Drought hasn't kept deer hunters from finding big white-taileds
Just when you thought the early archery season couldn't pack any more surprises for East Texas hunters, word of another whopper whitetail has come trickling down the pike.
This season has been a remarkable one already. In fact, judging from the results turned in by area bow hunters since the Oct. 1 opener, it is almost scary to think what might happen once the general gun season starts Saturday.
In looking back, I can't recall another archery season in these parts that has kicked out so many giant deer so early in the year. Already there have been one buck in the 190-class, at least two bucks in the 170-class and at least one in the 160-class taken by East Texas bow hunters. All of the bucks were killed on small tracts of open range property, a couple from counties with limited histories of producing big deer.
Factor in the 170-inch 12-pointer taken earlier this month in Marion County by MLD rifle hunter Kyle Morgan of Hughes Springs, and it might seem like we are riding the heels of textbook spring and summer growing seasons when everything lined up perfectly for producing kingsize racks.
Obviously, nothing could be further from the truth.
Like the rest of Texas, the eastern region of the state remains caught in the grip of a lingering drought that has been hanging on since this time last year. The prolonged lack of moisture in winter and spring stunted the growth of nutrition-rich forbs which deer feed on during those seasons. Meanwhile, blistering heat stifled the growth of rattan, Carolina jasmine, honeysuckle and other plants that deer rely on to fuel their bodies and grow their antlers over the summer.
So what gives with the ongoing flurry of monster East Texas bucks?
We'll touch on that a little later. First, here's a little deer hunting update to spur some confidence before you head to the lease in the coming weeks.
Ol' Key Ring
Kevin Wisener is an Angelina County building contractor who took is deer hunting business to Houston County about two decades ago. His father-in-law helped him hone his archery skills on the Davy Crockett National Forest, and he has since leased a pair of 400-yard tracts of private property about two miles part.
Wisener has hunted all over the region, but he is convinced there is something in the Houston County soil that is conducive to growing big racks.
"I'm drawn to this area," he said. "That's not to say there aren't good deer in other counties, but I'm convinced we have some really good seed over here."
Ol' Key Ring is rock solid proof of Wisener's claim.
"Key Ring" is the nickname Wisener's daughters gave to a stud buck that began showing up in his trail camera photos two years ago. Last season the buck sported a typical eight-point frame with long main beams, thick tines and a kicker off each of its G2s.
"The first time my girls saw his picture, they said, 'Look, Daddy, you could hang your keys on those antlers,'" Wisener said. "The name stuck, so that's what we always called him."
Time taught Wisener a few things about the salty buck. Perhaps the most obvious was his zest for moving under the cover of darkness. The hunter owns a full diary of Key Ring photographs dating back two years, but you can count the daylight images on one hand.
"I've probably got 50 or more pictures of that deer over the last two seasons, but just about all them are at night," he said. "By the end of September he was almost always entirely nocturnal. The only daylight photos I have are right at day break, and there are only a couple of those."
None of the pictures are at feeders, either. Key Ring always made it a priority to skirt designated feeding stations.
"All of my pictures are in places where I broadcast protein or corn," he said.
Wisener logged countless hours on the stand over the past two seasons hoping to get a shot at the mysterious buck. Amazingly, he never physically laid eyes on the animal until just after daylight on the morning of Oct. 26.
Wisener said he was hunting from a lock-on stand 27 feet above ground. The stand was positioned in a streamside management zone (SMZ) adjacent to a Buck Forage food plot bearing just enough growth to attract a few does.
A doe and a spike appeared in the plot about 7 a.m., soon to be followed by a 14-inch eight-pointer. Wisener said it was obvious the doe was in heat when the eight-pointer ran the spike off, then began chasing her in circles.
Seconds later, Ol' Key Ring emerged from the shadows to set the lesser buck straight. Wisener said the big buck approached the eight-pointer with an offensive posture. The eight-pointer played it smart and left, taking the doe with him.
"Key Ring walked to where they were standing, sniffed the ground, took a couple bites of oats and then started moving away," Wisener said.
Realizing his chance was waning, the hunter reached for his grunt and bleat calls. Moments later, the big buck whipped around, took eight steps in Wisener's direction and turned broadside. He ranged the deer at 46 yards.
That's well beyond shooting range limit for most archers, but not Wisener. He had previously spent weeks shooting out to 70 yards in preparation for a Colorado elk hunt, so he felt confident he could make the shot.
The Rage mechanical broadhead found its mark. Wiesner said the unofficial Boone & Crockett score on the 12-point rack is 167 2/8 gross points. The massive eight-point mainframe grosses 153 B&C.
Marion County monster
Marion County in northeast Texas has produced some high quality bucks in the past but few that compare with a big nontypical Kyle Morgan shot earlier this month on 1,200 acres he owns with his two brothers.
Morgan had invited a friend and two sons to the ranch for a weekend to help out with the early harvest of some surplus does. The ranch is run according to a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department approved management plan, which also provides permits for the harvest of bucks by rifle in October.
After getting his friend situated in a box blind on a pipeline, Morgan went to a different stand about a half mile away. A while later, his friend contacted him by cell phone to tell him there was whopper buck standing at a feeder nearby.
Morgan didn't think much about it until his friend called a second time, urging him to come take a look.
Morgan elected to do so out of curiosity. In looking back, he is likely glad he did.
After slipping in quietly on foot, Morgan spotted the buck near the pipeline crossing and dropped it with a single shot.
The buck carried a chocolate-colored rack with 10 typical points, a split G2 on the left side and a single kicker.
Big buck biology
Despite the poor range conditions brought on by the epic drought, East Texas hunters have harvested some big bucks this season.
Why?
A common denominator is age. According to TPWD whitetail deer program leader Alan Cain, young bucks will utilize a high percentage of their nutrition intake for skeletal development until they reach about 3 1/2 years of age.
"By the time a buck reaches 4 1/2, he has met his requirements for skeletal growth, which allows him allocate more resources into developing his antlers," Cain said.
Cain added that on properties where the habitat and deer herds are properly managed, drastic swings in antler quality and body conditions won't be nearly as noticeable as on unmanaged properties.
"There also could be some little isolated patches of habitat that for one reason or another withstood the drought better than others," Cain said.
The mandatory antler restrictions put in place across the region several years ago have also helped. The antler restrictions are designed to protect more bucks from harvest at a young age and ultimately promote an older, healthier age structure among bucks.
"You're getting more 4- to 6-year-old bucks out there in East Texas with the potential to grow massive antlers," Cain said. "The antler restrictions could definitely be starting to have an impact."
Matt Williams' e-mail address is mattwilliams@netdot.com.
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