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Deer Hunters Reminded of South Texas Fever Tick Quarantine (Valley)

State officials are reminding hunters and meat processors in South Texas that additional precautions are required when handling deer carcasses due to concerns about spread of fever ticks in the region.

The general deer hunting season opens Nov. 1.

Portions of Zapata, Starr, Jim Hogg, Maverick, Dimmit and Webb counties are under preventive quarantine for livestock by the Texas Animal Health Commission due to heightened levels of fever ticks outside the permanent quarantine zone along the Rio Grande border. The total affected quarantine area covers more than 1 million acres. Contact the land owner or manager to determine the current fever tick status, if you are hunting in these counties.

Cattle, horses, white-tailed deer, nilgai and elk can act as a host for the tick, perpetuating its population.

If not contained, according to TAHC officials, the fever ticks will continue to spread northward outside the permanent fever tick quarantine area and could become re-established in other areas of Texas and throughout much of the south, southeast and parts of California.

Prospects Looking Good for Deer Season (Valley)

Hunters hoping for a shot at a quality deer during the 2008-09 deer season will need to get off the bench and into the game, suggest state wildlife biologists, as current range conditions indicate increased availability of native food sources.

The general deer hunting season opens statewide Nov. 1. This change in deer feeding patterns could also have an impact on opportunity around feeders during the Special Youth Season weekend Oct. 25-26. The youth-only season is available to licensed hunters ages 16 and under. (More info.)

South Texas Report:

You could have asked any of the TPWD wildlife biologists in South Texas back in March to predict what the fall hunting season would be like and most, if not all, would have given a marginal to fair outlook.

"From the 2007 Labor Day Weekend through April 20, 2008 we received barely an inch of rain," said Jimmy Rutledge of the Carrizo Springs area. "While the entire South Texas region experienced this extended dry spell, the western portion was hardest hit by the drought."

The effects were felt well into mid spring as many species of brush with shallow root systems, such as granjeno and hogplum were lying dormant in need of relief. Conditions such as this do not bode well for antler development or fawn production in white-tailed deer. Looking at recent conditions, however, it would be difficult to see any signs of drought conditions from this past winter and early spring. Hurricane Dolly dumped excessive rainfall in the lower Rio Grande Valley and contributed to abundant rainfall across the rest of South Texas throughout August, adding to some of the earlier rains that fell in July. Habitat has improved dramatically and will provide great benefits to many of the game species in South Texas.

Across the South Texas region consensus is white-tailed deer antler quality may be good despite the dry spring conditions.

Deer did not have to work hard to build up body reserve to support fawn rearing and antler development this summer.

Rutledge expects white-tailed fawn survival to be above average with the improved range conditions and abundant cover. Hunters may expect to find a good number of 1½-year-old bucks as a result of a good fawn crop from 2007. Decent fawn crops from 2002 and 2004 should also result in a fair number older age class bucks in the 4½ or 6½-year-old categories.

Despite the fairly abundant food resources as a result of the summer rains, the recent dry spell will encourage deer to utilize corn feeders. Thus hunters might have good harvest success this season. However hunters should not discount alternative hunting strategies instead of the old standby corn feeder. Look for well used trails or natural feeding areas to find deer, especially when trying to locate those older age class bucks that are wise to hunter activities.

If you’re a hunter looking for quality antlers, be cognizant of those ranches or hunting leases where population management and maintaining deer numbers below the carrying capacity of habitat is a primary concern. Well managed properties that have in place sound wildlife habitat management programs, practices, and plans usually reap the benefits during the fall hunting seasons. These examples of good land stewardship usually stand out during stressful times.