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 Timing of Mule Deer Season
#138880
01/22/07 04:36 PM
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 7,470
BenBob
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I know most of us on here are focused on hunting whitetails, but does anyone else find the timing of mule deer season as a little odd. Most of the time the mule deer rut is at the end of December or even later. The season is over by the first part of December. Some of the best bucks are killed during the season and consequently miss a breeding season that could have passed on positive genes to the next generation. I guess the rut in South Texas could also do the same thing. Just wondering if anyone else wondered about this and if it could be doing any damage to the gene pool?
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Re: Timing of Mule Deer Season
[Re: BenBob]
#138881
01/22/07 05:09 PM
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Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 16,474
Crazyhorse
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Just an observation from what I have noticed over where we do our Javelina hunts.
Even though there is some hunting done for the mulies on that place, from what I have been seeing, is that there are still a lot of bucks, and several of them good bucks, still running around with antlers in March.
I am not sure why TP&W set the seasons on mulies the way they have, but it is my impression, that mulies are just not popular enough with the average Texas hunter to generate enough interest in doing a re-vamp of the season. Also, if I remember correctly, a couple of years back, there was mention of opening Mule Deer season up to co-incide with Whitetail season in the Trans-Pecos, and there was a lot of oppopsition from landowners. If memory serves correctly, their reasoning was that they only offered hunts during that couple of weeks that the season was open and that if it was expanded, it would cut them out of customers, or they would have to start offering hunts over a longer period of time to compete.
Again, a lot of this is speculation on my part, but some of it does come from actual articles I have read, either newspaper or magazine, and watching various hunters over the years. One of the probably not biggest, but definitely a plausible matter, is that neither Boone & Crockett or Pope & Young, recognise the Desert Mule Deer as a distinct species. There-fore, most folks when considering a Mule Deer hunt, especially for a book trophy, look to Colorado, Utah. New Mexico, etc., but not Texas.
Also because all hunting for mulies in Texas is done on Private land, and yes before anyone says anything, TP&W does offer some drawing hunts for mulies on a few of the WMA's, take time to check out the # of permits available versus the number of folks appliying for those permits. Because of our system, most people, even a lot of Texans, when they think Mule Deer, they immediately thing Rocky Mountains.
Personnally, because the land owners are the ones with ultimate control over how many mulies will be taken in any area by legal means, then gun Mule Deer season, should run concurrent with the general whitetail season, just like archery mule deer runs concurrent with archery whitetail.
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Re: Timing of Mule Deer Season
[Re: BenBob]
#138882
01/22/07 07:49 PM
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 17,117
MikeC
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Quote:
I know most of us on here are focused on hunting whitetails, but does anyone else find the timing of mule deer season as a little odd. Most of the time the mule deer rut is at the end of December or even later. The season is over by the first part of December. Some of the best bucks are killed during the season and consequently miss a breeding season that could have passed on positive genes to the next generation. I guess the rut in South Texas could also do the same thing. Just wondering if anyone else wondered about this and if it could be doing any damage to the gene pool?
I believe that is ture for the west and south west areas of Texas but the mule deer in the panhandle are in full rut by Thanksgiving or the week after which pretty much coincieds with the rifle season up there.
MC
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Re: Timing of Mule Deer Season
[Re: MikeC]
#138883
01/22/07 07:51 PM
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 2,354
whby05
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MikeC-
I CANT READ YOUR POST DUE TO THE VIDEO. IT WONT STOP......PM SENT
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Re: Timing of Mule Deer Season
[Re: whby05]
#138884
01/22/07 07:54 PM
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 37,484
Big Orn
great white gorilla
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Mike - please help us out. There are some here that can't pay attention to your posts. You put that sig up for a reason, I 'spect...some "hidden agenda" - maybe...   Lawdy.... 
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Re: Timing of Mule Deer Season
[Re: Big Orn]
#138885
01/22/07 07:56 PM
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 2,354
whby05
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LMAO!!!! 
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Re: Timing of Mule Deer Season
[Re: MikeC]
#138886
01/22/07 08:08 PM
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 7,470
BenBob
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Quote:
Quote:
I know most of us on here are focused on hunting whitetails, but does anyone else find the timing of mule deer season as a little odd. Most of the time the mule deer rut is at the end of December or even later. The season is over by the first part of December. Some of the best bucks are killed during the season and consequently miss a breeding season that could have passed on positive genes to the next generation. I guess the rut in South Texas could also do the same thing. Just wondering if anyone else wondered about this and if it could be doing any damage to the gene pool?
I believe that is ture for the west and south west areas of Texas but the mule deer in the panhandle are in full rut by Thanksgiving or the week after which pretty much coincieds with the rifle season up there.
MC
That makes the season choice more sensible for me. I think for the most part, your mule deer up there are bigger and would be more representative of what everyone would want to kill if all things were equal. I never thought of that part of the state. Shame on me for being so narrow-minded.
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Re: Timing of Mule Deer Season
[Re: BenBob]
#138887
01/22/07 11:53 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 20,770
cbump
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I read an article in an outfitter guide magazine not too long ago where the author said that the reason they made mule deer season before the rut was because mulies are too easy to kill during the rut. He said they get way more stupid than whitetails do during their rut.
