Deer hunting regulations impact hunters and the deer populations that we hunt. Each year in every state, wildlife agencies examine current regulations and potentially propose changes to those regulations to better manage existing game populations. Several years ago, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) transitioned away from political boundaries for the purpose of monitoring white-tailed deer populations and went towards biologically-based vegetative communities, referred to as Resource Management Units (RMUs).
TPWD identified 33 unique RMUs across the state having similar soils, vegetation types, and land use practices that they believe will more accurately capture deer population dynamics. Their intent is to develop deer season bag limit frameworks based on these units, although regulations will be implemented based on county boundaries to avoid confusion among hunters.
Recently, TPWD unveiled an extensive suite of potential regulation changes in deer harvest throughout much of the state. This includes an expansion of antler restrictions and buck harvest in additional counties. The department has begun gathering public input on the potential proposals during the next few months and present to the commission in January a comprehensive set of proposals. Those proposals will then go back out for official comment during a series of public hearings around the state next spring.
A final decision will be made by the commission at its March 25-26, 2009, public meeting. The changes that could be proposed are listed below and the online public comment period will last until 5:00 pm on January 14, 2009. Click here to make your comments now: Comment on potential TPWD regulations
- Expansion of Antler Restriction Regulations into 52 additional counties
- Bag Limit Changes: Baylor, Callahan, Haskell, Jones, Knox, Shackelford, Taylor, Throckmorton, and Wilbarger counties
- Bag Limit Changes: Pecos, Terrell, and Upton counties
- Bag Limit Changes: Most Cross Timbers and Prairies and Eastern Rolling Plains counties
- Bag Limit Changes: Selected counties in the western rolling plains
- General open season: Dawson, Deaf Smith, and Martin counties
- Expansion of the late antlerless and spike season into additional counties
- General open season (with antlerless harvest by permit only) in Grayson county
- Additional antlerless deer harvest opportunities
- Muzzleloader counties and season
- Extending youth-only seasons