Texas Hunting Times

Deer Hunting Lease in Perspective

Whitetail deer hunting has become a big business across all of the deer’s range. Most hunters have seen the price of their deer lease rise over the years to keep up with demand, and the demand for real estate in general. Finding a good deer lease is a key component to quality long term deer hunting and management. Without being able to afford your own land, you are up a creek without a paddle if you can not count on being on your deer lease from year to year.

Yes, a deer hunting lease is a place where hunters can purse whitetail, but it is more than that. A hunting lease is supposed to a place where hunters share good times and memories, rather than something that creates a profit for some middle man. As I mentioned earlier, deer hunting and deer leases have become a huge business, with lots of folks in between trying to put money in their pockets. I’m all for making money, but when you head out to find a lease make sure you know exactly what you are getting into. Continue reading Deer Hunting Lease in Perspective

Deer Hunting: What is a Cull Buck?

One of the biggest ongoing disputes around almost any deer hunting camp is the answer — or lack thereof — to this question, “What is a cull buck?” Well, the answer will vary from property to property depending on the quality of whitetail bucks found there, but there are some general rules that apply. Many hunters will shoot spike bucks for cull bucks, but this is not recommended if you have a low number of bucks compared to the number of does. If your deer lease or land has plenty of bucks, then the harvest of spike bucks would be warranted.

Other bucks that qualify as cull bucks or management bucks are those deer with unfavorable antler characteristics. These could be bucks that lack 1 or both brow tines, bucks that are 7 points or less and 2.5 years old or older, or 3.5 and 4.5 year old bucks that have 8 points or less, without broken beams or tines. These 3.5+ year old 8 point deer are now commonly called “management bucks” because the theory is these are good bucks to remove for management of the deer herd. By removing all these cull bucks, it allows hunters and landowners to let the good young, middle aged, and mature bucks to do the breeding and pass on their genes. Continue reading Deer Hunting: What is a Cull Buck?

Deer Hunting: Too Many Stand Locations?

Sometimes hunters do some crazy things when it comes to deer hunting, especially when it comes to stand location. Or stand better stated, when it comes to stand locations. Deer hunting success is a lot like good real estate: location, location, location! But sometimes as hunters we get overzealous and want to place hunting stands all over the place. It is always good to have options, but too many options can drive a hunter crazy.

I have a buddy who had a 600 acre property that his family owned and only he hunted. The place was less than an hour from his house and it held a good number of deer. Sounds like a total deer hunting dream, right? The only drawback was that he had set up 5 hunting stands and feeders and had multiple food plots. This would be okay if 4 or 5 people hunted the property, but he for the most part was the only guy deer hunting it every year. Continue reading Deer Hunting: Too Many Stand Locations?

Deer Hunting for Sucessful Deer Management

A hunter or landowner interested in managing whitetail for better deer hunting is often unaware of many of the methods to produce and grow future trophies. Bucks are just one component of a deer herd, but hunters should always know how to age deer. How old are the bucks that you’re seeing? If they are young bucks, then they need to grow to maturity before they should be harvested. I don’t mean to insult anyone, but in my experience there are a lot of hunters that have no clue on how to age a deer.

If you do nothing else, shooting only mature bucks is the best way to get the age structure and antler development most hunters want. It takes time and patience to get there, but it can happen. Of course, the only way to shoot a mature buck is to recognize one when you see it. In order to get those bucks old and experience better deer hunting you must also know a young buck when you see it or a lot of mistakes will be made, and time wasted. Continue reading Deer Hunting for Sucessful Deer Management

Freaky Whitetail Buck from Mills County

My family, friends and I have done a lot of deer hunting in our lives and rarely have any of us had the opportunity to harvest a truly non-typical buck. We’ve all harvested bucks with some trash such as stickers and extra kickers and such, but nothing with a droptine or extra main beams or stuff like that. I guess that’s why this Mills County buck is just so darn interesting to me. Here is the story:

“I have been watching this buck since I put up my camera in August and have numerous picture of him almost on a daily basis. I was not sure of the deer’s age, but I knew he was old enough. He was shot at on youth weekend by a 13 year old boy who had extreme buck fever and could not close the deal. Continue reading Freaky Whitetail Buck from Mills County

Deer Hunting at Matador WMA

It can be quite difficult to find a deer hunting lease in Texas because there is high demand for high quality property. Even finding mediocre hunting property is not much easier. However, there is another option for hunters willing to head out on public land and bust a little brush. Texas has 2 options for public hunters: the Annual Public Hunting Permit (APH) or the draw system. One of the draw areas that offers great white-tailed deer hunting is the Matador Wildlife Management Area (WMA).

The Matador WMA is located about 8 or so miles north of Paducah, Texas in the lower-eastern portion of the panhandle. This property varies from slightly rolling to downright hilly with steep hillsides. Not only do white-tailed deer call the Matador home, but so does a good population of mule deer. Of course, feral hogs make use of the creeks and drainages that are scattered across this place. Continue reading Deer Hunting at Matador WMA

Gus Engeling Wildlife Management Area (WMA) Hunting

The Gus Engeling Wildlife Management Area (WMA) provides 10,958 acres of public hunting for white-tailed deer and other game species. The area is operated by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and can be accessed through regular permit hunts or special permit hunts. The Engeling WMA serves as a wildlife research and demonstration station for landowners found in the post oak savannah ecoregion of Texas.

