Hunters reminded to report harvest during upcoming antlerless season

Nov. 19—AUSTIN — As the four-day antlerless deer season, Nov. 28-Dec. 1, begins next week in 21 counties, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) reminds hunters to report their harvest using either the free Texas Hunt and Fish mobile app (for iOS and Android) or the Texas Hunt and Fish web page.

Hunters must complete mandatory harvest reporting for any antlerless deer harvested during the four-day doe season, along with any antlerless deer harvested during the youth-only and muzzleloader seasons within 24 hours of their hunt.

Counties required to report their harvest include Austin, Bastrop, Caldwell, Colorado, Comal (East of I-35), De Witt, Fayette, Goliad (North of US 59), Gonzales, Guadalupe, Hays (East of I-35), Jackson (north of US 59), Karnes, Lavaca, Lee, Travis (East of I-35), Victoria (North of US 59), Waller, Washington, Wharton (North of US 59) and Wilson.

Additionally, hunters in the four counties that remain dedicated to archery-only hunting (Dallas, Grayson, Rockwall and Collin) must report all white-tailed deer harvests within 24 hours through the Texas Hunt & Fish App during all white-tailed deer seasons.

Accurate reporting in mandatory reporting counties allows agency wildlife biologists to properly study hunting impacts on local deer populations and develop more hunting opportunities in the future.

Chronic Wasting Disease

Landowners and hunters play a critical role in managing Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and reducing its impact by harvesting deer to manage populations, properly disposing of inedible carcass parts, reporting sick deer and supporting testing efforts.

"The data collected from hunter harvested samples is essential to helping us track CWD across the state," said Ryan Schoeneberg, Big Game Program Specialist. "This helps us know where CWD is and isn't found, which is useful in helping us understand how to better manage this insidious disease."

More information about zone boundaries and requirements, carcass disposal regulations, and check station dates and hours of operations can be found on TPWD's CWD webpage.