Texas Hunting Leases

Oct. 26, 2010

Texas Parks & Wildlife Media Contact: Steve Lightfoot 512-389-4701, steve.lightfoot@tpwd.state.tx.us

AUSTIN – Wildlife biologists at Texas Parks and Wildlife Department are cautiously optimistic about quail prospects this season, which gets under way Saturday, Oct. 30 statewide.

This past winter a two-year drought in the major quail hunting areas of the state was finally broken. Range conditions and more importantly, according to TPWD, nesting and brood rearing habitat greatly improved, setting the stage for a marked increase in production. Unfortunately, after two years of unfavorable weather, the number of quail available to breed had become quite low. In general, quail rebound fastest from the remaining pockets of survivors from last season.

“Low carryover is the biggest obstacle to recovering quail populations,” said Robert Perez, TPWD upland game bird program leader. “Quail species are hardwired to take advantage of good reproductive environmental conditions. It’s part of their survival strategy. So many are consumed each year, the species relies on a high reproductive output in order to persist on the landscape. We expect a greatly improved season over last year but a hen can only do so much in one year. Given another wet winter and spring we could expect a much stronger rebound next season.”

Perez indicated those ranches that managed habitat for quail during the extended dry spell will likely see more birds this season, which runs Oct. 30-Feb. 27.

The daily bag limit for quail is 15, with 45 in possession. Legal shooting hours for all non-migratory game birds are 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. The bag limit is the maximum number that may be killed during the legal shooting hours in one day.

Since 1978, TPWD has conducted annual statewide quail surveys to track population trends. This index uses randomly selected, 20-mile roadside survey lines to determine annual quail population trends by ecological region. This trend information helps determine relative quail populations among the regions of Texas. Comparisons can be made between the average number of quail observed per route this year and the long term average for quail seen within an ecological region. The quail survey was not designed to predict relative abundance for any area smaller than the ecological region.

Following are summary prospects for each region this season:

Rolling Plains
This region received timely winter, spring and summer rainfall resulting in excellent breeding conditions for bobwhite quail. The summer rains extended the window of opportunity for nesting. If a hen failed in her first attempt, there was ample time for a second attempt. The limiting factor was the number of birds available to breed. Field reports indicate that quail have made a strong comeback in areas that held birds last year. Other areas have improved as well but to a lesser extent. It’s a good idea to scout ahead to be sure the areas you plan to hunt are holding birds.

The average number of bobwhites observed per route was 8.0 compared to 6.6 last year. This is well below the Long Term Mean of 21.5. Despite low counts, enough young birds and coveys have been anecdotally reported that we suspect hunters will be able to find birds. Public hunting opportunities can be found at the Matador and the Gene Howe Wildlife Management Areas.

South Texas Plains
Although considered one of the last strongholds for quail, South Texas is not immune to drought impacts on quail populations. The 2009 season was no exception and quail numbers were down. Consequently, it will effect the 2010 season.

There should be greater nesting success and production of bobwhite quail this year on those properties that have an adequate number of carryover birds from last year. On many properties that did not implement the proper management techniques or limit grazing pressure, there will be fewer birds available for production. In these areas it could possibly take a few above average years to regain those populations to normal levels.

This region also experienced a wet winter, spring and summer. South Texas also had very few days 100 degrees or greater. Cool-wet summers are ideal for quail reproduction but similar to the Rolling Plains, carryover was a limiting factor. Overall, our surveys indicate an increase in population compared to last year but still below average across the region. The best opportunities will be on well managed sites that held over birds from last year.

The average number of bobwhites observed per route was 8.61 compared to 5.2 last year. This is well below the Long Term Mean of 18.6 and is predictive of a below average hunting season. The Chaparral and the Daughtrey Wildlife Management Areas provide public quail hunting opportunities.

Trans-Pecos
Portions of the Trans-Pecos ecological region received timely rainfall while other areas either missed the rains completely or received it at times less beneficial to scaled quail. As a result, reproduction varied across the region. Field reports indicate that birds can be found in areas with good range condition. Reports from the western edge of the Edwards Plateau (the Stockton Plateau) indicate an improvement over last year but still below average.

The average number of scaled quail observed per route was 7.2 compared to 16.9 last year. This is below the Long Term Mean of 17.5. Public hunter opportunities can be found at Elephant Mountain and Black Gap Wildlife Management Areas.

