Author: Tex Hunter

Deer Diseases in Michigan: Hunters Take Note



Chronic Wasting Disease in Michigan Whitetail

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) was discovered in the free-ranging white-tailed deer herd in Michigan in 2015. Steps have been taken to determine the magnitude and scope of the infection in the deer herd population. Last year, seven positive animals were identified during the deer hunting season, with four occurring in Ingham County and three occurring in Clinton County.

Overall, CWD prevalence in Michigan appears to be low, but more samples are needed this year to fully determine the scale of the disease. Regulations established last year in the area surrounding where the positive animals have been found were expanded this year. The core CWD zone, DMU 333, has been expanded to include eight additional townships in southern Clinton County and northeastern Eaton County. The remainder of Eaton County and all of Ionia County have been added to the CWD Management Zone, which has been renamed DMU 419.

In addition, educational material has been developed to answer questions the public may have regarding this disease and what it means not only for the deer herd but for Michigan deer hunters and residents as well. For the most up-to-date information, please see the DNR emerging diseases website.

Michingan Deer Positive for Bovine Tuberculosis

In the northeast Lower Peninsula, the prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) showed a dramatic increase in the core area, DMU 452. Prevalence there increased from 1.0 percent in 2014 to 2.7 percent in 2015. Outside of DMU 452, the remainder of the five-county TB Management Zone (DMU 487) saw only a slight uptick in prevalence, from 0.2 to 0.3 percent.

The rate of apparent prevalence in DMU 452 over the last five years showed a significant increasing trend for the first time since information has been gathered, and if an increasing trend continues for three consecutive years, it will prompt a USDA review of DNR deer management practices.

Hunters are still strongly encouraged to harvest antlerless deer while deer hunting to help maintain reduced deer numbers and keep TB in check. Older antlered deer also should be harvested and are especially important to take to a check station, as these animals are much more likely to be TB-positive. Bringing in a deer or deer head to a check station for testing allows us to track the prevalence of the disease in the population and is an integral part of controlling the disease.


In 2013, a dairy herd in Saginaw County tested positive for bovine tuberculosis. There is no evidence of TB in deer near this location, but it is important to continue to test deer in this area to accurately assess the situation.

Individuals hunting white-tailed deer in the following counties are highly encouraged to provide their deer head for testing: Alcona, Alpena, Arenac, Bay, Cheboygan, Crawford, Genesee, Gratiot, Huron, Iosco, Midland, Montmorency, Ogemaw, Oscoda, Otsego, Presque Isle, Roscommon and Saginaw.


Texas Youth Hunting Program Schedules Hunts

The Texas Youth Hunting Program (TYHP) has a full schedule that offers plenty of outdoor opportunities for young hunters this fall. In fact, this year’s new offerings from TYHP are rocking and rolling with more than 90 hunts now scheduled and available for online sign-up.

“Our volunteers have really outdone themselves this year. They have twice as many youth hunts posted this year as the same time last year. We’re really excited about that,” said Chris Mitchell, TYHP director, in an interview with the Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) Radio Network. Mitchell said TYHP completed more than 190 hunts last year. He expects the program to meet or exceed that number this year. Sign-up is available on the TYHP website.

Texas Hunting: Youth Program Scheduled Hunts Out


“As long as they’ve completed hunter education, and they’re between the ages of 9 and 17, they can come to our website, create an account and then sign up for any one of these hunts that are posted now or hunts that will be posted in the future,” he said. The program offers one of the easiest and best ways to get youth with little or no hunting experience outside and involved in our natural resources.

TYHP is a shared effort of the Texas Wildlife Association and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Youth hunts are safe, educational and affordable. Introductory, instructive youth hunts for a variety of species are available. Mentors, lodging and meals are provided.

“We’re offering two dove hunts that will be in September and one in October. Of course, in October, that’s when a lot of the deer hunts kick in because a lot of our landowners have extended seasons through the Managed Lands Deer Permit program,” Mitchell said. “We will also be offering our third annual pronghorn hunt in October in the Panhandle. And, of course, hog hunts, turkey hunts, duck and waterfowl hunts are all interspersed among the offerings on the website.”

Central Flyway Ducks, Texas Looks Good for 2016-17

The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other partner organizations just wrapped up their annual waterfowl breeding population and habitat surveys on the breeding grounds in the northern United States and Canada. These surveys monitor waterfowl populations and critical wetland habitat conditions, which are directly related to the number of birds which will head south through the Central Flyway and into Texas and other states during the fall and winter.

