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Need advice on changing my lease to MLDP

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    #16
    We are in a coop and do the conservation side. I have 15 acres and get 2 doe tags. I usually don’t shoot 2. I managed the neighbors 1500 acres for permits. Last year we got 12.

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      #17
      Originally posted by AntlerCollector View Post
      I think he meant I pay the paper company for the lease rights to hunt the land.
      My point exactly, the paper mill doesn’t own the land!

      I ran a mld lease for 12 years but dropped it when they changed the system. Use their mapping feature to see how many tags you will get.

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        #18
        Originally posted by AntlerCollector View Post
        Great info Wits_End. Thanks.

        Famousunknown, how many acres where you hunting when you received the 10 doe tags?

        I didn't realize you have to pick either Buck or Doe on the harvest option.
        I think its doe or doe/buck

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          #19
          Under LAMPS we got 15-18 doe tags for our 1400 acres. Harvest option for does gives us 10 doe tags. Bucks under the harvest option would have only allowed us 4 buck tags, but would have created problems deciding which members got to shoot the bucks so we opted for doe tags only...bucks still under general season limits and AR restrictions.

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            #20
            Need advice on changing my lease to MLDP

            I looked at the harvest option for our place and it was a joke-2 does. We had previously been level 1 mld and usually got 6 doe tags and recommendation of 1-2 mature bucks.

            My understanding is the harvest option is based on county and not property specific. We are in Karnes which has a lot of open land but our 450 acres is all pretty thick.


            Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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              #21
              Originally posted by AntlerCollector View Post
              I have a lease that I'm considering applying to make it part of the Managed Lands Deer Program. A quick look on the website shows two options.

              1. Harvest Option (HO)
              The Harvest Option is an automated, 'do-it-yourself' option for MLDP participation that provides landowners with a deer harvest recommendation, tag issuance, and general guidance about wildlife and wildlife habitat management. Participation in the Harvest Option does not require habitat management practices, deer population data, or the participant to receive technical assistance from a TPWD wildlife biologist.

              2. Conservation Option (CO)
              The Conservation Option offers program participants the opportunity to work with a TPWD biologist to receive customized, ranch-specific habitat and deer harvest recommendations and MLDP tag issuance for white-tailed deer and/or mule deer. This option does require the reporting of certain types of deer data as well as completion of specific habitat management practices each year in order to participate and remain in the program.

              Can anyone who is enrolled in these programs, or knows about them, please educate me to the pros and cons of doing this?
              We have 1500 acres in Newton County and use Option #2. The good? All of it! Biologist comes on your property, evaluates carrying capacity of the property, calculates the deer population, spot light surveys(3), fill out wildlife observation reports(ea member) for the season. Deer season is LOOONNNGGG, bag limit is expanded based up on the population of deer, not bound by the 13" rule, required to "improve" the habitat, and I could go on.
              Our biologist would rather we bush hog rather than plant plots, we do both.
              Extra tags for us was 11 does 6 bucks this year...I think.


              The bad? If you don't fill all the MLDP tags you could be penalized by less tags the next season.

              Hope this helps, if you would rather talk, pm me.
              Last edited by lovemylegacy; 12-19-2018, 01:26 AM.

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                #22
                Originally posted by lovemylegacy View Post
                We have 1500 acres in Newton County and use Option #2. The good? All of it! Biologist comes on your property, evaluates carrying capacity of the property, calculates the deer population, spot light surveys(3), fill out wildlife observation reports(ea member) for the season. Deer season is LOOONNNGGG, bag limit is expanded based up on the population of deer, not bound by the 13" rule, required to "improve" the habitat, and I could go on.
                Our biologist would rather we bush hog rather than plant plots, we do both.
                Extra tags for us was 11 does 6 bucks this year...I think.


                The bad? If you don't fill all the MLDP tags you could be penalized by less tags the next season.

                Hope this helps, if you would rather talk, pm me.


                I do like the sound of this!

