Texas Hunting Times

Granger WMA Offers More Deer Hunts

Whitetail hunters that enjoy hunting at Granger Wildlife Management Area (WMA) will have a little something extra to look forward to this fall. Earlier this month, it was reported that Granger WMA will be holding some postcard drawings for Annual Public Hunting (APH) Permit holders for archery deer hunts. Here is the latest information I found posted on the web by the Granger WMA Area Manager, Trey Carpenter:

“Just a little heads up – We (TPWD) are planning on doing 2 postcard hunts for our doe harvest this year. You will find the details for the hunts in the front of the Annual Public Hunting (APH) Permit booklet when it comes out later this month. (BTW – the book will say there are 3 Postcard hunts — but that is incorrect. There was a scheduling conflict with the first drawn Archery Deer Either-Sex hunt so the third postcard hunt has been canceled). We are trying this because of high buck fawn harvest on our Gun Deer Management (GDM) hunts. We have never had a buck fawn mistakenly shot for a doe on an archery hunt.

The 2 post card hunts will be during the month of October (Oct 4-17 and Oct 18-31). Hunters will be allowed to harvest up to 3 does/spikes. Hunters will be assigned to 1 of 3 large compartments. These hunters will simply be APH permit hunters with a bag limit that includes does/spikes. No special access will be granted on these hunts.

There will be an orientation for the drawn postcard applicants on the first day of the hunt and the cost will be only that associated with purchase of the APH permit. We would really like to harvest a substantial number of does so please get the word out to all the meat hunters out there.”

Granger WMA is located near the town of Granger, Texas, in east Williamson County. The hunting area surrounds and includes Granger lake and has habitat that ranges from open grasslands to bottomland hardwoods. The WMA offers year-round hunting for feral hogs to APH permit holders and is open for dove hunting and duck hunting in the fall. Most of the deer hunting in the past has been through TPWD’s draw hunt system and this is the first year the WMA will draw APH permit holders for deer hunts.

Justin Hurst WMA Postcard Public Hunting

The Justin Hurst Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is offering public hunting opportunities again this year for white-tailed deer. The hunts will be held on October 11 and 12 and are youth-only deer hunts. youth hunters will be selected by postcard drawing and accompanying adults must possess an Annual Public Hunting (APH) permit.

The bag limit for these deer hunts will be one deer, either sex. Bucks must have at least 1 unbranched antler (spike or 3 point) or an inside spread of 13 inches or greater. Hunters can also harvest unlimited feral hogs. Baiting will be allowed on the WMA and the use of ATVs and ORVs will be permitted. Centerfire rifles with mounted scopes are the only legal means during these deer and hog hunts.

The youth deer postcard application may contain a single supervising adult and up to 2 youths, or 2 supervising adults and 2 youths. A total of 9 youth deer hunting positions will be available for each hunt period this year. Youth deer postcards must be mailed to: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, c/o Hurst Youth Deer Hunts, 1700 7th Street, Bay City, TX 77414.

For more information on public hunting at the Justin Hurst WMA, contact the TPWD Bay City field office at 979-244-6804. The deadline for postcard applications is September 15, 2010.

Youth Only Deer: October 2-3, 2010. Bag limit for youth hunters is two whitetail deer, either sex, but no more than 1 buck. The buck must have at least one unbranched antler or an inside spread of 13 inches or greater. Hunters may also take unlimited feral hogs and coyotes.

Youth Only Deer: October 9-10, 2010. Bag limit is two deer of either sex, but not more than 1 buck. Bucks must have at least one unbranches antler or an inside spread of 13 inches or more. Unlimited feral hogs and coyotes can be taken while these public hunts occur by all youth.

Atlanta State Park

Atlanta State Park is located in central Cass County and is approximately 10 miles northwest of Atlanta, Texas. The park is 1,475 acres in size and is set in pine forests adjacent to the Wright Patman Dam and Lake. The property was acquired by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in 1954. The property provides public hunting opportunity for white-tailed deer each fall.

The Atlanta park is closed to visitors during public hunts and the entrance fee is waived for hunt participants as long as they paid their draw permit fee. Hunters may use park camping facilities for which the standard camping fee is charged. Call the park headquarters at 903-796-6476 for further information on public hunting at Atlanta State Park.

Granger WMA Postcard Draw Hunts

The Granger Wildlife Management Area in Williamson County will be holding archery deer hunts for Texas hunters that posses an Annual Public Hunting Permit (APHP). Hunters will be selected in a postcard drawing. These deer hunts will take place on October 4-17 and 18-31. Two groups of up to 20 hunters will be permitted to hunt and the bag limit will consists of 3 white-tailed deer (either sex). Bucks must have at least one unbranched antler.

Hunts will begin at 11:00 am of the first day and end at 11:00 am of the last day. All selected hunters must attend a mandatory orientation on the first day of a hunt period. All waterfowl species having an open season, squirrel, rabbits, hares, and feral hogs may also be taken. Fishing is also allowed.

