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Mule deer season begins soon. Check the season dates and zones and have a great season.
An intensive ten-year monitoring program for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) brings hopeful news. CWD was first found in Texas in Hudspeth and El Paso counties two years ago and the disease appears to be limited to those remote areas thanks in large part to hunter diligence, restricting unnatural movement of deer, and ongoing measures to monitor and sample for evidence of the disease.
 Hunters taking mule deer and elk inside the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Containment Zone during the 2014 general mule deer hunting season, Nov. 28 – Dec. 14, are required to submit their harvest (unfrozen head) for sampling at a check station within 24 hours of take.
Watch a video update about the CWD management plan. View the Texas CWD zone map and read more about the latest update on the disease in Texas.
Hunters in the Containment Zone and High Risk Zone are asked to quarter deer in the field and leave all but the quarters, backstraps, and head at the site of harvest if they are unable to bury the inedible carcass parts as deep as possible on the ranch or take them to a landfill.
Mandatory check stations will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Nov. 28 – Dec. 15. Stations will be located in Cornudas at May’s Café (on US 62-180) and in Van Horn at the Van Horn Convention Center (1801 West Broadway).
Voluntary check stations will be established at the following locations during the first three weekends of the general season, Saturday through Monday (Nov. 29 – Dec.1, Dec. 6 – 8, and Dec. 13 –15), from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Monday:
- Midland at Naturally Fresh (Deer Processor) (1501 Elwyn)
- Bakersfield at Chevron Station (south of I10; Exit 294)
- Sanderson at Slim’s Auto Repair (823 West Oak; Intersection of US 90 and 285)
- Alpine at Hip-O Taxidermy (east side of town on US 90, across from Dairy Queen)
For more information on CWD, please visit TPWD’s website at http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/cwd or at the Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance website, http://www.cwd-info.org.
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 Because many hunters process their own deer, they are key players in slowing the spread of diseases such as CWD.
Deer can become infected with CWD if they come into contact with other infected deer or an environment contaminated with CWD prions. While CWD prions are found throughout the body of an infected deer, they are known to accumulate in the brain, spinal cord, eyes, spleen, and lymph nodes
Hunters are urged to follow these safe handling recommendations for proper carcass disposal:
- Avoid cutting through bones, spine, or brain when processing deer carcasses.
- If processing harvested deer in camp or at home, place carcass parts in trash bags and properly dispose of them through a trash service or landfill.
- For taxidermy work, use a licensed taxidermist to assure proper carcass disposal
Read the full list of recommendations for handling deer and elk carcasses.
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 The excitement of finding a great buck in your sights can send caution to the wind. A mindful and disciplined hunter will always ask himself or herself three vital questions before pulling the trigger:
- Is this shot safe?
- Is it legal?
- Is it ethical?
How do you know? Watch this video to review how to make these critical assessments.
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 A capable and responsible hunter uses a rifle that is accurate and that the hunter is confident in using. Preparation for hunting should include a trip to the shooting range every year to check that your weapon can reliably hit your target. This video, "How to Sight Your Hunting Rifle," demonstrates a step by step method of sighting in a hunting rifle.
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