Non-typical Stuff | Deer Hunting & Management

TPWD Wants Comments on New Deer Hunting Regulations

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

Whitetail Bucks are Dropping Their Velvet

With the fall deer hunting season just around the corner and thousands of game cameras attached to trees, posts, or anything else an ingenious hunter can mount a camera to, photos are constantly being taken of white-tailed bucks going through rapid antler transformations — from velvet covered antlers to fresh, clean racks. It really is amazing how fast antlers can grow, but just as amazing is how fast a buck can take it all off!

Last week we talked about how minerals are transported from a buck’s skeleton as its antlers grow, but this week we are are touching on the velvet removal process. Velvet is removed because testosterone levels of bucks rise during the fall triggering the mineralization of the cartilage-like tissue. Because a buck’s antlers are very tender during the velvet stage and they have low levels of testosterone, bucks are very friendly towards one another. In fact, you will rarely see bucks fighting at all during the antler growing period.

Antlers harden and then bucks rub off velvet

But don’t think they don’t fight. Bucks do fight, they just do not use their antlers. During the spring and summer, whitetail bucks often settle fights by threats and posturing, but when push comes to shove they fight much likes does — on their hind legs using their front legs to kick! But back to the mineralization of antlers.

Once antlers become totally mineralized, the blood vessels in the velvet surrounding them dies and begins to dry up. As the velvet begins to slough off bucks will aid the process by rubbing their antlers on nearby saplings and trees. Bucks will continue to rub their antlers on brush up until the rut as they work off building aggression and prepare for battle with other white-tailed bucks.

The photos below show a 9-point buck located in central Texas over about a week period. You can identify the buck as the same deer because of his short G4 on the right side, but you can see that this guy went from velvet to clean in short order. And just think, he will be shedding his antlers in about 5 months and starting all over, if he makes it through hunting season!

When Whitetail Bucks Lose Their Velvet

When Do Bucks Lose Their Velvet?

It’s a common and important question hunters ask every year. When do bucks lose their velvet on their antlers? In short, it varies from buck to buck, but the transition from velvet-covered antlers to a “hard-horned” buck takes place in late-summer. The process of antler formation is said to be the most rapid growth known in the animal kingdom.

So, how does a white-tailed buck get such a huge quantity of minerals from his diet and into his antlers so rapidly? Well, they don’t. Yes, a white-tailed buck gets some of the minerals needed for antler growth from its diet. However, the remainder of the minerals needed come from the internal reserves found within its body.

Grow Antlers, Shed Antlers, Repeat

A whitetail buck can not get all the raw material it needs for this rapid growth of antlers from the food it eats that season. Instead, the deer must borrow it from within its body. In a process similar to that of osteoporosis in humans, minerals are taken from a buck’s ribs, sternum, and skull, and redeposited in growing antlers.

When do bucks lose their velvet?

It’s an amazing process. In fact, research has found that bone density may decrease by as much as 30 percent in whitetail bucks following the antler growing season! It also helps explain why mature bucks can grow larger antlers than their younger counterparts. The skeletal bones of a buck continues to grow until it is at least 3 years of age.

As a result, only older bucks can store more of the minerals need for antler growth in their bones. In addition, they also do not have a requirement to use them for skeletal growth. Many bucks will exhibit a significant increase in antler size at 4 years of age.

That is also why the big-antlered bucks always seem to be the heaviest bucks, as well — because they are! Good body condition within each deer found on a property is the key to maintaining a quality deer population in any area. That’s why I continually stress sound habitat management be implemented on your property so that the land can provide optimal year-round deer nutrition.

When Bucks Shed, Lose Their Velvet?

By about the first of September antler growth is generally complete in whitetail bucks across their range. Almost as if someone flipped a switch, bucks undergo a rapid transformation. When it happens, bucks shed the soft velvet from the exterior of their antlers and start to beef-up for the breeding season.

