Mired in what will undoubtedly be one of the worst droughts on record, white-tailed deer in Texas are facing tough conditions heading into the fall hunting season.

An early and abundant acorn crop, combined with new growth of native vegetation may force Texas deer hunters to stray from supplemental food sources during the 2009-2010 general deer season, which opens Nov. 7.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission adopted a series of wildlife and hunting related regulations that expand special buck antler restrictions and liberalize antlerless harvest opportunities in dozens of counties. The new rules take effect during the 2009-10 hunting seasons.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission on Jan. 21 authorized the department to seek public comment on a suite of proposed wildlife and hunting related regulations that would expand special buck antler restrictions and liberalize antlerless harvest opportunities in dozens of counties, part of a broader move to transition away from political boundaries and toward biologically-based communities for managing deer populations.

The following are excerpts from recent Texas Parks and Wildlife Department law enforcement reports.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has transitioned away from political boundaries for the purpose of monitoring white-tailed deer populations and toward biologically-based communities or Resource Management Units (RMUs).