Aren't they pretty lax in enforcing how you participate while you are using it?

If MLD program is the optimal management tool, then why isn't the entire state of Texas on the program? The state has surveys that include your land or that is close to your land and the MLD program extends the season and eliminates animals and gets the herd closer to the optimal carrying capacity, so why doesn't the state just require all landowners to participate?

i've had game wardens stop by at camp and request to see all our MLD harvest data. they took there time looking thru it, didn't just skim over it.


I think that the average landowner just dosen't want to mess with the requirements of maintaining a MLD level 3

I think you will see some changes in the way the MLD program works over the next few years. The state has gotten lax in their guidelines to qualify for it.

State must think that managing the MLD way is better than just having a regular season with regular bag limits or they would not offer it. If this is a better way to manage the deer, why no just make MLD the bag limits and the season length?

MLD was started as a way for larger ranches to get a handle on managing their over-populations. I was on a ranch in the Hill Country that was over 4500 acres and we had to shoot 300 deer per season in the normal season from Nov till 1st Sunday in Jan. We had a very difficult time getting the numbers off. TPWD started the MLD to help ranches who were trying to get their populations down to carrying capacity. Then it started showing up on smaller ranches mainly HF and they abused it by shooting only trophies early and not working on numbers, some of those were weeded out early on. Now you have smaller LF ranches grouping acreages together to get under the MLD to manage their land. There are several 1000 ranches on this program today. I have always questioned why they did not charge a single penny for the permit. You have to get a management plan in place and work with TPWD to get on MLD. Each TPWD biologist has a little different personal agenda when it comes to issuing the permits. Some are very lax and other are by the book. They issue you all the permits and do the handling of the records at no charge to the landowner. I think you will see some changes on how they issue the permits and to whom they issue them in the next few years. I hope they charge for the permit also to offset operational expenses of the program.

I concur with stx. I have a BIL on the program and they have adhered to the guide lines and its working well.

We started a good "inhouse" management program a few years ago and its working well with us but we have an exceptional outfitter that works his arse off at maintaining buck-to-doe ratio. Last year at the extended season we took 79 does. This year it won't be but about half of that and we've already got a good start on the spike and doe reduction.

It's not just small places that are using it to shoot their trophies early. Well, I guess it depends how you define small.

For the most part you are correct in saying this. But I still know some ranches that have the program that shoot their trophies later like normal. They just shoot management and numbers early. Rut and location of the ranch will dictate more to this than just having the permit. I also know that some will shoot a trophy early when they see it since it might be the last time it is seen.