Estimates from these Central Flyway surveys are used to help set duck hunting season frameworks like bag limits and the number of hunting days. The overall North American total pond estimate, a measure of wetland habitat quantity, decreased by 21 percent from the estimate in 2015. While not great, the overall wetland habitat availability was similar to the long term average, and the total breeding duck population estimate decreased by only two percent from 2015 estimates and remained well above the long term average. This means duck hunting in Texas should be good this fall and winter.

Population estimates for 5 of the 10 surveyed duck species increased this year! Mallard numbers increased by one percent from last year to a total of 11.7 million birds, which is the highest estimate on record. Scaup and American wigeon populations showed the greatest increases (14% and 12%, respectively).

Redheads and American green-winged teal populations also experienced increases. Blue-winged teal, northern shoveler, northern pintail, gadwall, and canvasback population estimates revealed decreases in their overall numbers.

“The waterfowl breeding grounds are still experiencing a decline in grassland nesting habitat in portions of the United States and Canada, which is extremely important for nesting waterfowl. Significant acreage has been lost from these vital grasslands from declines in Conservation Reserve Program enrollment and loss of native prairie habitat,” said a state Central Flyway official.

Even with breeding duck populations again near record numbers, Texas hunters are reminded that many factors will determine whether or not large numbers of these birds show up in our wetlands. Fall and winter weather, as well as wetland habitat conditions here on the wintering grounds play major roles in duck migrations, which will ultimately define the hunting season for Texas’ duck hunters.


Get your ammo, check your gear, another good duck hunting year is near!

Kentucky Deer Season Has Bright Outlook

Kentucky’s 2016-17 deer season kicks off the first Saturday in September with the start of the 136-day archery season. Anticipation has been building for months. Many archery hunters in Kentucky will spend the last long weekend of summer getting an early jump on fall.

“Everything right now points toward another good season,” said Gabe Jenkins, deer program coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. That is welcome news following on the heels of record deer harvests.

Hunters in Kentucky established a new benchmark last season by taking more than 155,000 deer. It was the third record harvest in the past four seasons and included 55 bucks from 40 counties documented by Kentucky Fish and Wildlife that met the Boone and Crockett Club’s minimum entry score for its awards book.

“Our deer hunting in Kentucky is better than it’s ever been,” said Steve Beam, wildlife division director for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “We’re harvesting record numbers of deer and our production of large-antlered bucks is completely incredible. We’ve really hit the scene in the past 10 years because of our quality white-tail,” Jenkins said. “That’s a product of good management, good habitat and being diligent about what’s being put on the landscape. With that, we still have to be good stewards.”

A state believed to hold fewer than 1,000 white-tailed deer a century ago now is considered one of the nation’s premier hunting destinations. The latest herd estimate – derived from harvest and age structure data – pegged the statewide population at more than 820,000 after the 2015-16 hunting season and before fawning this spring.

The archery season is just one facet. Crossbow, muzzleloader and youth deer hunting opportunities are part of the overall season framework. But it is the modern gun deer season in November that drives the harvest, accounting for 70 percent of the total harvest last season.

“We’ve been setting archery records nearly every year and every month, so we’re seeing more interest in archery hunting,” Jenkins said. “But we’re still a modern gun-dominated state and weather is the biggest key in that.”

The modern gun season opens statewide Nov. 12, 2016, and spans 16 consecutive days in Zones 1 and 2 and 10 consecutive days in Zones 3 and 4. There are 43 counties assigned Zone 1 status after the addition of Hardin and Webster counties this season. In another zone change, Marion County is now a Zone 2 county.

Herd health assessments are underway and results are not yet available from the annual statewide mast survey. Hunters should take into account the availability of hard mast as the season progresses.

“Traditionally, when you have good mast years, we usually see a decline in the harvest from the previous year mainly because of a change in feeding habits,” Jenkins said. “They’re not coming to corn feeders and they’re not coming to green fields. They’re in the woods.

“I don’t know what the mast results are going to show, but in speaking with our staff and seeing for myself in the field, it looked pretty good. We’ll see.”

Hunters must check the animals they harvest and can do that by phone at 800-245-4263 or online at fw.ky.gov. The telecheck process will include some new questions this year. Hunters checking an antlered deer will be asked to enter the total number of antler points that are at least 1 inch and indicate if the outside antler spread is less than or greater than 11 inches. Those checking an antlerless male will need to distinguish if it is a male fawn (button buck) or if the animal has already dropped its antlers.

The additional data will help biologists, Jenkins said.

