I wonder if there is any chance of extending the deer season for this coming year? Last year there was the chance that the season would be extended by 2-3 weeks into January. But the final decision was made to keep the end of the season the weekend after January 1. I saw quite a bit of pushback from quail hunters that lease properties from the end of deer season through the end of quail season. Seems to me that the money generated by deer hunting would overshadow the money spent on quail hunting and like in everything, I believe money is a factor always considered. With the unpredictability of our weather and the weather being warm for the most part the first couple of weekends, I would like to see the season either pushed back 2-3 weeks into January or see the season extended by 2-3 weeks into January to have a better chance of catching some cooler-cold weather.

As a land owner, no.

Bow season starts in October, youth gun season starts in October, gun season starts in Nov. until first of Jan, youth gun season runs into mid Jan, and muzzle loading season runs into mid Jan. Add in MLD season times also.

If a person cannot kill a deer in all that time he needs to find another hobby, folks do not need another 2-3 more weeks.

The state has set the majority of the seasons to coincide with the rut, the rut is over by the end of Dec for the most part.

I watch the traffic on the county road during deer season, most of the traffic dies down after Thanksgiving weekend. Folks either have their deer or their wives have said enough is enough.

Hard to comment without knowing which county(s) you're talking about.

Depending on which county(s) you hunt, deer season starts with archery Sept 29 and goes as late as Feb 3 for special late season.
Just the general whitetail season North zone Nov 3 - Jan 6, South zone Nov 3 - Jan 20.

Deer move everyday regardless of temperatures, I see just as many in the hottest parts of summer as I do in the coldest parts of winter.

It's already too long!!

I'd take extending the season. I hunt anyways whether it be for hogs or other varmints so it would be nice just in case the buck of a lifetime showed up after the end of the normal deer hunting season.

x2

How would the landowner be making more money by losing quail hunters money?

I was talking in overall terms that more money is spent annually on deer hunting than on quail hunting or another way of putting it is deer hunting generates more money flow than quail hunting does. I could be wrong, but I don't think so. I guess landowners might end up making more money if they went up on their deer hunting leases if the season was longer.

It's called MLD, runs from October-February.

The animals need a break too. Ruts been hard, does need to build up reserves for fawns coming on. Landowners need a break too.
I vote no on extending the season.

Again from a landowner, there are 2 camps.

First if you do not lease, deer season is a pain and annoying. Trash and beer cans start in the county roads on Labor Day weekend, along with folks racing up and down the roads. The constant shooting for whatever reason is annoying. Dumping dead hogs in the ditches. My wife and I filled the majority of the bed of a Toyota truck after deer season with cans and food wrappers.

If you lease, the money is nice but lessors are like company who stay with you. It is nice when the company is there, but you
are happy and relieved when they are gone. Who wants extended stay company?

Unfortunately, there are more hunters than landowners and they have more sway the Parks and Wildlife.

In another thread, folks talked about landowners selling out or there children taking over the land and losing their leases. That is only going to increase, the average age of landowners running cows is now over 70.

I don't really care how long it is. I decide how many deer I want taken. I book hunters for that amount. By the middle of Dec. I am through.

I’d like to one day see a muzzle loader season here in north Texas

Make it a week or two, I’d be good w that

Idk when during the season to put it though

Primitive style ( no inlines ) and no scopes

We are MLD but choose to wait until mid October to start and quit in mid January - that is plenty long enough to hunt IMO

Longer season would mean less "what do you do in the off season" threads!

We are MLD and still shut it down by mid Jan. and usually don't start till mid to late Oct. The animals need a break and that's plenty of time to either be successful or let them grow another year.

There is enough trash on the county roads from September through December. Unless we clean and pick the trash up,our fence line on a farm to market road looks like the road to the city dump by December.

It would be great if they extended the season. The hunting is often best in Januarry, as the deer are easier to pattern. If your a land owner who does not like the idea, just stipulate in your lease agreement no hunting after whatever date you chose.

