Texas Panhandle Deer Hunting
Texas is known for producing excellent deer hunting, and the Texas panhandle is no different. With two different types of deer, hunters have the opportunity to harvest a trophy buck. Hunting in the panhandle helps to manage the herd which reduces the negative impact deer have on agriculture.
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Types
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The two subspecies, or types of deer in the Texas panhandle, include the whitetail and mule deer. Whitetails are characterized by their white tails and uniform antlers. Mule deer have a blackish tint to their hair, a black patch on the tip of their tail and bifurcated antler tines.
Time Frame
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Some of the deer seasons in the panhandle are different for whitetails and mule deer. Archery is the only season that overlaps and opens on October 3 and closes on November 6. For whitetails, the general firearm season opens on November 7 and closes on January 3. The mule deer general firearm season takes place between November 21 and December 6. There is a late antlerless season for whitetails that lasts from January 4 to 17.
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Licenses
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Hunting licenses and deer tags can be purchased online at the Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) website, at a TPWD office or other license vendors such as sporting goods stores, gun shops or tackle shops. A resident hunting license is $25 while the nonresident hunting license is $315, as of 2010. If you are planning on hunting with a bow, you will need to purchase an archery hunting stamp for $7.
Considerations
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There are several things to consider before hunting deer in the Texas panhandle, including the season, time of year and county. According to Will Leschper from Texas Sportsman magazine, the top counties in the panhandle include Childress, Collingsworth, Hemphill and Donley. You could plan a combination hunt if you plan the trip during overlapping seasons. For example, if you are hunting in November during the general firearm season, you can also hunt quail as the season runs from October 31 to February 28.
Potential
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The state of Texas, as a whole, has produced 316 whitetail bucks that have made the Boone and Crockett record books. The Texas panhandle, however, has only three counties with one to two entries into the record book since 1830. Jeff Mitchell from King County has the record for the biggest whitetail shot in the panhandle, scoring 174 and 4/8 inches on the Boone and Crockett scoring system. The largest non-typical whitetail was 171 and 4/8 inches harvested by Pat Williams in Childress County.
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References
- Photo Credit deer image by Charles Kaye from Fotolia.com
