Bowhunting Season on Point
The Texas archery season cranks up for white-tailed deer this Saturday, September 28, 2019. Habitat conditions across the state currently range from very wet to very dry, but the entirety of the state received good rainfall during the late winter and spring, when it was needed for antler growth and fawn production.
Total deer numbers will be up and buck antler quality will be good, but it’s going to be the weather that most challenges hunters during the archery season. Hot and dry conditions have set-in across Texas and that will make early season hunting tough for bowhunters.
Deer Hungry Headed into Archery Season
“Although dry conditions should encourage deer to frequent feeders more consistently and more often, the hot temperatures may curtail movement during much of the day except for the periods around dawn and dusk,” said Alan Cain, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) white-tailed deer program leader. “Until cooler temperatures arrive and deer movement picks up hunters may consider using game cameras to narrow down peak deer movement near their favorite hunting location and increase chances of success.”
Deer will routinely visit feeders when foods are lacking in their environment. In many parts of Texas, hunters should expect deer to make consistent use of bait considering the lack of recent rainfall and green vegetation.
This would apply to much of South Texas, as well as the Hill Country and on up to the Red River. Expect deer movement to be strong through mid-morning and then again in the very late evening. This pattern should hold until acorns start to dump, then all bets are off.
Bowhunters are likely to see fewer deer in areas where decent rains have hit the ground over the past few weeks. The whitetail living in these areas will be the beneficiaries of better habitat conditions, which will put a lid on their need to visit bait sites.
Archery Season Outlook
Texas boasts a robust white-tailed deer population of about 5.3 million deer which should contribute to hunter success this fall and winter. Despite the deterioration in habitat conditions over the last few months with triple digit weather and wind, Cain notes “Hunters should expect an excellent deer hunting season with above average antler quality and fawn recruitment.”
Cain explained that good rains early in the fall of 2018 that set the stage for an excellent crop of winter weeds lasting well into 2019. The excellent habitat conditions continued into early July and were critical in providing the nutrition bucks needed to maximize antler growth. This also kept does in good body condition resulted in good fawn survival and a bump in deer numbers.
2019 Deer Hunting Seasons
While the archery-only season kicks off this weekend and runs through November 1, the general/gun deer hunting season opener is still more than a month away on November 2. In addition, a special youth-only weekend season is set for October 26-27 so make sure to get the kids outdoors early and often.
The general season runs through January 5, 2020 in North Texas and January 19, 2020 in South Texas. A late youth-only season is also scheduled for January 6-19, 2020.
New Deer Hunting Regulations for 2019
Texas once again has some new deer hunting regulations thanks to continued herd management from the state. TPWD has increased and expanded doe days for certain counties and has also implemented an additional requirement for successful hunters. For the first time ever, hunters are required to report all antlerless deer harvested in 21 south-central Texas counties to TPWD.
Starting this season, hunters in parts of south-central Texas will be required to report all antlerless deer harvest in Austin, Bastrop, Caldwell, Colorado, Dewitt, Fayette, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Karnes, Lavaca, Lee, Waller, Washington, and Wilson. Counties also included in that change are Goliad, Jackson, Victoria, and Wharton counties north of U.S. Highway 59 and Comal, Hays, and Travis east of IH-35.
Any antlerless deer harvested during the archery, youth-only, muzzleloader, and the 4 doe-days during the general season is required to be reported to TPWD within 24 hours of harvest using either the My Texas Hunt Harvest mobile app (for iOS and Android) or on TPWD’s My Texas Hunt Harvest web page.
TPWD says the app works without a data signal as long as it has already been downloaded to the device. This feature will allow the user to report their antlerless deer harvest immediately, then the report will upload once a signal is available.
As usual, for additional deer hunting opportunities and county-specific regulations, consult the 2019-2020 Outdoor Annual of hunting and fishing regulations. Wherever you hunt, may your 2019 deer hunting season be a success!