I'd like to see rifle Doe only season a week or two before general rifle season.

Yes, but that will never happen across the state.

The bow hunters lobby is huge and will fight that. They will not share the woods will rifle hunters.

I agree though, does should be shot the very first of the season to get them off the food source.

I would sure not complain if it was extended. However, we have a very generous rifle season. It is only two weeks in Oklahoma.

I see no reason why the North and South zones should differ in length.

There is no reason to change it in my opinion.
What needs to be looked at if they want to change something, it would be the antler restrictions.
Why can't they be more flexible and take county by county.
Some counties need to have the 13" rule relaxed for at least a season or two and remove the narrow bucks.
Some counties where you can't shoot a doe during the general season could be changed allowing harvest would be another change.
The TPWD want to make changes, but don't seem to care about adjusting the rules they've already implemented, but seem content with writing them in stone and forgetting about them.

It makes me laugh to here these comments like the deer need a break........from what?

Are you making them stay up late and do their homework? Run laps around the pasture?

As Rustler points out; our deer do what they do year round whether hunted or not.

If you are changing their behavior or physically wearing them down you are over hunting the property with too many hunting. A longer or shorter season isn’t going to solve the over hunting IMO.

The land owners comments made in this thread are why I will never lease small properties that owners live on.

An extended season would be just that much more time non-ethical hunters have to shoot underage / undersized sized deer. No thanks.

I think a person with a HF such as I should be able to shoot Deer when ever we want as long as they are tagged.

my wife would wish the season was MUCH shorter, especially since one of my places is MLD3, so I pretty much start late Sept. and go thru end of Feb. to eastern TX but still make trips about once a month to west TX ... not counting the every other month trips to fill feeders & check cameras.

Yes, the season should be extended by two weeks (in the North zone). It should also start two weeks later. It is typically hot in early November, and well before the ruts occur (there is not "a rut" but a rutting period which lasts from late November through January with periods of higher intensity roughly 28 days apart). Hunting is much better in January. My grandkids have done exceptionally well during the current extended youth season. We don't need a longer season, just a later one. Start the third Saturday in November and end the third Sunday in January. Shift the bow and youth seasons accordingly.

It’s plenty long enough.

Some of y'all are nuts (not really) or not hunted very long. Pitchfork is right on. Start season two weeks later? I am north zone and rut is full blown by second week in November many places. Sure they rut into December up north. South zone goes longer as they rut later but most are done by New Years. They don't run by every stand all day long. They change patterns so adapt. Use pop ups. People need to realize luck and being at the right place at the right time results in most bucks getting killed. Hunt Nov to Dec often results in a better chance to get a buck. Everyone doesn't kill a buck. I take one every 2 to 3 years. I hunt more than most on our place so know what's going on and what is out there. Seems to work out well. Buddy went MLDP by us and they killed their bucks last January but changed tactics. Not sitting in an established blind did the trick.

My wife and I hunt the entire season now that we're retired (Archery through rifle). We are very selective in our 1 buck county. I would rely on our biologist to establish what's best overall for the deer and us hunters. Find our season so generous when you consider most states have very limited opportunities ( OK, CO, KS,) I Will rely on the experts they seem to be doing quite well.

While I would personally like a longer deer season, I don't see that happening in the near future. The TPWD Commission specifically cited the conflicts with quail season in the panhandle as one of the primary reasons why they did not end up lengthening the season back in 2018. During the commission meeting where they elected to not change the deer season, the commission referred to the fact that new hunter recruitment is already a big issue and that a lot of people (especially children) get introduced to hunting through small game and upland bird hunting. With that in mind, they were reluctant to do anything that could negatively impact quail season.

What quail?

I would not extend the season.

Its Feb 10th in Alabama

Agree with Mark not only for that buck of a lifetime, but maybe that cull buck, spike or extra doe you wanted to take.
My understanding on why N. TX is not the same length as S. TX is because the rich Quail Hunters up north nixed it.

This. And I bet the quail-hunter numbers are down 75% or more in the last 30 years..