Hill Country Hunting Guide 2021
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Time to Hunt in the Texas Hill Country It’s hunting season time in the Texas Hill Country. The 2021-2022 big game season for white-tailed deer and other wild game such as turkey, quail and dove draw in hunters from around the United States for its notably successful harvests.
here are above average for 2021. Hunters here should expect to see more mature bucks (5.5 years old or older) relative to other age classes because of good fawn production in 2013 through 2016.
General rifle season for turkey and deer starts Saturday, Nov. 6, and runs through Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022.
“With a high fawn recruitment expected this year, hunters are encouraged to fill their doe tags to help keep population growth in check, especially in the areas of the Hill Country and Cross Timbers ecoregion,” he said.
The Texas Hill Country also has an abundant amount of non-game wildlife such as armadillos, raccoons, hawks, opossums, coyotes and numerous other birds, not to mention an occasional porcupine and skunk.
Youth-only hunting weekends, for those licensed hunters 16 years of age or younger, are planned on Oct. “All areas of the state, except the Trans-Pecos (far western Texas), are 30-31, 2021, and Jan. 3-16, 2022. looking good for the upcoming deer A special late season during Alan Cain, whitetail deer program season,” says Cain. “Most of the which harvests are restricted to leader for the Texas Parks and state has received substantial antlerless deer and spikes, runs Wildlife Department, says he rainfall over the spring and simultaneously to the late youthexpects a great season throughout summer and relatively mild only season, from Jan. 3-16, 2022. most of the state. temperatures until late July. Habitat Aside from whitetails, Gillespie “If fawn recruitment predictions conditions are in great shape, and County is also considered to be in hold true, coupled with a good antler growth is looking really the Central Zone for dove hunting. carryover of deer from the 2020 good. The Trans-Pecos has been hunting season, landowners and dry, and antler quality might be Dove season will run from Sept. 1 hunters should expect to see an down in that region of the state.” through Oct. 31, and then again increase in the overall statewide from Dec. 17 through Jan. 14, 2022. He added that though the end of population,” Cain say. “Statewide 2020 was dry and most of Texas saw The quail season across Texas fawn recruitment estimates average freezing conditions in 2021, the late will run Oct. 30 to Feb. 27, 2022. about 39 percent, and this year, we spring summer provided a “buffet should expect to see fawning Information on bag limits, license of natural forages for deer.” recruitment in the 45 to 50 percent requirements and other general Cain noted hunters can expect the information is available from the range, if not higher.” “exceptional” habitat conditions to Texas Parks and Wildlife TPWD biologists estimate that the moderate deer movements at Department’s Outdoor Annual or at state’s deer population is around feeders and blind locations early on tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/ 5.4 million deer, or a density of in the season. outdoor-annual/. 49.25 deer per 1,000 acres. However, that density is not uniform across the state and those areas with better habitat tend to support higher deer populations. Cain added that the Edwards Plateau in south-central Texas has the highest deer numbers, with an estimated population of 2.06 million.
The Hill Country remains a great region, Cain said, and expectations
The archery-only season in the Among the factors accounting for designated North Zone (to which the large populations of deer and Gillespie County belongs) for turkey other forms of wildlife in the and deer runs from Oct. 2-Nov. 5. Fredericksburg area is the rugged,
