Unmarked deer: The deer must be marked with the appropriate hunting license label as soon as it is recovered. Your hunting equipment should include tape, thread or other means of attaching the tag to the carcass. Aside from guns and driving up to the hunting lease (you`re much more likely to be injured in a car accident than a hunting accident), the most dangerous part of deer hunting is climbing into a raised blind. It`s easy to lose your balance and fall, especially in the dark, weighed down by a gun on one shoulder and a backpack on the other. If your ladder is the most difficult to climb, first carry your rifle (unloaded) and place it securely in the blind man. Then go back down to get another charge. Remember to load the rifle once inside the blind and unload it before throwing it. Metal stairs replacing vertical ladders are the best safety development for deer hunting in years. Hunt as much as possible during the rut (deer breeding season). Males are most active during the rut, and even mature males may have survived six or more hunting seasons, appearing suicidal.

TPWD has conducted studies that determine exactly when deer breed in each region. The results are available on the TPWD website. Cold weather leads to an increase in reproductive activity during the day. Regardless of weather conditions, deer breed at about the same time each year. In hot weather, reproductive activity usually takes place at night. Deer hunting is not legal on public roads or in the right-of-way associated with public roads. It is not legal to own a deer or part of a deer that has been struck by a vehicle. However, as long as you have legally harvested the animal, it is legal to sell many inedible parts of a deer carcass. These parts include deer skins, antlers, hooves, hair, and tendons. Mismarked deer: Use a knife or scissors to cut out the harvest date and an ink pen to write the appropriate information on the label.

Most deer hunters aren`t very interested in antlers anyway. Your goal is to enjoy the deer camp and bring some game home with you. Wild is the original sustainable food. More than 664,000 Texas white-tailed deer were killed in 2016. That`s over 33 million pounds of game. If you have more game than your family can eat, consider donating deer to Hunters for the Hungry, a program that distributes venison to families or individuals in need across Texas. The hunter pays a small processing fee, about $45, to cover the treatment. A list of participating meat processors and further details can be found feedingtexas.org/get-involved/hunt/. Here are a few things to keep in mind when hunting deer: TPWD is asking deer hunters in some counties to voluntarily submit harvested animals to a county wildlife biologist for testing for chronic wasting disease. The test requires a non-frozen brain sample, which is performed free of charge for the hunter. Details can be found tpwd.texas.gov/cwd. Wear latex gloves when dressing or skinning a deer or pig.

The chances of contracting a disease from handling a white-tailed deer are extremely low, but it is best to be careful. Pigs are carriers of diseases transmissible to humans. Wearing gloves also makes cleaning easier. Use a backpack to organize your hunting equipment so you always have a flashlight, spare batteries, a sharp knife, binoculars, extra ammunition, an ink pen to fill your label and harvest diary on your driver`s license, hearing protection, rain gear, warm gloves, latex gloves, snacks, water, tape, or other ways to attach your deer tag to the deer. and whatever you deem necessary for a deer hunt. Fill out your deer tags as early in the season as possible. The sooner you remove deer from the distribution area, the more food remains for the remaining animals. Those taken at the beginning of the season are in better condition, which translates into better play. In general, it`s better to eat anyway.

Open deer hunting seasons vary throughout the state and with deer species. Archers can hunt mule deer and white-tailed deer at the end of September. The opening season for mule deer is rather short and lasts a few weeks at the beginning of winter. White-tailed deer season is much longer, and various low seasons occur from late September to early February. It is legal to hunt deer in Texas from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour before sunset. Texas allows the use of manual, oral, recorded or electronic calls from deer. Bait is allowed on private, but not public, property. You can`t use dogs to track deer in Texas, but they can be used to track injured deer. Most of the roughly 700,000 white-tailed deer hunters in Texas will be on site when traditional gun season begins Saturday. You can expect an average season for antlers with average to above-average numbers of deer harvested, according to Alan Cain, white-tailed deer program manager for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. It is illegal to use automatic weapons, air guns, or pellet guns when hunting game in Texas.

Rimfire ammunition is illegal for deer hunting in the state. Bow hunters must use broad-headed arrowheads; Explosive and poisonous spikes are prohibited. Hunters can hunt deer with crossbows during the general opening season. The state allows hunters with disabilities to use crossbows during archery season in several counties. All crossbows must have a minimum pulling weight of 125 pounds, have mechanical safety and have a reserve of 25 inches or more. Carefully study the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department`s Outdoor Annual (available from sold licenses or tpwd.texas.gov) to establish regulations for killing a deer at camp and transporting a deer caught by another hunter. If you have doubts about a rule, call the nearest gamekeeper and ask for interpretation. Regional telephone numbers are listed in the Outdoor Annual. Read the general bylaws as well as the specific regulations for the county where you hunt.