I know this has nothing to do with the original post of letting the big boys breed through the rut, but thought I would chime in.
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Re: Timing of Mule Deer Season
[Re: cbump]
#138888
01/26/07 02:39 PM
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 17,117
MikeC
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Here is the one I shot last November on opening day of the mulie season. Not a giant by any stretch of the imagination but he's a good representative for the area. He was following a doe off of a wheat field right at dyalight.  MC
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Re: Timing of Mule Deer Season
[Re: MikeC]
#138889
01/26/07 02:49 PM
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 7,470
BenBob
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Mike,
Nice looking buck. Body-wise he will outdo our West Texas version and horn-wise, if he is average, then he will out do ours in that category also. We have some that will top that buck, but they are few and far in between. It looks like you had some excellent help on your hunt. Nice picture.
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Re: Timing of Mule Deer Season
[Re: BenBob]
#138890
01/26/07 02:54 PM
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 17,117
MikeC
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Had the best help anyone could ever ask for. Those are my only two grandchildren and I enjoy having them with us at the lease every chance we get.
MC
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Re: Timing of Mule Deer Season
[Re: Big Orn]
#138891
01/26/07 03:36 PM
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 17,117
MikeC
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Quote:
Mike - please help us out. There are some here that can't pay attention to your posts.
You put that sig up for a reason, I 'spect...some "hidden agenda" - maybe...
Lawdy....
No hidden agenda, just the truth.
I took it off so as not to disturb the disturbed. 
MC
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Re: Timing of Mule Deer Season
[Re: MikeC]
#138892
01/27/07 01:14 AM
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Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 16,474
Crazyhorse
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Re: Timing of Mule Deer Season
[Re: Crazyhorse]
#138893
01/27/07 03:39 PM
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 148
VinceRomo
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The original seasons were designed to expand the Mule deer numbers in Texas.When they started to see enough to implement a controlled season they intended for it to be a short hard to hunt season as far away from the rut as could be done.The only choice was to hunt early due to their late mating season as there was a high percentage of antlers shed after the late rut.The yearly cycle has seen a shift in some ares due to the over population of whitetails in the mule deer range they have actually taken the whitetail tendencies as a result of the whitetail being so agressive.
Overall It is the only reason there is a reasonable size muley herd in Texas and I would expect the TPW people to keep it as is with two exception being a small area in the panhandle and one area out towards VanHorn that may have an extra season in the next five years.
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Re: Timing of Mule Deer Season
[Re: VinceRomo]
#138894
01/27/07 10:16 PM
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Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 16,474
Crazyhorse
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I could see the reasoning behind that line of thought, IF, these animals were on PUBLIC LAND. They aren't, and the landowners completely control the number of bucks that are legally taken. I was talking to the rancher we do the Javelina hunts with, when the proposal to expand the Mule deer season in the Trans-Pecos, was kicked around, 3 years ago I believe, and a lot of the younger ranchers were for it, but a few of the older guys with larger holdings wanted to keep things the way they were, so they could charge more for that small window of hunting. Those were exact words one of the people in favor of not changing the season dates, made in an interview. If a rancher is limiting the take off his property to 15 bucks total, what difference does it make as to when they are taken. Especially when you are dealing with properties in the tens of thousands of acres where all hunter access is rigidly controlled?
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Re: Timing of Mule Deer Season
[Re: VinceRomo]
#138895
01/29/07 02:28 AM
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 17,117
MikeC
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Quote:
I would expect the TPW people to keep it as is with two exception being a small area in the panhandle and one area out towards VanHorn that may have an extra season in the next five years.
I'm not real sure that TPWD has a real good accessment of mule deer numbers in some areas. When we leased the place we have in the panhandle I called the TPWD biologist for our area to discuss some things and was told that they had never seen a mule deer in our area of the county and we have mulies running out of our ears. It's at least a 50/50 split between the whitetails and mulies and some days I think the mulies might just have the edge.
MC
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Re: Timing of Mule Deer Season
[Re: Crazyhorse]
#138896
01/29/07 04:22 AM
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 148
VinceRomo
Woodsman
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Woodsman
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Quote:
I could see the reasoning behind that line of thought, IF, these animals were on PUBLIC LAND. They aren't, and the landowners completely control the number of bucks that are legally taken. I was talking to the rancher we do the Javelina hunts with, when the proposal to expand the Mule deer season in the Trans-Pecos, was kicked around, 3 years ago I believe, and a lot of the younger ranchers were for it, but a few of the older guys with larger holdings wanted to keep things the way they were, so they could charge more for that small window of hunting. Those were exact words one of the people in favor of not changing the season dates, made in an interview. If a rancher is limiting the take off his property to 15 bucks total, what difference does it make as to when they are taken. Especially when you are dealing with properties in the tens of thousands of acres where all hunter access is rigidly controlled?
Do you believe that every tag on every hunt is filled?If not do you believe the only reason is the hunter decided not to shoot a small deer or he/she missed?
I would lean more towards they saw nothing to shoot at because there was little movement and the hunters did not have an edge on a rutting deer out of his mind...
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