“What we’re looking to do is obtain additional age data, something that indicates how old that harvested animal is,” he said. “For all of the population models that we do, we need to know approximate age in the harvest. Additional age data allows us to better predict the standing crop and the age of our herd. That in turn helps us be more efficient managers of the herd.”

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife owns, leases or manages more than 80 wildlife management areas across the state for public use. Some require a user permit, hold quota hunts or have special regulations for deer hunting.

“We’ve been able to add a significant amount of acreage in recent years,” Beam said. “As a result, hunters now have more high-quality public hunting opportunities across the state.”

The department is working with partners to further expand the amount of public land available for hunting. One recent addition is the new 2,900-acre Rockcastle River WMA in eastern Pulaski. Presently, it is closed to the public while Kentucky Fish and Wildlife makes improvements necessary for public use.

The Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide, available on the department’s website and wherever licenses are sold, is a valuable resource for hunters. It includes the full list of fall hunting and trapping season dates, summarizes hunting and trapping laws, and provides information about public lands hunting by region, youth hunting opportunities, hunter education requirements and quota hunts.

There are 30 quota hunts to choose from this year. New this year is an archery and crossbow only quota hunt at Big Rivers WMA and State Forest in Crittenden and Union counties. Hunters may apply for quota hunts via the department’s website or by calling 877-598-2401. The application period runs the entire month of September.

Hunters are reminded to ask and obtain permission before hunting on private property and to report game violations by calling 800-25-ALERT. Callers are asked for the county that they are calling about and forwarded to the nearest Kentucky State Police post, which dispatches a Kentucky Fish and Wildlife conservation officer.

“We’ve had a really wet spring and a wet summer so far with lots of food available. That just equals healthy deer,” Jenkins said. “Anecdotally, it looks good across the state. Our data also supports that assertion.”

Feral Hog, Predator Hunting at Daughtrey WMA

The James E. Daughtrey WMA is offering predator and feral hog hunting this fall through the TPWD public hunt program. Hunters can enter online at no cost through an “E-postcard” application. Daughtrey WMA has lots of game and covers over 31,000 acres. The property include Choke Canyon Reservoir between Three Rivers and Tilden in Live Oak and McMullen Counties.

The WMA was named in honor of State Game Warden James E. Daughtrey of Tilden who was fatally injured in an automobile collision while pursuing game law violators.

The Daughtrey WMA

Approximately 6,000 acres of uplands are open to public hunting by Annual Public Hunting Permit at conservation pool. The terrain on the WMA is generally flat with thorny brush dominated by mesquite, black brush and cacti. E-Postcard hunts for archery deer, feral hogs and coyotes will be limited to specific compartments on drawn dates as published annually.

Daughtrey WMA Offers E-Postcard Hunts

Only specific areas identified during orientation will be open. Some areas are accessible only by boat or significant hiking by foot. Hunters should take this into consideration before applying for this hunt. Some roads provide access to limited areas.

Hunting Daughtrey: Things to Know

A hunter orange vest and headwear is required for hunts with firearms. All hunters must attend a mandatory orientation at 11:00 a.m. on the first day of the hunt period. Hunt ends at noon or on the last day of the hunt period. Stand-by positions may be available. Hunters must fill out a harvest questionnaire at the end of the hunt.

A primitive campground is located at the area headquarters and will open the evening before the start of the hunt. Drinking water and electrical hookups are not available. A limited number of fire rings and picnic tables are provided on a first come, first served basis, as is one rented chemical toilet. There are no cold storage facilities available on site.

Camping is also available at Choke Canyon State Park – Calliham Unit, 361-786-3538. For further information contact WMA personnel at 361-274-3573 or 830-879-5496.

E-Postcard Details for Hunting at Daughtrey WMA

1. All hunters must attend a mandatory orientation at 11:00 a.m. on the first day of the hunt period. Hunt ends at noon on the last day of the hunt period depending on hunt type. Stand-by positions may be available. If you cannot attend orientation the Department is not obligated to offer makeup dates.

2. At orientation all hunters must have on their person a valid E-Postcard confirmation, valid driver’s license or ID card, Annual Public Hunting Permit, a Texas hunting license, and any special stamp as required by statute. Only hunters drawn for the E-postcard hunt will be admitted.

3. A permitted supervising adult must accompany hunters under the age of 17. Visitors will not be allowed to accompany hunters into the field. Hunter Education is required of all hunters born on or after September 2, 1971. (See Outdoor Annual for more information).

4. Daily On-Site Registration is required. All game harvested must be recorded on the form. Only species defined by hunt period at the time of orientation may be taken.

