The general season opens Nov. 1.
Archery season closes Oct. 31, and the general season ends Jan. 4, 2009, but additional opportunities abound for youths 16 and younger who participate in the youths-only season Oct. 25-26 and Jan. 17-18.
This is a great opportunity to share the hunting ethic with youngsters, said Mike Mitchell, game warden for Texas Parks and Wildlife in Milam County. Youths may use all legal means and methods during their special youths-only seasons.
During the early youth weekend, hunting other than by young hunters should only be with legal archery equipment. The regular county bag limits apply for the youth weekends as well as the general season.
“Bow hunters are distinctive,” Mitchell said. “During the archery-only season, bow hunters may take up to one buck and two does, but they must properly tag them from their hunting license. Plan carefully, because you can only take one buck annually regardless of method.”
Derrick Wolter, TPWD biologist in Bell County, said, “The deer population is better than we anticipated. We had good rain in the spring, and the year has been OK for fawns.”
Out of 100 doe, some 55 to 60 fawns were produced, he said.
Heavy rain last year and good rains in the early spring this year provided food so the deer population was not affected by dry conditions during the summer, Wolter said.
Deer hunting is a “very, very popular” sport in Lampasas County, where numerous opportunities abound for deer stalking in the wild or taking deer from hunting ranches, a spokeswoman for the Lampasas Chamber of Commerce said.
The limit in Milam County continues to be one buck and two antlerless deer. The limit in Bell, Coryell and Lampasas counties is two bucks and two antlerless deer.
Permits to take antlerless deer are issued on a limited basis for properties enrolled in Managed Land Deer or Landowner Assisted Management Permitting System programs, Mitchell said.
Central Texas has several dozen participants in the state’s two programs. These programs issue permits to landowners to harvest does under special conditions.
Spring rains were sufficient for stimulating early antler development in the bucks, but pretty much shut down after that until recently, Lambert said. Not only does it mean smaller-antlered deer in the current year’s harvest, but it also means few deer will make it to a mature-age class in successive years, he said.
“Antler growth should be OK, but nothing outstanding,” Lambert said. “More importantly, the majority of the annual buck harvest in the area consists of young deer.”
On average, 80 to 85 percent of the harvest consists of bucks 2½ years or younger, which affects antler development more than spring rains. Antler growth is not maximized in bucks until they are at least 5½ years old. The excessive harvest of juvenile animals precludes large antlered deer in the population.
“Rarely do I see bucks that are at least 4½ years old,” Lambert said. “Dry conditions going into the season, although not necessarily a good thing for deer health and condition, usually result in hunters seeing more deer activity, since deer have to be more mobile in searching for food, especially at feeders. But, if hunters are in an area that has received good late summer or fall rainfall, deer activity will appear to be suppressed.”
Fawn crops appear to be down this year, he said. Although the spring rains were sufficient to produce good nutrition and fawning cover, summer mowing and grazing practices in the area typically result in deficient fawning cover. Areas with light stocking rates, good rotational grazing systems with pasture deferment that also defer mowing practices typically have much better fawn production and survival.
“All in all, it should be an average season in the area,” Lambert said. “Properties that manage for low deer densities and harvest good numbers of does, and refrain from harvesting juvenile bucks, resulting in more mature deer, should have a pretty good year.”
For information on hunting regulations and wildlife management planning, pick up TPWD’s 2008-09 Outdoor Annual Hunting and Fishing Regulations booklet at area chambers of commerce and businesses that sell hunting licenses, or contact the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department at 800-792-1112 or www.tpwd.state.tx.us.
