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For many people deer hunting is the highlight of the fall and winter seasons. Texas is home to an estimated 3. In roughly , hunters had a success rate of Mule deer Odocoileus hemionus populations are considerably lower, usually fluctuating from , to , depending on habitat conditions. They are confined to the western portion of the state, mostly in the Trans- Pecos but with some in the Panhandle and western Edwards Plateau.

In roughly 22, mule deer hunters had a Photo credit: Mark Tyson. Mule deer in West Texas. White-tailed deer and mule deer look very similar, but a few key characteristics will help you distinguish between the two. The average body size of mule deer is usually larger than white-tailed deer; however this is not a great identification tool because you rarely have both species standing next to each other for comparison. White-tailed deer can be recognized by their white bottomed tail used as a warning flag; mule deer tails are a more cream colored with a distinct black tip.

The easiest way to identify mule deer, especially antlerless deer, is by the characteristically large ears in proportion to head size, which is where they get their name. White-tailed deer have smaller, seemingly more proportional ears. Mule deer also have characteristic black markings on their forehead and around their ears, as can be seen in the pictures above. On bucks during the breeding season the antlers are also an additional indicator. On mule deer the antlers are usually bifurcated the tines come in forked pairs.

White-tailed deer usually have all their tines coming off one main beam, and antlers are described based on total points, such as 8pt or 9pt.

Antlers alone are not a great indicator of species due to variation in individuals. There are also white-tailed deer racks with forked tines that can look very similar to a mule deer rack. There are areas were people have reported mule deer with non-bifurcated racks similar to white-tailed deer or white-tailed deer herds with many bifurcated racks. If in doubt contact a TPWD biologist for identification help.

Photo credit: TPWD. White-tailed deer in East Texas. Both mule deer and white-tailed deer have diets composed of 4 main food categories: forbs, grasses, browse, and mast. Forbs: broad-leafed herbaceous plants, a. Examples include sunflowers, lambs-quarters, and Illinois bundleflower. Some domesticated grasses such as wheat are an exception and can be consumed when mature. Browse: Woody plants, usually the leaves, twigs, and sometimes bark is eaten. This also includes the succulents such as prickly pear cactus that make up a large part of desert mule deer diets.

Mast: The nuts, fruits, and berries of woody species. A good example is acorns. Usually only seasonally available. The proportion of the different food categories in the diet varies between species and regions. Forbs are generally preferred but some populations, especially mule deer populations, may have to rely heavily on browse due to habitat conditions.

Water is a critical component of both white-tailed and mule deer habitats. Water use varies by season and habitat conditions. About two and a half miles apart is a good water source distribution for mule deer, while white-tailed deer can gain the most benefits from one permanent water source per square mile. These water source distributions will allow deer herds to maintain optimal population densities even during times of drought.

Many livestock water sources will serve well as wildlife watering sources, such as stock ponds or troughs troughs should be no higher than 24in to allow young deer to drink from them. Mule deer and White-tailed deer are found in amazingly diverse habitats throughout their geographical distributions, from deserts to mountains to forests.

This means that there are many types of cover that deer utilize in different areas of the country. Large trees and bushes provide protection from the elements. Not enough cover can lead to predation problems; not enough cover can also be tied to not enough food since many cover species also serve as browse. The flip side of this is that cover that is too dense can restrict movement through the habitat and prevent deer from moving between the important components that make up their habitat.

White-tailed deer prefer denser brush canopies of 50 percent or more whereas mule deer prefer more open habitat with less than 40 percent brush cover. Breeding season varies slightly depending on where in Texas a deer herd is located. Peak breeding for white-tailed deer is usually in mid-November through early December. White-tailed deer usually have one fawn their first fawning season and then twins during later years; Mule deer usually have one fawn their second fawning season and twins thereafter.

Armstrong, W. White-tailed deer management in the Texas Hill Country. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Cantu, R. Mule deer management in Texas. Hall, S. Texas wildlife identification guide. Lightfoot, S. Outlook favorable for Texas deer season. Purvis, J. Big game harvest survey results thru Richardson, C.

Lionberger, and G. White-tailed deer management in the Rolling Plains of Texas. Identification Photo credit: Mark Tyson.

