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Most bucks in eastern Texas are still in “velvet,” but that will change in coming weeks as testosterone begins to flow and bucks begin rubbing small trees and bushes to polish their new antlers and start building neck muscles ahead of the fall breeding season. File
We’re still 30-plus days away from the Oct. 3 start of the Archery Only deer season and more than two months shy of the general opener set for Nov. 7. Not surprisingly, plenty of Texans are already dreaming whitetail.
Archery pro shops are bustling with hunters pondering opening day.
Corn sales are brisk.
As always, internet forums are abuzz with hunters eager to chat about the prospects or show off their latest game cam treasures.
It’s always a treat to surf websites like texasbow hunter.com or the Deep ETX Pineywoods Hunting Forum Facebook page this time of year. Both are filled with threads about everything from wild game recipes to hunting strategies and the latest in useful gear.
I like to look at the pictures of all the bucks with spindly necks and velvet-clad antlers. Though bucks appear less than manly during the summer months, it’s only natural to dream what the deer might look like once their calcium crowns fully form, summer coats fade to fall grey and necks swell like prize fighters.
“Velvet” is the expression frequently used to describe the thin layer of hairy skin that covers the antlers throughout the growing process, which begins in early spring. The soft skin is lined with tiny blood vessels to fuel fast growth of the cartilage until it calcifies into hardened antlers, usually by early September if not a little sooner.
That’s when testosterone begins to flow and the blood supply to the velvet ceases, causing it to dry and peel away from the bone. Bucks help things along by rubbing on small trees and bushes to polish their new antlers and start building neck muscles ahead of the fall breeding season.
Rubbing creates a visual signpost that can be easily spotted by other deer and observant hunters. A fresh rub isn’t the most reliable sign to plan hunting strategies around, but it is solid evidence that a buck has been in the area.
Those bucks that survive the winter will cast their antlers the following spring and the growing process starts all over again. The carryover translates to another year of age that can sometimes mean the difference between the animal growing a good rack or an exceptional one the following summer. Bucks tends to grow their best antlers beyond 5 1/2 years of age with sufficient nutrition.
LOOKING GOOD
The upcoming whitetailed deer season is setting up to be a good one for Texas’ 790,000 deer hunters. That’s the word from Alan Cain, head of white-tailed deer program for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
Cain is based in Pleasanton, roughly 40 miles south of San Antonio in Atascosa County. He relies on intel from wildlife biologists and other field staff to help monitor white-tailed deer herds from one region to the next.
It’s a complex job. Texas has more deer than any other state, roughly about 5.5 million animals. That’s around five times the number of the other leading states like Mississippi, Missouri and Alabama.
Deer hunting represents a huge cash cow for Texas. Studies have shown that deer hunting generates $1.2 billion in revenue for the state’s economy each year.
Cain recently released his 2020 white-tailed deer forecast. Though it may not turn out to be the best on season record, the biologist thinks many hunters are going to be pleased with the quality they see in the field this fall.
Here’s a synopsis of his report:
Cain said much of the state saw timely spring and early summer rains in April, May and June that spurred the growth nutrition-rich forbs and an explosion of new growth on shrubs. The succulent goodies should bode well for antler growth on bucks while providing does with critical nutrition for nursing fawns through the summer.
“The spring rains helped many areas of the state, including South Texas, the Edwards Plateau and areas west recover from very dry conditions that persisted from fall and winter of 2019,” he said. “The habitat conditions set the stage for good early antler growth and fawn recruitment numbers are looking good.
Cain added that habitat and range conditions have deteriorated in the last month or so, but the deer still look to be in good shape.
“I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the trail camera photos of great bucks that a number of landowners have passed along to me,” Cain said. “I’ve seen a couple of bucks that would gross more than 200 Boone and Crockett inches. Overall, antler quality is looking good for the upcoming season.”
NUMBERS CLIMBING
Cain said the overall population is in good shape, showing positive long-term growth that equates to a density of about 49.35 deer per 1,000 acres across the state’s eight ecological regions and 44 deer management units.