APH Permit holders can access the Engeling WMA during regular permit hunt dates without any additional fee. Those without the APH Permit can pay a daily use fee each day. Special permit (draw) hunts are held for white-tailed deer during the archery and general season for selected hunters. During some years, the management area will also hold hunts for feral hogs.

The landscape found on the Engeling WMA varies from nearly flat to gently rolling post oak woodlands consisting of dense stands of oak and hickory overstory with understory plant species of yaupon, greenbriar, elm, and huckleberry. Although most of the area is upland habitat with sandy loam soil, there is a good amount of bottomland habitat. These areas are great for duck hunting and hold a number of feral hogs.

The Engeling WMA is located about 38 miles southeast of Corsicana and 22 miles northwest of Palestine on US Highway 287. Hunters selected for special permit hunts must attend a mandatory orientation on the first day of the hunt at the Wildlife Conservation Center, which is located 1/2 mile north of the main gate on the main WMA road. Standby applicants must report to the Conservation Center at 10:30 am on the first day of the hunt.

Trucks and four-wheel drive vehicles are recommended because portions of the area may be difficult to access during wet weather. Portable deer blinds that do not damage trees are encouraged when on the are. However, portable blinds are not available at the Engeling WMA, so bring your own. An improved campground with camper pads and restroom facilities is available for use by hunters and anglers. For more information on public hunting at the Engeling WMA call the headquarters at 903-928-2251.

Deer Aging: Slice The Tooth?

Aging Deer: Cementum annuli Reader Submitted: With deer hunting and deer management becoming more popular every year, aging bucks property is becoming more important. I was browsing the net and found a company that claims to tell the deer age by looking at a slice of the tooth root. Have you heard of or every used them?

Deer Hunting Pros: I am familiar with all the methods of deer aging and know exactly what you are referring to. The technique you are referring is the cementum annuli method. I have used this type of company 3 times in the past and been satisfied with the results of their services. They delivered results in the stated time frame each time.

In the past, I shot two bucks and a doe and after aging by tooth wear I did not agree with what I was seeing from their body. On the bucks, each time I had estimated the bucks to be 5.5 years old and then when I pulled the teeth they showed no wear. They looked like the teeth of a 3.5 year old deer based on wear. Continue reading Deer Aging: Slice The Tooth?

Deer Hunting: Whitetail Movement in the Fall

With archery season in full-swing and the general white-tailed deer season just around the corner, it is definitely time to think about deer movements and patterns. Understanding where deer are found and how they move is key to getting your whitetail buck this season. Taking advantage of deer movement patterns will increase your odds of seeing a shooting more mature bucks. Most deer hunters know that deer move early in the morning and late in the evening, but they don’t stop there.

During early archery season, white-tailed deer will usually move just before dark. At this time of the year, bucks may still be hanging out in bachelor groups, however, bucks will usually start making scrape lines. Bucks can be patterned on these scrape lines, but the problem with hunting these scrapes is that the bucks are visiting them after dark. In short, hunting scrapes in the early season is not the best way to bag a buck.

As the deer hunting season ages and the air temperature cools off, whitetail will begin to increase their movement. In fact, it is at this time that hunters will typically start seeing more movement in the afternoons. With this in mind, this is the period of time to start hunting scrapes. This is because most of the bucks in an area will begin actively checking scrapes found in their “community.”

White-tailed deer movement, especially bucks, will drastically increase in November due to the onset of the breeding season. As the rut approaches, bucks will start making mental errors as the physical desire to find “hot” does takes priority to remaining invisible. It is at this time when a deer hunter has the greatest opportunity to capitalize on their mistakes.

Hunting the rut is not a new idea, but some hunters take the wrong approach by sitting over feeders. This can work, but a better option is to cover more country. I usually like to hunt in areas where I can see a lot of real estate. Giant food plots will work too. This increases my chances of seeing bucks passing through looking for or chasing does. The rut is the best times to bag a whitetail buck.

As the deer hunting season begins drawing to an end and food becomes scarce, deer movement patterns become very predictable. This is because food sources become limited and deer must go to where the food is available. Set up on these places. Deer will be moving very early, very late and during the middle of the day. Food plots and harvested crop fields are great areas to hunt during this time of year.

In closing, understanding whitetail movement patterns on a property will help any hunter bag a buck year-in and year-out. Every buck is different, buck every buck is the same. Once you learn when and where to be, you will see and harvest more deer year after year. But remember, weather and habitat conditions can drastically impact deer movement and behavior. Good habitat and food availability means less deer movement, whereas poor habitat conditions and hungry deer means more deer movement, more deer sightings. Good luck!

Best Hunting Times for Whitetail Deer

When it comes to deer hunting, there is never a bad time to be outdoors and in the woods. Being an avid deer hunter, I always get asked two questions by other hunters: “What the best deer hunting times?,” and “How often do you deer hunt all day long?” Although I thoroughly enjoy deer hunting, I have to admit that I do not typically hunt throughout the day, at least for the most part. However, on occasion I have toughed it out with great results.

In general, I think the best time to be out deer hunting is in the morning even though I’ve had good success in the evenings as well. In fact, I’ve had better success in the evenings lately, having harvested 3 of my last 4 bucks during the last hour of daylight. But this is a matter of opinion. Both are great deer hunting times because deer are crepuscular, meaning they move mostly during the early morning and late evening. Continue reading Best Hunting Times for Whitetail Deer