Managed Lands Deer Program

I'm looking at buying about 40 acres in East Texas for rifle hunting, and I'd like to take advantage of the MLDP program, especially since the only time you can take does with a rifle is over Thanksgiving. (I'm a meat hunter.) A page on the TPWD website estimates bag limits if you draw a map on the property, and it estimated limits at zero for all categories. Ouch! Should I rely on the website and conclude that I'd be limited to the standard bag limits -- one buck, one spike buck, and two does over Thanksgiving weekend. Any guidance would be appreciated. Thanks.

Sounds like the county regs is the only option (40 acres isn't really enough acreage to sustain a high deer harvest). But, don't forget about the archery season, youth seasons, and the muzzleloader season. You can shoot does during any these times (if you bowhunt, have youth hunters, or muzzleloader hunt).

They will probably tell you that you can only shoot one deer or maybe zero. This program is usually for large properties(high fence usually). I would stay away from it if I were you and a meat hunter. But how many deer are you looking to take on 40 acres?

Two a season. I can take a 13.5" buck, a spike, and two does with a rifle. I can only shoot does over Thanksgiving weekend, so I wouldn't have much flexibility.

What county is the property? If you have a muzzle loader season that gives you two weeks to kill does. Of course you can kill does during archery season.

You're right, but I'm a rifleman, and too old to learn new tricks. Thanks.

You shouldn't be looking into MLD you don't need it. Sounds like you already shoot more than is sustainable for 40 acres. MLD is for folks that can't get enough deer shot.

Why would you want to take that many deer on 40 acres?

I must be missing something. I don't understand the issue here, or I didn't explain myself clearly. I'm just talking about a total of 2 deer a season. There are hundreds of wooded acres all around the property, so I assume that a lot of deer range in the area and would move in and out of that property.

We were on the LAMPS program since 2009 and only got one doe tag for the whole property every year, 260 acres mostly wooded with large properties on three sides. We can also each shoot a buck over 13" and a spike. Only my son and I hunt it so it was never a big deal, we only shot one doe all those years.
What confuses me is now we can each shoot two does during the doe days so we could take four per year when its always been just one in prior years. We decided not to participate in either of the new programs and just hunt according to the regulations in the book because we were afraid they might not let us each take a buck.

Not sure how many counties are involved but some counties now have an extended doe season with up to 15 days. You might have more days to hunt than you think to hunt.

I would say 2 deer a year sounds great. Enjoy owning your own property. Good luck

There is a minimum acreage for the new MLDP. I am not sure what it is but a friend of mine has 89 acres and he did not have enough. My neighbor has 325 and the automated system showed he could harvest 1 doe and zero bucks. Like stated above it's for large acreage.

Not sure what county this property is in but the regs in most counties In east TX says this: "antlerless deer may be taken without permits from opening day through the Sunday immediately following Thanksgiving Day..."---meaning doe can be harvested from the beginning of rifle season (the first weekend in Nov ) through Thanksgiving weekend.

As stated above you can also harvest doe with archery equip during archery season, youth can harvest with rifles on youth weekends and doe can be harvested with a muzzle loader during muzzle loader season in January.

I hope this clarifies some things.

Good luck!

Could you provide a link to that page? thank you

https://lma.tpwd.state.tx.us/

I just received an email from the lead TWPD biologist for that area. He confirmed that there was no minimum acreage requirement, but that it would be unlikely that I would get any permits under the program.

The info I was given was back in March---I guess it has changed since then. I do recall that my neighbor with the 89 acres was given the option to have TPWD set up a management plan for him but permits would not be issued due to not enough acreage.

Being that your a meat hunter MLD would not be helpful to your goals for the property.

thanks

I have hunted mld twice. The state gives him tags for each one of his 5 sections of his ranch. One that is 650 acres, has about 30 buck and 20 doe tags. He always thinks tpwd tells him to take too many. I don't think he has ever used all the tags.

I thought your intent was clear just looking for more opportunity to kill a doe or two.

Reality is you aint getting MLD for that property. You need to just erase that from your brain and either know you may not get that opportunity or pick up a bow or a muzzle loader. That whole can't teach and old dog new tricks is hog wash. Heck just buy a cross bow. It's virtually like hunting with a 30/30. Things are crazy accurate.