5. For the Feral Hog and Coyote Hunts only legal archery equipment, shoguns with slugs or muzzleloaders are allowed.

6. Hunter orange vest and headwear is required for all hunters on this hunt, regardless of hunt method.

7. Bag Limit: Unlimited feral hogs and coyotes on E-Postcard hunts. No other animal game or non-game may be taken or possessed.

8. Portable stands are allowed and baiting is permitted. All equipment must be removed before the end of the predator and hog hunting period. Corn must be certified less than 20 ppb aflatoxin free.

9. All-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and off-road vehicles (ORVs) are not permitted on the WMA, except for use by a disabled person or an adult directly assisting a disabled person. Proof of disability is required.

10. Alcoholic beverages may not be publicly displayed or consumed on the WMA, and persons under the influence of alcohol/drugs will not be permitted to enter the hunt area.

11. Hunters in the field and vehicles, including boats, within the WMA are subject to inspection by WMA Personnel and/or Game Wardens. Vehicles must also display a parking permit and be registered at the area headquarters.

12. Do not take any plants, animals (other than legally taken game), or artifacts from the Daughtrey WMA while hunting or otherwise, including shed deer antlers or skulls. Any artifact found must be left as they are; shed antlers or skulls can be brought to the check station.

Texas Public Duck Hunting at J.D. Murphree WMA

Some of the best public duck hunting opportunities in Texas can be found at the state-owned wildlife management areas (WMA) scattered along the gulf coast. During most years, these properties have good numbers of birds, good habitat and offer a number of hunt periods for waterfowlers. Freshwater is typically stable along the coastal plains of Texas, and the ducks know it.

Hunters looking for public duck hunting opportunities should take advantage of Texas’ WMA system. The state is even looking to get hunters off on the right foot.

Public Duck Hunting in Texas

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) invites the hunters and others within the community to attend an informational meeting on public land hunting access during upcoming migratory game bird hunting seasons. Updates on public hunting access within the Upper Coast Wildlife Management Areas and information on the rules and regulations of leased lands will be covered.

The public meeting will be held Tuesday, August 23, from 6-8 p.m. at the J.D. Murphree Wildlife Management Area Check Station at 10 Parks and Wildlife Drive in Port Arthur, on the south side of highway 73 near the intersection of Jade Avenue.

Additional information regarding public hunting opportunity on TPWD-owned lands is available online. Hunters specifically interested in duck hunting at Murphree WMA can contact them directly at 409-736-2551. Bring on the birds!

Longer Dove Hunting Season in Texas: 20 Days More

With a new slate of fall hunting seasons ahead of us Texas hunters will be getting even more this year, 20 days more of dove hunting, to be exact. And with good sunflower production across the state thanks to all of the rain we received during the first-half of the year, it’s very timely that Texas hunters will have even more days to hunt dove.

The 2016-2017 Texas dove hunting season dates have been approved by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD), and this year the season has been extended from 70 days up to 90 days, per the new federal framework for migratory bird hunting seasons.

Dove Hunting in Texas

All indications are that mourning and white-winged dove populations are doing well. Lots of rain and forage should translate into a robust year for hunters, with plenty of time to take advantage of bird numbers. The additional dove hunting days are being integrated early in the season to take advantage of doves migrating into the state.

Dove Hunting Season Dates by Texas Dove Zone

  • North Zone: September 1 – November 13, 2016 and December 17, 2016 – January 1, 2017
  • Central Zone: September 1 – November 6, 2016 and December 17, 2016 – January 8, 2017
  • South Zone: September 23 – November 13, 2016 and December 17, 2016 to January 23, 2017

Dove Season Dates for Texas’ Special White-Winged Area

  • Special Season: September 3-4 and September 10-11, 2016 (legal shooting hours are noon to sunset)
  • Regular Season: Sep. 23 – November 9, 2016 and December 17, 2016 – January 23, 2017

Wicked Lick: An Irresistible Deer Attractant

Bring the Bucks

As hunters we are always looking for that “ace in the hole,” a deer attractant that helps bring whitetail bucks into view. Wicked Lick from The Buck Bomb is said to be “an irresistible liquid deer attractant that will keep deer coming back time and time again” to your hunting area. It sounds like a product that will help with pre-season camera scouting as well as during the deer hunting season.

What is Wicked Lick?

Wicked Lick is an extremely sweet, potent liquid that has a taste that white-tailed deer love. The attractant can be poured on the ground, or onto stumps and logs, where it will soak into the pores of the wood and hold deer in the area for a longer time as they keep coming back to dig at the wood to try and get more of the product.

