Author: Tex Hunter

Today more and more hunters are harvesting deer with a variety of new objectives which include: improving herd health through population control, as an ecosystem function, improving habitat condition, providing their family with a healthy and sustainable food source, and even donating the meat to feed the hungry. This could be the beginning of a new chapter in the history of hunting in Texas… the rise of the Conservation Hunter.

Hunting has progressed through a number of chapters over the years. When settlers first arrived in Texas, hunting was the primary means to provide food for their families. This subsistence hunting continued into the mid to late 1800’s when a new, much more exploitive form of hunting arose. This was the age of market hunting, where the seemingly endless supply of wildlife resources could be harvested in massive quantities to meet the growing demand in eastern markets. An example of this was seen between 1844 and 1853 when there were 75,000 deer hides shipped from a single trading post near Waco back to the east to be used for fine leather products.

This age of exploiting natural resources led to dramatic reductions in all kinds of wildlife species which resulted in Texas’ first game laws being passed in 1861, and the hiring of the first game warden in 1909. Market hunting declined as wildlife resources declined and additional game laws were enacted and enforced. By this time, wildlife populations, including white-tailed deer, had decreased to historically low levels.

The next chapter that emerged in hunting was sport hunting. To re-build deer populations, does were protected and harvest was centered on bucks, particularly bucks with large antlers or trophies. Trophy hunting grew along with deer populations during the last half of the 20th century to the point where the primary goal of most deer hunters was to harvest a trophy. Deer populations reached historically high levels.

While trophy hunting still dominates in Texas, there seems to be a movement toward the use of hunting as a tool to improve ecosystem health and function and as a sustainable food source. This is ushering in a new chapter to Texas deer hunting that I refer to as “Conservation Hunting”. With deer populations at such high levels, these hunters play an important role in managing deer numbers.

Conservation hunting can take many forms and it is not simply about managing deer numbers. For example, these hunters may be interested in a sustainable food source for their family similar to the subsistence hunting of earlier settlers. With growing concerns over antibiotics and hormones in commercially raised meat, lean venison from free-ranging deer that are feeding on native food sources is viewed as a healthier alternative. This is part of the “local food movement” that is sweeping the nation and focuses on locally produced food. Conservation hunters are typically focused on improvement of habitat, ecosystem function, and deer herd health.

This is accomplished by intense population control which often targets the reduction of does. This usually requires a considerable harvest that can produce more venison than a single hunter can use in a year. When this occurs, conservation hunters help out their local communities by donating the excess meat to those that are in need. This is usually accomplished through organizations like Hunters for the Hungry, local food banks, or churches that can distribute the donation.

Through proper harvest, the deer populations are balanced with the habitat which reduces pressure on native plant communities resulting in better habitat quality and therefore ecosystem function. Better habitat also results in healthier deer which means higher weights, healthier fawns, and better antler quality. These conservation hunters can be an asset to landowners who are interested in increasing the quality of the habitat and the quality of the deer. Upon closer examination, you may find that some of your lease hunters or family members count themselves in the ranks of this new type of hunter… the Conservation Hunter.

This article was authored by Rufus Stephens, a District Leader for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department stationed in Kerrville, Texas. The article was originally published in “The Cedar Post,” Volume 4, Issue 2: December 2014.

Central Texas is typically a standout when it comes to white-tailed deer hunting. No other part of the state boasts the numbers found there, where there are often more deer than there should be based on the habitat. But just because there are deer doe not mean tagging one is a sure thing. “I was at a landowner’s last week and he had corn piling up under feeders. The corn was actually growing under the feeders. I told him it was time to turn them off,” said Kevin Schwausch, TPWD technical guidance biologist in Burnet.

“We know the deer are there. About a month ago we had three inches of rain and the forbs came up. Between the forbs and the acorns, corn is just not very appealing.” With tough deer hunting conditions across the region, that tips the odds in favor of the deer. Schwausch predicts the harvest will also be down in the Hill Country, but that is based more on hunter habits than deer visibility. As far as deer movement, he expects it to start increasing as the acorns disappear. “It has been slow because of acorns, but the acorns have been slowing down the last two or three weeks. The ones that are still falling are hollow,” Schwausch noted.

The Hill Country has produced some good bucks this hunting season, but Schwausch cites the drought years from 2009 to 2011 and notes that overall deer numbers are limited because of low fawn crops. “We are starting to see a lot of bucks in some places, but they are young bucks. Hopefully hunters can lay off those deer for a year or two,” Schwausch said.

