What makes the deer bigger in south TX?

[Street2Peschel]

I am not sure if it is true but I heard that during the depression the deer population was just about wiped out down there so they "repopulated" the area with Pennsylvania deer in the 1930s.

I also heard that they repopulated the Big Thickett area in East Texas with Kansas deer. I hunt a lease around the Big Thickett area and was told that the biologist does testing on every buck we harvest to determine if it is a Texas whitetail or part of the Kasas whitetail herd. There are some absolute bruisers in there with reddish colored coats...I just need to find a way to get one on the ground!

Again, this is what I was told. I am not sure if it is true or not.

[krausejmk]

I shot a 3 1/2 yo 210 lb 140" buck in north texas it is not just south. Let a deer live to maturity and he will be bigger

I agree, the AR have done wonders for us in Victoria, I never knew what mature deer looked like until a few years ago and I have been hunting 15+ years. We only have 111 acres ( was 333 then 222 you know how that goes) and have only seen small antlered deer, in fact when the AR's started my dad and I thought we were never going to get a buck again, boy were we wrong, we got doe permits and with the AR's we cant believe what we are seeing now. And I have a buddy who hunts his 50 acres in San Diego, TX I cant believe the huge deer he gets down there!

[Eason]

I think hunter density is the number 1 factor. In East Texas its not uncommon to have a hunter per 100 acres, while in South Texas I would imagine that number would be closer to a hunter per 500+ acres.

In my opinion, The increased hunter density allows fewer deer to reach maturity in East Texas compared to South Texas. If people would just let them grow up in East Texas they could and would produce deer comparable to South Texas. One other thing is genetics. It seems to me that most East Texas deer tend to be mainframe 8pts at maturity while South Texas bucks have a tendency to have 10+ points at maturity.

[Grayson]

Bigger than what?

[krausejmk]

Bigger than what?

Sorry, should have said why do MORE big deer come from South TX

[U.S.ArmyRetired]

I think hunter density is the number 1 factor. In East Texas its not uncommon to have a hunter per 100 acres, while in South Texas I would imagine that number would be closer to a hunter per 500+ acres.

In my opinion, The increased hunter density allows fewer deer to reach maturity in East Texas compared to South Texas. If people would just let them grow up in East Texas they could and would produce deer comparable to South Texas. One other thing is genetics. It seems to me that most East Texas deer tend to be mainframe 8pts at maturity while South Texas bucks have a tendency to have 10+ points at maturity.

I strongly agree. I hunt on 40 acres near Waskom and my 40 acres is surrounded by deer lease and a ranch that is hunted. I can see a lease stand from my stand and there is another lease stand not a mile through the woods and the ranch has a couple of stands close to my property. I am lucky to see deer, let alone harvest 1.

[Codie]

I think you are about to see the GAP between the number of large deer killed in south texas and number of large deer killed in north texas close substantially with all the newly added Antler Restrictions added throughout North Texas counties. I typically hear of 1-2 bucks over 160" being killed in our area every season. I have already heard or seen a dozen 160" + bucks come out of our area so far this season. I think that number will continue to rise with TPWD's antler restrictions in place.

[krausejmk]

I think you are about to see the GAP between the number of large deer killed in south texas and number of large deer killed in north texas close substantially with all the newly added Antler Restrictions added throughout North Texas counties. I typically hear of 1-2 bucks over 160" being killed in our area every season. I have already heard or seen a dozen 160" + bucks come out of our area so far this season. I think that number will continue to rise with TPWD's antler restrictions in place.

Man I hope you're right! Like I said above it is already doing wonders in Victoria for us

[SmTx]

I am not sure if it is true but I heard that during the depression the deer population was just about wiped out down there so they "repopulated" the area with Pennsylvania deer in the 1930s.

I also heard that they repopulated the Big Thickett area in East Texas with Kansas deer. I hunt a lease around the Big Thickett area and was told that the biologist does testing on every buck we harvest to determine if it is a Texas whitetail or part of the Kasas whitetail herd. There are some absolute bruisers in there with reddish colored coats...I just need to find a way to get one on the ground!

Again, this is what I was told. I am not sure if it is true or not.

http://www.whitetailsunlimited.com/i/p/bk_distribution.pdf

Look at page 7 of that. It has a map showing the sub-species disbursement across the US.



AR adds a new element to it. There is a reason South Texas does not have ARs. The ranches have already been maintaining their herd. If ARs prove that Texas can have equal deer across the state then I'd say it is strictly a management issue that has allowed South Texas to produce Large(er) deer.

[krausejmk]

http://www.whitetailsunlimited.com/i...stribution.pdf
Look at page 7 of that. It has a map showing the sub-species disbursement across the US.

Thanks for the link!

[jlptexashunter]

What happened to the deer in Northeast Texas? They missed out on all of the above.

NE Texas usually gets the age portion of the game jacked up.

South Texas just has a lot more open range than anywhere else. My bet is more 6-9yr old bucks die out there of natural causes just because there are less people hunting/seeing/hitting with there car there than the rest of Texas.

There are good groceries and genetics all over our great state (Except Lampasas ) we just don't let them get old enough up here in the high hunter density areas.

[cksweat678]

Marijuana packin mexicans hiking thru everyones lease are scare'n away all the hunters...

Sorry.. had to...

[TxCazador]

We had a place down there in the red dirt area of "golden triangle" of LaSalle county.
A 1 inch rain would grow forage like you wouldnt believe. The ground is extremely fertile.

[Bear82]

Marijuana is good protein for deer. One rancher I knew said he's seen huge deer come out of those fields.

[krausejmk]

Marijuana is good protein for deer. One rancher I knew said he's seen huge deer come out of those fields.

and after that they have to be hungry! So that's why they eat all that protein