Deer, turkey season to open Nov. 2
By Kathy Thomson
Deer and turkey seasons open on Saturday, and hunters hoping for cooler weather for the opening weekend of general deer season are in luck, with temperatures expected to range from lows in the mid 30s to highs in the mid 50s on Saturday and lower 60s on Sunday.
Even more important to hunters, deer and turkey populations look good both in Shackelford County and across the state.
“We had a good fawn crop and also a good turkey hatch this year,” said county game warden Jacob Mort. “I expect it will be an above average year for both deer and turkey.”
According to the game warden, local archery hunters have already harvested some nice deer.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) deer program leader Alan Cain said that good rains late last year provided an excellent crop of winter weeds and great habitat conditions continued into early July, providing the nutrition bucks needed to maximize antler growth.
“Overall, antler quality in 2019 is expected to be above average across most of the state,” the TPWD deer program leader said.
Regulations
General seasons for both north Texas deer and turkey run from Nov. 2 to Jan. 5, and the legal shooting hours for all game animals and non-migratory game birds in Texas is the period from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset.
Quail season will remain open until Feb. 23.
Mort said that the rules for Shackelford County are the same as last year.
“Make sure everyone that needs it has taken hunter education, and make sure that you are hunting on your own land or leased land,” Mort said. “Also, make sure that projectiles (bullets) do not cross property lines.”
Deer hunters must have a valid hunting license, and if they were born after Sept. 2, 1971, they must have completed the hunter education program or be accompanied by a qualifying hunter.
Along with a valid hunting license, turkey and quail hunters must have an upland game bird endorsement.
Both deer and turkey must be securely tagged with the appropriate tag from the hunter’s license immediately upon kill.
Hunters are reminded of the establishment of chronic wasting disease (CWD) management zones. Hunters who harvest mule deer, whitetail deer, elk, red deer, or other CWD susceptible species within the Trans-Pecos, Panhandle, and South-Central Texas CWD Zones are required to bring their animals to a check station within 48 hours of harvest.
Shackelford County is not included in a CWD zone, but the TPWD also urges voluntary sampling of hunter-harvested deer.
Deer Season
White-tailed deer season for rifles opens Nov. 2 and closes on Jan. 5 in North Texas.
In addition to the regular season, a special late season from Jan. 6-19 allows adult hunters to continue harvesting only antlerless deer (does) or bucks with at least one unbranched antler (spikes).
A youth-only season runs from Jan. 6-19, with hunters 16 and younger permitted to shoot either bucks or does, as long as they haven’t reached their licensed limit.
The bag limit is five deer, including no more than two bucks, all seasons combined.
Turkey Hunting
During the fall season, hunters may shoot birds of either sex from Nov. 2 to Jan. 5.
The annual bag limit for turkey is four birds, no more than one of which may be an Eastern turkey.
A special youth-only period extends the season from Jan. 6-19.
During a spring turkey season from April 4 to May 17, only gobblers or bearded hens may be harvested.
It is against the law to hunt roosting turkeys by any means at any time.
Report Violators
Mort asked hunters to report any wildlife violations.
“Call me at 817-343-3499 or call the sheriff’s office as soon as possible if you see any violations,” he said. “The quicker we can get on something, the greater the chance that we can find out what happened. It just makes the investigation go better, and we have a better chance of being able to handle the case successfully.”
