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State pushing antlerless deer hunts
AUSTIN — Texas hunters will
have more opportunities to hunt
antlerless deer this fall through
special permits issued by the
state’s Parks and Wildlife Depart
ment.
A LIMITED NUMBER of free
antlerless deer hunting permits will
be offered by the U.S. Forest Serv
ice (USFS) for portions of the Sam
Houston and Davy Crockett Na
tional Forests.
The USFS has informed Parks
and Wildlife Department that the
permits will be issued by random
drawing of applications made to the
Texas National Forests headquar
ters in Lufkin. Applications must be
in the National Forest office by Oct.
20.
Federal and state wildlife
biologists said last year’s antlerless
deer hunt, offered only on the Sam
Houston National Forest, was not
very successful. That hunt’s kill
ratio measured less than one deer
per seven hunters.
The antlerless deer hunt, to be
Texas Reports
Ducks in Panhandle lakes die
in apparent botulism outbreak
CANYON — Sick and dying ducks are being reported on
several playa laskes in the Texas Panhandle, a Texas Parks
and Wildlife Department spokesman has said.
“More than 85 dead ducks were collected on one playa
lake, with most of the ducks being pintail, widgeon and teal,”
said Max Traweek, waterfowl biologist.
‘‘These ducks were showing the typical symptoms of
botulism, which is a toxin found in several area lakes,” he said.
Similar duck die-offs have occured each year. Hot fall tem
peratures, stagnant, high evaporation rates and decay of veg
etation and animal matter provide a favorable environment for
spread of the disease.
Weekend offers last chance
for Engeling squirrel hunt
DALLAS — The outlook for squirrel hunters at the Engeling
Wildlife Management Area near Palestine is quite promising, a
department biologist says.
‘The area will be open for an unlimited number of hunters,”
wildlife biologist David Synatzske said.
The last public hunt on the area will be held this weekend.
A $4 fee is charged hunters each day. Each hunter must
wear 400 square inches of fluorescent orange material, with
144 square inches appearing on both chest and back.
“Most hunters meet this requirement by wearing a vinyl
vest,” Synatzske said.
The management area check station, located on U.S. 287
about 20 miles northwest of Palestine, will open about 6 a.m.
Shooting hours are 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes
after sunset.
Both fox and cat squirrels are located on the 10,000 acre
area.
“Although we are still conducting census counts, the area
supports a very high density,” he said. “In fact, it looks better
than last year, which was a good year.”
Million acres of hunting land
listed in department brochure
AUSTIN — A newly-revised leaflet listing large tracts of
open hunting lands in Texas is now available from the state
Parks and Wildlife Department.
Entitled “Acres For The Asking,” the leaflet lists properties
owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, paper and timber
companies, national forests and some national wildlife refuges
and National Park Service recreation areas. These areas
combined offer more than one million acres of hunting land
accessible free of charge to hunters.
The leaflet features thumbnail sketches of the agencies or
companies with available land, including their addresses,
telephone numbers, acreages, and facilities and wildlife
species available.
To obtain the leaflet write to Literature Distribution, Texas
Parks and Wildlife Department, 4200 Smith School Road,
Austin, Texas 78744, or call toll free 1-800-252-9327.
conducted this year in Walker,
Montgomery and Houston Coun
ties, is the result of joint efforts of
the USFS and the Parks and
Wildlife Department to help keep
the deer herds in reasonable bal
ance with the available food and
cover on the national forests.
Biologists estimate the deer popula
tion in these counties at one deer
per 18 acres.
Hunters who wish to apply for the
antlerless permits should write
Gary Hartman, U.S. Forest Service,
P.O. Box 969, Lufkin, Texas 75901.
Applicants should identify the
county they plan to hunt. A
stamped, self-addressed envelope
should be enclosed. Only one ap
plication per letter will be accepted.
ANTLERLESS DEER PERMITS
will be also issued in three South
Texas counties earlier than the re
mainder of the state.
Charles Winkler, the depart
ment’s big game program director,
said the permits will be made avail
able to landowners in Webb,
Maverick and Dimmit Counties
this week because of the special
16-day early antlerless deer season
in those counties.
Those same antlerless permits
may be used forthe special season,
Oct. 27-Nov. 11, and for the regular
season which opens Nov. 17 in all
three counties. The regular season
closes Jan. 1 in Webb and Maverick
Counties and Dec. 16 in Dimmit
County.
Antlerless permits will be issued
as follows:
Dimmit County, Oct. 18-19,
County Courthouse, Carrizo
Springs; Webb County, Oct. 15-17,
Laredo Civic Center; Maverick
County, Oct. 18-19, County Cour
thouse, Eagle Pass.
Buck deer hunting permits for
Webb County will be issued at the
same time as the antlerless per
mits.
The Parks and Wildlife Commis
sion established the special antler
less deer season in the three coun
ties after intensive studies in Webb
County showed overpopulation is
the primary cause of a recent de
cline in deer quality in South Texas.
“Although antlerless deer per
mits have been available in all these
counties for many years, utilization
has been low,” Winkler said. “The
department is hoping that there is a
segment of the hunting population
which will utilize the special season
to put some venison in the freezer.”
Be careful with fire*
Remember: there are babes
in the woods*
And those baby fawns, rabbits, Follow all the rules of safety and
squirrels and trees need a safe, happy caution—just like any other place where
home. They need a place where they can there are children at play,
grow up strong and healthy.
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