Whitetail Deer Lick Attractant

Wicked Lick liquid deer attractant comes in a one gallon container in the following flavors: Persimmon Dream, Traffic Jam (acorn, pumpkin and sweet potato) and Plum Crazy (Muscadine) Wicked Lick sells for a suggested retail price of $12.99 per gallon.

Wicked Lick is definitely an attractant, not a deer supplement. If you want to supplement the dietary needs of the deer living on your property then look more at developing mineral sites, providing supplemental feeds and establishing forage plots. If you want to attractant deer for photos or harvest, then Wicked Lick will do that for you.

Wicked Lick Liquid Deer Attractant

About The Buck Bomb

The Buck Bomb is the leader in effective scent dispersal of scent attractors, granular attractants and attractant infused corn for deer, elk, bear, hogs and predators. Utilizing a patented scent dispersal system technology, the Buck Bomb scents are a cost effective way to effectively spread attractor scents over larger hunting areas. Easy to use and cost effective- The Buck Bomb products help new and experience hunters achieve their maximum effectiveness. The Buck Bomb is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hunters Specialties, Inc.

Kentucky Deer Hunting Good, Again

Fall doesn’t officially start for another two months but in one respect it’s already upon us. Biologist in Kentucky are hard at work surveying mast crops and estimating whitetail populations. These annual statewide surveys are part of the lead-up to the fall hunting seasons.

Many wildlife species rely on hard mast for sustenance through the fall and winter months and the mast survey determines what percentage of hickory, red oak, white oak and American beech trees are bearing hard mast across the state. Conducted by Kentucky Fish and Wildlife and agency partners, survey work will begin soon.

“The few white oaks that I’ve looked at in the Bluegrass Region have looked good but that’s a small sample size,” said Ben Robinson, assistant Wildlife Division director with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “That’s why we do the mast survey. You might go out in your yard and have a white oak that’s loaded and think it’s going to be a great (mast) year, but when you pool all the trees together collectively across the state or at least region by region you start to see the value of doing multiple routes.”

Last year was poor for white oak acorns, which are preferred by deer, but about average for red oak and hickory and good for beechnuts. The spotty mast crop put deer on the move in search of food and aided hunters’ efforts. Deer hunters in Kentucky enjoyed a banner 2015-16 season, setting records at nearly every turn, including a new overall harvest record of more than 155,000 deer.

Whitetail Hunting in Kentucky

The archery deer season opens statewide on Sept. 3. Before then, biologists with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife will be conducting herd health assessments on three wildlife management areas and also Land Between The Lakes. “I would expect another fine deer season,” said David Yancy, deer biologist with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “There’s nothing that portends a letdown.”

Hunters can also review the 2016-17 Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide has shipped to license vendors across the state and can be downloaded from the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources’ website.

The 48-page guide lists Kentucky season dates and summarizes regulations for white-tailed deer hunting as well as for elk, bear, turkey, small game, furbearers and other species. It also provides information about licensing and permit requirements, youth hunting, quota hunts, public lands hunting and more. Changes from last season – such as the new deer zone assignments for Hardin, Webster and Marion counties – also are highlighted in the free guide.

Deer Management in Mississippi

Interested in managing your Mississippi deer hunting property for quality whitetail? The Mississippi State University Extension Service will host three deer management workshops in August for hunters, land managers and forestry professionals interested in learning more about white-tailed deer management.

Speakers at the deer management workshops will cover a wide variety of topics, including deer diseases, habitats, predators and reproduction. Participants will also learn about the best selective harvest strategies for bucks and does, as well as the latest research being conducted at the MSU Deer Lab.

Quality Deer Management Workshop in Mississippi

The first workshop will be in Natchez on Aug. 12 and 13 at the Natchez Grand Hotel and Suites. The second workshop will be in Verona on Aug. 19 and 20 at the Northeast Mississippi Branch Experiment Station. The final workshop will be in Newton on Aug. 25 and 26 at the Coastal Plain Branch Experiment Station.

The registration fee is $100 for the full conference or $50 per day. Lunch and workshop materials will be provided. Registration for all workshops begins at 8:30 a.m. Each program will begin at 9 a.m. and conclude at 4 p.m.

Forestry continuing education credits will be available for workshop participants.

The whitetail management workshops are sponsored by the MSU Extension Service, MSU College of Forest Resources, and Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. To register, visit their site online and register. Preregistration is required. For more information about the workshops, contact Jessica Rahim at 662-325-3113 or jms4@msstate.edu, or Leigh Ann Phelps at 662-325-3174 or lap431@msstate.edu.