Each archery deer hunt postcard may contain up to 4 hunters. Submitted postcards must contain the hunt date (1st and 2nd choice), group leader’s daytime phone number, email address, and the names and ages of each hunter. Postcards must be mailed to: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, c/o Granger WMA Hunts, 213 Thomas Ridge, Burnet, TX 78611. The deadline for application is September 15, 2010. Selected hunt group leaders will be notified by phone or email.

For more information on Granger WMA and/or these postcard deer hunts, contact the wildlife field office at 512-461-9909.

Texas Dove Hunting Season 2010

Texas hunters look forward to the opening day of dove hunting season each year. It is a time for getting outdoors, spending time with friends an family, and having some fun. It also signifies the beginning of the fall hunting season in Texas. And it looks like hunters have a lot to look forward to. Starting this year, Texas will be going to a 70-day dove season and 15-bird daily bag statewide. Possession limit is still twice the daily bag.

The season in the North and Central Dove Zones runs Tuesday, September 1 through Sunday, October 25 and reopens Saturday, December 26 through Saturday, January 9. The South Zone dove season runs Friday, September 18-Tuesday, November 3, reopening Saturday, December 26-Sunday, January 17.

The additional 10 days in the North Zone should provide more late season dove hunting opportunity for die-hard sportsmen, according to Mason. “Most folks hunt early, usually the first couple of weekends, but there are usually birds to be found throughout the season around water holes, food sources and managed food plots so the extra days could mean good hunting during enjoyable weather.”

The Special South Texas White-winged Dove Area hunting season will open to white-winged dove afternoon-only (noon to sunset) hunting the first two full weekends in September running September 5-6 and 12-13 and reopens when the regular South Zone season begins on Friday, September 18 through Tuesday, November 3 and again from Saturday, December 26 through Wednesday, January 13.

The Special White-winged Dove Area season takes four of the allowable 70 days, so when the regular season opens, this area most close four days earlier than the rest of the South Zone.

Hunters in the Special South Texas White-winged Dove Area must abide by a different bag limit set for that area.The daily bag limit is 15 birds, not more than four mourning doves during the first two weekend splits and 2 white-tipped doves. Once the general season opens, the aggregate bag limit will be 15.

Rita Blanca National Grasslands

The Rita Blanca National Grasslands (NG) is located in Dallam County and consists of 77,463 acres in the extreme northwest corner of the Texas Panhandle. The area provides public hunting for pronghorn antelope and as would be expected this country is wide open. Rita Blanca (NG) is part of the National Forest System, but with an agreement between Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), a limited number of buck antelope permits are distributed by TPWD to hunters through the public hunting (Special Permit) drawing program.

The Rita Blanca NG is neat place. The gently rolling prairie, which has both mid- and short grasses, is not just home to pronghorn. It also provides wildlife habitat to literally hundreds of different bird species and bird watchers love this place. The natural basins that collect rainfall and stay wet for months, and sometimes even years, attract both pronghorn antelope and migratory water birds. For visitors or hunters that have never been to this area of Texas, expect to see something totally different than you have ever seen before.

Selected hunters at Rita Blanca NG are not charged a permit fee for hunts and may camp overnight on the area in Thompson Grove Picnic Area if they so desire, and commercial lodging can be found in nearby towns. Keep in mind that there are no water or electrical facilities available in the picnic area. In addition, there are no standby permits are available for pronghorn antelope hunts. For additional information about the Rita Blanca National Grasslands contact the Forest Service office in Clayton, New Mexico at 505-374-9652.

Richland Creek WMA Duck Hunting

The Richland Creek Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Freestone and Navarro County will be offering postcard hunts for waterfowl. The northern part of the WMA can hold a lot of ducks when conditions are right, so these hunts can be outstanding. Hunt dates will be November 12-14, 17-19, and January 21-23 provided these dates fall within the season established for duck hunting by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for North Zone Duck.

For these postcard hunts, shooting hours end at noon. Four to 10 hunt groups will be selected dependent on wetland habitat conditions at the WMA. There will be a mandatory 3:00 pm orientation the first day of each hunt period at the area check station. All selected duck hunters must have a current Annual Public Hunting (APH) permit and attend the orientation. Each group may submit one postcard per waterfowl hunt period, but a group will only be selected for one hunt period. No substitution of hunt members will be allowed.

Interested hunters may apply by sending a postcard for each hunt period that includes information on the group leader and up to 3 other group members. The deadline for duck hunting application is November 1, 2010. Selected hunt group leaders will be notified by phone. For more information on duck hunting at Richland Creek WMA, contact the field office at 903-389-7080. Mail postcard applications to: Richland Creek Waterfowl Hunts, 1670 FM 488, Streetman, TX 75859.

