Potential Experimental Mule Deer Antler-Restriction Regulation in 6 Panhandle Counties (Briscoe, Childress, Cottle, Floyd, Hall, and Motley) Opinion Survey

Over the last 20-25 years in the southeast Panhandle excessive buck harvest has occurred. 

This excessive buck harvest has affected the sex ratio and age structure of mule deer in the area.  TPWD survey data indicate a post-season sex ratio of 5-6 does per buck, with mature bucks being rare.  

Over the last several years, TPWD has received many requests to implement management strategies designed to improve the age structure of mule deer bucks in the southeast Panhandle.  Preliminary data indicate that an antler-restriction harvest strategy should allow the age structure of mule deer bucks to increase. Therefore, TPWD is considering an experimental mule deer antler-restriction regulation in the southeast Panhandle for the following counties:  Briscoe, Childress, Cottle, Floyd, Hall, and Motley.

TPWD has collected data from mule deer captured during ongoing research projects, as well as hunter-harvested mule deer throughout the Panhandle to estimate the ear-tip to ear-tip spread of bucks standing in the alert position.  The average ear-tip to ear-tip spread of alert mule deer bucks is 21 inches, as demonstrated in the drawings below.

Based upon the success of the white-tailed deer antler-restriction harvest strategy and requests from landowners and hunters in the southeast Panhandle, TPWD is considering an experimental mule deer antler-restriction harvest strategy.  Because the average ear-tip to ear-tip spread on Panhandle mule deer bucks is 21 inches, we are considering a restriction using an outside spread of 20 inches. 

The outside spread is estimated in a similar manner as the inside spread; however, the measurement is taken by using the outside measurement of the main beams shown in the green and red dotted lines in the buck illustrations below.

As shown in the picture above, a buck with an outside spread of 20 inches or greater would be legal for harvest.

Any buck with an outside spread of less than 20 inches, including any unbranched-antler buck with an outside spread of less than 20 inches, would not be legal to harvest as shown above.

Preliminary data analysis suggest that these antler-restriction criteria (outside spread of the main beam equal to 20 inches) should protect at least least 80% of 1.5 to 3.5 year-old bucks, while approximately 90% of bucks meet the legal requirement at 5.5 years of age.

We propose to test this antler-restriction harvest strategy for 4 hunting seasons starting in 2018 to evaluate its effectiveness in producing more mature bucks.

To provide your opinion on the potential experimental mule deer antler-restriction regulation in 6 Panhandle counties, please click on the Take the survey button below to answer 4 easy questions.  

Thanks for your time in providing us your opinion!