Fall deer hunting outlook
How Alan Cain, the white-tailed deer program leader for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, views the upcoming season:
EDWARDS PLATEAU
2020-21 harvest: 255,780; Hunter success rate: 79 percent
Rundown: The Edwards Plateau maintains the state’s highest deer density with a population estimated at more than 2.05 million animals and an equally high hunter success rate of 79 percent. While Cain encourages hunters in DMU 6 to use their antlerless tags, he suggests hunters in the western part of the region (DMU 4) limit doe harvest to help the herd recover from a 2019 anthrax outbreak that reduced numbers by about 50 percent. Cain added Hill Country hunters should expect to see more bucks in the mature age class (5½ years or older) this year relative to other age classes, because of good fawn production in 2013-2016. Hunters looking for older age class bucks should focus on the area between Hondo to Del Rio and north of Highway 90 (DMU 7), where the three-year average indicates that more than 50 percent of the bucks harvested are 4½ years old or older. “Overall, the Hill Country is a great deer hunting region and expectations are above average for the 2021 season,” Cain said.
SOUTH TEXAS PLAINS
2020-21 harvest: 132,991; Hunter success rate: 79 percent
Rundown: South Texas is regarded as a premier destination for big bucks. Three deer management units are represented with densities ranging from 24-40 deer per 1,000 acres. Cain says populations are stable but expects to see a spike this year thanks to optimum habitat conditions and good fawn production. Cain says 4½-year-old bucks represented 50 percent of the buck harvest in 2020 and predicts the trend to continue with the 2021 season. “Antler quality in the region is expected to be above average with the exceptional habitat conditions and relatively mild temperatures compared to previous years,” he said. “It should be an exciting year to be in the brush country.”
POST OAK SAVANNAH
2020-21 harvest: 107,073; Hunter success rate: 66 percent
Rundown: Like many areas of the state, Cain says the Post Oak enjoyed an exceptional spring with plentiful rainfall, which should contribute to above average fawn production and help bucks grow some outstanding antlers. Surveys indicate that 66 percent of the 2020 buck harvest was represented by bucks 3½ years or older. Hunters should expect this trend to continue in 2021. Cain added that oaks should be loaded with mast this fall, which could equate to some tough hunting during early fall.
PINEYWOODS
2020-21 harvest: 89,702; Hunter success rate: 57 percent
Rundown: Cain says the Pineywoods supports around 284,000 whitetails, but numbers could jump with an above average fawn production year in the works. Of the region’s five DMU units, the area around Lufkin/Nacogdoches supports the most deer (25 deer per 1,000 acres), while the area between Houston and Beaumont carries the fewest (7.8 deer per 1,000 acres). Hunters can expect to see a few more bucks in the 3½- to 4½-year-old age class relative to younger age class bucks. Buck harvest trends indicate about 53 percent of the bucks taken in the region are 3½ years old or older — a byproduct of the antler restriction regulation. Hunters should expect the same trend for 2021 and look for some whoppers to be reported.
CROSS TIMBERS
2020-21 harvest: 113,231; Hunter success rate: 69 percent
Rundown: The region is second in deer numbers behind the Edwards Plateau with an estimated population of nearly 807,000 deer. Fawn recruitment could exceed 60 percent this fall, so that number could jump. Cain says hunters can expect to see good numbers of 4½- to 5½-year-old bucks in the field thanks to bumper fawn crops in 2016-17. Look for harvest trends similar to 2020, when 71 percent of the bucks harvested were 3½ years old or older. Antler quality and numbers are expected to be high for the upcoming season.
ROLLING PLAINS
2020-21 harvest: 89,978; Hunter success rate: 69 percent (East) and 65 percent (West) Rundown: While the Rolling Plains supports fewer deer than that most ecoregions, it does produce to quite a few deer with large antlers. In fact, Cain ranks the region second only to South Texas when it comes to kicking out big bucks. The 16-year average Boone and Crockett score on bucks 5½ years old or older is 133 for bucks in both regions. Cain says hunters can expect to see more 5½- and 6½-year old bucks in the field this year compared to other age classes and that antler quality is expected to be well above average.