Bringing my spike in Saturday morning, I noticed a few of the deer already had their antlers removed. Just wondering if this is normal, it doesnt sound like it should be able to be done.

Why not?

Were they off when they came in? Or did the processor saw them off?

I always take mine if I want them. The processor might lose them or give someone else the wrong ones, plus it's a pain in the butt for them to keep up with them. You can take the whole head if you want. The deer's already reached its' final destination. Our plant even has a sign on the doo to the after-hours drop-off cooler "Not responsible for ice chests or antlers left in cooler."

I bring my deer to the processor skinned and quarter no head, been doing it for years. The processor doesn't car about the rack or keeping up with it at all. To me its the smartest thing to do!

They were off when they came in, from what I could tell. I deffinately could be wrong. They might have been done there. I was thinking they were done before they reached the processor. If that was the case, I thought that would be wrong. My reasoning behind this, is what would be stopping anyone from shooting an illegal buck and just cutting the horns and bringing it in? Not trying to start anything, just curious.

We do some ourselves totally, some to the processor. When we take them in, depends on when we killed them, if in west texas on a coming home day, sometimes leave them on, if its more than overnight and anytime coming from south texas, then we quarter them and bring in coolers, wether we do them or take them to processor.

Depends on if you trust the processor or not.....at the plant in Big Spring they tag the head and you can pick it up with your meat when you get it.......

All processors I've ever been to just sawzall the rack right off if you want it. Usually the first thing they ask you when they pull it out of your truck.

What do you do with the tag, if you don't have the head? Does your processor document the tag#? What if the game warden stops you on your way to the processor?

idk bout yall, but when i take my deer to the processor, he asks to see the tag, and the deer head. he has to fill out paper work, but i do not leave it their.

You leave it and you might lose it.

Me too. Any processor that I have ever used, anyway. Got this off TPWD website: "A hunter may skin and quarter a deer (two forequarters, two hindquarters, and two backstraps) and possess for transport, provided the quartered deer is tagged and proof of sex accompanies deer.

Processor keeps the tag. If a GW questions you they can just contact the processor if they want. They spot-check processors, anyway, for antler violations and such. Processors don't care whether your deer's legal or not, just so long as it's got a tag with a name on it.

Tag stays with meat...If needed you can get a wildlife resource document to take with you for the horns. Especially if you are taking them to a taxidermist

Last year the game warden came into our camp and I had already done the European Mount on the deer head and he said no problem with him as long as the head stayed with the meat and the tag was still on it.

You can cut them off but just keep everything together in case you get checked.

Same here

Sorry for the long post, just want to hopefully add clarity to the rules.

You do not have to have antlers with the animal.

There is additional info describing the proof of sex requirement from the TPWD Outdoor Annual. For most hunters that means either a completed MLD permit or a statement from the landowner. You can print a Wildlife Resource Document off the TPWD website and it will contain what you need. But the rules on how a deer can be transported and what has to accompany it are pretty clear - the processor/taxidermist may not hold you to it, but a game warden will. Also, generally a deer is not to be more than quartered when transporting a deer for processing.

The following is from the outdoor annual:

Notice: It is unlawful to possess a deer, pronghorn antelope with proof of sex removed unless the deer or antelope is at a final destination and has been quartered. Proof of sex for deer is:

the head (skinned or unskinned) of a buck deer with antlers attached;
the head (skinned or unskinned) of an antlerless deer;
the unskinned head of a pronghorn antelope; or
a completed Managed Lands Deer Permit, Landowner Assisted Management Permit, Antlerless Mule Deer Permit, Special Wildlife Management Area or State Park Drawn Public Hunting Permit, or Antlerless and Spike-buck Control Permit.

EXCEPTION: Instead of proof of sex, the hunter may obtain a receipt from a taxidermist or a signed statement from the landowner or the landowner's agent containing the following information:

Name of person who killed the wildlife resource;
Date the wildlife resource was killed; and
One of the following, as applicable: whether the deer was antlered or antlerless; the sex of the antelope; the sex of the turkey and whether a beard was attached; or the sex of the pheasant.

I have the tag in the cooler on top of the ice just like 2 different game warden told me to do, the processor keeps the tag, the head goes to the taxidermist if its worthy or I euro mount it. If its a doe the head goes with the rest of the carcus.

I thought you were saying that you don't take the head with you to the processor. If its a doe and you quarter it, the carcass is disposed of, right? Do you throw the doe head away with the carcass? Tag should probably be attached to the deer in some manner though. Good luck.

first year with a doe season at my local land, I'll be bringing the head. The only places ive killed doe has been MLS and the game warden has stopped by and checked everything before we head home last day of the hunt, he and the land owner know each other well. Game warden specifically told me keep the tag on the top of the ice in the cooler be pretty hard to attach the tag to a shoulder or back strap.

I put the tag in a small ziplock (snack size), and attach it to a quarter. Works fine.

The book reads proof of sex and that would be the deer head so if your driving home from the lease with a deer in the cooler and do not have the deer head (proof of sex)...then you have broke the law....Right?????

The exception to the proof of sex is also straight out of the book - if you have a signed statement from the landowner with the required info you do not need the head.

It never hurts to take the head, you just don't have to if you meet the other requirements.

sign statement from the landowner saying what? .....i know if another hunter gives you his deer you need something in writing....??????