Misty Sumner, a wildlife biologist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in Van Horn, told the Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) Radio Network that habitat in far West Texas looks great.
“We’ve had a great year for rain, and the habitat has been phenomenal,” said Sumner, who has responsibilities in Culberson, Hudspeth and El Paso counties. “When we get rain early, as we did this year, the browse has a flush of growth, which is fantastic for antler growth, as well as the forbes. Anytime the deer are in high nutritional plane, everything is good, from milk production to antler growth.”
And the outstanding conditions are being reflected in the quality of the mule deer population in the area.
“The deer are probably the best I’ve seen in quite a few years. The age structure is good,” said Sumner. “If you’re looking at deer that are five or six years or older, we’re seeing deer, as far as Boone and Crockett scores, of 180-plus. A 160 to 170 deer is phenomenal, in itself. But in years when everything comes together, don’t be surprised if you see quite a few over 200-class deer in our Texas Big Game Awards program.”