The Edwards Plateau in Central Texas has historically supported the most deer (about 2.37 million) of any region. Likewise, it sees the most hunting traffic and accounts the bulk of the harvest each year.
In 2019, nearly 194,000 Hill Country hunters shot 256,000 deer, resulting in a 76% success rate. South Texas ran a distant second with a harvest of 138,000 deer, followed by the Post Oak Savannah (103,000), Cross Timbers and Prairies (91,000) and the Pineywoods (88,000).
EDWARDS PLATEAU
Cain says he expects the Edwards Plateau population numbers to be down somewhat this year due to a 2019 anthrax outbreak that resulted in localized mortality estimated as high as 90% on some ranches. The losses may been a silver lining in many respects.
“Such losses provided long-term benefits by reducing deer densities and bringing them in line with natural carrying capacity of the native rangeland,” Cain said. “This population reduction should result in healthier deer and hopefully more nutrition to help bucks maximize antler production.”
Hunters can expect to see a cohort of bucks in the 4 1/2- to 7 1/2-year-old age classes this year as a result of high fawn production in prior years. Cain said the odds will be particularly good on DMU 4 between Del Rio and Junction and DMU 7 between Hondo to Del Rio and north of U.S. Highway 90.
SOUTH TEXAS
Cain said South Texas’ deer herd of about 438,000 animals is stable but could increase slightly thanks to a bumper fawn crop this season. Hunters should expect to see a good number of 5 1/2-year-old bucks this season as a result of a good fawn crop in 2015 but fewer bucks 6 1/2 or older.
Antler quality is expected to be average or above. Hunter success last year was 77%.
POST OAK
Age and antler surveys performed in 2019 indicate that 68% of the region’s harvest was represented by bucks 3 1/2 years old or older. Hunters should expect the trend to continue in 2020 with some good quality bucks available for harvest.
Cain expects there will be fewer bucks in the 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 age classes due to low fawn crops in 2016 and 2017. Hunters should notice a good number of 1 1/2- to 3 1/2-year-old bucks in the population as well.
Antler quality is expected to be good for the 2020 season.
Hunter success last year was around 63%.
PINEYWOODS
The region’s deer population is currently estimated at around 286,000, but the number could jump with plenty of fawns on the ground and good habitat conditions.
Cain says hunters should see good numbers of 2 1/2-, 3 1/2- and 7 1/2-year-old bucks in the field this season, and he expects some outstanding deer to be tagged. Harvest trends indicate about 53% of the 47,500 bucks shot in the Pineywoods last season were 3 1/2 years or older, a byproduct of the antler restriction regulation. Hunter success in 2019 was estimated at 56%.
CROSS TIMBERS
The North Texas region supports the state’s second highest whitetail population with a well-distributed age structure among bucks, thanks to consistently good fawn crops over the last eight years.
Cain says 2020 is expected to be average to above as a result of great range conditions, especially in the eastern portion of the region. Hunters may notice a few additional bucks in the 7 1/2- to 8 1/2-year-old year classes relative to other age classes, thanks to exceptional fawn recruitment in 2012 and 2013.
Harvest trends for 2019 indicate that 70% of buck harvest was represented by bucks 3 1/2 years old or older. Hunter success for 2019 was estimated at 60%.
ROLLING PLAINS
The eastern and western Rolling Plains maintain lower deer populations compared to the rest of the state. Though population trends are currently stable, things could change in the western plains due to persistent dry conditions that may stifle fawn production this year.
Cain says the number of bucks in the 4 1/2-, 5 1/2- and 7 1/2-year-old age classes to be higher relative to other age groups this season. He expects harvest trends of older age class bucks to continue in 2020 due to the region’s larger property sizes, relatively light hunting pressure and widespread interest in deer management among property managers.
Hunt success in 2019 in the eastern plains was 74% and 69% in the western plains.