This is marked by a sharp rise in testosterone level that triggers a shutdown of the blood supply to the velvet, which results in velvet dying and being totally removed with amazing speed. The velvet will simply fall off, though many bucks because of increased testosterone levels will begin to rub on shrubs and small trees. Lose velvet hanging from shedding antlers can also be annoying, as witnessed in the video below:

Lastly, when I say velvet is lost fast, I mean fast. Velvet can be completely shed from a whitetail buck’s antlers within a day or two. In fact, I’ve seen an older age class buck with no sign of shedding velvet that was sporting completely clean antlers within 22 hours! Antlers are cool, but white-tailed deer are amazing in their own right.

Managed Lands Deer Permit (MLDP) Program

The Managed Lands Deer Permit (MLDP) program as developed by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) allows Texas landowners involved in a formal deer management program to have the state’s most flexible seasons and increased harvest opportunities. The MLDP program is incentive based and focused on habitat management. The program really is set up to help landowners manage white-tailed deer. Participation in the MLDP program requires a written Wildlife Management Plan (WMP) approved by a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) biologist. However, a TPWD biologist, a landowner, or a landowner’s designated agent may prepare the WMP. A WMP prepared by a landowner or an agent must be in a format approved by TPWD and submitted to TPWD for approval. Although the program seems to be set up to run with minimal paperwork, permits will not be issued unless the WMP has been approved.

There are 3 levels of MLDPs (Level 1, 2, and 3). Higher levels offer additional harvest flexibility to the landowner, but also have more stringent habitat management requirements. There is no fee or written application, other than the WMP, for the MLDP program. Landowners or their designated agents should contact their local TPWD Wildlife biologist to request permits, but don’t wait until right before deer season. New applicants should submit all required information to their local TPWD contact by August 15 if they want to receive their permits before hunting season opens.

Permits are issued by the TPWD biologists through the Texas Wildlife Information and Management System (TWIMS), a computer automated system. Permits are mailed out of Austin each year after a TPWD biologist enters or modifies a harvest recommendation in the database. By the way, permits are valid only for the specific ranch for which they were issued.

An approved WMP will include an annually updated harvest recommendation for does and/or bucks, dependant on the level of participation. The annual harvest recommendation will determine the number of permits to be issued and will establish the maximum harvest for the property. If permits are issued after the start of deer season, all deer harvested prior to permit issuance, regardless of permit level, must be counted towards the maximum quota. Subsequent survey data may indicate a need to amend the harvest recommendation, which could result in a supplemental issuance of MLDPs.

Once permits are issued, all deer harvested (with the exception of buck deer on Level 1 properties) on that property must be tagged with the appropriate MLDP. Completion of the hunting license log and use of a hunting license tag are not required for deer harvested under the authority of a MLDP, but since all deer must have the MLDP, harvest is stricly regulated and intended to meet a landowners objectives.

Providing reliable harvest data, including accurate ages as determined by tooth wear and replacement, is a requirement for program participation. A suggestion for untrained individuals is to remove and label one jawbone from every deer harvested for a wildlife biologist to age at a later date. Jawbones must be labeled in such a way that the biologist can identify the deer on the data sheet. Check this out for more information on the aging deer using the tooth wear technique.

Now, it’s time for specific information about TPWD’s MLDP program. This information is straight from TPWD’s website: Continue reading “Managed Lands Deer Permit (MLDP) Program”

Texas Public Hunt Applications are Online

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will be conducting special drawings for hunts and applications for these quality, affordable hunting experiences are available online now. Application booklets are also being mailed to last year’s primary hunt applicants and will be available at TPWD law enforcement offices.

During the upcoming hunting seasons, more than 5,700 hunters will be selected through random computer drawings allowing access to some of the state’s high-quality managed wildlife habitat. Wildlife management areas, state parks and leased private property will be available for these quality supervised hunts for white-tailed deer, mule deer, pronghorn, javelina, alligator, exotics, feral hog and spring turkey. Continue reading “Texas Public Hunt Applications are Online”