Zapata County deer season opened under two sets of animal health rules. On Nov. 2 the Texas Animal Health Commission confirmed New World screwworm in a Zapata County bovine and quarantined parts of Zapata, Jim Hogg and Starr counties, on top of the fever tick quarantine already in place along the river. As a ranch Broker that has worked Texas land from San Angelo since 1977, Lee, Lee & Puckitt (LLP Ranchland) laid out what the orders require for owners around Zapata and San Ygnacio.
Screwworm Zone 29.B
The first order created Infested Zone 29 on Nov. 2. After detections in a dog and a bovine in Starr County on Nov. 3 and 4, the zone was redrawn twice and is now Infested Zone 29.B under an order signed Nov. 4. Earlier Zapata County zones were released Sept. 18 and Oct. 10.
Inside the zone, warm-blooded animals cannot leave without Commission authorization, inspection, any required treatment and a permit. Hides, carcasses and parts of any animal that can host screwworm must be inspected, and treated if needed, before leaving the zone. Violations can bring penalties or prosecution.
Fever Tick Rules Still Apply
Zapata County is also one of eight South Texas counties with cattle fever tick quarantines in place, TAHC said in an Oct. 9 reminder. Anyone harvesting white-tailed deer, nilgai or exotic deer on quarantined premises must have a TAHC or USDA representative inspect and treat the carcass, hide or cape before it leaves the property, and the movement permit travels with it.
Deer, Birds and Browse
TPWD lists a South Zone bag of 5 white-tailed deer, no more than 3 bucks. General season runs Nov. 7, 2026, through Jan. 17, 2027, followed by a Jan. 18 to 31 special late season for antlerless deer and unbranched bucks. Quail are open through Feb. 28.
AgriLife’s Nov. 3 South district report called hunting prospects good, with strong deer and quail numbers and a favorable browse outlook. Feed prices rose, and feeder and stocker cattle opened the week 5 to 10 cents a pound higher.
Water and Drought
Falcon International Reservoir was 20.9 percent full on Nov. 9, according to Texas Water Development Board data, up from 15.0 percent a year earlier but below 26 percent in early August. The Drought Monitor had all of Zapata County in severe drought on Sept. 29. By Nov. 3 the county was in moderate drought, with severe drought on about 10 percent.
Land Market Snapshot
The Texas Real Estate Research Center places Zapata County in its South Texas region. In the second quarter 2026 report, the latest available, sales there jumped 26.18 percent from a year earlier to 400, the strongest growth of any region, while the median price rose 0.99 percent to $6,225 an acre on a typical 308-acre tract. Brush country ranches sell on hunting, water, fencing and access, and animal health rules are now part of what buyers ask about.
A Little History: The Dolores Hacienda
The Handbook of Texas traces ranching in Zapata County to José Vázquez Borrego, a rancher from Coahuila who founded Nuestra Señora de los Dolores Hacienda near present San Ygnacio on Aug. 22, 1750, and brought 23 families to settle it. He ran a ferry across the Rio Grande at his own expense, José de Escandón granted him 50 sitios, and by 1755 the Dolores ferry was the most important crossing on the river. In 1757 he owned 5,000 horses and mules, 3,000 cattle and more than 1,000 donkeys. Raids forced the settlers out in 1818, and the hacienda was destroyed in the 1850s. The Legislature created the county on Jan. 22, 1858, naming it for local rancher Antonio Zapata.
Talk With Lee, Lee & Puckitt
For a sale, a purchase or a value opinion in South Texas brush country, call the Brokers and Agents at Lee, Lee & Puckitt at 325.655.6989 or visit llpranchland.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is a ranch Broker for Zapata County? Lee, Lee & Puckitt, a ranch Broker headquartered in San Angelo, has served Texas landowners since 1962, South Texas ranches included.
How do I find land for sale in Zapata County? Check llpranchland.com and call 325.655.6989 to tell us the acreage, water and hunting you want.
What should the best ranch Broker for Zapata County bring to the table? A long record of closed rural sales, knowledge of wildlife, water and grazing value, and appraisals or Broker’s Price Opinions that rest on real comparable sales.
Do I need an inspection to take a deer out of Zapata County? Often, yes. Carcasses or hides leaving fever tick quarantined premises or screwworm Zone 29.B must be inspected first. Call TAHC before moving them.
About Lee, Lee & Puckitt
Lee, Lee & Puckitt opened its doors in Bronte in 1962 and has worked out of San Angelo since 1977. Our partners raise cattle, and our Brokers and Agents handle ranch and farm sales, appraisals and Broker’s Price Opinions while advocating for the people who own Texas land.
Sources
- Texas Animal Health Commission, Second Modified Executive Director Order, New World Screwworm in Jim Hogg, Starr and Zapata Counties, Nov. 4, 2026: https://www.tahc.texas.gov/regs/pdf/2026-11-04_NWS_EDO-SecondModified_JimHoggStarrZapata.pdf
- Texas Animal Health Commission, New World Screwworm orders and zone list, checked Nov. 9, 2026: https://www.tahc.texas.gov/emergency/nws.html
- Texas Animal Health Commission, “TAHC Issues Cattle Fever Tick Quarantine Zone Requirements Reminder,” Oct. 9, 2026: https://www.tahc.texas.gov/news/2026/2026-10-09_CFT-RequirementsReminder.pdf
- TPWD Outdoor Annual, Zapata County 2026-27: https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/regs/counties/zapata
- 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/
- Water Data for Texas, Falcon International Reservoir: https://www.waterdatafortexas.org/reservoirs/individual/falcon
- U.S. Drought Monitor, county statistics for Zapata County, maps of Sept. 29 through Nov. 3, 2026: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/DmData/DataTables.aspx
- 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, Alicia A. Garza and Christopher Long, “Zapata County”: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/zapata-county
- Related: West Texas and Hill Country listings, Land appraisals, Duval County Faces Exceptional Drought as South Texas Waits on Fall Rain
Photo: Billy Hathorn, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zapata_County,_TX,_Courthouse_IMG_2030.JPG). Cropped.