Types of Texas Deer – Texas Capital Forum & Coalition.

Bag limits are established by county. No person what kind of deer are in south texas exceed the annual bag limit of five white-tailed deer, no more than three of which may be bucks. The annual bag limit does not apply on MLDP properties. Find your county to view specific limits. Counties with mandatory buck and antlerless deer harvest reporting: Collin, Dallas, Grayson, Rockwall. A deer with an antler point protruding through the skin, or with antler growth in velvet greater than one inch.

For tagging purposes, all other deer are antlerless deer, regardless of sex. Antler restrictions apply in certain counties. In these counties, the bag limit is two legal bucks, but only ONE may have 2 branched antlers and an inside spread of 13 inches or greater. In these counties, a legal buck deer is team north carolina team: football football – carolina north as a buck deer with:.

It is unlawful to take more than one buck with an inside spread of 13 inches or greater or with two branched antlers i. If the inside spread extends past the ears, it is likely to be at least 13 inches. Find your county to determine if there are antler restrictions. To determine if a buck has an inside spread measurement of at least 13 inches, look at the distance from ear-tip to ear-tip on a buck with ears in the «alert» position.

A projection that extends at least one inch from the edge of a main beam or another tine. The tip of the читать далее beam is also a point. CWD is a fatal disease that has been discovered in white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, and what kind of deer are in south texas deer in localized portions of Texas.

To detect and manage this disease, the department has designated CWD Zones. Hunters who harvest mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk, or other exotic CWD-susceptible species within the CWD Zones are required to bring their animals to a TPWD check station within 48 hours of harvest. Hunters must check each animal harvested and receive a CWD receipt before taking any part of that animal from the CWD Zone, including any meat or quartered parts.

Additional regulations may apply and additional zones may be established читать больше prior notice anywhere in the state upon discovery of CWD. The department will make every effort to publicize the designation and location of CWD Zones and check stations, as well as any special regulations that may be adopted following the publication of this notice. For the latest updates, call or visit the CWD information pages.

Hunters in possession of a digital license and tags should refer to Super Combo Digital Tags for tagging instructions. What kind of deer are in south texas tag from the hunting license of the person who killed the deer must be correctly and legibly completed including name of property and county and immediately attached to the animal exception is properties with special-issued tags such as MLDP tags. See how to properly tag a deer. In counties with a Special Late Season, harvest is restricted to antlerless and unbranched antlered deer a buck with at least one antler that has no more than one point.

A point is a projection that extends at least one inch from the edge of a main beam or another tine. Find your county for detailed what kind of deer are in south texas. Only licensed hunters 16 years of age or younger are eligible to participate in youth-only deer seasons. See Youth-Only Hunting Regulations. It is the responsibility of the hunter to be aware of unlawful means and methods in specific county areas and applicable regulations on federal lands.

After Killing a Deer. Proof of Sex. Processing in Camp. Cold Storage, Processing and Taxidermy. Chronic Wasting Disease. Restricted Areas in Counties. Archery Only All counties with an open season Oct.

General Season North Zone Nov. Youth-Only North Zone Oct. Muzzleloader Jan. Special Late North Zone Jan. View White-tailed Deer hunting regulations for your county.

What kind of deer are in south texas –

Large trees and bushes provide protection from the elements. Not enough cover can lead to predation problems; not enough cover can also be tied to not enough food since many cover species also serve as browse. The flip side of this is that cover that is too dense can restrict movement through the habitat and prevent deer from moving between the important components that make up their habitat.

White-tailed deer prefer denser brush canopies of 50 percent or more whereas mule deer prefer more open habitat with less than 40 percent brush cover. Breeding season varies slightly depending on where in Texas a deer herd is located. Peak breeding for white-tailed deer is usually in mid-November through early December. White-tailed deer usually have one fawn their first fawning season and then twins during later years; Mule deer usually have one fawn their second fawning season and twins thereafter.

Armstrong, W. White-tailed deer management in the Texas Hill Country. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Cantu, R. Mule deer management in Texas.