Other Areas
TPWD surveys indicate that bobwhite numbers in Gulf Prairies are similar to last season. Hunters should focus on the central and lower coast in native prairie habitats. The Cross Timbers and Edwards Plateau continue to report numbers well below their respective Long Term Means. Although there are certainly areas within each region where some quail hunting opportunity remains, this survey is not designed to detect changes in localized populations, especially in fragmented landscapes.

AUSTIN — Instead of sacking up sweets this Halloween, many young Texans will be bagging wild game during the special youth-only hunting weekend, Oct. 30-31. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department established youth-only seasons to pass the hunting heritage on to the next generation of hunters, make lasting memories and to give kids the first shots.

Wildlife are flourishing thanks to excellent habitat conditions throughout the state this year, setting the stage for what could be a season to remember for many young hunters and TPWD is urging sportsmen to take a kid outdoors.

“The youth-only weekend offers a chance to mentor young hunters and can be a valuable management tool on ranches needing to reduce antlerless deer numbers,” said Clayton Wolf, TPWD’s Wildlife Division director.

TPWD has set aside Oct. 30-31 as special youth-only seasons for white-tailed deer and Rio Grande turkey. A youth-only late season is also available Jan. 3-16, 2011. During the statewide special youth-only hunting weekend, licensed youth 16 years of age or younger will be allowed to harvest white-tailed deer and Rio Grande turkey.

The department has coordinated with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to offer a youth-only waterfowl season in the North and South Duck Zones on Oct. 23-24 for licensed youth 15 years of age or younger.

A Special Youth Hunting License ($7) is required and may be purchased wherever hunting licenses are sold, as well as online and by phone at 1-800-TX-LIC-4U for an additional convenience fee. This year, more than 139,000 special youth hunting licenses have been sold, evidence that hunting continues to be an important pursuit among young Texans.

To make room for the new generation of Texas hunters, TPWD has made an extra effort to open as much public hunting land as possible to youth hunting on department-managed lands. Youth who are hunting on TPWD lands must be accompanied by a supervising adult 18 years of age or older who possesses the required Annual Public Hunting permit, a valid hunting license and any required stamps and permits.

Youth hunts for either sex white-tailed deer are scheduled during the special weekend season on public hunting units, mostly in East Texas. Youth waterfowl hunts are available on many public hunting units.

The Annual Public Hunting (APH) Permit is a $48 permit, valid from Sept. 1 through Aug. 31 of the following year. The APH permit allows an adult access to designated public hunting lands in the TPWD public hunting lands program. With the APH permit, hunting is allowed for small game, turkey, white-tailed deer, exotics, predators, furbearers, and fishing without having to pay daily permit fees and in most instances, without having to be selected in a drawing.

General season bag limits for the county hunted apply during the youth-only weekend, but some additional restrictions may apply in certain areas so be sure to check the 2010-11 Outdoor Annual of hunting and fishing regulations before heading afield.

AUSTIN (TP&W) – Texas deer hunters could be blessed with too much of a good thing this fall, at least early on, as excellent range conditions throughout the state have set the stage for what could be a season to remember.

The Texas deer hunting season opens Saturday, Oct. 2, for bowhunting and Nov. 6 for the general gun season. A special youth-only weekend season is set for Oct. 30-31. The general season runs through Jan. 2, 2011 in North Texas and Jan. 16, 2011 in South Texas. A late youth-only season is also slated for Jan. 3-16, 2011. For additional late season deer hunting opportunities, consult the 2010-11Outdoor Annual of hunting and fishing regulations.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologists equate good habitat with healthy wildlife populations and suggest you don’t have to look hard to find plenty of both this year. Timely rainfall that began last winter and continued throughout the first half of 2010 has helped maintain range conditions and provide an ideal environment for deer to flourish.

Estimates of high fawn production in most regions of the state with upwards of 100 percent fawn survival on some intensively managed ranches, coupled with quality native food supplies, should give hunters a lot to look forward to this season. It also means that like last year, hunting over corn feeders may not be as productive because of the abundant natural forage available.

“Acorn crops have been pretty good and there is plenty of vegetation in South Texas, so the deer have plenty to eat,” said Alan Cain, TPWD whitetail deer program director. “That’s going to make it difficult for bowhunters to attract deer to supplemental feeding locations.”

