Texas Monthly Hunting Guide
A rundown on where, how, and when and what to hunt around the state.
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Ducks are found throughout Texas, wherever there is water. They are most abundant, however, in the coastal marshes from Port Arthur south to about Corpus Christi. Geese are concentrated in the rice farming country from Port Arthur down to about El Campo. Eagle Lake claims to be the "Goose Capitol of the World," and may well be.
Goose season is usually late October or early November through mid-January, and the limit is usually about five per day. Duck season is a little shorter, but generally about the same time. A special September season on teal gives shotgunners a chance to open up earlier on the fast flying little birds, provided they can brave the mosquitoes and water moccasins.
Hunting season in Texas is ushered in each year with the opening of the north zone mourning dove season on September 1st. Perhaps the trickiest target for the hunters, those little darters probably attract more hunters than any other specie.
Texas has two zones for dove hunting. A jagged line running erratically from Eagle Pass northeast through Toledo Bend Reservoir separates the zones. The north zone opens September 1st and closes October 14. South zone shooting starts September 22 and runs through November 4 except in the counties in the valley having a whitewing season, where the mourning dove season is also open during the short whitewing shoot. Mourning dove sea- son in those counties having a whitewing season ends October 31. Both the north and south zones re-open for a winter shoot lasting from January 5-20. In the Trans-Pecos, it's January 5-15. Daily bag limit is ten.
In some areas of south Texas, there are two kinds of quail, but a hunter still has three chances. He never knows whether he'll flush bobs (which will fly), flush blues (which will run), or get snake bit. Rattlesnakes are no myth down there, especially during the early days of quail season. They don't really hibernate like in the north, due to the 11-month South Texas summer. Just get some leggings and a good grip on your constitution. It's amazing how few are actually seen, considering the man hours spent hunting.
Quail season varies from county to county throughout the state, but generally opens on November 17, with exceptions. Closing date is January 31 in some areas, February 15 in others, and a variety of dates in the rest of the counties. Bag limit is 12 per day; no exceptions.
Antelope
PRONGHORN ANTELOPE OCCUR IN HUNTABLE populations in three regions in Texas. The Trans-Pecos, the Panhandle, and the Permian Basin all offer the flat, treeless plains or gently rolling prairies the antelope prefer. There they can utilize their telescopic eyesight and sprinter-like speed to evade their adversaries.
The largest concentration of pronghorns seems to be in the Trans-Pecos. Brewster, Presidio, Pecos, and Terrell Counties have good herds.
Permian Basin pronghorn hunting has been increasing in popularity of late. Good antelope herds and a shorter distance from Texas' population centers are no doubt factors.
Pronghorns in the Panhandle are little known about in the rest of Texas. They're there, but most of the permits go quickly to the local folks and their friends. Antelope can only be hunted by permit from the land owner.
Most ranches charge $100 and upward for the permit, depending upon what other services are included. Due to the immensity of some of the ranches, a guide and jeep are indispensible. Antelope hunts should be planned far in advance in order to assure a permit and a place to stay. Most permits are reserved long before the shooting starts. The season for the Trans-Pecos, Permian Basin and Possum Kingdom Region is September 29-October 7. The Panhandle season is September 29 through October 2.
Deer and More Deer
BUT THE REAL MADNESS COMES with the opening of deer season. Although more people may hunt doves than deer, the dedication of the deer hunter is unsurpassed.
As much as a day and a half before the season opens, traffic starts getting heavy on the highways leading to the Hill Country and South Texas from Houston and Dallas/Fort Worth. A truck driver on IH 35 asked if war had broken out. "Man, I haven't seen that many jeeps since V-J Day!"
No matter the method, more deer will be taken in the Hill Country than in the entire rest of the State. Llano County, which claims to be the "Deer Hunting Capitol of the World," iced down 17,121 head last year. Other counties which are traditionally productive are Mason, San Saba, Gillespie, and Kerr. The season runs from November 17 to January 1, and the limit is three deer, no more than two of which may be bucks.
The Hill Country may have the most deer, but the real trophies are elsewhere. Like in the brush between San Antonio and the border.
There's something about this land of everlasting brush, this one big undulating prairie of thorns named mesquite, huisache, huajillo, cat-claw and prickly pear, that grows big deer. Not only are the deer larger than any in Texas except those along the Canadian River, their antlers are the largest in Texas. The mineral content is ideally balanced for antler development.
