What year did Grayson County start Archery only hunting?

[Landrover]

Word is some rich and powerful lawyer up there didn't want to compete with rifle hunters and had the change enacted. He wanted a private reserve for bowhunters only.

Heck, I wish he would get property is about 100 other counties in Texas.....lol!

Kind of relevant isn't it?

Only thing I don't agree with in that old post was the judge using stray bullets striking livestock or people being a valid reason


I think a lot of Texas counties would see great improvements in deer numbers and quality if they went to short (1-2 week) gun seasons and archery seasons for the rest of the current season dates.

Not pushing for that but just my opinion

I will vote for that!!!

[mdmorrow]

JRuss, sorry just seeing this thread. So the question is why and how did Grayson become archery only?

Let’s go back to the 60's. The state determined there was no longer a recreationally huntable population in the county. Let that sink in for a moment.

In the 80's the draw hunt was developed as a means of managing the deer population in the refuge. This doesn't mean the population was recovered or large, simply that a density existed IN THE REFUGE that required a harvest to IMPROVE THE HABITAT there. Remember, the refuge is primarily a migrating waterfowl area.

In the early 90's the state reinstituted a legal harvest within the county by means of archery, using the Hagerman hunt as a template... for a reason.

Passthrough, HuntnTx, GRAYSON and a few others are correct. The state reinstituted the harvest by means of archery and the success of Hagerman's hunt provided a template. The citizens protected that self-imposed means of harvest by petition and vocal representation. So nothing was taken away. In fact... Grayson County stands as a great example of how a smaller herd in highly fragmented and agriculturally developed (plowed/planted monoculture/year-round grazing) lands among highly fragmented properties (development and property division) with diverse "management perspectives" can sustain a high degree of recreational hunting pressure, while maintaining healthy buck to doe ratios and even better than average maturity within the buck population. WHEW, that is a lot! Fewer deer with greater available resources plus maturity equals more bone... and that occurred by happenstance.

In fact, if you look at Hagerman with its nine days of hunting and realize that NO ONE is feeding protein or aggressively harvesting perceived inferior deer... you might simply start managing towards the correct carrying capacity for your land and towards improved buck maturation. Drink deeply of that thought too.

The plan is one that has worked so well both biologically and socially that has it become adopted by other counties dealing with the same issues. Also keep in mind that firearm hunting is permitted for other large mammals like varmints and hogs.

Excellent write up

[XBowHunter]

JRuss, sorry just seeing this thread. So the question is why and how did Grayson become archery only?

Let’s go back to the 60's. The state determined there was no longer a recreationally huntable population in the county. Let that sink in for a moment.

In the 80's the draw hunt was developed as a means of managing the deer population in the refuge. This doesn't mean the population was recovered or large, simply that a density existed IN THE REFUGE that required a harvest to IMPROVE THE HABITAT there. Remember, the refuge is primarily a migrating waterfowl area.

In the early 90's the state reinstituted a legal harvest within the county by means of archery, using the Hagerman hunt as a template... for a reason.

Passthrough, HuntnTx, GRAYSON and a few others are correct. The state reinstituted the harvest by means of archery and the success of Hagerman's hunt provided a template. The citizens protected that self-imposed means of harvest by petition and vocal representation. So nothing was taken away. In fact... Grayson County stands as a great example of how a smaller herd in highly fragmented and agriculturally developed (plowed/planted monoculture/year-round grazing) lands among highly fragmented properties (development and property division) with diverse "management perspectives" can sustain a high degree of recreational hunting pressure, while maintaining healthy buck to doe ratios and even better than average maturity within the buck population. WHEW, that is a lot! Fewer deer with greater available resources plus maturity equals more bone... and that occurred by happenstance.

In fact, if you look at Hagerman with its nine days of hunting and realize that NO ONE is feeding protein or aggressively harvesting perceived inferior deer... you might simply start managing towards the correct carrying capacity for your land and towards improved buck maturation. Drink deeply of that thought too.

