General mule deer season is now open and runs thru December 9th, and hunters can look forward to an average harvest this year.
Shawn Gray, Mule Deer and Pronghorn program leader for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, said, “There ought to be more deer out there to harvest, but I don’t think antler development will be as good as in past years when we had more rainfall. It’s probably going to be average at best.”
He explained that bucks drop their antlers in March and grow fresh ones from April through October. With essentially no rainfall in the Big Bend from late winter last year through mid-summer this year, he expected racks would not be as good as in past years.
Unlike pronghorn, permits aren’t required to harvest mule deer, but hunters need a license, and the bag limit is one buck.
Quail season runs through Feb. 24, 2019. Scaled (Blue) Quail is the primary species in the Big Bend region, but there may be a few Northern Bobwhite that have been released. The daily bag limit for all quail, including Gambell’s, is 15 birds, with a 45-bird possession limit. There is no open season for Montezuma Quail in Texas.
Visit tpwd.texas.gov, and click on “Hunting.”
