MLD Changes.... what option are you choosing?

[popup_menace]

Harvest option. Basically the same as our old requirement for level 1 but we get the extended season.

[Throwin Darts]

we are on LAMPS and supposedly LAMPS has gone digital and we will need to go to their new website, find our property and trace the boundary lines. They will then give us tags like they have in the past and just hunt off of those. I'm guessing if they don't give us enough we just hunt off of our own tags.

You are correct. I talked to my biologist and he said you trace your boundary lines and the computer will shoot out a number of buck and doe tags based on the density as determined by their computer system. You will have an accept or reject button. If you accept the number of buck and doe tags provided by the computer system then that is the absolute limit of deer that can be harvested on the property. If you hit reject then you hunt off your own tags.

I'm going to go through the process and see how many tags it shoots out and then decide if I want to accept or reject.

[BrandonA]

You are correct. I talked to my biologist and he said you trace your boundary lines and the computer will shoot out a number of buck and doe tags based on the density as determined by their computer system. You will have an accept or reject button. If you accept the number of buck and doe tags provided by the computer system then that is the absolute limit of deer that can be harvested on the property. If you hit reject then you hunt off your own tags.

I'm going to go through the process and see how many tags it shoots out and then decide if I want to accept or reject.

If you reject can you can you choice Conservation route?

[Throwin Darts]

If you reject can you can you choice Conservation route?

The deadline for Conservation is June 15th and the deadline for Harvest is September 1st. I would assume that if you reject Harvest you can then choose to go Conservation but make sure that you make your decision on Harvest in time to go Conservation before the deadline.

[Peyton]

I'll be Conservation option and it won't change a thing I do on MLD3.

[Double-Drop]

Conservative option for me to maintain our MLD3. Looks like only real change is printing my tags rather than them being sent to me.

[txwhitetail]

Aren't they going to start charging some fees for the service starting this year?

[txwhitetail]

we are on LAMPS and supposedly LAMPS has gone digital and we will need to go to their new website, find our property and trace the boundary lines. They will then give us tags like they have in the past and just hunt off of those. I'm guessing if they don't give us enough we just hunt off of our own tags.

Any deer taken off mld property supposed to have an mld tag doesnt it?

[BrandonA]

Any deer taken off mld property supposed to have an mld tag doesnt it?

Yes

[quackaholic1]

MANAGED LANDS DEER PROGRAM - OVERVIEW OF UPCOMING CHANGES TAKING EFFECT IN 2017
September 25, 2015
TPWD

Significant changes to the Managed Lands Deer Program (MLDP) were adopted by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission on August 20, 2015. Those changes will help address challenges the Wildlife Division faces with growth of the MLDP, improving customer service, and prioritizing and focusing effort of TPWD wildlife biologists towards on-the-ground conservation on private lands. Again, the new MLDP will not take effect until 2017. For the 2015 and 2016 hunting seasons, MLDP and Landowner Assisted Management Permitting System (LAMPS) participants must follow current program rules.

The following information is intended to provide a general overview of modifications to the MLDP. Delay in implementation of the new MLDP was necessary in order to meet TPWD business requirements and redesign Texas Wildlife Information Management Service (TWIMS), TPWD’s online system that administers MLDP. As 2017 approaches a more detailed document explaining the application process in TWIMS and specific program rules will be available to program participants.

Once changes take affect in 2017 the current MLDP (Level 1, 2, and 3), Mule deer MLDP, and LAMPS will be discontinued. Persons participating in those programs will have an opportunity to enroll in the new simplified MLDP by choosing either the Harvest or Conservation Option. In the Conservation Option participants would receive technical assistance and customized deer harvest and habitat management recommendations for their property. The Conservation Option does have several requirements for entry and participation, which are similar to the current Level 3 and Mule Deer MLDP many landowners are already familiar with. However, the Harvest Option is a new, exciting concept blending the current LAMPS program, and Level 1 and 2 MLDP. It is designed to be an automated option providing general harvest recommendations and MLDP tag issuance to enrolled properties with minimal requirements for entry. No formal involvement or assistance is required from a TPWD biologist in the Harvest Option and is likely attractive to landowners not needing customized property-specific harvest recommendations, but needing the flexibility of an extended hunting season and bag limits.

We are also excited about utilizing a “print your own tag” system under the new MLDP, which will increase convenience and eliminate problems with the Department printing and mailing permits to participants. With the new system a .pdf file of the permits will be emailed to the participant, once they have accepted harvest recommendations. The file of the permits can be accessed immediately and printed when convenient on any type of common printer paper. A variety of printer paper types (i.e., weather proof, photo, regular printer paper) are available to purchase through numerous sources. The Department can provide recommendations on which paper type may work best for all weather situations.

Harvest Option (White-tailed Deer Only)

The Harvest Option is a completely automated version of MLDP that provides landowners with a deer harvest recommendation, tag issuance, and general correspondence about wildlife and habitat management. Administration of the Harvest Option will be conducted through TWIMS and does not require a wildlife management plan, habitat management practices, deer population data, or the participant to receive technical assistance from a TPWD wildlife biologist. This provides enhanced harvest opportunities through longer seasons and bag limits with minimal involvement from TPWD. Although, individuals participating in the Harvest Option may still request to receive technical guidance from a TPWD biologist through our technical guidance program with MLDP deer harvest recommendations and tag issuance being automated and not customizable.

Enrollment Requirements:

An online application must be completed by applicant in TWIMS. Prior to completing enrollment, applicant will be able to preview tag issuance to decide whether to participate in the Harvest Option.
Deadline to apply for the Harvest Option is September 1.

