Going to have TPWD's Mule Deer, Antelope and Big Horn Sheep Program Leader on the show this week. His name is Shaun Grey and he took over for Calvin Richardson who recently was promoted.

Anyway, I was visiting with him this afternoon and he would like to answer any questions that Texas big game hunters may have concering those species and the harvest regulations. We are going to record the interview on Thursday, so let me know if you have any thoughts or recommendations that you think TPWD should consider adding or amending.

I have never hunted any of these species but Antelope and Bighorn Sheep are on the hitlist. Any feedback from those who have is greatly appreciated.

-Cable

I have taken a nice Mouflon Ram. I would love to take a Bighorn Sheep but I think it is very pricey.

ask him if he can talk Oklahoma into having the the same Landowner Antelope permit plan as TX does!!!
TX does it right!!!

PS see if he can up the Texas draw permits for big horn up to a few more permits.. So more of us poor folks can get a shot at one some day.

Are there any programs currently operating or in the planning stages that would increase the range of mule deer and pronghorns?

The reason I ask is that in some marginal counties like the ones I hunt in (Scurry and Fisher), there is a mule deer season every year, but in 10 years of hunting I've only seen 3 mule deer bucks and maybe twice that many does. Obviously the country is capable of supporting them, since there is a season, but the population seems really low. Would this area benefit from some transplants?

ask him if i high fence a ranch in the western hill country, can i import mule deer and hunt them under MLD

For counties in the Panhandle, mule deer doe permits are impossible to get. Any chance they will create a anterless season for mule deer in the panhandle? Even a youth or bow season would help ranches that need to manage muley does. Right now,those of us that have high deer densities have no tools to manage mulie does.

When I hunted just NW of Childress, there were mule does everywhere, I mean everywhere. How come they don't have any season? It couldn't have been healthy.

x2 on interest in this question...

Ask him why mule deer season is so freakin short in Texas for rifle hunters. Heck bowhunters have the month of October, but rifle season is just 2 weeks......something aint right.

x2 I want this questioned asked.

Ask him how much aoudad affect the range of the bighorns. I would also like to know when the plan on expanding the number of bighorn tags in Texas.

don't ask him that. I love aoudad. don't want to think badly of them

Same here on the mulie does. I'm in Matador and see TONS of does, what's the deal with not shooting them in general. There has to be a good reason...what is it?

Ask him to please, please, please take the Mule deer season in the Western Panhandle (Gaines County for instance) to landowner permits. They are well on their way to blowing that population out of mature bucks. Limiting harvest is needed.

It would BE nice to draw a couple of Big Horn tags instead of auction...

This x 100! There's no reason why we shouldn't be able to take at least one mule deer doe per season, even if only limited to a landowner permit, if not the general hunting license. Last year I saw more mule deer does than all other deer, and I have a lot of whitetails on or passing through my place too.

Please let us know when we can listen. Thanks for what you're doing.

Apologies to the Big Horn Sheep questions. Shaun doesn't oversee that species. The person who previously held this position oversaw all three species and then when he left they split it up. I will find out who the Big Horn program leader is and grill him sometime in the near future. Thanks for all the input. I think you will find the interview very informative.

looking forward to it

^^^^^

Another quick edit. The newly created Big Horn Sheep position is open. Any THF'ers want to apply. Contact Mitch Lockewood. LOL

I happen to have his number. Mitch is a real stand up guy

I will pay my $10 and put into the Texas Big Hunts drawing. Thats the closet I will probably get to big horn sheep hunting.

to those curious about the aoudad and the big horn competing call up big bend state park. They will have some answers. they are trying to eradicate the aoudad with helicopters. Been there when they did it, they flew right over me and shot a bunch right by us. we went to ask and they said that the aoudad were competing with the big horn and wanted all of them gone so they could reintroduce the big horn to the park.

Your right man, in two years there wont be any big mulies in Gaines, Dawson, martin. Theyve got to do something about that

Unfortunately they won't. I think we have some serious idiots making policy in the TPWD when it comes to anything other than whitetail. It has already happened in Cochran and several other counties.

I know, heard from Mulie Mike firsthand. I agree that it sucks and is kinda sad. But it's the right thing to do if Big Horn can flourish there. I would rather see outfitters offering free range big horn sheep hunts than aoudad. They are native to Texas and therefore I prefer they are reintroduced into areas they once roamed. Aoudad have their place too, but we need to make sure our native herds are priority one. Once they are healthy then we can enjoy harvesting them just as we do aoudad ( in a perfect world anyway). I would love to take a trip west and harvest one of each. Gotta find the happy medium.