I hunt on a MLD property and honestly it's not that great of a deal. The landowner wants Mature bucks shot, the wildlife biologist says we need to shoot culls, however, he only issues enough tags for each lease holder to get 1 buck tag. They base the numbers on night surveys conducted in August from ranch roads. They don't look at any feeders or in any food plots. It's kind of stupid. They'll see 10 deer on our 1000 ac during a survey while I can see 30 in the field I hunt on every night. About the only think the MLD is good for is that it allows us to rifle hunt from opening day of bow season to February 28th. I know of places that get a ton of tags, but it has never worked out that way for us.

Keith

How many buck tags are you getting on 1000 acres?

Take too many for what?

Of course deer density, available forage and predators on that property make the difference. In the same week we met with tpwd, one 2300 acre ranch got 140 tags for 70 bucks and 70 does. The other property 1500 acres they said you can have 2 buck tags. Well it was decided one ranch we were good with MLD and the other we declined. Totally different area but both high fences. This was 15 plus yrs ago. If you are east of I-35 I would not even consider being a MLD property.

Too many deer.

Exactly...40 acres in east Tx, I'd only shoot one a year, UNLESS you're in an ultra-high density area. You really need to sit back a while and study what the neighbors are doing, deer dynamics, etc. before comitting to do any type of managed land program.

You're better off sticking with conventional regs rather than go MLD.

Too many deer based on what is what is what I was asking. The owner has a number in mind based on surveys? Gut feeling? Number of hunters? Etc

Usually 5 - 1 per lease spot. It is an antler restriction county so the MLD removes the antler restriction which allows us to shoot culls if we want.

We had our place under the program and we never agreed to what they wanted us to shoot........No one believed we had the umber of deer they wanted us to shoot including me. If we would have killed the amount of deer prescribed I don't think we would seen a comeback for at least 10 years. I don't see how basically shooting out a place will increase the quality of deer without bringing in genetics, they have abundant browse and protein / minerals / corn are out year round. 15 tons of protein a year (lyssey&Eckel 20%) 20 acres of soybeans when its not a drought, wheat, triticale, winter peas in the fall/winter.

Feed shouldn't really factor into carrying capacity.

I hear you bobcat, but its only to supplement. They have plenty browse with the numbers we have now.

Agreed. Our biologist claims we need to shoot doe, many doe. When you have a low density, and see 3-4 bucks per doe, why would we do that? He's not on the property like we are. A young personable fellow, but not accurate on his deer count estimates. We have approximately 1 deer per 30-40 acres. Awesome habitat, just low numbers of deer.

The problem with the young folk is they never think into the future (what if). It was a young smarty pants that came up with the numbers on our place too. Where we hunt if we shoot half the herd and a drought hit us it wont be good. We see about 10 deer per hunt on average sometimes more, I would say 1.5 does to 1 buck. Lots of cactus and mesquite with some oak near the atacosa river.

So you think more deer is better during a drought???

Alright, TXbobcat, look man I'm not trying to be Dr Deer but if you cant imply simple math into survival rates I'm sorry. Yes I want more deer in a drought. I never heard of a protocol for decreasing numbers because its to dry.

That's the typical deer hunter response of more deer should be better.

Just thinking simplicity. I believe if you have 100 deer and anything besides disease or sickness happens to the herd like a drought and 50% die your left with 50. If you have 200 head and 50% die your left with 100..... I know I may be wrong and there are millions of factors to take in consideration. Not everything works like it does on the outdoor channel, I've learned from experience when we hunted in the hill country, shot a bunch of deer like the biologist suggested to the exact number and 7 years later we were back to square one, never did it improve the quality of the deer, the only thing it helped was our feed cost and we had to stop shooting bucks for 3 years. I would call that unsuccessful, just my opinion. I think the common deer hunter agrees to the MLDP just to get some trigger time.

That's the understatement of the year. They need to kick those off that truly don't need the program.

So what u deer Nazi your the problem not peta!!!

It's a renewable resource deer Nazi

Agree ^ Luckily we only have 4 members on our place and we all have the same ethics and opinion.

So what if I want tigger time u deer Nazi it's my blood sweat and money go [censored] with peta. Your a dumbass

A bunch of narrowminded deer Nazis on this form

Call me Hitler then

Not u man

I'm confused, which isn't uncommon. One thing we need to realise is deer management is like religion everyone has their opinion.

I'm with u it's some of the other guys

Dang! lol

You know they do have programs to help with the drinking problem!