Texas Hunting Times: Texas Hunting News

There may be less than 3 months until white-tailed deer hunting season opens in Texas, but a lot can happen in 3 months, especially when talking about a disease such as anthrax. The first Anthrax case in Texas for 2014 has been confirmed in a goat in Kinney County. Of course, anthrax is nothing new to the area. The county has seen anthrax outbreaks before, and the impact tends to be localized.

The property where antrhax was detected is located four miles north of Bracketville. The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) has quarantined the premises. TAHC rules require proper disposal of affected carcasses and vaccination of other cattle on the premise prior to release of the quarantine.

More on Anthrax Disease

Anthrax is a bacterial disease caused by Bacillus anthracis, whichis a naturally occurring organism with worldwide distribution, including certain parts of Texas. It is not uncommon for anthrax to be diagnosed in livestock or wildlife in the southwestern part of the state. A vaccine is available for use in susceptible livestock in high risk areas.

Acute fever followed by rapid death with bleeding from body openings are common signs of anthrax in livestock and deer. Carcasses may also appear bloated and appear to decompose quickly. Livestock or animals displaying symptoms consistent with anthrax should be reported to a private veterinary practitioner or a TAHC official. If affected livestock or carcasses must be handled, producers are encouraged to follow basic sanitation precautions such as wearing protective gloves, long sleeve shirts and washing thoroughly afterward to prevent accidental spread of the bacteria to people.

State of Texas Take on Anthrax

The TAHC will continue to closely monitor the situation for possible new cases across the state, both in domestic animals and native wildlife such as white-tailed deer. Producers are encouraged to consult their veterinary practitioner or local TAHC office if they suspect their animals are affected with anthrax, or if they have questions about the disease or the vaccination of their livestock,” said Dr. T.R. Lansford, TAHC Assistant Executive Director for Animal Health Programs.

Question: “We have a ranch in Mason County, Texas, and are interested in using the Trap, Transport and Transplant (TTT) Permit offered by TPWD to move some deer to our place from Burnet County, which is currently in the MLDP program. This is primarily for genetic improvement since we are shooting extra deer off of our ranch to make room for the transplants. Like our area, the trap site should have breeding from early November through early December, with the rut taking place earlier during that period. Is it better to transport these deer, especially does, early in their pregnancy or later or is there even a difference? We think earlier is better but would appreciate any advice.”

Response: With regards to the TTT permit, the white-tailed deer trapping and moving season in Texas is from September 1 through March 31 every year. The permit allows the movement of wild white-tailed deer in state. It is designed to provide you with the an additional tool to enhance the white-tailed deer population on your property.

You are correct in that the primary rut is early November in that part of Texas, the trap site. From my experience, late-January through February is the preferred time to transport whitetail. There are several reasons why I believe this window is better than earlier or later.

IMPORTANT TTT PERMIT INFO PER TPWD: Conditions for Permit Issuance – All proposed release sites must have a current Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Wildlife Management Plan approved by a TPWD Wildlife Biologist. Applications will be denied if the proposed activities may detrimentally affect the population status on adjacent properties, if the proposed activities may detrimentally affect the resource, or if the proposed release site is outside of the suitable range of white-tailed deer.

All proposed relocation operations must comply with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission’s Stocking Policy, which stipulates that prospective release sites shall have suitable natural habitat capable of sustaining the animals stocked. In addition, Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) surveillance is required of all prospective trap sites. CWD test results must be received by TPWD prior to permit issuance. DO NOT FREEZE SPECIMENS.

First, the weather in late-January and February is cold. This not only helps with the ability to capture deer, but also with handling, with regards to both personnel and the animals. Plus, it also allows deer to remain cool while be transported to the release site/ranch. Extreme stress causes heat build up in animals, humans included, and whitetail are no different, so it’s best to have nice cold temperatures on trap and transport day.

With regards to timing, moving deer is better from late-January through mid-February in Texas because temperatures are cooler and earlier is better with regards to pregnant does. The general rule of thumb is earlier is better with regards to fawn survival, but it’s also important to understand that if temperatures are not favorable then fawns will not survive if the doe do not survive the trip.

The TTT permit allows program can be an effective way to improve the gene pool of a whitetail herd on a property for the purpose of deer management. However, careful consideration must weigh the variety of factors concerning the release site as well as the herd from which the animals are trapped. It may not help if a handful of deer are released onto a very large property. The TTT permit works most effectively when the number of deer released comprises a significant portion (>50%) of the release site’s population.

Those of us that hunt white-tailed deer in Texas are lucky. We live in a great state that offers a lot of quality places to hunt. Granted most of it is privately owned, but Texas takes care of it’s landowners and our whitetail. But to be a deer, well, that is a different story indeed. It’s been a particularly tough run for all wildlife the past few years because habitat conditions have been fair to poor, with most towards the latter.

A lack of rain wreaks havoc when it comes to deer foods, especially forb production. Generally speaking, forb availability and quality is high during spring and early summer and declines as summer carries on. This year, many areas saw very little forb production during the spring, though there were some parts of Texas that got some much needed rain recently.

It’s mid-May ans that means fawns. They are already “dropping” in some areas. The fawning period is a critical time does producing and raising fawns, when protein requirements are relatively high. Lack of suitable-quality forage probably will not have a large impact on adult survival, but if does do not have adequate forage, fawn survival and recruitment will be negatively impacted.

To make matters worse, dry weather means a reduction in herbaceous growth that results in reduced fawning cover, which equates to decreased fawn survival because of increased predation. It’s tough to be a white-tailed deer, young or old.

For properties that conduct annual surveys to estimate deer numbers, drought means fewer tick marks on the datasheet and lower deer populations. Yes, a lack of fawn survival and recruitment can have significant management implications on properties. This makes harvest recommendations all the more important. Harvest too many and the population may be shot into a “hole.” Shoot too few and the tough conditions will be exacerbated.

Ranch owners and managers must seriously consider deer numbers at all times, but especially when it’s dry; especially when it’s year after year of dry. Although deer hunting regulations change slowly in Texas, deer harvest is something that varies from year to year on managed ranches. A drought year may mean less harvest overall even though poor range conditions actually make achieving harvest quotas easier (since deer readily respond to bait).

There is no doubt that dry weather and poor habitat conditions impact deer populations, but the impact it may have varies from area to area. If you’re interested in improving the deer found on your property or lease then get more involved with management, start counting deer annually, estimate fawn production and herd size and use the hunting season for both fun and to help the herd as well as the habitat.