Published: November 05, 2009 09:38 pm      

Deer season opens

PALESTINE — Hunters will be out in full force this weekend as gun season for deer officially opens in Texas.

The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department says an above average acorn crop and all the recent rains are giving deer an ample natural food supply which may contribute to a slow season for hunters.

“There is an abundance of food sources for deer right now, and deer movements are reduced because they don’t have to move as far or as often to keep their bellies full,” said TPWD Wildlife Biologist Mike Krueger. “Deer don’t appear to be coming to feeders as often or as regularly as they would if it were still dry.”

National forests around East Texas also are gearing up for deer season and the influx of hunters.

National forest supervisor Linda C. Brett wants to remind hunters of the use of off-road vehicles on government lands.

“OHV (Off-highway vehicle) use on the National Forests is limited to designated routs, and the only such designation is the 85-mile multiple-use trail on the Sam Houston National Forest,” Brett said. “Cross-country and off-road use of motorized vehicles of any type is prohibited.”

For more on hunting in national forests, visit the U.S. Forest Service Web site at www.fs.fed.us/r8/texas/recreation/hunting.shtml.

Antler restrictions have been instituted for Anderson County, joining other East Texas counties such as Houston in the restrictions.

Legal bucks in antler restricted counties must have at least one unbranched antler or have an inside spread of at least 13 inches, roughly the spread of a mature deer’s ears from tip to tip.

Other changes affecting deer hunting in East Texas counties, antlerless deer days have increased from four to 16 days in Bowie and Rusk counties, and from four days to Nov. 7-29 in Cherokee and Houston counties; and from no doe days to four doe days in Anderson, Henderson, Hunt, Leon, Rains, Smith and Van Zandt counties.

In East Texas, the department is establishing a special muzzleloader season in additional counties, lengthening the existing muzzleloader season by five days to be equivalent in length with the special antlerless and spike buck seasons in other counties, and altering the current muzzleloader bag composition to allow the harvest of any buck (not just spike bucks) and antlerless deer without permits if the county has "doe days" during the general season.

New counties affected include: Austin, Bastrop, Bowie, Brazoria, Caldwell, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Colorado, De Witt, Fayette, Fort Bend, Goliad, Gonzales, Gregg, Guadalupe, Harrison, Houston, Jackson, Karnes, Lavaca, Lee, Marion, Matagorda, Morris, Nacogdoches, Panola, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby, Upshur, Victoria, Waller, Washington, Wharton and Wilson.