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Game warden, shop owner don't expect dry year to affect hunting, business

Game warden, shop owner don't expect dry year to affect hunting, business

Seen here is a young sambar deer on the Powderhorn Ranch spotted this past spring in Calhoun County.
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  • By JJ Velasquez - jvelasquez@vicad.com
  • Originally published November 6, 2009 at 5:06 p.m., updated November 9, 2009 at 3:55 p.m.

  • PROCESSING TIPS

    Nueces County Extension Agent Jeffrey Stapper says:

    Hunters should not handle or consume deer or other wild animals that appear sick or act abnormally, regardless of the cause.

    Always wear heavy rubber or latex gloves when field ...

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    • PROCESSING TIPS

    Nueces County Extension Agent Jeffrey Stapper says:

    Hunters should not handle or consume deer or other wild animals that appear sick or act abnormally, regardless of the cause.

    Always wear heavy rubber or latex gloves when field dressing wild game.

    If intestinal contents contact meat, consider the meat contaminated; cut off and discard affected area.

    Wash hands with soap and water before and after handling meat. Sanitize equipment and work surfaces thoroughly.

    Thoroughly clean equipment and work areas then sanitize with a 50/50 solution of household chlorine bleach and water after processing. Wipe down counters and let them dry. Soak knives for one hour.

    Dispose of the hide, brain, spinal cord, eyes, spleen, tonsils, bones and head in a landfill or your normal garbage pickup.

It's deer season, and a local game warden and shop owner don't expect this year's drought to adversely affect the sport.

"Deer season's always a draw," Darrel Hester, owner of Victoria All-Sports Center, said. "Even though our economy has been up and down, the hunters are still going to go hunting."

Hester said business has been steady at his sporting goods store on U.S. Highway 59.

He said people have been stocking up on ammunition, snake boots, bug repellant, binoculars and all the usual items deer hunters buy to prepare for the new season.

Hester said that sales for protein feed were up this year because of the drought.

"When you had your drought they had to give them something to eat," he said. "If you fed protein, chances are your deer are going to be pretty good."

He said more people who raise deer opted to feed their deer protein because the usual feed - corn - does not contain a lot of the nutrient.

Customers bustled in and out of the store Friday to prepare for the season's start.

Hunters shopped for camouflage gear and firearm accessories below the taxidermied deer heads that line the wall.

Hester said customers are normally in a rush this time of year making sure they have all they need to have a good hunting experience.

"Deer season's big business," he said. "If you have the right items, you're going to get a piece of the pie."

Local game warden Rex Mayes said hunting is a tradition that people usually get excited about in Victoria.

"They're grocery shopping, they're getting equipment ready, they're going to deer camp and getting away from the office and relaxing," said Mayes. "It's something they look forward to - being in that outdoor experience that they've done since they were a kid."

Mayes urged hunters to be cautious and safe and to mind others who may be out in the woods.

He said he doesn't expect the drought to affect hunting.

"We had a dry year, but we've had some recent rains," he said.

Texas Parks and Wildlife biologist Josh Turner echoed this sentiment, adding that this year's deer survey showed that the deer population is on par with last year's.

"From what we've seen, (the drought) hasn't affected it much," Turner said. "The overall population is as good as it was last year."

Although Turner said that the drought may have caused fawn reproduction and survival to drop this year, numbers weren't drastically affected.

"Everything should be on tap for a good season," he said.


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