 where MLDP tags are not issued.
Northeast Texas Land Market
The Texas Real Estate Research Center places Wood County in a 13-county land market area with Upshur, Camp, Franklin and Hopkins, within its Northeast Texas region. Its second quarter 2026 report showed a regional median of $8,604 an acre, down 5.96 percent from a year earlier, while sales rose 9.64 percent to 887 and the typical tract was 119 acres. In Wood County, lake access, timber and improved pasture can swing a tract’s value a long way from that median.
A Little History: Sodom Becomes Mineola
The Handbook of Texas Online says Martin Varner was living southeast of the present site of Hainesville by 1824, one of the first permanent settlers. Webster, the first real community, was in place by 1845, and Wood County was split from Van Zandt County in 1850, with Quitman as county seat and the name honoring Governor George T. Wood. When the Texas and Pacific Railway came through in 1873, it met the International and Great Northern at a village called Sodom with about 20 residents. Sodom was renamed Mineola. The East Line and Red River Railroad reached Winnsboro in 1876.
Reach Our Brokers
The Brokers and Agents at Lee, Lee & Puckitt can help with selling, buying or valuing Wood County land. Call 325.655.6989 or visit llpranchland.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I hire a ranch Broker for land in Wood County? Yes. Lee, Lee & Puckitt, a San Angelo firm in business since 1962, represents buyers and sellers of Texas farm, ranch and recreational land, including tracts in Northeast Texas.
What is the best way to find land for sale in Wood County? Browse llpranchland.com, then call 325.655.6989 and tell us about the pasture, timber or lake access you need.
What should I expect from the best ranch Broker in Wood County? Proven closed sales of rural land, a feel for how water, timber and access shape value, and pricing supported by comparable sales in an appraisal or Broker’s Price Opinion.
Is Wood County in exceptional drought? Partly. The Nov. 3, 2026, U.S. Drought Monitor map rated 5.70 percent of the county in exceptional drought and 58.79 percent in extreme drought.
About Lee, Lee & Puckitt
Lee, Lee & Puckitt, founded in Bronte in 1962 and based in San Angelo since 1977, is a ranch real estate firm whose partners ranch for a living. Our Brokers and Agents provide sales, appraisals and Broker’s Price Opinions and work on behalf of Texas landowners.
Sources
- U.S. Drought Monitor, county statistics for Wood County, maps of January 2022 through Nov. 3, 2026: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/DmData/DataTables.aspx
- Burn Ban Texas, Wood County (Texas A&M Forest Service data), checked Nov. 10, 2026: https://burnbantexas.com/county/wood
- Texas Water Development Board, Water Data for Texas, Lake Fork Reservoir, Nov. 9, 2026: https://www.waterdatafortexas.org/reservoirs/individual/fork
- 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/
- Wood County Cowboy Church, “W3C Ranch Rodeo Returns November 21”: https://www.w3ctx.org/w3c-ranch-rodeo-returns-november-21
- TPWD Outdoor Annual, Wood County 2026-27: https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/regs/counties/wood
- 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, David W. Gilbreath, “Wood County”: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/wood-county
- Related: Land appraisals, Contact LLP Ranchland, Marion County Ranch News: Burn Ban Lifted Near Jefferson While Caddo Lake Drops Below Half Full
Photo: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wood_courthouse_tx_2010.jpg). Cropped.