At the onset of the archery season Cain said most deer are still in a summer pattern, especially in South Texas where the rut is still a couple of months away. Bowhunters might consider focusing their efforts along heavily traveled game trails or near acorn producing trees.

He also suggests hunters take advantage of opportunities to harvest antlerless deer this season, too, in order to offset high fawn production. “Folks need to keep deer numbers at a level the habitat can sustain during lean years,” said Cain.

TPWD field biologists are concerned last year’s drop in overall deer harvest could carry a double-edged sword into the 2010-11 season. Nearly half of all deer taken by Texas hunters occurs in the Edwards Plateau and last season marked the lowest harvest in 10 years, attributed mainly to reduced deer movement. The upside is there should be a greater percentage of older-aged bucks in the population due to the carry-over of bucks that weren’t harvested last year. The downside is there likely are more deer in the population than the habitat in many areas can adequately support without being degraded when range conditions return to normal.

“I don’t wish for it to be dry, but hopefully conditions will be such during the upcoming season that deer movements will be high (i.e. deer will come to feeders), resulting in high deer observation and harvest success rates for hunters,” said Trey Carpenter, TPWD wildlife biologist.

One aspect biologists are not concerned about this season is the overall health of Texas’ deer herd. The abundance of acorns during the fall and winter of 2009, combined with the flush of cool-season and warm-season herbaceous plants produced from the rains provided high-quality forages for deer that helped them come through the winter in good condition and were adequately available to the deer throughout the early stages of antler production, throughout pregnancy, and during fawn-rearing.

“This year deer didn’t have to go to browse until well into the growing season, unlike in dry years when they utilize browse earlier because herbaceous plants are lacking,” Carpenter explained. “Not dipping into the ‘savings account’ of browse until late into the growing season should have a positive influence and due to the steady and consistent supply of good nutrition that has been available to deer since last fall, all segments of the deer population should be in good body condition going into the fall, buck antler production should be above average for the 2010-11 season, and fawn production and recruitment should be above average.”

In parts of the state having special antler restriction, landowners and hunters should reap the rewards of above average antler growth this season as more bucks meet the requirements for legal harvest, said Cain. “It may be tough spotting those deer because they won’t have to move much, so hunters need to keep that in mind. In East Texas, the antler restrictions coupled with good rainfall should mean good quality bucks.”

Cain said folks involved in cooperative wildlife management groups should also see the fruits of their collaborative habitat management labors this season and expects deer hunting on ranches under wildlife management plans to be above average, too.

“It really doesn’t matter what part of the state you’re in, if you effectively manage the habitat for the benefit of wildlife, you’re going to see better quality deer,” he said. “Our biologists are working with thousands of land managers on more than 25 million acres and hunters are becoming more educated not just on how they hunt, but also wiser on management strategies.”

On intensively managed ranches under Level 3 of the Managed Lands Deer Permit program, Oct. 2 is the “soft” opening day of the general deer season. Hunters on Level 3 properties have the flexibility to utilize issued permits from the archery season opener through the last day in February by any legal means and methods. MLDPs are used instead of deer tags, which means deer taken under the program do not count against a hunter’s annual bag limit.

The MLDP program is a multi-tiered incentive based and habitat focused initiative that allows landowners involved in a formal management program to have the state’s most flexible seasons and increased harvest opportunities. Higher levels offer additional harvest flexibility to the landowner, but also have more stringent requirements.

Some in South Texas already have their sights set on a specific buck they’ve spotted during deer counts or captured on trail cameras, according to Cain. “There are some landowners down here that have already got some huge bucks located,” he pointed out. “We’re talking bucks that will score 200 or better. Now those don’t grow behind every tree but these bucks were able to recover from last year’s rut and develop better because of quality range conditions.”

This could also be a breakout year for the Class of 2004. That was a peak year for deer productivity and range conditions, which means the odds of seeing a mature 6 ½-year-old buck this season are pretty favorable.

“In 2004, at least in South Texas, we had good rainfall and a good fawn crop,” recalled Cain. “Consequently, even with normal deer harvest over the years, we should have good carryover and I would suggest hunters consider waiting on that older buck and not pull the trigger on the first deer you see.”