Texas Whitetail Deer Hunting
When it comes to hunting trophy whitetail deer, Texas is near the top of the list. Hunters from around the world travel to Texas each fall for an opportunity to harvest a record-book buck. With a wide variety of terrain and a large amount of hunting ground, hunters don't have to look very far to find a place to hunt in Texas.
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Significance
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Whitetail deer hunting is not only for recreation. It also plays an important role in conservation. The hunting seasons serve as a tool for herd management that optimizes deer health and promotes antler growth. In Texas, many ranches strive for a specific buck-to-doe ratio and will plant food plots with vegetation that provides essential minerals for deer health.
Methods
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Hunters have a variety of choices for weapons in Texas. Legal weapons include firearms, muzzleloaders, longbows, compound bows, recurve bows and crossbows. Some weapons, such as archery, may be limited to specific season dates.
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Seasons
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Deer seasons--typically in the fall and winter--are determined by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission. For the 2009 to 2010 hunting season, the archery season opened on October 3 and closed on November 6. There was a special youth season from October 31 to November 1 and January 4 to 17. The general firearms season is split into two regions--north and south. Both regions open on November 7 with north Texas closing on January 3 and south Texas closing on January 17.
Considerations
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With the mild climate and season that extends into January, consider hunting Canada or northern states, such as Wisconsin or Minnesota early in the fall and then moving down to Texas in December and January. If you want to hunt the rut in Texas, Matt Williams from Texas Sportsman Magazine says the rut--the mating season--is the best time to harvest a mature buck. According to Williams, the mature does will enter into an estrus cycle in late October and early November with younger does entering estrus in December.
Restrictions
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If you decide to hunt with an outfitter, there may be restrictions regarding antler size. Most of these ranches manage their deer herd for maximum antler growth and will charge you a trophy fee if you shoot a buck under a minimum size. Trophy fees can range from $100 to $1,000, depending on the ranch. Size requirements are typically 130 or 140 inches.
Record Bucks
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With 316--since 1830--whitetail bucks making the Boone and Crockett record books, Texas was fifth all-time on the top whitetail states as of March 2010. Since 1980, the top counties in Texas have been Dimmit and Webb, with 23 and 21 Boone and Crockett whitetails, respectively.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit whitetail buck image by Bruce MacQueen from Fotolia.com
