Published: February 21, 2009 09:33 am      

Regulation changes proposed

White-tailed Deer Regulation Changes Being Proposed in Many North Texas Counties.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is proposing new white-tailed deer regulations for the 2009-10 hunting season.

The proposed changes will standardize the deer hunting regulations for many North Texas counties.

The goals will be to increase hunter opportunity and allow more flexibility for landowners. These proposals are designed to expand the current antler restrictions in North Texas and allow for more liberal antlerless harvest.

Currently six North Texas counties including Bosque, Comanche, Eastland, Erath, Hamilton and Somer-vell are under antler restrictions.

In these six counties antler restrictions have been effective in improving the age structure of the buck segment of the herd, increasing hunter opportunity, and encouraging landowners and hunters to become more actively involved in better wildlife and habitat management.

The proposal would expand antler restrictions to the following counties: Archer, Brown, Clay, Cooke, Denton, Hill, Hood, Jack, Johnson, McLennan, Mills, Montague, Palo Pinto, Parker, Stephens, Tarrant, Wichita, Wise and Young.

Antlerless season in seven North Texas counties is currently restricted to either a 16- or 30-day season.

The proposals include:

Changing Denton and Tarrant counties from the current 16-day antlerless season to full season either sex.

Changing Cooke, Johnson, Hill, Wilbarger and Wichita counties from the current 30-day antlerless to full season either sex.

Changing from a two antlerless deer bag limit in Archer, Baylor, Bosque, Callahan, Clay, Hamilton, Hill, Jack, McLennan, Palo Pinto, Shackelford, Somervell, Stephens, Taylor, Throckmorton, Wichita, Wilbarger and Young counties to a five deer no more than two buck bag limit.

A proposal to affect all North Texas counties would include the addition of a late antlerless and spike season.

An important part of this process is taking comments on the regulation proposals from the public.

For additional information on the regulation proposals refer to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Web site at: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/business/feedback/meetings/statewide_hearings.