Aggregate Acreage Enrollment:

Multiple landowners may combine contiguous tracts of land to create an aggregate acreage for program enrollment.
A single program participant must be designated to receive MLDP tags and they may be used on any property within the aggregate acreage.

Tag Issuance:

Tags may only be issued for white-tailed deer, mule deer tag issuance is not available under the Harvest Option.
Program participants may choose a harvest recommendation and MLDP tag issuance for:
Only buck deer,
Only antlerless deer or,
Buck and antlerless deer.
Note: any deer harvested on the property for which MLDP tags have not been issued must be tagged with an appropriate hunting license tag and recorded on the hunting license log, and county seasons and bag limits apply.
Tag issuance will be determined through TWIMS and will take into account TPWD deer population estimates for a specific deer monitoring unit, information regarding the property such as acreage, types and amounts of habitat types, fencing, whether deer have been liberated onto the enrolled property, and other information deemed relevant by the Department. TPWD biologists will not be able to adjust or customize an individual harvest recommendation for a property.

Season Dates:

Antlerless Deer
Saturday closest to September 30 through the last day of February.
Harvest allowed by any lawful means, including modern firearm.
Buck Harvest
Saturday closest to September 30 for 35 consecutive days.
Any buck may be harvested with lawful archery equipment.
Any buck with at least one unbranched antler may be harvested by any lawful means, including modern firearm.
First Saturday in November through the last day of February.
Any buck may be harvested by any lawful means, including modern firearm.

Conservation Option (White-tailed and Mule Deer)

The Conservation Option offers participants the opportunity to work with a TPWD biologist to receive customized ranch-specific habitat and deer harvest recommendations and MLDP tag issuance based on ranch-specific deer population and habitat data. This option does require certain types of deer data as well as completion of habitat management practices each year in order to enter and remain in the program. Under the Conservation Option participants will enjoy the maximum harvest flexibility of MLDP.

Enrollment and Participation Requirements:

Entry requires a Department-approved wildlife management plan that includes:
Deer population data for the two preceding years,
Number of bucks and does harvested in each of the two preceding years,
Two Department-approved habitat management practices must have been conducted in each of the two preceding years.
Deadline to request participation in the Conservation Option is June 15.
Requests made after that date will not be considered in the Conservation Option for that hunting season, but may choose the Harvest Option for that year.
Once enrolled, persons wishing to continue participation in the next hunting season will be required to:
Acknowledge their intent to participate in the upcoming season through TWIMS,
Provide current year deer population data,
Provide the number of buck and antlerless deer harvested,
Implement three Department-approved habitat management practices each year enrolled as specified in the wildlife management plan.

Aggregate Acreage Enrollment:

Multiple landowners may combine contiguous tracts of land to create an aggregate acreage for program enrollment.
A single wildlife management plan addressing all tracts of land within the aggregate acreage is required.
A single program participant must be designated to receive MLDP tags and they may be used on any property within the aggregate acreage.
The aggregate acreage is required to complete three habitat management practices as directed in the wildlife management plan.

Wildlife Management Association / Cooperative:

Wildlife Management Associations (WMA) may enroll and participate in the Conservation Option.
A single wildlife management plan addressing all tracts of lands within the association that receive MLDP tag issuance is required.
MLDP tags and harvest recommendations will be issued to individual tracts of land within the WMA and tags are valid only on the tract of land for which they are issued.
The WMA is required to complete three habitat management practices as directed in the wildlife management plan.

Tag Issuance:

Program participants will be issued MLDP tags for buck and antlerless deer.
Wildlife Management Association / Cooperatives enrolled in the Conservation Option may choose to receive MLDP tag issuance for
Only antlerless deer or,
Buck and antlerless deer.
MLDP tag issuance will be customized for enrolled property and determined utilizing deer population data collected on the property. Deer survey methods used to collect and determine deer population estimates should be Department-approved methods applicable to the property and ecoregion, and identified in the wildlife management plan specific to that property.

Season Dates:

White-tailed Deer
Antlerless and buck white-tailed deer may be harvested by any lawful means, including modern firearm, from the Saturday closest to September 30 through the last day of February.
Mule Deer
Antlerless and buck mule deer may be harvested by only lawful archery equipment from the Saturday closest to September 30 for 35 consecutive days.
Antlerless and buck mule deer may be harvested by any lawful means, including modern firearm, from the first Saturday in November through the last Sunday in January.

General Requirements of MLDP

Reporting Requirements:

Program participants in either the Harvest or Conservation Option will be required to report the number of buck and antlerless deer harvested each season.
Program participants in the Conservation Option will be required to report the habitat management practices conducted on the property each year.
All reporting of required information is to be completed electronically in TWIMS and is the responsibility of the landowner or landowner’s designated agent to insure data is reported by the deadline.
Deadline for reporting required information is April 1.

Tag Issuance:

A “print your own tag” system will be utilized where a .pdf file of the permits will be emailed to participant who will then print out MLDP tags for the current hunting season.

Harvest Logs:

Program participants under both options are required to maintain a Department-approved daily harvest log on the property enrolled in MLDP because of the new “print your own tag” system.
The harvest log must be maintained for the property through the end of MLDP hunting season.
A hunter harvesting and tagging a deer under the authority of MLDP must enter appropriate information (date of kill, species, sex, MLDP tag #, hunter name, hunting or driver’s license # of hunter) into the harvest log on the same day of harvest.
The harvest log may satisfy the cold storage and processing facility record book provided certain information is include in the log and is retained on the MLDP property for 1 year following date of the last harvest entry.

[happy bowhunter]

I'll be Conservation option and it won't change a thing I do on MLD3.

x2

[Bowhuntingobsession]

So does this mean that anyone can get into the harvest option? I've been
looking all over the internet and can't find any updated info or forms