Texas Expects a Good Deer Season; Hunters Asked to Watch for Screwworm

Texas hunters should see good harvest numbers and a fair shot at quality bucks this season, Texas Parks and Wildlife says. After three straight years of above-average fawn survival, the state's white-tailed deer population is estimated at 5.64 million.

Late-spring and early-summer rain rescued habitat across most of the state. The department expects slightly above-average antler quality in most regions, with the Cross Timbers, Edwards Plateau, Eastern Rolling Plains and parts of the Post Oak Savannah and Blackland Prairie doing best. Pockets of South Texas and the Pineywoods missed the spring rain and should expect average antlers. The Edwards Plateau has the most deer, about 1.97 million, with the highest density around Llano and Mason counties, where the department says doe harvest is especially important. For mature bucks, South Texas and the Western Rolling Plains typically produce the largest.

The new concern is New World screwworm, a parasite confirmed in Texas earlier this year that hit the state's white-tailed deer hard in the early 1900s. The department asks hunters to watch for signs of infestation on trail cameras and in the field, to inspect harvested deer, and to report anything suspicious to their local TPWD biologist promptly. Its screwworm page explains what to look for.

Chronic wasting disease rules also apply: check the season dates, bag limits and carcass disposal rules for your county in the Outdoor Annual app before you go.