Anderson County

[HogHunter34]

I hunt Anderson Cty. Last year I harvested a doe during rifle season the day after Thanksgiving. The processor I used made a comment we need to kill all the does we can because Anderson Cty has one of the highest doe to buck ratios in the state. However, without permit you can only kill does Thanksgiving Day through that Sunday following Thanksgiving (essentially 4 day opportunity). I noticed in Cherokee Cty which borders Anderson on eastern side allows does harvested day 1 of rifle season through that same Sunday following Thanksgiving. I think Cherokee in general has more deer. Has anyone else heard or have a reliable resource on this doe to buck ratio? Just wondering if this is true. To me if it is true I would think TDPW would open up more days in rifle season to harvest does

[BolilloLoco]

I hunt Anderson Cty. Last year I harvested a doe during rifle season the day after Thanksgiving. The processor I used made a comment we need to kill all the does we can because Anderson Cty has one of the highest doe to buck ratios in the state. However, without permit you can only kill does Thanksgiving Day through that Sunday following Thanksgiving (essentially 4 day opportunity). I noticed in Cherokee Cty which borders Anderson on eastern side allows does harvested day 1 of rifle season through that same Sunday following Thanksgiving. I think Cherokee in general has more deer. Has anyone else heard or have a reliable resource on this doe to buck ratio? Just wondering if this is true. To me if it is true I would think TDPW would open up more days in rifle season to harvest does

Contact your local TPWD biologist. They will be able to help.

[MnM]

You should be able to kill 2 doe during bow season.

[HogHunter34]

You should be able to kill 2 doe during bow season.

Well it's more for my son. I'd like him to have a chance at a doe during rifle season. We have to try & get this done during Thanksgiving. It would be nice if we were not limited to just those 4 days.

[popup_menace]

Call your biologist. He may recommend the MLD program. We had a really bad ratio (1 buck for every 6 doe) and I got with our biologist about it. About two weeks later the property was placed in the MLD program. Our ratio is balanced enough now to where I'm thinking about sitting out of the doe harvest this year and chasing a big 6

[M6A2REPR]

Try LAMPS. That is what a biologist recommended we do starting out.

Basically once approved they supply you with doe tags based on property size and habitat. The tags are used during rifle season. You cannot harvest more doe once tags are filled.

[M6A2REPR]

Apply before Sept 1 to get permits.

[jkelbe]

Well it's more for my son. I'd like him to have a chance at a doe during rifle season. We have to try & get this done during Thanksgiving. It would be nice if we were not limited to just those 4 days.

There are also Youth seasons. I believe the last weekend of Archery and the last weekend of Gun are doe days for kids. They can use a gun too.

Also I think the doe to buck ratio is okay, it's just that most of the bucks do not go to feeders and they hide out really well. Put out some trophy rock in the spring with a camera and you will see the ratio is okay.

[Razrbk89]

I wonder what advantage TPWD sees in enforcing certain doe days rather than just setting a season bag limit on does?

[Bigfootwolff]

Eastern and southeastern Anderson County are more true east Texas Pineywoods, and the northwestern portion is Post Oak Savannah. I hunt in northwest Anderson County near Gus Engeling WMA. Definitely Post Oak Savannah with creek bottom hardwood forests, with very few if any pine trees. We had a large deer herd die off in the late 1980s. Before that, you could kill 4 deer, no more than 2 bucks in Anderson County. The deer herd on our place has never recovered to what the herd looked like in the mid 1980s, but that is not a bad thing, as the deer herd was out of balance and above carrying capacity.

While I would say the herd took a hit with the drought we have had the last few years, it is rebounding steadily, with the does to buck ratio not as bad as the person the OP mentioned, at least not in NW Anderson County. Maybe the Pineywoods regions are holding higher deer densities, and the does are more numerous. Problem is the biologists have to make a call for the entire county, even though a portion of the county in question may have higher deer numbers than the rest of the county. My recommendation would be to get the area you hunt on a MLD type of program so you can be allowed to harvest more does if the deer numbers and bioliogist recommends it.

[HogHunter34]

There are also Youth seasons. I believe the last weekend of Archery and the last weekend of Gun are doe days for kids. They can use a gun too.

Also I think the doe to buck ratio is okay, it's just that most of the bucks do not go to feeders and they hide out really well. Put out some trophy rock in the spring with a camera and you will see the ratio is okay.

Thanks. I need to check that out

[HogHunter34]

Eastern and southeastern Anderson County are more true east Texas Pineywoods, and the northwestern portion is Post Oak Savannah. I hunt in northwest Anderson County near Gus Engeling WMA. Definitely Post Oak Savannah with creek bottom hardwood forests, with very few if any pine trees. We had a large deer herd die off in the late 1980s. Before that, you could kill 4 deer, no more than 2 bucks in Anderson County. The deer herd on our place has never recovered to what the herd looked like in the mid 1980s, but that is not a bad thing, as the deer herd was out of balance and above carrying capacity.

While I would say the herd took a hit with the drought we have had the last few years, it is rebounding steadily, with the does to buck ratio not as bad as the person the OP mentioned, at least not in NW Anderson County. Maybe the Pineywoods regions are holding higher deer densities, and the does are more numerous. Problem is the biologists have to make a call for the entire county, even though a portion of the county in question may have higher deer numbers than the rest of the county. My recommendation would be to get the area you hunt on a MLD type of program so you can be allowed to harvest more does if the deer numbers and bioliogist recommends it.

We must pretty close. I also hunt near Gus WMA. Our place is east of Gus

[akey]

I hunt AC. We have no shortage of legal bucks but the doe numbers are definitely way high on our place. 15-20 at the feeder is not that unheard of. I'm the only one that bowhunts and my son is the only youth. Thanksgiving there is always a big crowd so the hunting is poor. I have actually not hunted the past few Thanksgiving weeks just for that reason.

[akey]

Thanks. I need to check that out

He can definitely harvest a doe during youth weekend unless something changed in the past year.

[HogHunter34]

Is there a minimum age for youth hunting? He's 10