They call this "mañana country," and aptly so. The opening of deer season often falls on a day too drowsy and warm to worry about deer hunting. This is particularly true in McMullin County where the season opens November 1. The rest of the region opens on November 17 and closes January 1.
Up to now, the discussion has focused upon whitetail deer. But Texas has mule deer, too. Most of them are in flats and mountainous areas of the Trans-Pecos, but the herd in Palo Duro Canyon in the Panhandle is increasing.
Hunting in these areas is usually initiated by vehicle and completed on foot. Hunting time is often far better spent slowly moving along the rim of a canyon, glassing the sides and floor with binoculars. Occasionally kicking a rock off into it will sometimes wake some game snoozing unnoticed by the hunters.
An oddity to Trans-Pecos hunting which is intriguing is that it is the only place where three different kinds of deer can be taken by the same hunter on the same day, if everything works to his favor. In addition to the mule deer and white tail, isolated parts of Brewster County have a little deer called a "fan tail." Weighing only 60 pounds and characterized by an extremely large and broad tail, the fantail is a sub-species of white tail. Hunting the three deer could result in three trophies—the mule deer and white tail qualify because of their size and antlers, and the fantail due to its novelty.
Mule deer and whitetail deer season in the Panhandle is November 17-December 2. In the Trans-Pecos, the season on both species is November 4-December 9, but Terrell and Pecos Counties have a slightly longer season on whitetails, November 24-December 16, due to an increasing population of them.
Turkey and Javelina
TURKEY AND JAVELINA SEASONS COINCIDE with deer season in several regions, but there is no closed season at all on javelinas in South Texas, making year around hunting possible. Javelina can also be hunted September 1-January 31 in the Permian Basin and Trans-Pecos. Setting turkey and javelina seasons to correspond generally with deer season was a practical move, since most such game is shot each year by deer hunters instead of by people purposely hunting them. There is also a spring turkey season which is fairly popular, though poorly attended. Much of the Hill Country and a considerable portion of the Possum Kingdom have this season.
The special turkey season comes in the spring when a turkey's thoughts also turn to something besides baseball. This being the case, he's quite apt to come to the call of a hen, which gives hunters a chance to try out their calling.
Varmints and Exotics
AND SPEAKING OF CALLING, TEXAS is probably the birthplace of modern varmint calling due to the work of the Burnham Brothers at Marble Falls. No telling how many of their calls have been put to use, and good use at that. Varmint hunting for foxes, coyotes, bob cats and other little predators is an excellent way to improve marksmanship at the same time the predator population is being controlled. A varmint rifle in the right hands is far more selective than cyanide pellets and much more humane than steel traps. Varmints may be hunted in Texas year around, except in a handful of East Texas counties. They are distributed throughout the state, but are abundant in the Brush Country.
The most popular of the exotics in Texas are mouflon rams, Aoudad rams, Axis deer and Blackbuck antelope. A majority of the exotically stocked ranches is in the Hill Country, but they are also scattered all over the state.
One exception to the lack of regulated hunting for exotics is the Aoudad ram in Palo Duro Canyon. These muttons, originally only 42 of them, were released by the State in 1957 and now number over 600. Needless to say, they adapted to Texas and acclimated quite well. Now considered game animals, they are regulated as such. The season is November 10-16, and hunting is by permit from the landowner.
As if that isn't enough hunting, Texas also have liberal squirrel hunting, with open season and no bag limit in many counties.
But Texas hunting has far greater rewards than a little exercise, a few laughs around the campfire and something different to put on the table. It is indeed a broadening experience for the urbanite. And it provides an opportunity to leave the day-to-day problems that cloud perspective to the point that the inconsequential can become blown out of proportion to the greater blessings in life.
After returning from a hunting trip, former Governor John Connally spoke of the unhurried atmosphere he found at daybreak or around a campfire at night, and what it did for him.
"It tends to bring into focus," Connally reflected, "the fact that, whether you live the Biblical three score and ten or not, your time is limited. Nothing can be more dramatic than the evidence you see all around you. Life is fleeting, at best, and you regain a sense of values.'
If hunting can do that, maybe everybody ought to try it.
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