He said the overall impact of the drought on buck numbers varies greatly from high fence to low fence properties, and from highly managed low fence ranches to those not managed. Schwausch added that by letting younger bucks walk another year or two, hunters could be looking at improved years of deer hunting down the road.

The biologist said there is typically a late-season push in the Hill Country because of the Christmas holidays and hunters finishing up their Manage Lands Deer permit quotas. With the slow start, there could be even more hunters looking to take a deer as Texas’ General Season comes to and end.

Deer hunting in East Texas can be a tough proposition. And not because there aren’t any deer there, but because you can’t see them — all of those trees get in the way! But at least deer readily respond to bait, right? Wrong, especially this year. It’s been a tough season for whitetail hunters in the eastern part of the state. There were some bucks bagged during the rut, but for the remainder sitting in blinds overlooking feeders, it has been so quiet even feral hog sightings are down.

“I would say that is fairly accurate,” said Sean Willis, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Wildlife biologist from Lufkin, when asked if there has been a slow start to the season in East Texas. “Everyone I am talking to said nothing is eating corn because the acorn crop is so heavy.” And if their not hungry, then they are probably not moving towards a corn feeder or food plot. Baits commonly used to attract deer can not hold a candle to native forbs and acorns.

And in the Pineywoods of Texas, a heavy acorn crop can create big problems for hunters on club leases anchored to one or two stand locations. There deer, however, get along just fine with an abundance of food. So what’s a hunter to do when the deer won’t come to you? “What I recommend is guys get away from corn feeders and go into the bottoms where the acorns are,” said Willis, who added he is still hearing acorns fall at his home.

The biologist said some East Texans, who did move or were lucky enough to have a rutting buck run by, have seen and taken some really good bucks earlier in the hunting season. “In some of these counties there are some new county records. There is a lot of quality. There are a lot of good deer, but not as many as last year. Last year for the Pineywoods, we had the most deer entered in the Big Games Awards since 2001-2002,” Willis said.

Overall, Willis added, the entire deer harvest appears to be down, and that it will be difficult to catch up before the end of the general deer hunting season. “The bulk of the harvest is before Thanksgiving. If you don’t get a buck before Thanksgiving, the odds go way down. That’s because after the rut deer movement slows. Combine that with all the hunter activity on the ground, and it’s tough. Deer aren’t dumb, they hear the four-wheelers buzzing around, the campfire talk. “Whitetail deer get nocturnal,” Willis said.

To most, white-tailed deer are fairly unassuming animals, but when they can cause serious problems in suburban areas when in overabundance. As urban sprawl continues to increase throughout the United States so does human-wildlife conflicts. At the end of the 20th century, 75 percent of homes were in metropolitan areas and almost half of the United States population lived in suburban communities. Texas is no exception.

Between the 2010 and 2013 census the overall Texas population jumped 1.3 million and was reported to have 8 of the 15 fasted growing cities in 2012. White-tailed deer are one the most widespread and abundant species of large mammals in North America and due to continued urban development they have become a wildlife management problem in many places throughout the United States, including Texas.

Deer populations are estimated to be around 30 million in North America and around 3.3 million in Texas alone. Deer have quickly adapted to urban environments and have become accustomed to human activity due to abundant food, absence of predators, and lack of urban hunting pressure, leading to conflicts with residents and populations judged as overabundant. Many urban and suburban communities need ways to manage overabundant deer populations and it is often asked how many deer should an area have?

The number of deer appropriate for an area depends on the tolerance level of residents. People of the state own the deer and therefore it is up to cities to determine specific management goals of how many deer should be within the community. Some urban communities have started to develop deer management programs to combat overabundant populations. Working with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), cities work with urban wildlife biologist to develop a management plan.

Currently some cities have decided to develop trap, transport, and process (TTP) programs. This strategy is when deer are trapped within a city, transported to a processing facility where the meat is donated to shelters. It does cost municipalities and home owner associations (HOAs) money to hire permitted trappers, so each area must examine the costs and benefits.

Other alternative methods some communities are looking into are surgical sterilization or immunocontraception. Both of these methods are non-lethal and prevent females from reproducing, however they are very costly and do not seem to work effectively in open populations. Some communities find these strategies appealing because they are non-lethal unlike TTP or sharpshooting. However, TPWD would need to issue a permit for these types of management strategies, which to date has not occurred in Texas.

There is not one simple plan that will work for every urban community when it comes to deer management. Therefore each community must determine their objectives and develop a management plan that will best reach their goals.