Texas Deer Genetics & Age

[Slick8]

I agree completely. I hunt in an area that prior to antler restrictions rarely produced more than a couple of 120 class deer. Now the local contest will take a mid to upper 120 to crack the top 20.

Age and number of hunters per acre are the biggest detriment to trophy potential.

What also find interesting is how the year after an extremely wet year, you'll see the numbers go up the following year. I believe this is to many mature deer living through the wet year previously as they aren't killed under feeders.

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

[lovemylegacy]

I agree completely. I hunt in an area that prior to antler restrictions rarely produced more than a couple of 120 class deer. Now the local contest will take a mid to upper 120 to crack the top 20.

Age and number of hunters per acre are the biggest detriment to trophy potential.

What also find interesting is how the year after an extremely wet year, you'll see the numbers go up the following year. I believe this is to many mature deer living through the wet year previously as they aren't killed under feeders.

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

Interesting observation

[TX_Hoghunter]

I do believe that age is the hardest thing to get but some places just don't have much to work with. I hunted in the hill country a long time and we fed a bunch of protein over the years and we still never broke 140. We only had pictures of a couple of deer that would. They were just few and far between even with age.

-john

[ultrastealth]

I would agree but say that often times the problems in that situation are neighbors. Not necessarily managing for “Trophy” deer, but more mature deer seems to be a better way to achieve “trophies”. There are many places across Texas that are 3000 acre + low fence places that do very well at managing age structures, and in turn have some trophies every year. So if we cut down the rifle season or went archery only for one year, maybe added a doe tag for some counties, we may see some really positive results.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If you figure that most ranches will butt up against a minimum of four other ranches, the odds that at least one of those neighbors is going to shoot everything with bone on its head is pretty high, and it doesn't matter how long the season is.

[HighwayHunter]

If you figure that most ranches will butt up against a minimum of four other ranches, the odds that at least one of those neighbors is going to shoot everything with bone on its head is pretty high, and it doesn't matter how long the season is.

Maybe so but cutting down rifle season to a month or cutting it out one year altogether will either make people think long and hard about wasting a buck tag on a younger deer or make them hunt harder for specific bucks. I’m not innocent, I’ve done it before. Got excited and shot a young legal buck. I think it’s worth discussing though. We’ve already put up antler restrictions in many places, maybe one more step towards maturing deer herds isn’t a bad idea.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Rwc]

Interesting topic, and I totally agree that age plays a giant part in maximizing a deer's horn characteristics/score. I also have seen positive gains in our bucks frames over the past few years in all areas of the state I have grounds in to hunt, contributed to an older age structure of bucks in general.

Question: Do you believe that more or less hunters practice some sort of deer management today above the state mandated antler restrictions versus 5/10 years ago?

Rwc

[slayr]

I’m with the majority...age is the main component. I hunted southern Newton County for the last 25 years. We consistently killed bucks year after year 140”+. Our hunter numbers were low and we had a pretty decent group of like minded folks willing to let them walk until mature.

It’s not rocket surgery, you can tell the ones which will never make the cut others with potential should be given a pass.

[Johnny44]

Instead of shortening rifle season, outlaw feeders

[Aggiehunter08]

Instead of shortening rifle season, outlaw feeders

Insert idiots with feeders above.

[TxBowHntr]

This is an interesting topic. I agree, that by limiting the ability to harvest deer (Archery only, shortened general season, every other year, etc...) that there will be more mature bucks around. I disagree with this tactic except in the extreme cases (like what most AR counties were prior to). We should be promoting hunting and making the entry to new hunters easier. Plus, who are we to decide that someone who doesn't care about 140"+ bucks shouldn't shoot the small 2 yr old 6 pointer because they are happy with it and it will eat well? I think a lot of hunters forget that not all who hunt do so for trophies. These actions would definitely promote and better establish trophy deer, but at what cost to hunting in general? Trust me, I get the frustration of letting young deer walk and having neighbors shoot them. I hunt a 51 acre piece in Lee county, one of the original 13 AR counties. But that is just the nature of the beast. When my neighbors shoot a buck, I congratulate and am happy for them, regardless of age/size. As long as it is legal, and the herd population is healthy, then I am for less regulation, and more promotion for new hunters. This to me is more essential to our future than having more mature bucks around for the ones that prefer them.

[Johnny44]

I don’t agree with much that encourages Supremacism. I don’t believe in limiting any weapon, don’t care if someone feeds, hunts at night, or whatever.

90% of the folks suggesting such could not find a trophy if it were sitting in the bed of their truck. The trophies are always there, thats how they got to be trophies.

There ain’t a deer shortage.

[IDFWU]

Shortening the season (of any kind) only decreases the amount of money going into the conservation coffers.

I'd totally support antler restrictions for the entire state.

[hchntr]

A lot folks suggesting shortening rifle season, or going archery only for a season.
Why don’t we put bucks off limits for an entire season or longer, regardless of method?
No reason to half a** it...

I hunt 500 acres in llano county, when I joined the lease, we didn’t see many doe.
I believe this will be my 6th season, and to my knowledge, only two does have been killed since I joined. It has really paid off, our doe numbers have really increased. With this being said, I have no idea what our neighbors do.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[AntlerCollector]

I’m on 4 different leases in 5 different counties. So far the biggest buck to date has been a 162” on my lease in Hardin County. He was aged at 4 1/2.

[doright]

The State does not need to be in the trophy business. If you want on a trophy lease then by all means join up on one. If you would like to just kill any deer there are plenty of leases available to do just that. All the state needs to do is make sure we are not over harvesting the resource. As far as shortening the season ,you will have to look hard to find anyone hunting on our lease after Thanksgiving. The ones still hunting after Thanksgiving are the ones that have passed on the younger deer and are holding off for the right deer. Let each lease manage for what they want but don't make a blanket rule for everyone.