Texas The second largest U.S. state, Texas covers an astounding 171,891,725 acres (Source: Beef 2 Live). Often thought of by outsiders as one giant desert, the Lone Star State is actually very eco-diverse. In fact, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department recognizes 10 different eco-regions within the state. I recently discussed Texas’s deer herd and hunting opportunities with Alan Cain, White-tailed Deer Program Leader with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Not all states project whitetail-population estimates, but Texas does. “We have an estimated 5.4 million white-tailed deer,” Cain said. “This number is based on regulatory deer surveys that our biologists annually conduct throughout the state. Central Texas has the state’s highest deer densities. This area is known as the Edwards Plateau eco-region, also commonly referred to as the Hill Country. Specifically, Deer Management Unit (DMU) 6 around Llano and Mason Counties has the highest density at an estimated 265 deer per 1,000 acres.” Quantity doesn’t necessarily mean quantity, so I also queried Cain on the areas that reputably produce trophy-class bucks. “Quite frankly, trophy-quality bucks are annually harvested in every region of the state,” he said, “and Texas has a reasonable age structure across all eco-regions. However, we have antler-restriction regulations in 117 counties in the state’s eastern third, which has been tremendously successful in shifting harvest to older-age-class bucks — about 60% of bucks harvested in these counties are 3 ½ years old or older. “Now, if I had to narrow down the state to some of the best regions for producing older, trophy-quality bucks, I’d say it’s the South Texas eco-region and the Western Rolling Plains (panhandle). South Texas is known for large ranches, which limits hunting pressure and allows intensive deer-management practices to grow bucks supporting quality antlers. Many bucks harvested annually in South Texas score more than 160 B&C. The Western Rolling Plains has a much lower deer density, but the age structure is great, and many of the bucks harvested support exceptional antlers comparable to South Texas.” Of course, Texas isn’t the most DIY-friendly whitetail state. “Texas is primarily a private-lands state with 97% being under private ownership,” Cain explained. “So, the vast majority of deer-hunting access is on private lands. Often, hunters can find reasonably-priced hunts on private ranches. Public-land hunting is primarily on our wildlife-management areas (draw only) and on National Forest Lands in East Texas. Hunters don’t need to apply and draw to hunt most of the National Forest (NF) lands such as Angelina NF, Davy Crockett NF, and Sam Houston NF. There are also some national grasslands in North Texas and the Panhandle where hunters could deer hunt, but deer densities are generally low on these areas, making hunting pretty tough.”