Hunters should find big-bodied, big-antlered deer this season — that is if hunters can actually find deer this season.

With plentiful forage throughout the state, deer hunters who normally hunt near feeders will likely see a steep decrease in deer traffic, at least early on in the season. Bow season started Saturday, and the general gun season opens Nov. 6.

But hunters who are willing to do a little legwork ahead of time can study movement patterns and scope out likely spots where they can come face to face with a big, well-fed white-tail.

“Acorn crops have been pretty good and there is plenty of vegetation in South Texas, so the deer have plenty to eat,” Alan Cain, TPWD whitetail deer program director, said. “That’s going to make it difficult for bowhunters to attract deer to supplemental feeding locations.”

At the onset of the archery season, Cain said most deer are still in a summer pattern, especially in South Texas where the rut is still a couple of months away. Bow hunters might consider focusing their efforts along heavily traveled game trails or near acorn-producing trees.

He also suggests hunters take advantage of opportunities to harvest antlerless deer this season, too, in order to offset high fawn production.

“Folks need to keep deer numbers at a level the habitat can sustain during lean years,” Cain said.

TPWD field biologists say that similar conditions last year translated to the lowest number of deer taken in the past 10 years, meaning there should be more older-aged bucks in the population this year. On the flip side, biologists say that in some areas, there are more deer than the habitat can support.

In parts of the state having special antler restrictions, landowners and hunters should reap the rewards of above average antler growth this season as more bucks meet the requirements for legal harvest, Cain said.

“It may be tough spotting those deer because they won’t have to move much, so hunters need to keep that in mind. In East Texas, the antler restrictions coupled with good rainfall should mean good quality bucks.”

Permits denied

Lake Whitney offers some of the best outdoor opportunities in Central Texas. Abundant campgrounds, clear waters, excellent golfing, high-quality fishing, bald eagles and more make it an attractive destination for almost anybody who loves the outdoors.

Another reason people make their way to Whitney every year is because of the excellent hunting it offers through the Army Corps of Engineers public hunting program.

Thousands of hunters make their way to Whitney every year from all over the state, but roughly 1,800 of the 2,511 hunters who hunted via the free federal hunting permit last year had their applications denied for this year.

The reason for the permit denials is due to a new enforcement of a long-standing policy, and while some hunters feel like they were hoodwinked, they signed an agreement to file a report within 30 days of the hunting season closing date.

“Last year was the first time that we set an actual deadline and spelled out a consequence for not meeting it,” Whitney and Aquilla lake manager Brady Dempsey said.

Only 700 of last year’s hunters filed their reports properly, Dempsey said.

Hunters can file their reports in person, by phone, e-mail or online.

“It’s unfortunate that so many were denied, but we had to take a tough line at some point,” Dempsey said.

He added that the overwhelming majority of hunters were honest, ethical people who followed the rules, but said it wasn’t feasible to go case by case to determine who truly made mistakes on their reports and who simply failed to file them on time.

Dempsey said that hunters whose applications were denied this year are still eligible to apply next season. With a permit, hunters can hunt dove, squirrel, rabbit, waterfowl, turkey, feral hog and deer. For more information, call 622-3332.

Whitney fishing up

Lake Whitney striper guide Clay Yadon (817-219-3707) reports that after a slow period due to the lake turning over, Whitney’s stripers are ganging up into schools again and terrorizing the lake’s shad population.

“We’re catching limits almost every day, fishing live shad at 21 feet,” Yadon said.

While most fish caught are keepers, only a few in the 15-pound class were hauled aboard this week.

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