Guadalupe Delta WMA Whitetail Deer Hunts

The Guadalupe Delta Wildlife Management Area (WMA) will be offering public hunting for white-tailed deer at their Mission Lake Unit in Calhoun County. These deer hunts will be youth-only hunts. Hunters will be selected through a postcard drawing prior to the hunt. Baiting will be allowed and use of ATVs and ORVs is recommended. Centerfire rifles with mounted scopes are the only legal harvest means duirng these public hunts.

The youth deer hunting application may contain a single supervising adult and up to 2 youths, or 2 supervising adults and 2 youth hunters. Submitted postcards must contain the hunt type, hunt date, group leader’s daytime phone number, email address, and the names of each hunter. To maximize your chance of being selected to hunt, each person (youth) may apply for each hunt date. However, make sure that hunters do not send in more than one application per hunt date. A youth can also apply as a standby hunter at any or all hunt periods.

A total of 8 youth positions will be available for each hunt date. Youth deer hunt postcards must be mailed to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, c/o Mission Lake Youth Deer Hunts, 1700 7th Street, Bay City, TX 77414. The 3 whitetail hunting dates will take place on October 9-10, October 16-17, and October 23-24. The bag limit will be two deer of either sex, but no more than 1 buck. Bucks legal for harvest will vary by hunt period. Youth hunters may also harvest unlimited feral hogs and coyotes while deer hunting.

For more information on public hunting, Texas public hunting, or the Guadalupe Delta WMA, please contact the Bay City field office at 979-244-6808. The deadline for these whitetail hunts is September 15, 2010.

Texas Offers Public Dove Hunting Lands

September in Texas marks the beginning of fall and just about every hunter looks forward to dove hunting season that usually kicks off on September 1. Texas has robust fall dove populations in excess of 40 million birds and its 300,000 dove hunters harvest about 6 million birds annually, or roughly 30 percent of all doves taken in the United States! Private and public dove hunting opportunities have a major economic impact to local communities, contributing more than $300 million to the state economy.

Dove hunting provides people an entry into the sport of hunting because it is relatively economical and accessible. Through its Public Hunting Program, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) offers affordable access to quality hunting experiences with the purchase of a $48 Annual Public Hunting Permit. This year, TPWD has leased nearly 50,000 acres of public dove hunting fields in 46 counties.

Many of the public dove hunting lands are located near major urban areas. The 140 hunting units are distributed from South Texas to the Panhandle and from Beaumont to West Texas. Over 70 percent of the dove hunting units and acreage are located in the four major metro areas of Austin/Waco, Houston/Beaumont, San Antonio/Corpus Christi and Dallas/Fort Worth, meaning most of you reading this are relatively close to public dove hunting areas.

From my experience, most dove hunting units get shot out fairly quickly, but they can provide outstanding hunting for the first couple of days. In addition, after the initial surge of hunting pressure most of the units become devoid of anyone, so later in the season doves will often move back onto the properties that have good habitat.

Also new for this year, TPWD has combined its Annual Public Hunting Map Booklet and its Dove Hunting Supplement into a single publication. The new map booklet is organized into 8 urban area based regions that will allow hunters to readily identify places to hunt in areas that they are interested in. Public hunting map booklets will be available beginning August 15 for download and viewing from the department’s web site.

Dove Season Looks Good, Weather Dry

With dove hunting action just months away, it’s never too early to start talking about the upcoming dove hunting season. Dry weather can impact wildlife species in many ways, but officials state that it could be a good season when it opens in September. Despite extended drought conditions across much of Texas, wildlife biologists with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) suggest there has been enough moisture to set the stage for good hunting this dove season.

“Dry conditions don’t necessarily equate to bad dove hunting,” said Corey Mason, TPWD dove program leader. “I’ve been around the state the last month and have seen good production of native sunflower on ranch land and numbers of doves along high lines and around water. I’m expecting a good dove season.”

Dove reports from field biologists fall right in line with Mason’s outlook. “Dove hunting should be awesome; especially if hunting over a water source,” said LaGrange-based district biologist David Forrester. Dry, hot weather means water sources will be hot dove hunting. “Normally water is overabundant in my district, but this year it will be at a premium.

Additionally, if you can find a stand of sunflower, goat weed, natural food plots, etc., whitewing and mourning dove hunting should be good. Food sources and particularly native food sources are going to be an attractant because the agricultural crops and harvest just aren’t going to be as good.”

In regions where rainfall has been plentiful, such as the Panhandle, dove hunting prospects are favorable but could bring unwanted additions as Amarillo district biologist Calvin Richardson warned. “Probably, the only downside that I could imagine is that we probably are going to have a heck of a mosquito crop during dove season.”

TPWD is also conducting ongoing dove banding research and asks hunters to please report leg bands recovered on harvested birds by calling 1-800-327-BAND. TPWD bands about 20,000 dove a year across the state. Most doves banded are recovered by dove hunting, so it important that hunters submit recovered bands to help biologist better manager the resource.