A vocabulary lesson to make sense of the chatter about white-tailed deer hunting
When deer hunters mention calling for a dog, they are usually talking about bringing in a good tracking dog to help recover a wounded deer. It’s always a good idea to make the call for a tracking dog when the blood trail plays out. (Courtesy Photo Jeff Glende, Redline Tracking)
Deer hunters in 117 Texas counties are required to adhere to antler restrictions. This diagram illustrates the difference between a legal buck and an illegal buck. Biologists say more bucks are able to reach 3 1/2 years of age before they are legal for harvest with the 13-inch rule in place. By-products of upgrading the age structure are better quality racks on bucks, more pronounced rutting activity and a deer herd that is healthier overall. (TPWD Illustration)
A perfectly typical set of antlers will have the same number of points reaching upwards on both sides. Any extras are considered deductions on a net typical Boone and Crockett score. Scoring 174 7/8 B&C inches, David Stroud’s Uvalde County bruiser from 2021-22 is the highest scoring true eight pointer ever reported in Texas. B&C is official records keeper of North American big game animals. (Courtesy Photo, David Stroud
Outdoors Writer
My good friend Gary Paris recently enjoyed one of the those magical afternoons in a deer stand that many hunters dream about but most are never lucky enough to experience. What’s really cool about the deal is he was hunting a tiny strip of free-ranging woods about six acres in size.
Interestingly, Paris didn’t shoot a deer. In fact, he never fired a shot ...
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