I'm near Austin as well myself, I have no lease of my own but I have a buddy with one in West Texas and one near College Station. Whitetail deer and Hogs. Venison sausage is fantastic. I like to shoot a Deer and Hog, and get them mixed in the sausage. Wonderful stuff. Venison backstrap when pounded and chicken fried is absolutely amazing. Makes good jerky too. Hog backstrap is also good for this. The thing with a Hog is you want a smaller one - the big ones are disgusting and fit for nothing but coyote bait. Some ranchers will pay you a bounty for coyotes.
People that don't dress and clean their kills don't deserve to hunt, honestly. I've always been of the opinion that you owe the animal at least that much courtesy. If it's cold you can gut/skin and hang the meat overnight to get a bit of extra flavor, but honestly probably best to just get it in the cooler. Dump the rest of it, nature will take care of it.
As far as guns, I prefer a .243 for a shot at the base of the skull. Permits are easy in Texas at least. I've done some hunts elsewhere and it can be trickier. Elk hunts require a lot more money/equipment/luck. I've got some heavier guns but mostly reserve those for larger stuff.
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