The plan is one that has worked so well both biologically and socially that has it become adopted by other counties dealing with the same issues. Also keep in mind that firearm hunting is permitted for other large mammals like varmints and hogs.

thanks for the info

[Fmjag64]

I hope they keep it bow only forever and never change it.

[XBowHunter]

I hope they keep it bow only forever and never change it.

x2

[GW2210]

The archery only "General " season in Grayson County started in 1999.

[jshouse]

I think it was the same year grayson co. started taking away private property rights.

dang, you were fightin that fight 2 years ago too?

[kurt68]

Hopefully they keep it bow only for ever!!!


<--------------Both Grayson County bruisers.

[BrianL]

Growing up around here, there used to be VERY FEW deer. As it started to get a few more they started allowing hunting. It went from "no open season" to an "archery season". Never has been changed for archery and rifle, and many don't want it to.

[Reaper33]

I love that Grayson is bow only. Keeps things nice and quiet during the season. If you hear a bang it should be from a shotgun. If its not a shotgun shot then I start to get suspicious and looking to see if I see any strange trucks driving around. I know in my area we all pretty much know what everyone drives so we all look out for each other.

[txchuck]

GW 2210 is correct. I believe that there was a Hagerman hunt for a few years before any there was any season in the county and that when the season started in the county it was in archery season only for a couple of years.
Also in the late 50s ( that's right I'm old) there was no appreciable deer population in Grayson county. I am saying this as someone who varmint hunted a lot during that period.
Chuck

[Jtrage]

JRuss, sorry just seeing this thread. So the question is why and how did Grayson become archery only?

Let’s go back to the 60's. The state determined there was no longer a recreationally huntable population in the county. Let that sink in for a moment.

In the 80's the draw hunt was developed as a means of managing the deer population in the refuge. This doesn't mean the population was recovered or large, simply that a density existed IN THE REFUGE that required a harvest to IMPROVE THE HABITAT there. Remember, the refuge is primarily a migrating waterfowl area.

In the early 90's the state reinstituted a legal harvest within the county by means of archery, using the Hagerman hunt as a template... for a reason.

Passthrough, HuntnTx, GRAYSON and a few others are correct. The state reinstituted the harvest by means of archery and the success of Hagerman's hunt provided a template. The citizens protected that self-imposed means of harvest by petition and vocal representation. So nothing was taken away. In fact... Grayson County stands as a great example of how a smaller herd in highly fragmented and agriculturally developed (plowed/planted monoculture/year-round grazing) lands among highly fragmented properties (development and property division) with diverse "management perspectives" can sustain a high degree of recreational hunting pressure, while maintaining healthy buck to doe ratios and even better than average maturity within the buck population. WHEW, that is a lot! Fewer deer with greater available resources plus maturity equals more bone... and that occurred by happenstance.

In fact, if you look at Hagerman with its nine days of hunting and realize that NO ONE is feeding protein or aggressively harvesting perceived inferior deer... you might simply start managing towards the correct carrying capacity for your land and towards improved buck maturation. Drink deeply of that thought too.

The plan is one that has worked so well both biologically and socially that has it become adopted by other counties dealing with the same issues. Also keep in mind that firearm hunting is permitted for other large mammals like varmints and hogs.

It took a year and a half to get the answer. And an excellent one at that.

[Bobcat]

Sorry I was away for a little while. Glad the info is helpful. Good Hunting!

[bossbowman]

Anyone know the actual first year they had an archery hunt on the refuge, how many hunters drawn, which units were open? Would love to know the history. I found this story of this traditional taken deer at the refuge in 1995, not sure if that was the first hunt or not...

[kch73]

I have never hunted in Grayson county. However, I spent a lot of time in a summer camp in that area from 1986 to 1991. At the time, the facility was Texoma Lutheran Camp. I believe now the Episcopal church runs the camp. It was on the Lake, near Mill Creek. I can tell you in five summers up there I never saw a doe much less a monster buck. Not to say they weren't around but I did a ton of early and late fishing in those coves and never saw any deer.

As far the season timeframe...I think the Fed's allowed bow hunting in Hagerman earlier than the State did for the General Archery season. I think as long as big bucks reside in Grayson county and Hagerman there will always be some controversy.