Hall, S. Texas wildlife identification guide. Lightfoot, S. Furthermore, the antlers of mule deer bucks males are called bucks generally fork, while whitetail antler tines grow from the main beam; this is not a reliable means of identification- we must mention. As far as ecology is concerned Texas whitetails favor heavy woods, thickets, and dense brush, while mule deer more commonly range in open country where there is plenty of sunlight and grass to eat.

These choices in habitat are more openly seen where the two deer share territory: On the High Plains of the Texas Panhandle, for example, you can often find mule deer foraging on the open grasslands, while whitetails will generally stick to the thick bushes adjoining the forests. Where shrubs and trees are more prevalent than open grasslands, you will typically find more whitetails, rather than mule deer.

The Whitetail and Mule Deers are not the only types of deer that you will find within the borders of Texas. Several types of deer now reside in Texas, many of them initially imported to private ranches for game hunting purposes, and have now established themselves to varying degrees as free-roaming deer populations. Although it will take some time for them to become as many as the two major types of deer that we have discussed, they are already now important members of the Texas wild ecosystem.

Let us talk about them now:. There are about 6, feral axis deer Axis axis which is a spotted species that was imported from South Asia, as well as other exotics which include the fallow deer Dama dama , which is a small deer species that comes from Europe, and also the sika deer, which is another small native to East Asia.

So what impact do these exotic types of deer have on the ecosystem? These invasive species have impacted the ecology because they compete with native deer for the available resources.

Furthermore, the exotic species of deer may encourage the proliferation of predators such as coyotes, wolves and mountain lions. This is because they provide abundant food sources that could encourage predators to breed and multiply.

This could have untold consequences to the ecosystem because the predators could then turn around to wreak havoc on the populations of the native deer species. Supplemental feeding should NEVER be used to increase deer densities above the carrying capacity of the native habitats.

Supplemental feeding may be used to keep deer in optimal body condition to increase their probability of expressing their genetic potential, even during extreme weather conditions such as droughts. All to often managers tend to emphasize population management techniques such as selective harvest, rather than habitat management and improvement. Although improvements in the deer herd can be made with population management, greater success and management options are available on land with quality habitats.

Deer herd management often involves manipulating or managing buck:doe ratios, fawn production, deer densities, age structure, and selective harvest.

The degree of manipulation or plan of action will depend on the goals and objectives of a landowner’s deer management program. Management option vary widely. Some of the more common management goals may be optimizing a maximum sustainable harvest, producing trophy bucks or simply producing a healthy deer herd on native habitats.

Good record keeping should also be a part of any formal deer management program. CWD is a fatal disease that has been discovered in white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, and red deer in localized portions of Texas. To detect and manage this disease, the department has designated CWD Zones. Hunters who harvest mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk, or other exotic CWD-susceptible species within the CWD Zones are required to bring their animals to a TPWD check station within 48 hours of harvest.

Hunters must check each animal harvested and receive a CWD receipt before taking any part of that animal from the CWD Zone, including any meat or quartered parts. Additional regulations may apply and additional zones may be established without prior notice anywhere in the state upon discovery of CWD. The department will make every effort to publicize the designation and location of CWD Zones and check stations, as well as any special regulations that may be adopted following the publication of this notice.

For the latest updates, call or visit the CWD information pages. Hunters in possession of a digital license and tags should refer to Super Combo Digital Tags for tagging instructions.

A tag from the hunting license of the person who killed the deer must be correctly and legibly completed including name of property and county and immediately attached to the animal exception is properties with special-issued tags such as MLDP tags. See how to properly tag a deer.

In counties with a Special Late Season, harvest is restricted to antlerless and unbranched antlered deer a buck with at least one antler that has no more than one point.

What kind of deer are in south texas

 
 
Apr 10,  · WHAT DO SOUTH TEXAS DEER EAT? (1) Sawtooth fogfruit (6) Spiny aster & saltmarsh aster (2) Herbaceous mimosa (7) Woodsorrel (3) Old-man’s beard (8) . Nov 28,  · Types of Texas Deer 1. Whitetail Deer White-tailed deer is the largest (by numbers) family of deer, as well as the most widely distributed 2. Mule Deer The mule deer . Aug 08,  · 93 Texas counties have received the fallow deer, mostly in the Edwards Plateau area. Although fallow deer can be found in South Texas, the Texas Hill Country, and the .