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New deer regulations are out for SE Texas and Piney Woods
By LARRY WILBURN
I knew it was just a matter of time before the Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept. added the counties of southeast Texas and the piney woods to the list of counties with special antler harvest restrictions.
If you do not know what I am talking about, there are currently 61 counties that have antler restrictions. In those counties with the restriction, a legal buck is defined as a buck with at least one unbranched antler or a buck with at least a 13-inch inside spread.
Recently, the TP&WD has proposed the addition of 52 counties that would be under the antler restriction. Those counties are: Anderson, Angelina, Archer, Atascosa, Brazos, Brown, Chambers, Clay, Cooke, Denton, Ellis, Falls, Freestone, Grayson, Grimes, Hardin, Harris, Henderson, Hill, Hood, Hunt, Jack, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Kaufman, Liberty, Limestone, Madison, McLennan, Milam, Mills, Montague, Montgomery, Navarro, Newton, Orange, Palo Pinto, Parker, Polk, Robertson, San Jacinto, Smith, Stephens, Tarrant, Trinity, Tyler, Van Zandt, Walker, Wichita, Wise and Young counties.
Actually this antler restriction started out as an experiment in the late 90’s and enacted into regulation for limited counties in 2002. The regulation was designed to reduce the intense hunting pressure on young bucks. In those areas, very few bucks were reaching maturity creating a poor age structure within the deer herd. Research indicated that the imbalance created a longer breeding season and therefore longer fawning seasons that resulted in poor fawn production.
At first, I was against the antler restriction, thinking that hunters would have difficulty judging spread measurements on deer in the field. I know myself that it would be hard for me to determine if a buck had a 13 inch spread or 12 ¾ in spread at 100 yards. Here in East Texas, bucks tend to have tall narrow spreads. In fact I shot a buck three seasons ago that scored 152 and was at least 6.5 years old according to tooth wear. The buck has 11 points with a 12 ¾ inch inside spread. Under the antler restrictions, that buck, although a trophy class buck, would not be legal to shoot. That buck is likely an exception to most mature bucks but not many hunters would let that buck walk. That was my concern with the antler width restrictions, that hunters would ground check bucks and leave illegal deer in the woods to waste.
After seeing the results of the study over the past several years, I have since changed my mind. Prior to the regulations, studies indicate that 79 percent of the bucks harvested were less than 3.5 years of age with 55 percent being 1.5 years old. In the first four years of the regulations that figure dropped to 30 percent of the bucks harvested being less than 3.5 years old. Prior to the regulations in the trial area, only 20 percent of bucks harvested were 3.5 years of age. In the past four seasons that figure has increased to 70 percent. It is important to note that during the first season that the regulations were in effect, the harvest dropped by 38 percent as compared to the average harvest. Since then the harvest has exceeded the five year average. So it is likely that if the regulations are adopted for us in this area, some hunters will have to make a sacrifice for a season but will make for better deer hunting if you look at the long term.
My concern is that this strategy will select for narrow racked bucks. It just makes sense if you continually remove the deer with wider racks without removing narrow racked bucks, the genetic pool will obviously favor the narrow racked animals. I guess we will just have to wait and see how that works out.
If the restrictions are adopted to expand to the counties listed above, hunters will be allowed to harvest two bucks in which only one may have a 13-inch spread or greater. One buck must have at least one unbranched antler or you can harvest two bucks with at least one unbranched antler.
Final decisions on the proposed regulations will come at the TP&WD public meeting On March 25-26, 2009. There will be public hearings across the state allowing hunters to register their opinions before the March meeting. At this time those meetings are not scheduled.
If you do not know what I am talking about, there are currently 61 counties that have antler restrictions. In those counties with the restriction, a legal buck is defined as a buck with at least one unbranched antler or a buck with at least a 13-inch inside spread.
Recently, the TP&WD has proposed the addition of 52 counties that would be under the antler restriction. Those counties are: Anderson, Angelina, Archer, Atascosa, Brazos, Brown, Chambers, Clay, Cooke, Denton, Ellis, Falls, Freestone, Grayson, Grimes, Hardin, Harris, Henderson, Hill, Hood, Hunt, Jack, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Kaufman, Liberty, Limestone, Madison, McLennan, Milam, Mills, Montague, Montgomery, Navarro, Newton, Orange, Palo Pinto, Parker, Polk, Robertson, San Jacinto, Smith, Stephens, Tarrant, Trinity, Tyler, Van Zandt, Walker, Wichita, Wise and Young counties.
Actually this antler restriction started out as an experiment in the late 90’s and enacted into regulation for limited counties in 2002. The regulation was designed to reduce the intense hunting pressure on young bucks. In those areas, very few bucks were reaching maturity creating a poor age structure within the deer herd. Research indicated that the imbalance created a longer breeding season and therefore longer fawning seasons that resulted in poor fawn production.
At first, I was against the antler restriction, thinking that hunters would have difficulty judging spread measurements on deer in the field. I know myself that it would be hard for me to determine if a buck had a 13 inch spread or 12 ¾ in spread at 100 yards. Here in East Texas, bucks tend to have tall narrow spreads. In fact I shot a buck three seasons ago that scored 152 and was at least 6.5 years old according to tooth wear. The buck has 11 points with a 12 ¾ inch inside spread. Under the antler restrictions, that buck, although a trophy class buck, would not be legal to shoot. That buck is likely an exception to most mature bucks but not many hunters would let that buck walk. That was my concern with the antler width restrictions, that hunters would ground check bucks and leave illegal deer in the woods to waste.
After seeing the results of the study over the past several years, I have since changed my mind. Prior to the regulations, studies indicate that 79 percent of the bucks harvested were less than 3.5 years of age with 55 percent being 1.5 years old. In the first four years of the regulations that figure dropped to 30 percent of the bucks harvested being less than 3.5 years old. Prior to the regulations in the trial area, only 20 percent of bucks harvested were 3.5 years of age. In the past four seasons that figure has increased to 70 percent. It is important to note that during the first season that the regulations were in effect, the harvest dropped by 38 percent as compared to the average harvest. Since then the harvest has exceeded the five year average. So it is likely that if the regulations are adopted for us in this area, some hunters will have to make a sacrifice for a season but will make for better deer hunting if you look at the long term.
My concern is that this strategy will select for narrow racked bucks. It just makes sense if you continually remove the deer with wider racks without removing narrow racked bucks, the genetic pool will obviously favor the narrow racked animals. I guess we will just have to wait and see how that works out.
If the restrictions are adopted to expand to the counties listed above, hunters will be allowed to harvest two bucks in which only one may have a 13-inch spread or greater. One buck must have at least one unbranched antler or you can harvest two bucks with at least one unbranched antler.
Final decisions on the proposed regulations will come at the TP&WD public meeting On March 25-26, 2009. There will be public hearings across the state allowing hunters to register their opinions before the March meeting. At this time those meetings are not scheduled.
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