                Honesty I was hoping the Harvest Option would have been the way to go. It sounds like they really limit how many tags you get since there isn't a biologist physically coming out there. Would I be able to start either one of the programs this coming season? I won't have a seasons worth of deer surveys by then.

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                  #23
                  Go both routes to compare them before making a final decision. I believe you have until early summer to decide.

                  Our experience was the opposite. We have been on MLD3 for years and based on the online mapping tool we would receive double the doe tags going with Harvest. After initial setup of MLD3 years ago we never saw the biologist and they were not the most responsive. This is our experience. Start some email traffic with them, get some rough estimates of deer numbers and see what they say. You can get a good rough estimate of numbers by performing one spotlight count, enough to get a conversation started.

                  With conservation, you get a set number of doe and buck tags. Doe tags based on quantity of deer and buck/doe ratio, and I believe doe weights. Buck tags based on quantity of counted mature bucks. If you have 12 hunters and get 8 tags you have to figure out how to distribute them. You may have a place where not all 12 hunters will shoot a buck in a normal year, but go tell 4 of them at the beginning of the season that they don't have a buck tag or tell the group first come first serve, it changes things.
                  Conservation is quite a bit more work as far as counts, documentation, getting members to do more at specific times, with most of it happening throughout the hot summer months when members are generally not around as often.

                  The long seasons are awesome! Members that do not bowhunt love the rifles in October. If you get an abundance of tags, some members can leave with more deer than normal. The work involved gives great data showing the deer numbers, age classes, weights, and the trends over time (you can do this just the same outside the program, but the requirement makes you more diligent)


                  What do you want out of either of the programs?

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                    #24
                    Didnt think there were enough deer in east Texas to justify a program like that.

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                      #25
                      Get with the biologist in your area. For new properties wanting to do option 2, i believe you will have to have 3 years prior harvest data and an approved game management plan.

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                        #26
                        What do you want out of either of the programs?


                        Well I would like to have a longer doe season. Ours currently is over the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I would personally like to pass on does while the bucks are chasing them in late October and early November. Can't really let them walk now or the doe season will pass by. I also like that I don't have to use a tag off my license, (that's my understanding anyway.). You use the allotted permits instead correct? So the MLD plans allow rifles during October? I'm not a fan of that at all. How much longer are the seasons?

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                          #27
                          In either option, you use MLD tags, not your license tags.
                          Rifle is allowed October through February for the deer option you choose. If you don't choose bucks, you follow county regs.

                          If you choose Harvest-Doe, you get allotted tags and longer season. See if they will give you enough doe tags and make the decision off that. See if they will give you as many as you normally shoot with short season.

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                            #28
                            Originally posted by AntlerCollector View Post
                            What do you want out of either of the programs?


                            Well I would like to have a longer doe season. Ours currently is over the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I would personally like to pass on does while the bucks are chasing them in late October and early November. Can't really let them walk now or the doe season will pass by. I also like that I don't have to use a tag off my license, (that's my understanding anyway.). You use the allotted permits instead correct? So the MLD plans allow rifles during October? I'm not a fan of that at all. How much longer are the seasons?
                            Typically 2/15. PM Top of Texas I’m sure he would give you all of the specifics.

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                              #29
                              We have operated 3 properties under MLD over the last 20yrs. IMO the conservation option is the way to even though it does require a little work on your part. The problem that you occasionally run into in East Texas is the number of tags you receive often limit the number of deer per hunter to less than the county regs.

                              I can attest that we went from being suprised to see a deer to being suprised when we did not see a deer anytime we were on the property. With the amount of acreage you are talking about a management program should be extremely effective.

                              The season runs from the day bow season opens until the end of Feb. That being said it has always been our practice not to take does/anterless after the second weekend in January to avoid the possibility of taking a buck that dropped horns early.

                              Every year after about the 2nd yr on the program we had multiple mature 130"+ deer on camera. When we lost the lease last year (individual purchased from timber company and did not want to lease it out) We had 7 bucks over 130" two of which broke 150".

                              All in all, I think its well worth it as long as the lease members are willing to follow the guidelines and only harvest mature deer.

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                                #30
                                What county is the property in?

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